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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. To what children's classic did Ashton-Warner refer when writing about books not read in her classroom?

2. In the illustrations accompanying "Organic Writing," what fatal accident did one child claim had happened to him?

3. How many other books preceded the development of the Maori transitional readers?

4. What composer was NOT mentioned among the list Ashton-Warner used in her classroom?

5. How many fancy-dress costumes did Ashton-Warner own?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Ashton-Warner's reaction to the sometimes violent imagery used in the children's stories?

2. In "Workbook," what did Ashton-Warner mean when she said that one cannot plot life?

3. How did Russian peasant students react to Leo Tolstoy's experimental school?

4. How can a teacher tell when a book is valuable to her students, according to Ashton-Warner?

5. Why did Ashton-Warner find the European and American early readers two-dimensional?

6. What did Ashton-Warner mean by "tone" in the classroom?

7. What is wrong with the cadence in many published first readers?

8. What did Plato believe about dance?

9. What was the importance of the "inner illustration" in the children's self-written stories?

10. What was the connection Ashton-Warner drew between the infant room and war and peace?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ashton-Warner wrote at length about the importance of tone in the classroom. Write an essay exploring how tone is set in the classroom and how several people have a role in setting that tone. Does the tone have to be the same from classroom to classroom or school to school? Or should there be variations based on the unique needs of the teachers and students? How does a teacher determine what tone works best for her students and how does she achieve that tone, especially if it differs from what she would normally like to see?

Essay Topic 2

The Maori children in Ashton-Warner's classroom encountered racism from the majority white population in New Zealand. How did these attitudes affect the students at home and in the community? How did it affect them in the classroom? Did having a white teacher have an impact on them, even if she was open and accepting of them? How do societal assumptions and expectations impact a child's ability to perform in school? Do children internalize the prejudices they encounter or are they able to escape them in the classroom? How do teachers deal with the impact these prejudices may have on their students? Is it possible to fully counter them in school?

Essay Topic 3

At one point in the book, Ashton-Warner admitted that at least one of her white students would have performed better had he been given access to the "white" readers she hated so much. Did her efforts on behalf of her Maori students come at a cost for her white students? Is it possible to help one previously disadvantaged group while also ensuring that the "advantaged" group does not fall behind? Should teachers base their teaching on reaching specific groups or should all the students, regardless of background, be expected to conform to the standard used in that classroom? Is it possible--or desirable--to differentiate instruction in a diverse classroom?

(see the answer keys)

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