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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. What was Ashton-Warner's response to the problems with the set early readers?

2. What did Brian mean by the term he used to describe the bus in his story?

3. What did Ashton-Warner call the most "comely word" in the language?

4. By what title was Tolstoy known to his students?

5. What short word did Ashton-Warner say (in "Maori Transitional Readers") was used by Maori at the end or beginning of most spoken sentences?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did modern life in New Zealand make it difficult for people to use their inner resources?

2. Into what two main categories did Ashton-Warner place many of her students' first words?

3. How did early exposure to white cultural norms adversely affect the Maori?

4. Why did Ashton-Warner describe the language of published first readers as "dead"?

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

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

7. Why did Ashton-Warner throw out words that students did not recognize the second time?

8. Why were "key words" so essential to learning to read?

9. How did the Maori early readers provide a bridge to eventual reading of European material?

10. What was the role of handwriting in the Maori students' stories?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ashton-Warner's students spend much time dancing in the classroom, whether as a form of exercise or in free-dance exploration. Write an essay exploring the use of dance in the classroom. What are the benefits of giving students access to this art form? Are the benefits solely physical? Does dance help center children and does it have an effect on concentration? How can free-dance periods help children express themselves and how can that impact other areas of the curriculum?

Essay Topic 2

The mother of one of Ashton-Warner's students, Mark Cutter, protested that her son was going too fast in the classroom and she wanted him to slow down. This was an unusual complaint among the parents of her students. Was Cutter's mother simply opposed to Ashton-Warner's teaching methods? Or did she sincerely believe that her son was being advanced too quickly? Is it possible for a student to advance too quickly? What does a teacher do if children in his classroom are advancing at different paces? How does a teacher adjust his teaching to ensure that all students are progressing at their own rate without either slowing down or speeding up the overall pace for the entire class?

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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