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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. Where did the visitors who came to look at the Maori primers visiting from?

2. How much did Peter weigh?

3. Which author stated that "words have souls"?

4. What instrument did the seven-year-old twins play after the event for Kahu?

5. What fictional character did Ashton-Warner reference in her section on education on marriage?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was it important to offer only present tense verbs to new readers?

2. Why did Ashton-Warner criticize herself for the way she handled Matawhero's defiance after he hit Gordon?

3. What revelation did Ashton-Warner have in "Post-Holiday Notes" about using Maori readers with both Maori and white students?

4. What was the reaction of strangers to Ashton-Warner's multi-colored Maori belt?

5. What role did discipline play in Ashton-Warner's classroom?

6. Why was Ashton-Warner surprised at the appearance of the new classrooms when she visited?

7. Why was Ashton-Warner disappointed with the pictures the new teacher had chosen to personalize the children's coat hooks?

8. Why did Ashton-Warner say that when giving first words to her students, she avoided showing them any illustrations of those words?

9. What was Ashton-Warner's attitude toward the white students who accused Maori students of theft?

10. What did the students' compositions reveal about their family lives?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The great Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy, developed and operated a school for peasant children that Ashton-Warner expressed admiration for. The school day was long and students were given significant freedom to choose what subjects to study and when. Is this school model possible on a larger scale or is it something that can only be done on a small scale, under unique circumstances? What are the benefits of allowing students to go at their own pace and explore the subjects most dear to them? What happens to standardized curricula and school-wide tests in such a situation?

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

As Ashton-Warner listened to a Maori adult teach her students a traditional song, she realized that she could not have done that because she was not Maori herself. She knew she could not bring forth the same passion that the Maori teacher did. How did being white affect Ashton-Warner's abilities as a teacher to a mostly-Maori classroom? Did it limit her in any way? Was she required to make changes to her technique because of the racial difference? Were there other situations (besides the traditional song) in which Ashton-Warner would have been at a significant disadvantage as a white person? Is it necessary to have teachers reflect the ethnic or racial makeup of their classrooms?

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