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Karen Canon

June 19, 2018 by Karen Canon Leave a Comment

On Exams

Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat

I previously shared notes made by a student at Mason’s teacher training college in Ambleside. These were in the form of ‘narrated reports’ completed after a lecture on the ‘History of Education.’

Today I have another set of notes transcribed from Eve Anderson’s (1931-2004) notebooks, this time on the topic of Examinations.

Many of you might be quickly approaching the end of a term and year; may these notes provide perhaps some fresh ideas and encourage you to finish well.


Exams—P.U.S.
Each term a fresh programme is provided so that a standard is set and exams follow the programme, which afford fair chance for all children.

The exams should be carried out without strain, no feeling of worry, rivalry or excitement, and there should be a quiet, serene atmosphere. The children realize that it is an important week. A full week is taken so that there is plenty of time, the exams must be the child’s unaided work. In the home school room they follow the ordinary time-table, but they do exams instead of lessons.

They have exams in every subject. In schools the headmistress draw up a time-table, but not long periods in one subject. The questions are written on the board, the child copies the question onto paper and answers it.

[Forms] 2A upwards should write all work themselves in ink.
2B should write one answer in each subject themselves.
[Upper] 1A should write 2 or 3 answers themselves..
Lower 1A write one answer themselves.
1B Dictate all.

The child should take pride in his exams. Drawing paper should be cut to size, papers should be in the right order. There are 2 mark sheets – one by the examiner which is invaluable to parents, because it gives them an idea whether they are below or above average, and there is the oral sheet, which is the report from the school, all subjects are marked or remarked such as crafts, singing etc. so there is a complete picture of the child, also any exams which have been set privately.

Home school rooms send their exams up always, and schools send one from each form,—a different pupil each time. There are exams every time. The spring ones are corrected at home and the report sent to Ambleside.

Objects of P.U.S. Exams

  1. To focus a terms work for the pupil.
  2. To guide and encourage parents and teachers.
  3. To help and guide those who plan the work.

No revision is necessary.

Standard is reached by children’s work.  Exams show up [a] bad teacher and a bad book.

Constant readjustment is necessary.


Sources:
“Notebooks from Eve Anderson” https://goo.gl/YRvHkp, Box 162, Charlotte Mason Digital Collection, Redeemer University College.

Karen Canon - Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat
Karen Canon

You may learn more about Karen on the CMER speaker page.

cme-kc.com/

April 17, 2018 by Karen Canon Leave a Comment

Snakes in Ireland and Other Thoughts on Composition

Snakes in Ireland and Other Thoughts on Composition - Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat
Original photo by Nheyob – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39732088. Modified by Karen Canon.

‘Composition’ comes by Nature.––In fact, lessons on ‘composition’ should follow the model of that famous essay on “Snakes in Ireland”––”There are none.”

While researching online for a talk last fall, I had revisited some notebooks belonging to Eve Anderson (1931-2004), a graduate of Mason’s teacher training college. In a box, alongside her Book of Centuries and Nature Note-Books, were notes she had kept from her college days. They kept notes? Yes! It seems they did. Another former student, Joan Fitch, said:–

“We had a lecture, principles of education or history, and then a member of staff giving this would leave the room and we had a quarter of an hour in which to write a report on this lecture. This was, in a sense, the narration method which could be done by children in writing if need be.”

She goes on to say:–

“This was never a criticism, it was a report, an account of, but in our own words, as the children, for instance, were asked to narrate a passage in their words.”

One such report in Ms. Anderson’s notebook is under the heading, ‘Composition.’ It appears within a series of lectures on the ‘History of Education’ and ‘Education in England.’  Appearing alongside a report on Exams under the general heading of ‘P.U.S.’ (Parents’ Union Schools), these two reports provide a point of comparison between traditional approaches and Mason’s method in the P.U.S.

I transcribe her report (below) as it reads in her notebook. These notes are not a polished report by any means; they are a record on paper of her impressions as allowed in the brief time allotted following a lecture.

It may be fitting to keep in mind that Eve Anderson was a student at the House of Education some thirty years after Mason’s death. Changes were afoot, especially after the Second World War. In their diaries, students observed changes at the college; changes with mixed implications. In 1948, one student remarked,–

“We had an innovation this term, a mixed dance for students who were allowed to invite any male friend they wanted.”

Another noted that by 1946 most students went home for their summer half-term break, rather than stay at Ambleside. Mason had deliberately chosen Ambleside for the location of her school, in part to impress a new way of living upon her students and to open up new avenues of pursuits. One could argue that long breaks could impact habits newly formed and paramount to her unique approach.

My purpose in this article isn’t to detail these Post-WWII changes nor to speculate on their impact but they are worth consideration as we read Ms. Anderson’s report on the teaching in her time on composition. More can be read about Mason’s ideas on composition in Home Education and School Education.


Composition

Form I. Children have oral compositions in the narration of tales.

Form II. Have compositions.
IIb. Can start compositions and if they are very slow they may narrate the rest of the composition if they have a lot to say. Choose stories from terms reading, therefore they have some knowledge on subject; they must have plenty of material to work on.  Avoid abstract subjects and those that need generalization and criticism. Do not teach composition; just give the child material to work on. Teach them full-stops and capital letters after but not paragraphs. Avoid the use of slang.

Subjects. Stories from:–

  1. Age of Fable.
  2. History
  3. Geography
  4. Story about a picture they have done.

First attempt at working poetry to be done in metre of poem read.
Can sometimes have imaginary subjects by the end of 2A.

Form III.
Subjects from term’s work, and current affairs.
Write letters.
No special lessons on composition.
They have more subject matter. Subjects should be varied. Write a scene for acting from a term’s book.
Letters of invitation or thanks or descriptive letters.
Subjects for imagination every now and then.
Topics of day
Occasionally own choice. Give them several days to think about it.
Citizenship gives scope. Paragraphs should be insisted on.

Form IV.
Begin to do real teaching.
Children who have read a lot will not need much teaching.
Punctuation and paragraphs.
Lessons on composition about 2 a term. Give concise description.
Compositions on Literature. Essays set on Bacon’s, Pope’s, Lamb’s etc.
There is a book to help teacher.
Tell them 5 processes in writing of essay:–

  1. Think
  2. Make an analysis of thoughts.
  3. Develop analysis into an outline.
  4. Write the essay.
  5. Read it through.

Must give at least 5 minutes to think first.
Give them lesson on different kinds of essays, descriptive, imaginative, concrete subject, topical subject, conversational, abstract.
Get them to suggest subjects.
An oral lesson on opening sentence to essays. Read them good opening sentences.
Criticize a little beginnings offered by one another.
Also consider endings.
Use of reported speech. __replied, shouted, whispered, hinted etc. instead of always ‘said’.
Enlarge vocabulary. Useful for conversation.
Lesson on description – e.g. an old sailor, do it aurally, a good meeting place, an outline of the conversation with sailor.
Pay attention to adjectives.
Building up of an essay—‘blood sports’—introduction on popularity, various kinds. one in particular. controversy on subject, writer’s own thoughts.
These lessons help with arrangement of ideas.

Poetry-4A. Look at metre of poems. Learn rules for metre.

Form V.
Introduction to précis writing, paraphrasing.
Blank verse and sonnet encouraged.


Sources:
Charlotte Mason College by J.P. Inman.
Home Education by Charlotte Mason, p. 243-247
“Notebooks from Eve Anderson” https://goo.gl/FffQKw, Box 162, Charlotte Mason Digital Collection, Redeemer University College.
School Education by Charlotte Mason, p. 178-181.
Transcript of Interview, Joan Fitch, Ambleside Oral History Group.

Karen Canon - Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat
Karen Canon

You may learn more about Karen on the CMER speaker page.

cme-kc.com/
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