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Our visits encountered a great variety of classroom activities. This of course varied from form to form. We have compiled a typical morning of classroom activities that we encountered from our many school visits. Of course the activities are much more diverse then presented here, but this is a good picture of what one might find at a British prep school. The overal impression is that something very important is going on--serious learning. One clearly oibservable activity ws that the children did a lot of written wiork focused on basic reding/writing and numerecy and that work was vrefully monitored an reviewed by the masters. We see this at every level beginning with Form 1. The small sizes of the classroonms made thst possible.
The younger children are absorbed in a scripture lesson. The form mistress is in the midst of describing David's confrontations with Goliath. One freckled-faced little chap can barely control his enthusiasmas he waived his hand high in the air seeking permission to ask a pressing question. "Please miss," he insisted, "just how big is a giant." The subject appears to have picqued the children's interest. There are lots of questions and with a small class, everyone gets a chance to ask his or her question. At this age, the children are beginning to learn that the question should have some relationship to the subject at hand. The teacher than organizes an inpromptu skit to give the children the opportunity to act out the story. On this day, Goliath was a popular choice. There are quute a few volunteers for the civeted role of Goliath. Interestingly the smallest boy in the class was especially interested in being Goliath. The teacher wisely chose him for David.
A special reading teacher is helping three boys who are have trouble with their reading nd falling behind their class.She is helping children who are taking turn reading. She patiently helps each boy sound out the wrds that they are having trouble with.
The second form mistress has just finished a rather dry English lesson. She decided to reward her budding grammarians with an installment of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She uses short periods in the day to read a book in small installments. The children gather arounf her and are soon wde-eyed with wonnder as they are drawn into the story. There is consuiderable sympathy foir poor Charlie on this day.
The teacher is reading the children a book on dinasaurs. The children, especially the boys are delighted. Like the First Form, she gathers the children around her chair. Everyone was waiting for the chapter on Tyrannosaurs rex. She carefully held up the book so each child could get a good look at the pictures. They listented intently as she read. As the children filed out for morning break, there was a virtually unanimous agreemnt among the boys that T. rex was undoubtedly the best dinosaur. One rather concerned little girl styed behind to ask the techer, "Miss, weren't there any friendky dinosaurs?"
Aftr a brief explanation, the teacher set a number of challenging maths problems. The children opened their pencil boxes to extract protractors and pencils for the class. The children were soon hard at work on the problems, busily computing, measuring, and erasing--there seemed to be a lot of energetic erasing. We couldn't help but be impressed with their seriousness as theygrappled with the problem. I couldn't help observing one bespectacled mathematician as he, in a timeless school moveement, peaked at his desk mate's paper to be sure he was on the right track.
The children in the art room wre intently absorbed in the construction of butterflies fro plasticine paper nad wire. Eacg child is keenly interested in the project which was a perfect example of involving the children in a discovery by experiment experience. The teacher moved leisurely around the room. She incouraged each would be butterfly creater with compliments and questions. She offered advice, but nevcer gave instructions. The small class size allowed her to work with each child and answer a multitude of questions.
The Fifth Formers were waiting paciently in the hall outsude the scince laboratory for the master to arrive. They filed in with reasonable decorum to their benches and stools. The three girls in the class were comparng notes on the evening prep. The boys took an immediate real interest in the equipment that the n=master was setting up to demonstrate static electricity. One rather serious minded boy offerred some advise to the master who wasn;t entirely sure how the new equipment fitted together. Two other boys were interested in snake, a new arrival to a collection of both furry and scaled beasties set off the the sidevof the lab.
The schlarship group has begun to work on Greek and are doing some basic translations. Here the Headmaster has taken the class. In the time-honored fashion, each boy stands and takes turn translating a passage. The form has only eight boys who are hoping to earn a scholarship or bursary to their public school. Most of the boys are Sixth Formers, but there are also two particularly clevver FifthbFormers. One boy stumbles over his passage, The previous boy is irritated with himself for not gthinking of just the word. There is an air of serriousness in the room. The text is not very exciting. The boys are mostly 12 years old, but they are absorbed in the lesson. They are taking academics very serioysly. Some of these boys have a real chanc of winning a Public School scloarship. Not only are the boys serious, but they are in the presence of a master teacher, an elderly gentlemanwho is in the truest sense a scholr. He not only explains the grammr, but has fascinating insights and stories to make the task interesting. The boys respect his knowledge, but also his humor--very impotant for children this age.
