Janet,

The Monitorial system grew out of the Lancastrian System.  In the Lancastrian system advanced students taught the less advances (and younger).  According to the Lancastrian Society website (http://www.constitution.org/lanc/default.htm )“It's opponents charged that it failed to indoctrinate children in their parents' religions, that it encouraged discontent among the working class, and that more advanced students could not instruct as well as the growing number of persons seeking teaching jobs.”  The system gave way to age grouping.  The motto of the group, though, is probably something we have all found out: Qui docet, discit…[s]he who teaches, learns.  The system probably worked well in the one room school houses of earlier America- in fact Walt Whitman mentions using that system when he taught school on Long Island.  Horace Mann (“the great educator[?]”) preferred the modern method- whereby lecture to age-discriminated groups was the primary mode of instruction.  A little of each system might help students with different learning styles….whoops!!! never mind!

 

Rick Jagels
Education Specialist
College Assistance Migrant Program
111 Wilsbach Hall
State University of NY College at Oneonta
(607)436-2297
[log in to unmask]

 

 

 

From: Teaching Breakfast List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nepkie, Janet ([log in to unmask])
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 9:34 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: The Power of Stanford's Free Onine Education

 

Yes - -I'd agree with your guess that in order to teach hundreds and hundred of students at the same time, the school is using an "army" of grad students.

 

In an effort to understand the development of education in the US, I've been doing a bit of reading about the development of education in England (not Great Britain).  Since so many of the American traditions were brought to  this country by English settlers (or rebels), I thought I might gain some useful understanding of our educational practices.

 

Here's what I learned (mostly from Wikipedia)

 

In the mid-1800s,  to provide for England's newly-industrialised and (partly) enfranchised society, various types of school began to be established to offer some basic education to the masses.  One of the types of education introduced was identified as a "Monitorial school."  In this model, the teaching was based on the Bible, but it employed a new method involving the use of monitors and standard repetitive exercises so that one master could teach hundreds of children at the same time in one room. It was the industrialisation of the teaching process.

 

 

H-m-m-m - -sound familiar?

Janet

 

Dr. J. Nepkie

SUNY Distinguished Service Professor

Professor of Music and Music Industry

Fine Arts 145

State University College

Oneonta, NY 13820

tele: (607) 436 3425

fax:   607 436 2718

[log in to unmask]

 

 

From: "Greenberg, Jim" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Teaching Breakfast List <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:08:54 -0500
To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: The Power of Stanford's Free Onine Education

 

Janet, 

 

Here is a link to one of the courses: 

 

 

 If you click the "Visitor" link (enrollment is closed at this point) you can browse through the course and look at the time table, assignments, materials, etc.  I've looked through the first section of the course (watched all the videos, taken a quiz or two and participated in some discussions) and it is very very impressive.  All that said, I have no idea how they are grading all the papers, quizzes, and discussion postings.  My guess is an army of grad students, but I honestly don't know. 

 

 

Mr. James B. Greenberg 

Director Teaching, Learning and Technology Center 

Milne Library 

SUNY College at Oneonta 

Oneonta, New York 13820 

 

phone: 607-436-2701 

fax:   607-436-3677

Twitter: greenbjb

 

"Ignorance is curable, stupidity lasts forever"               

 

 

 

From: Janet Nepkie <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Teaching List <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:50:56 -0500
To: Teaching List <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: The Power of Stanford's Free Onine Education

 

Jim,

Thanks for reporting about this interesting online course.

 

Who corrected the hundreds of assignments for the class?

 

I'd be interested to know who among our own faculty have been involved, or would like to be involved, with a similar project.

Thanks

Janet

 

 

Dr. J. Nepkie

SUNY Distinguished Service Professor

Professor of Music and Music Industry

Fine Arts 145

State University College

Oneonta, NY 13820

tele: (607) 436 3425

fax:   607 436 2718

 

 

From: "Greenberg, Jim" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Teaching Breakfast List <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:52:54 -0500
To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: The Power of Stanford's Free Onine Education

 

TBers, 

 

Today's TB discussion orbited around online instruction in High School and what that might mean for us in Higher Ed.  It made me think of this one: 

 

 

Enjoy and our final TB meeting of this semester is Dec. 7 at 8 am outside Starbucks.  Hope to see you there. 

 

Mr. James B. Greenberg 

Director Teaching, Learning and Technology Center 

Milne Library 

SUNY College at Oneonta 

Oneonta, New York 13820 

 

phone: 607-436-2701 

fax:   607-436-3677

Twitter: greenbjb

 

"Ignorance is curable, stupidity lasts forever"