TIPS: BACK TO SCHOOL TEACHER

Welcome back to school! The beginning of a new year is a crucial time for students and teachers alike. What you do to establish an effective classroom management system and create an environment that supports learning will influence what your students accomplish throughout the year. Everyone knows that learning cannot take place in chaos. We also know that well-managed classrooms don’t just happen. They are the result of teachers’ careful planning before the year begins and their deliberate implementation of the plan on the first day of school and thereafter. Today there is a solid research base that identifies the practices of effective classroom managers at the beginning of the year. Studies have consistently found that the most successful teachers:

■ arrange and organize their classrooms to support instructional goals;
■ establish procedures for conducting routine activities and rules to govern student behavior;
■ teach rules and procedures as they would any new content area; and
■ actively monitor students and consistently apply appropriate consequences.

Back to School Teacher

While these findings validate many of the things good teachers do intuitively, the research also offers some new ideas and approaches. This guide summarizes the consistent findings from classroom management research conducted over the past 25 years. It is designed to help you and your students get off to a good start and have a
productive school year. Establishing a Management System Good classroom management is the result of a three-stage process:
1. Before the year begins—planning and preparation;
2. During the first days of school—deliberate introduction and reinforcement of expectations; and
3. Throughout the year—maintaining cooperation through consistency and effective instruction.

Stage 1:
Before the Year Begins

Arranging Your Classroom

Good teachers know that the physical environment of the classroom can either enhance or hinder learning. Appropriate room preparation and arrangement of materials conserve class time for learning, while inadequate planning interferes with instruction by causing interruptions and delays. An effective room arrangement is also essential to classroom management because it eliminates possible distractions and minimizes opportunities for students to disrupt others. When arranging student desks or tables, keep in mind potential distractions, such as windows and doors, small group work areas, or your desk. Leave enough room around student desks so that you can easily reach each person when monitoring or giving help. Plan to seat students who will need extra attention close to the area where you spend most of your time. At the beginning of the year, consider arranging students’ desks in rows facing the major instructional area. This will allow you to deliver instructions to the whole class, monitor student behavior more readily, and become familiar with each student’s work habits. Once you have established your management system, you may want to move desks into clusters or other flexible groupings. Remember that your classroom is the learning environment for both you and your students. Research shows that effective managers take stock of their rooms and the of their students and develop a room plan that meets their instructional, behavioral, and organizational needs.

Procedures and Rules

Before the year begins, effective classroom managers carefully consider how they want their classrooms to function and the way they want their students to behave. Good managers think through what procedures students need to know in order to perform specific activities, and they establish classroom rules that clearly articulate their expectations for behavior.

Keys to Good Classroom Design
■ Ensure an easy flow of traffic throughout the room and keep high traffic areas, such as those near the teacher’s desk, pencil sharpener, and wastebasket, free from congestion.
■ Make sure you have a clear view of all students at all times.
■ Ensure that students can easily see instructional displays and presentations.
■ Make storage space and materials readily accessible.

Procedures tell students how to perform routine instructional and housekeeping tasks. A smooth-running classroom requires as many as 30 to 60 procedures. Examples of such routines include:
■ getting the teacher’s attention;
■ using the pencil sharpener, bathroom, or drinking fountain;
■ moving within and outside the classroom;
■ lining up;
■ storing personal belongings;
■ using learning centers; and
■ taking down and turning in assignments.

You should introduce procedures to students over a period of time, as needed. Sometimes it’s necessary to modify procedures during the school year to adapt to changes in instruction or the needs of a particular class.

Rules tell students how they are expected to behave. Rules apply to areas such as classroom interactions, respect for others and their property, and participation in class. Effective managers establish only three to six “umbrella” rules that remain consistent throughout the year.

Example of Classroom Rules
■ Be Prompt
■ Be Prepared
■ Be Polite
■ Be Productive

Most rules are stated positively and are written in broad, general terms that require further thought and interpretation. Rules should be prominently posted in the classroom and should be introduced on the first day of school.

Reinforcing Your Expectations

Good teachers know that a positive classroom climate supports student learning. They create such an environment by communicating high expectations and standards, conveying confidence in students’ abilities, and praising good performance. These teachers provide incentives, rewards, and recognition to highlight appropriate behavior.
At the same time, however, effective managers must consider how they will respond when students misbehave. They create a system of fair and appropriate consequences to use when students do not cooperate.

Consequences are sanctions applied when students behave inappropriately.
Think of these interventions as a “hierarchy of consequences” that includes a range of sanctions, with each step increasing in seriousness in relation to the offense. It’s particularly important to develop a range of minor interventions you can use without interrupting the instructional flow of the class.

Such a system of consequences might include the following:
Minor Interventions
■ Use nonverbal cues, such as looking directly at the student, frowning, or using a hand signal.
■ Move closer to the student.
■ Direct a question to the student, using his or her name.
■ Redirect the student to the task or activity.
■ Remind the student of the rule or procedure not being followed.
■ Have the student state the rule or procedure that applies and explain the behavior that would have been more
appropriate.
■ Tell the student, in a calm but authoritative tone, to stop the behavior.
■ Move the student to another seat.

Moderate Interventions
■ Have the student stay after class for a conference.
■Withhold a privilege or assign a penalty.
■ Isolate the student in another part of the room.
■ Send the student to a time-out area.
■ Contact the student’s parents to discuss the misbehavior.
■ Assign after-school detention.
■ Write a behavior contract.

Serious Interventions
■ Remove the student from the class, following the school’s disciplinary procedures.
■ Schedule a formal parent conference to identify mutually agreed-upon interventions.
■ Recommend that the student be suspended from class for a specified period of time.

Stage 2:
At the Beginning of the Year

Effective managers take deliberate actions during the first few days of school to create a productive classroom learning environment. They assume leadership of their classes immediately, make clear their expectations for students, and plan activities that will ensure high levels of teacher-student interaction.

First Day of School

The first day of the new school year is a critical one for teachers. With careful planning, you will create a good first impression and be prepared to handle unexpected events. Here are some tips as you plan for the first day of school.
■ Greet students at the door and direct them to their seats.
This simple act ensures that students enter the classroom in an orderly fashion and allows you to make
immediate contact with each student.
■ Introduce yourself to students and learn their names as quickly as possible.
Knowing the names of your students enables you to make a personal connection. Calling students by name
helps to build positive relationships and allows you to deal promptly with misbehavior.
■ Introduce students to one another.
Create an enjoyable way for students to meet each other and feel comfortable participating in class activities.
■ Teach procedures that are needed immediately and present your rules for behavior.
Teach your procedures and rules just as you would any content area. Procedures related to students’ personal
needs (such as where to store belongings and how to get the teacher’s attention) should be explained and
practiced immediately. Then introduce your rules and provide students an opportunity to discuss the meaning
of the rules. Give specific examples. Helping students understand the rationale behind the rules encourages
student buy-in and cooperation.
■ Introduce students to the classroom.
Acquaint students with the room by describing each area and how it will be used. When students know where
to go and where to find things, it helps eliminate disturbing interruptions and unnecessary questions.
■ Lead a learning activity that is simple and fun.
Plan an introductory lesson that will create interest in your subject. Including an appropriate academic activity
on the first day sends the signal that your classroom is a place for learning and a place where students will be
productive and successful.
■ Plan for maximum contact with students.
Consider using whole class instruction in order to have maximum contact with all students. Move around the
room to establish your presence, and stay with the class unless it is absolutely necessary to leave the room. If
visitors arrive, invite them into the room for a brief stay or ask them to come back at a scheduled time. In short,
be visible, available, and in charge.

First Three Weeks

Good classroom management cannot be established in one day. In fact, researchers have found that effective elementary teachers devote the first three weeks to presenting, reinforcing, and reviewing their rules and procedures until they become automatic. While less time is needed at the upper grade levels, considerable attention is still required to teach instructional procedures.
Investing enough time at the beginning of the year to firmly establish your classroom management system will result in a classroom that is focused on teaching and learning during the remainder of the year.

Tips for Reinforcing Rules and Procedures
1. Actively monitor the classroom and observe and assess students’ needs.
2. Provide feedback to students about their performance, rewarding them through praise or special privileges
when their behavior is appropriate.
3. Stop inappropriate behavior immediately, applying a consequence consistent with the misbehavior.
4. If a procedure is not working well, modify or replace it. However, be sure that you explain the new procedure
and give students opportunities to practice it.
5. Reteach the rules as necessary (especially before holidays and after school vacations).

Stage 3:
Throughout the Year

Once students know what’s expected of them and know that they will be held accountable for their actions, the teacher’s primary role changes. From that point on, teachers maintain good classroom management by:
■ designing lessons that actively involve all students;
■ providing instruction at an appropriate level of difficulty;
■ capturing students’ interest and helping them see the progress they are making; and
■ delivering instruction smoothly and at an appropriate pace.

AGAIN, TIME TO SCHOOL

It's school time again! You're probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that summer is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and maybe even a new school. Luckily, these "new" worries only stick around for a little while. Let's find out more about going back to school.

The First Day

Most teachers kick off the school year by introducing themselves and talking about all the stuff you'll be doing that year. Some teachers give students a chance to tell something about themselves to the rest of the class.

When teachers do the talking on the first day, they often go over classroom rules so you'll know what's allowed and what's not. Pay close attention so you'll know if you need to raise your hand to ask a question and what the rules are about visiting the restroom.

You might already know a lot of people in your classes on the first day. But it's a great day to make a new friend, so try to say hello to kids you know and new ones that you don't. Make the first move and you'll be glad you did and so will your new friend!

Moving to Middle School?

Sixth grade often signals a move to middle school or junior high, where you'll find lockers and maybe a homeroom. This is just what it sounds like - a classroom you'll go to each morning, kind of like your home in the school. In middle school, you might move from classroom to classroom for each subject. Your teachers know that this is a big change from elementary school and will help you adjust.

Most teachers let you pick your own seat on the first day, but by the second or third morning, they'll have mapped out a seating plan. It's a good idea to write down where your seat is in your notebook so you don't forget.

Feeling Good on Day One

Seeing friends you haven't seen in a while can make the first day a good one. You also can make the day feel special by wearing an outfit you like. Maybe you got a great T-shirt on vacation, or your new sneakers put a spring in your step. If you wear a uniform, you might wear a favorite watch or piece of jewelry to show your personal style.

It can make you feel good to be prepared and have all the supplies you need. Some schools distribute supply lists before the year begins, so you can come stocked up on pencils, folders, and whatever else you'll be needing. Once you've covered the basics, you might tuck an extra dollar or two in your backpack for an emergency (like forgetting your lunch money). Or maybe you'd like to bring along a book or magazine to read while you're on the bus.

Whatever you put in your backpack, make sure you pack it the night before. This prevents the morning panic when you can't find your homework or lunch box. Speaking of lunch, that's something else that can help you feel good at school - whether it's the first day or the 100th day. Pack it the night before if you don't like what's on the menu at the cafeteria. Try to include a variety of foods in your packed lunch, especially fruits and vegetables.

Get Oriented

The first day of school is your first chance to find your way around a new school, or learn the pathways to new classes in your old school. It's a lot to learn in one day, so don't be surprised if you need a reminder or two.

It might help to write a few notes to yourself, so you'll remember the important stuff, like your locker combination and that lunch starts at 11:43, not 12:10. Before you know it, your fingers will fly as you open your locker and you won't have to check your notes to know what time lunch starts!

A Bad Start?

What if you hate school by the end of day one? Teachers recommend giving things some time to sort themselves out - once you know your way around the building and get adjusted to the new routine, you'll probably feel better. If those feelings don't fade, talk to your mom, dad, teacher, or school counselor.

Here are a few final tips for a fantastic first day:

• Get enough sleep.
• Eat a healthy breakfast.
• Try your best.
• Develop good work habits, like writing down your assignments and turning in your homework on time.
• Take your time with school work. If you don't understand something, ask the teacher.
• Keep a sense of humor. One teacher we know shows his new students a picture of himself graduating high school - a grinning ape in a red graduation cap and gown. This usually makes the kids laugh, and it's a good way to remind them that school is fun!

BACK TO SCHOOL ACCESSIBILITY

For parents of school-aged children, fall means back to school, spending uncounted hours finding and purchasing the clothes and supplies your child(ren) will need. For the parent of a child with a disability, there is the additional concern: that their child's education will be appropriate and accessible.

Inclusion, as a policy and as a practice, is reducing the physical and social isolation encountered by individuals and families, broadening expectations, reducing limits, and expanding choices. As educational and social service systems have stopped segregating children with disabilities, these children are freed to participate in the learning and growth opportunities other children routinely experience.

Technology and inclusion go hand in hand. Without technological supports and accommodations, many students cannot take full advantage of education. There are two ways to provide a child with a disability needs to benefit from his or her education: through mandated physical accessibility and through the inclusion of technology in your child's Individual Educational Plan (IEP).

General Accessibility Issues to Consider

Depending on the nature of his or her disability, a child may not require an IEP, but have very limited, or even no access to school programs or buildings. Two pieces of civil rights legislation stipulate that basic accessibility should be provided to all individuals with disabilities, including children, engaged in publicly-funded educational activities. The first law is Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires that any entity receiving federal money must make all buildings, programs, and services accessible and non-discriminatory. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) expands 504 by requiring the same accommodations from all other public entities. Various aspects of accessibility must be considered when evaluating your child's educational program.

Transportation

All children with disabilities must receive safe, accessible, and adequate transportation to and from school, and to school-related events that include all other children. There are several questions to ask yourself. Can your child ride the school bus? What technology would make the bus more accessible? Does the restraint system comply with the most current safety standards? Do the drivers and aides receive training that is adequate and appropriate to your child's needs? Does your child have a way to communicate with the other children on the bus, the driver, or an aide?

Physical Access

After the child gets off the bus, physical access includes a variety of different areas. Accessible programs and services are of little help if your child cannot get into the building. This access should include classrooms, resource rooms, the library and lunch room, the playground, the gym, and bathrooms.

Can your child get into the classroom? If not, can the class be moved? Can he hear the teacher? Can she see the blackboard? These are basic questions any parent may ask, but when a child has a disability, there may be more to accommodation than just moving the child to the front of the room. You should also evaluate planning for emergencies. Are the fire alarms, emergency routes, and exits adequate, and do staff have a plan to assist your child? Does your child have access to the front office? The nurse?

Equipment

A variety of equipment is used in schools these days, from preschool to high school. There may be adapted equipment in the science lab, the shop, the life skills (home economics) room, and the library, in addition to the regular classrooms. These aren't physical changes in the structure of the rooms, but modifications in the equipment, such as projectors, overheads, kitchen appliances, work stations, and computer desks that make them easier for students with various disabilities to use. What about driver's training? Can the school obtain use of a modified vehicle for your child's use?

Curriculum, Supplies, Books

A child will use many different types of materials during a school day. Are large print books available? Are books available on audio tape? Can your child turn the pages of the book? The school also needs to consider all hand-out materials. Are work sheets available in large print or Braille? If the child is unable to write out answers, modifications might include a typewriter or computer, a tape recorder, or a personal assistant.

Basically, you and the school staff must examine every aspect of your child's daily school routine. Ideally, this will be more than questions dealt with in isolation with teachers, counselors, or the principal. Does the school have an overall system to evaluate your child's needs? If no system is in place, work with the school officials and teachers to create a systematic process.

AT and Your Child's Education

Many times, for education to be accessible, the child will need to use assistive technology. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 (IDEA), which is the reauthorization of Public Law 94-142 the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), specifically addresses the provision of AT devices and services. The federal regulations implementing IDEA includes definitions of AT and AT services.

Assistive technology devices are any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities.

An assistive technology service is any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. Service includes (a) evaluation; (b) purchase, lease, or otherwise provision for the acquisition of AT; (c) selection, design, fit, modification, adaptation, application, repair, or replacement of AT; (d) coordination of other therapies; (e) training or technical assistance for the child with the disability and the child's family; (f) training or technical assistance for the professional who will interact with that child.

AT and the IEP

For technology to be a part of the child's daily school routine, that technology must be listed in the child's Individual Education Plan (IEP). It is mandatory for a child receiving special education to have an IEP. Any child demonstrating delay in educational and developmental areas should be evaluated. Usually a parent or a teacher is the first to notice a problem, and they should then ask the AEA for an evaluation. If the evaluation shows a need as outlined under specific objectives in the law, the child is eligible for special education services. An IEP is then developed by a team which includes the parents, describing all of the services and assistance the child will receive to reach educational goals for the school year. The child will continue to have an IEP as long as a delay is noted.

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What Types of AT to Consider

There are a variety of different technologies available for as many different accessibility solutions. There are also a variety of existing options for addressing assistive technology during the IEP process. After the evaluation has considered any assistive technology needs, appropriate devices and/or services may be included in IEP goals and objectives. These proposed IEP objectives include: reading, writing, math, behavior, speech/language, leisure, motor, self-care, and classroom participation.
The technology can include low and high tech devices. Some examples are:

Reading: Closed circuit television for enlarging text, Braille, augmentative communication devices.
Writing: Electronic spell checkers, word processing programs, screen-readers, speech output devices, simple writing aids, alternative input devices.
Math: Calculator, abacus, Braille clock face.
Behavior: Electronic organizer
Speech/Language: Assistive listening system, augmentative communication devices, word boards
Leisure: Auditory output, bowling aids, adapted games, large print books, audio cassette tapes
Motor: Walkers, crutches, wheelchairs
Self-Care: Buttoning devices, sock aids, personal hygiene devices, feeding adaptations.
Classroom: Audio loops, interpreter, augmentative communication, computers, word processing, adapted educational software, screen-reading, manual or automatic page turners, book holders, magnification devices

REFERENCE TO BOOKS

An important feature of every well-equipped institution of education is the library. The maintenance of an adequate library is one of the responses to the vast increases in knowledge that have occurred in recent decades. Even with the multiplication of courses in the curriculum it has not been possible to teach more than a small fraction of the total knowledge available concerning the universe. In order that this knowledge may not be lost and in order that is may be available to the occasional student who wishes to refer to it, institutions have developed libraries in which are stored thousand, or in some cases even millions of books and other documents.

The library has served not only as a storehouse of knowledge but also as an increasingly important adjunct to the instructional program. In an earlier period the method of instruction was largely of the question-and-answer type, with dependence on a single authoritative source of information by the student in the preparation of his lessons. Later the lecture method came into prominence in the college, although the students were still expected to use textbooks in their study. The recent tendencies have been in the direction of expanding the amount of source material with which the student in expected to be familiar. Instead of or in addition to a single text, the student now is usually asked to red from a wide variety of sources on the topic covered in the course.
This change in instructional method has thrown stress on the library services of colleges an universities. Readings required of students in large classes must be available in many copies, and a system of reserved books with limited circulation has been evolved to assist in caring for these demands. Students are expected, to be able to look up the answers to their questions in the library, and to assist in this process it has been necessary to develop a reference service within the library.
The growth of human knowledge has complicated tremendously the storing and classification of books. The typical experience in almost every college that has constructed a new library building in recent decades in to find that the capacity of the building is exhausted within a short time after its construction is completed. Extensive systems of classification have been devised in order that the books on a given subject may be shelved together. In a large library the process of ordering, cataloguing, and making a book ready for use by regards is both slow and costly.
The complications of the task of managing a library have led to the development of specialized library services. Originally when the college libraries began to develop is was the custom to appoint some member of the faculty as the custodian of the books. The responsibilities of the librarianship soon outgrew this simple procedure and today in every well-managed college the library is in charge of a professionally trained, highly skilled expert. In a large library there is a corp of staff, members, each of whom is an expert in one of the various specialized line of library service. The cost of maintaining library service is no small item in the budget of institutions.
Today education is characteristically said to be library-minded. The adoption of the library method of instruction has marked a significant development in the instructional methods for educations. Perhaps the end has not yet been reached, for some have suggested that ultimately all the instructional services of a nonlaboratory type may be carried on in the library. Instead of professors lecturing to classes, the staff of the college may consist of specialized reference librarians who spend their time guiding the reading of students along the lines prescribed by the curriculum or dictated by the student's special interests.

THE NURSERY SCHOOL

The institutionalized form of educational service serving the youngest age group is the nursery school, which usually accepts children between the ages of two and four. The nursery school is a relatively new organization an facilities of this type are by no means widespread throughout the country.
There are two justification for an institution to serve the needs of very young children. In the first places, industrial organization is employing the services of an increasing number of women. Many of these women workers are mothers of young children of preschool age, and some custodial arrangement for the care of such children is necessary if the mothers are to carry on their employment outside the home. In the second place, psychological studies have shown that many mental disorders which appear in adults have their origins in unfortunate environmental conditions or experiences during the first few years of childhood. By means of an institutional organization such as the nursery school undesirable tendencies can often be discovered early and plans worked out for their correction.
It is important to note, therefore, that the nursery school is a product of two different force: the demands of modern social and economic organization, and the knowledge produced by scientific study of children development. In the program of the nursery school the emphasis, so far as the child is concerned, is chiefly on the development of good health habits and on social training. No attempt is usually made to lay any groundwork of intellectual instruction, but great care is taken to teach the young child to work and play amicably with the other children in the school. The physical and mental health of the child is carefully watched, and the daily schedule requires periods of rest and gives attention to the development of other health habits.

Almost equally important with the care and training given the child in the nursery school is the instruction given the parents whose children are in attendance. The school at best can influence the lives of children for only a small part of the day and the responsibility for making effective much of the training that is given lies with at home. Many of the nursery schools are organized on a co-operative basis: under this plan the mother is required each week to spend some time int the school, ostensibly for the purpose of helping with the work, but also the the usually unexpressed purpose of providing an opportunity for parent education. Other more direct methods are frequently used by the nursery schools to instruct parents regarding the proper care of their young children, such as individual conference and group meetings at which child problems are discussed. A plan some times followed involves the keeping of a complete record of everything said by each child during given period: the parents may then be informed of psychological significance of the child's reactions.
The nursery school has developed principally outside the regular school system. The public-school organization has not generally accepted this new institution; educational authorities have been loath to take on the added burden of providing nursery-school services for young children. The statement is commonly made that the funds provided for maintaining the regular school system are not sufficient and that to take some of these funds for the provision of new service, the value of which has not been proved by years experience. The personnel of the public-school system, is not well equipped by training or experience to conduct the kinds of service demanded in the nursery school. For these, relatively few nursery schools have thus far been incorporated as regular of the public-school system.

THE YOUNG CHILD SCHOOL

The institution for children of the ages immediately preceding entrance to the elementary school is known as the kindergarten. For the most part the program of the kindergarten is one year in length, admitting children at the age of five years and sending them to the first grade of the elementary school at six years. In same cases a kindergarten program of two years is maintained, admitting children at age four.

A German philosopher, Frederick Froebel, was the originator of the kindergarten. He developed the idea about 1837, and devoted the remainder of his life to the founding of kindergartens in Germany. The idea of new type of institution was not widely accepted in Germany, although a few of the leading thinker favored the organization of such an addition to the educational system. Kindergartens were first established in the United States shortly before the Civil War by German-Americans who had became acquainted with the institutions in Europe. In Wisconsin an in several American cities where considerable numbers of German-speaking people lived, kindergarten were established on a private basis.

As originally developed by Froebel, the kindergarten procedure was filled with symbolism. For example, the children sat or stood in a circle in order that they might absorb the mystic sense of unity; an elaborate series of what Froebel called "gifts" was a part of the procedure. Under modern conditions most of this formality and mystic symbolism has been dropped and the procedure have been based on scientific analysis of child psychology.

Studies of the effect of kindergarten experience on individual children are somewhat disappointing, for measurable outcomes in terms of beneficial effect on later scholastic attainment are not found. When children of equal ability are paired with reference to having attended or not attended a kindergarten, little or no difference is found in scholastic attainments of two groups in their later school years. It is entirely probable that the correct conclusion to be drawn from such investigations is that the kindergarten provides an enriched experience for the child rather than preparation for the studies of the later school years.

The kindergarten has undoubtedly had a notable effect on the elementary school through the insistence on beauty as a desirable feature of the school environment. The kindergarten, has insisted from the outset that the schoolroom and its surroundings and equipment are to be as beautiful as possible. Green plants are arranged where they may receive sunlight. Decorative curtains are hung at the windows. Blocks and the others equipment are painted in bright colors. A fireplace is often provided, and the furniture is designed to interest and attract the young child. Elementary school have not taken over this entire scheme of decoration, but dreary dungeonlike classrooms have been transformed into inviting and attracting places for work and study. Perhaps the kindergarten has not been the sole factor that has affected the transformation in the elementary school, but the influence has undoubtedly been effective one.

In another respect also the kindergarten has had a marked effect on the program of the later school years. The program of the kindergarten has been free from the usual academic traditions and has been able to develop around the concept of the educative value of motor activity. The activity movement, at present widely discussed as desirable feature of a progressive school organization, probably traces its origin to the kindergarten. Thus, the kindergarten may be considered to have affected to a notable extent the entire program of the elementary school.

SEVEN FEATURE THE DALTON PLAN

THE DALTON PLAN, is based on three fundamental principles. The first is freedom, which should perhaps be designated as individualized responsibility. The second principle is co-operation, or interaction between members of a group. The third is economy of energy through budgeting the pupil's time. That considers the plan as more of a sociological than an academic venture, and the objectives of education under this system emphasize the social aspect of the schools fully as much as the intellectual.
One of important feature of the plan is the organization of the school into 'houses,' each house consisting of pupils of all grades included in the school. This plan contrasts sharply with the usual practice, by which pupils are grouped homogeneousely into classes graded according to the level of their advancement.
A second salient feature of the Dalton Plan is the transformation of traditional classroom into subject-matter laboratories. In fact, the plan was originally known as the Dalton Laboratory Plan because of the basic ides that all instruction should be on a laboratory basis. This principle requires appropriate furniture for classroom, tables and chairs being provided rather than ordered rows of desks.
A third feature of the plan is abandonment of the daily schedule of classes. Instead of following a fixed routine each pupil budgets his own time and plans his own activities to accomplish the work laid out in the curriculum.
A fourth feature is the manner in which the curriculum is presented to the pupil. Instead of being laid out as a series of courses of study the curriculum is presented in term of "job". Each job represents one month's work in all subjects. Integration is carefully provided for in the planning of the job, and correlated progress is required so that the pupil does not advance more rapidly in some phases of his work than in others. The jobs are broken up into "units," each of which is a day's work in a single subject.
A fifth feature is the bulletin board. In effect the bulletin board takes the place of the daily schedule of classes. The pupil's first task upon reaching school in the morning is to consult the bulletin board and to note the scheduling for that day of group activities in which he will participate. The first fifteen minutes of the day are set aside as a period which the pupil may spend in planning his day's program.
A sixth feature is the independent work by the pupil. Class exercises of the recitation type are not held but instead the pupils work independently on their units and jobs, and consult teachers only for advice and assistance. Some group activities are maintained, for example, where the presence of the group is essential, but most of the academic work is carried on individually and independently by the pupils.
A seventh feature of the plan is the careful check that is continually made on the progress of pupils. Test a are given frequently in order to measure pupil achievements. Each pupil keep a job-book, in which the work he has accomplished is field, and this job-books are inspected occasionally to see that the pupils are doing the required work. Elaborate graphs are drawn showing the progress being made by each pupil.