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learn under the impulses of self-initiative; to permit the individual pupil to progress through his chosen graded curriculum as rapidly as his mental ability allows; to permit pupils to work uninterrupted in the completion of the task in order that they may have a proper valuation of time; to develop a sense of personal responsibility towards their education; to consider the laboratory head as a guide and helper rather than as an instructor or driver; to gain in power to survey a subject; to cultivate a desire to be well informed and intelligent rather than to attain a passing mark; to regard education as a pleasure and as a necessary adjunct to advancement.

**PLAN OF ASSIGNMENT AND WORK:** The school year consists of ten months. The curriculum is graded into Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior requirements. A year's assignment in any one subject covering the work of any one class is divided into ten portions of work. When the pupils enter school they are given curriculum cards corresponding to their rating in the school. The curriculum cards for each class are of a different color, and on them are printed the first month's assignments in the four fundamental subjects carried. For instance, a Freshman holds a blue card on which he finds assignments in mathematics, English, history, etc; a Sophomore holds a yellow card, etc. In order that the card may not be too cumbersome, the assignments are general and relate to more detailed assignments exhibited in each subject laboratory. Each detailed assignment is subdivided into four weeks.

The time from 8:40 to 11:50 is at the disposition of each student. Each has a curriculum card giving assignments of work which can be covered in a school month of 20 days. This monthly assignment is divided into weeks, but the boys and girls have the entire responsibility of dividing the weekly assignments into days. He may either concentrate upon one subject, complete the month's assignment in that subject and take a test, or he may study each subject a short time each day and take all of his examinations at one time. Each pupil must complete the requirements of the first month on the first card, before receiving the second card of assignments in his graded curriculum. The exceptions to this rule will be made at the direction of the faculty for the good of individuals under consideration.

On a card especially designed for the purpose each pupil makes a graph of his daily progress, showing the amount of work covered in each subject during the 20-day period, i.e., the school month. The plan as tested to date shows that the children are much interested in their progress and that they elect to begin with the most difficult subjects rather than the easier ones, that when left to dispose of their own time they accomplished more because they advance at their own individual rate of progress; that the children are keenly interested in the progress of their companions and have much in common to discuss; that the 20-day assignment is often covered in 15 days, and sometimes in 10 days, giving more time for research.

**METHOD OF INSTRUCTION:** Each pupil works in the laboratory of his choice uninterruptedly, held only by his interest and feeling of individual responsibility. In each laboratory where he works there may be found boys and girls doing the work of Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior groups.

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The groups are not congested owing to the fact that the interests differ and because there are in reality 6 laboratories at the disposal of the pupils. The expert in charge gives help as individuals manifest a need for it. There are times when several will be covering the same work at the same time. In order not to lose the group idea entirely, class groups are held in the afternoon. In each academic laboratory there is a graph of the class in the subject taught in that laboratory. This shows the progress of every individual and enables the laboratory instructor to make classes of real value by knowing at all times the difficulties and progress of the class as a whole.

HELEN PARKHURST

February, 1920.

REPORT
of
The Childrens University School.

In September, 1917, a small group of children were given over to Miss Dunlap in order that she might study the music problem and if possible develop something to be used in the Montessori Schools which Miss Parkhurst had under her supervision. Miss Dunlap had been called to New York City in September, 1916, to supervise the music in these schools but she felt it was impossible to develop music methods in a supervisory capacity where she did not actually control conditions. She acted as general teacher and music specialist. The class occupied a small room at 126 West 74 Street and from its tuitions paid for all equipment, a monthly rental of $35.33 for the use of the school room, and the teacher's salary. There was a sliding scale of tuitions depending upon the purse of the patron enrolling a child, consequently some pupils paid nothing at all and others fat sums. During the year Miss Dunlap reports that there was enough to buy a grandfather's clock and a desk. (The clock is still running.)

There had been no thought of continuing the class, but in September, 1918, there were more applicants and many problems still to solve. The income of this little class could not support a second teacher, but as the class contained ten nationalities, it seemed worth while and interesting to continue. For a semester Miss Parkhurst taught the older group herself, and then she selected Miss Hamman from her Training Class to finish the year. It was Miss Parkhurst's aim to have two full-fledged Montessori classes, with one, that of the older children, doing work with advanced Montessori material that had not been demonstrated before.

Miss Parkhurst had become very much interested in the re-
organization of elementary schools and high schools and in order to
work out experiments in that line now conceived the idea of a school
which should exist not as a private institution for commercial gain
but as a clearing house for educational problems to serve a general
educational public.

Mrs. W. Murray Crane was especially interested in these new
plans for older children, and in September, 1919 here I quote Miss
Parkhurst "Keen interest in and understanding of the re-education
of masses of public school children, prompted the generosity of Mr.
and Mrs. Crane, making it possible for the two little classes to
become a school and occupy the present building at 10 West 72 Street".
The school was now run and recognized for the first time as an activity
of the Child Education Foundation. "To it the Board of Trustees"
I quote Miss Parkhurst "delegated the responsibility not only of
demonstrating improved methods of education but of developing new
methods." Miss Parkhurst, the Educational Director of the Foundation,
acted as Educational Advisor and appointed Miss Hamman as head and
principal of the younger children's department.

In March, 1920, the older children of Miss Hamman's group
were started on the laboratory plan as worked out by Miss Parkhurst.
The work proved extremely interesting in its development and organi-
zation.

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In May, 1920, the Child Education Foundation was confronted with difficulty in financing its several activities and providing for their growth. Miss Parkhurst therefore called a meeting of the parents of the children and laid the matter before them. A committee of five business men with Mr. Tanenbaum as chairman, was appointed to investigate immediately concerning the finances and to decide what could be done. The committee met several times a week in the beginning and finally decided to take over the Childrens School and run it for the Foundation under the educational guidance of Miss Parkhurst. The parents were extremely interested and active and pledged themselves financially. The mother made a personal canvass for new enrollments. The school for the first time had a name, the Childrens University School. It was thus called because laboratory or university methods were to be used. As a university is a group of affiliated colleges, so this Childrens University School was to be a group of affiliated academic laboratories. The School Committee insisted that Miss Parkhurst take a vacation in the early part of the summer while they watched the enrollment to see how many new teachers would be needed for the fall.

In September, 1920, the entire top and basement floors of the building at 10 West 72 Street were remodelled and decorated at the expense of the Parents Committee. Three of the old class rooms were re-decorated. A concrete roof-playground was laid for the little children, and the large outside playground behind the house was completely equipped. These changes were necessary to accommodate an elementary school.

The Parents Committee gave the educational direction of the school to Miss Parkhurst, who appointed Mr. Robert W. Boyden as Head Master of the Upper School. Although this is a report of the school, I think it is fitting to say here what an inspiration and power behind, Miss Parkhurst is to those of us who are helping to carry on the educational work of the school.

The school has to date an enrollment of 123 children. Six of them enjoy paid scholarships, and four are carried by the school for the time being on "free scholarships". It is very much worth while to carry these scholarship children as they formed part of the nucleus carried on from the first class and thus furnish an interesting and active educational record. The annual budget of the school is $35,000.00. To date $32,000.00 of that amount is covered by contracted tuitions of the pupils.

The school is unique in its organization as well as plan of work. The Parents Committee of five men has direct charge of the financial end of the School. Their Treasurer receives all funds and authorizes all expenditures. The present Committee consists of a doctor, a lawyer, a manufacturer, and two brokers. Every member actively serves the school and is keenly concerned about its success. They take an equally vital interest in the educational side and really know the personnel of the teaching staff.

Miss Parkhurst acts as Educational Advisor and does the greater part of the organizing, delegating to the two Principals, Mr. Boyden and Miss Hamman, more and more responsibility as they become familiar with the organization. All routine matters, requests

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for needs, etc., are taken by the individual teachers in each department to the Principal of that department, who also checks up the needs. The Secretary of the school sends such lists of needs to the Chairman of the Parents Committee who O.K's their purchase through the head of the Domestic Science Department whom Miss Parkhurst has appointed as purchasing agent.

To discuss educational matters and call meetings as needs arise, in the fall Miss Parkhurst appointed a Faculty Committee consisting of the two Principals and a third instructor. At faculty meetings called by this committee Miss Parkhurst acts as an ex officio member in a strictly advisory capacity, except in such instances when she requests the Faculty Chairman to call a meeting which she desires to address. At the close of the first semester the Faculty Committee will appoint another committee of three to act for the rest of the year. The Faculty Committee has meant more than such committees often do and has accomplished some worth while things.

The two departments of the school are preparing courses of study; the course of study for the Upper School in suitable language, is to be placed in the hands of the children themselves in order that they may be familiar with all the academic requirements.

There are seven active mothers' committees in addition to the Faculty and Financial Committees. These are: House, Committee, Enrollment Committee, Playground Committee, Lecture Committee, Festivity Committee, Birthday Committee, and Flower Committee. There are five mothers on each committee who have volunteered to serve because of their special interest in some particular activity. These committees are all indispensable to the School. They furnish the school with flowers, send birthday cards to the children, arrange and make costumes and material for the Christmas party, etc., and do other important work. The school has the close co-operation of the parents who are made to feel it is their school. An example of this co-operation came up last Election Day over the question of observing a holiday. The teachers wished a holiday. The wishes of the parents for school far outnumbered those of the teachers. A half holiday was observed, thereby pleasing everybody.

The school begins with Montessori babies of two and a half, and prepares for High School. The school has a toy shop, and art department, an domestic science department, which runs a well-paying lunch room and a well equipped playground. Each of these is in charge of a specialist. These specialists, together with a secretary, six regular teachers and three student assistants, make up the staff of the school. In addition there is Miss Parkhurst, our Educational Director, without whom we should be nowhere, and who furnishes us with the stimulus of good advice and wise suggestion and unbounded enthusiasm,

The plan of work is the Dalton Plan, with which you are all familiar, giving the students assignments of work in each subject for a month. This work is done in the laboratories of the various subjects, each laboratory under the supervision of a

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specialist in that subject. The plan gives the work to the student as a contract job, and trains him in responsibility, proper and careful use of time, and ambition to finish his contract well. As one of the instructors, I can say that the plan works well, and I know the others would say the same. We have children of all kinds working at it, and every one of them, from the brightest to the slowest, has made real progress in doing the work in this way. I consider it a great opportunity to be working in this experiment, for this plan of work has a great future in education.

# THE DALTON - LABORATORY PLAN.

The Dalton-Laboratory Plan attempts the solution of school problems by getting at them from the view point of the learner; by enlisting the genuine cooperation of the learner, through changing his mental attitude; by bringing him in contact with a "real job" in such fashion that his will becomes a faithful ally to the task at hand; by permitting him to have all the joy of an experimenter who is spurred on by each new discovery.

The originator conceived of the school as a sociological laboratory where community life and community situations prevail; where pupils are the experimenters rather than the subjects of an intricately organized experiment, and where the staff of instructors become intelligent observers who stand ready to serve the community as their special talents are needed, and who are ever alert in studying the child.

## CURRICULUM METHOD.

"What" should be taught, or how the "what" should be ushered in was left out of the Plan entirely for the reason that she could not conceive of a "curriculum-less" school any more than a headless one. The curriculum should vary with the need of the pupils, but oftener accords strictly with the academic purposes for which the school was established, often long after those purposes have been justified and new needs have arisen. Just what shall be put in or left out will be a matter of prolonged debate, much in the limelight, until the educational world awakes to the fact that the curriculum is not the "problem of chief concern, and that we have been viewing things through the wrong end of the funnel. As for methods---who ever heard of a good teacher who did not have " a method all her own" that acted like a magic wand when the learner was in pursuit. We want teachers with original ways sufficient to answer the needs of each individual. Let us free them from the yoke of method and system and make it possible instead to use their own good judgment.

## PLAN.

The word "plan" was used because "plan" suggests things in the large---a certain way of making things possible. Certain conditions are necessary, conditions which, if understood, will not only remove the obstacles in the learner's path but will make him truly respectful and gratefully appreciative of assistance given by understanding guide councillors. The conditions under which pupils work and live are the chief factors of the environment. It is the environment which must create conditions for soul growth. These conditions must be social and for the good of society. There must be the give and take of social intercourse, for it is the experience attendant to the tasks, "not" the tasks or acts in themselves, which occasions and furthers growth.

It is not necessary nor would it be wise to have a different environment for each individual. What we desire is community environment complete enough to supply sufficient experiences to free

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the native impulses and interests of each individual of the group. Any impediments in the way of native impulses prevent the release of pupil energy. It is not the creation of pupil energy, but release and use of energy that is the problem of education. To succeed in this will work magic.

We sometimes forget that an individual may exist as an outsider, with his freedom limited to a mere permit of passing at his own rate of speed over a common mental highway (curriculum) and that this may end by his becoming anti-social. We desire instead that he be permitted to enjoy an environment where the very conditions en-joyed necessitate that he use his energy to function as a member of a society in which he is accepted or rejected according to his functioning. The laws of this community are most valuable when they are not imposed from without; when they are unwritten and unspoken; when they are conditions in the very atmosphere breathed by the community; and where community existence is justified by the service it renders in making each "free-man" always conscious that he as a member is a co-worker responsible to and for others.

The PLAN puts emphasis upon the way in which the child lives—the way in which he functions as a member of society—rather than upon what he does or how a thing is done. The stimulus and food for his growth is to be provided in his community experiences, and it is the sum total of these experiences that determine his knowledge and power. His energies are set free, he corrects his mistakes by discovering that he can not obtain his self-set objective when there is a flaw in his plan. He must make a new plan—he finds it profitable to consult his fellow workers. More points of view clarify his ideas and his plans of procedure. The finished job takes on a halo because it embodies all he has felt and lived. This sort of life is not pretending, it is being; not subjection, but creation; it develops initiative and versatility; unknown obstacles cease to hold any terror. His school is experience. Each new opportunity and advantage are justified if they provide experiences for further development. His ideas unused are useless—his ideas in operation are experiences. He matures only through experience.

There are certain facts to be kept in mind in considering child life and child needs. There are, roughly speaking, three separate periods of development which must be taken into account. Up to the age of eight children must have much freedom in order that their individual needs be satisfied. They must have their individual powers freed in order that they may later be able to function as responsible members of a group—this is the purpose of and reason for freedom. The "tools of knowledge" must be acquired in the second period; pre-adolescence (generally conceived of as being the time elapsing between eight and twelve). Here there must be an accurate checking up as a preparation for the third stage, adolescence (the years from twelve to twenty). Adolescence should have more freedom than is generally given, but in order to assure ourselves that the line of least resistance is not followed we must build well in pre-adolescence. In adolescence the physical changes alone makes it difficult for boys and girls to progress, and the difficulties are double, unless the "tools of knowledge" have been acquired as a reserve to draw upon. With the tools of knowledge as a ballast, adolescence may be productive of wider powers and much real culture.

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The *Dalton-Laboratory Plan* has little to offer to the period of infancy. It is a *plan of work* designed for the Elementary and Secondary schools and so concerns itself with the periods of pre-adolescence and adolescence, or the time from eight to twelve years of age, and again the period from twelve to twenty.

With a desire to perform real service, the requirements and conditions of the public school have been kept constantly in mind, for only through the medium of the public school can the masses of children be reached.

Dr. Dewey gave us a great principle of education when he said "The object of a democratic education is *not merely* to make an individual an *intelligent participator* in the life of his *immediate group*, but to bring the *various groups* into such *constant inter-action* that no individual, no economic group could presume to live independently of others".

Now the *Dalton Laboratory Plan* consists in establishing a community within the school, in which the school life parallelsles in its functioning the life outside. For convenience and helpful economy the *Plan* preserves a grouping by grades, the grouping to be done in ways most fitting to the purpose of each school. A "participator in the life of his immediate group" would therefore be any pupil of a graded group. The *Plan* suggests a simple and economic re-organization of the school in order to permit the school as a whole to function as a community. It provides that the work of the various grades or forms of the Elementary and Secondary schools be done in such a way, under such *conditions*, that the various groups are brought "into such constant inter-action" that it is *actually impossible* for any "individual, or economic group to presume to live independently of others". The way in which this idea is operated is called by the originator the *Dalton Laboratory Plan*. Disregarding curriculum and method the *Plan* is a *way*.

As the *Plan* does not impose a curriculum it is possible that some may use it as an efficiency measure for accomplishing their own curriculums, while others, further along in progressive channels, may find it a means of achieving not only the "tools of knowledge" but of launching social projects without the usual disastrous results. As an efficiency measure the "contract" entered into will be more or less in the form of an assignment of work. In the field of real projects the plan will permit a way for original pupil problems to be executed. Regardless of what the purpose may be for using the *Plan*, the use means a "freeing process" to the school. This is the hope and the objective of the *Plan*. It is but a way to operate a principle. The principle operative will accomplish the *freeing*. The extent of freeing depends upon the school's purpose and its attainment.

Before going further may I use a quotation from Emerson which clearly pictures certain spiritual assets of the *Plan*. (This was written in 1863 in his *Essay on Education*).

"The secret of Education lies in respecting the pupil. It is not for you to choose what he shall know, what he shall do. It is chosen and fore-ordained, and he only holds

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the key to his own secret. By your tampering and thwarting
and too much governing he may be hindered from his end and
kept out of his own. **Respect** the child. Wait and see the
new product of Nature. Nature loves analogies, but not
repetitions. **Respect** the child. Be not too much his
parent. Trespass not on his solitude.

"But I hear the outery which replies to this sugges-
tion;---Would you verily throw up the reins of public and
private discipline; would you leave the young child to
the mad career of his own passions and whimsies, and call
this anarchy a respect for the child's nature? I answer:
---_Respect the child_, respect him to the end, but also
respect yourself. Be the companion of his thought, the
friend of his friendship, the lover of his virtue, but
no kinsman of his sin. -------- He makes wild attempts
to explain himself and invoke the aid and consent of the
bystanders. Baffled for want of language and methods to
convey his meaning, not yet clear to himself, he conceives
that though _not in this house or town_, yet in some _other_
house or town is the wise master who can put him in
possession of the rules and instruments to execute his
will. Happy this child with a bias, with a thought which
entrances him, leads him, now into deserts, now into cities,
the fool of an idea. Let him follow it in good and evil
report, in good or in bad company; it will justify itself;
it will lead him at last into the illustrious society of
the lovers of truth.

"Cannot we let people be themselves, and enjoy life
in their own way? You are trying to make that man another
you. One's enough.

"Or we sacrifice the genius of the pupil, the unknown
possibilities of his nature, to a neat and safe uniformity,
as the Turks whitewash the costly mosaics of ancient art
which the Greeks left on their temple walls. Rather let
us have men whose manhood is only the continuation of
their boyhood, natural characters still; such are able
and fertile for herioc action; and not that sad spectacle
with which we are too familiar, educated eyes in uneducated
bodies.

"I like boys, the masters of the playground and of
the street,---boys, who have the same liberal ticket of
admission to all shops, factories, armories, town-meetings,
caucuses, mobs, target-shootings, as flies have; quite un-
suspected, coming in as naturally as the janitor,---known
to have no money in their pockets, and themselves not
suspecting the value of this poverty; putting nobody on
his guard, but seeing the inside of the show,---hearing all
the asides. There are no secrets from them, they know
everything that befalls in the fire-company, the merits of
every engine and of every man at the brakes, how to work
it, and are swift to try their hand at every part; so too
the merits of every locomotive on the rails, and will coax
the engineer to let them ride with him and pull the handle
when it goes to the engine-house. They are there only for
fun, and now knowing that they are at school, in the
court house, or the cattle-show, quite as much and more
than they were, an hour ago, in the arithmetic class.

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"They know truth from counterfeit as quick as the chemist does. They detect weakness in your eye and behavior a week before you open your mouth, and have given you the benefit of their opinion as quick as a wink. They make no mistakes, have no pedantry, but entire belief in experience."

I feel sure that Emerson meant a way---his illustrations serve as mere words to get at a greater philosophy.

Industrial workers resent the "socialized days" set aside in the form of workers' annual picnics, etc., where they are the recipients of patronage. They want their whole "job", their work, socialized in order that they may win respect and merit commendation by their own intelligent contributions. Children are industrial workers who are quick to appreciate and measure up to responsibility. It is not sufficient to socialize an occasional recitation, for they too must have "jobs" demanding their complete attention, which command the play of all their powers. Their "jobs" must be socialized to be most productive; their "job" must include their work, their mode of work and their mode of living.

## RE-ORGANIZATION.

I have said that the Plan may be used in several ways. Let us first consider it as an efficiency measure for the Elementary School, remembering that

1. The Plan is a way.

2. The way involves re-organization of school living.

3. As the re-organization is vital it is economic.

4. The purpose of the way is to bring about a "freeing process".

As an efficiency measure,

### A. Academic Re-organization.

1. The pupils in the Elementary and Secondary school are for convenience to remain members of graded groups, but the individuals of one group may function in other groups. This functioning means community living.

2. Each pupil of a particular grade has his work of a school year broken up into contract "jobs". There are as many contract jobs as there are months in the school year. Each job consists of contract assignments for each subject that the pupil pursues, i.e., the child accepts the job or enters into a contract, thus the word "contract assignment" or "contract job".

Example: There are ten months in regular public school year in the city of X---. So any pupil in the X--- public schools has ten contracts or "jobs" to do in a school year. Each separate job consists of a month's assignment in each of several academic subjects prescribed for that pupil's grade. Let us say that Donald Richards is a pupil in the 5th grade. In the 5th grade the academic subjects are:

1. History

2. Mathematics

3. Geography

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4. English Literature

5. Some form of Science.

He must do, therefore, in a school month, consisting of 20 days, a month's work in each of the five academic subjects mentioned, or a total of 20 weeks' work. The 20 weeks' work when finished completes a contract.

3. Each whole contract must be completed before another job is contracted.

In the Elementary school, (let us think of it as consisting of five grades, 4th to 8th inclusive) as ordinarily conceived of, the five subjects previously named constitute the curriculum of each of the separate grades, the marked difference in grades consisting in the extent and intensity of the subjects, because these subjects are all begun in the 4th grade and increase in difficulty as the pupil approaches 8th grade.

To emphasize the simplicity of such a curriculum let us glance at the following:

<table><tr><td>4th Grade</td><td>: Geography</td><td>: Mathematics</td><td>: English</td><td>: History</td><td>: Natural Science</td></tr><tr><td>5th Grade</td><td>:</td><td>"</td><td>"</td><td>"</td><td>"</td></tr><tr><td>6th Grade</td><td>:</td><td>"</td><td>"</td><td>"</td><td>"</td></tr><tr><td>7th Grade</td><td>:</td><td>"</td><td>"</td><td>"</td><td>"</td></tr><tr><td>8th Grade</td><td>:</td><td>"</td><td>"</td><td>"</td><td>"</td></tr></table>

There are five groups or grades and five academic grade subjects. In schools where more subjects are a part of the regular curriculum there would be an opportunity to have more subject laboratories, which we will discuss later.

Instead of having grade rooms, we have subject rooms or subject "laboratories". The word laboratory is used because it suggests experimenting. We must remember, of course, that the pupils are the experimenters. Thus we have:

1. A Mathematics Laboratory

2. A Geography Laboratory

3. An English Laboratory

4. A History Laboratory

5. A Science Laboratory.

There may also (if there are separate teachers for these subjects) be laboratories for music, art, gymnastics, domestic science and manual training, making a total of ten laboratories. In the event these special teachers are part time teachers these last mentioned subjects may be handled in groups in the afternoon or at the close of the morning's socialized time. If an elementary school staff already exists, the principal can ask the five teachers who have formerly been the regular grade teachers to indicate which of the five academic subjects they are best prepared to teach. Let us say that the 4th grade teacher is exceptionally strong in mathematics. She

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must know the field of mathematics from 4th to 8th grade. Instead of keeping her a "jack of all trades", we place her in charge of the mathematics, and the room formerly used by her as a 4th grade room is now designated the Mathematics Laboratory. She will plan all of the work to be done in mathematics covering the period of five years' work.

In the same way other teachers will, according to preferences, be assigned one of the remaining subjects, and the grade rooms will in like way be changed to subject laboratories. This will make it possible for

1. Pupils to have the same instructor in any one subject during a period of five years, or the time taken in completing the Elementary course.

2. To be promoted in a subject, rather than to be promoted to another teacher.

3. Always to have the help of a specialist.

4. Material or equipment pertaining to a special subject to be placed in that subject laboratory. Much duplication of equipment will be saved.

5. To distribute the library or reference books among the special rooms. The economy of this plan will be pointed out later.

Outside of each subject laboratory it will facilitate organization to place a bulletin board on which to hang the monthly assignments or contracts for the different grades. For example, on the history laboratory bulletin board there will be 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade assignments in history. These assignments will be separate for each grade and will be for a month in advance. Each monthly assignment contracted will be subdivided into weekly allotments. The psychological effect is better if the child can measure his progress steadily, and mark up something as being completed. More will be said of the character of the monthly assignments later. It is sufficient here to say that they are more in the nature of syllabuses which indicate things to be done, references, etc.

As there are no grade rooms, as such, especially if space is limited, it will facilitate organization to have small lockers, sufficiently large for text and note books, etc., built in some convenient hall space, i.e., a series of lockers for each grade group. Even in buildings where an extra assembly room is possible, it is an excellent thing to have the lockers in order that materials or books may be gotten at without disturbing assembly or laboratory groups.

## B. Social Re-organization.

This step has to be with the most important feature of the plan. It makes a community of the entire Elementary school. This social re-organization is brought about in two ways:

1. Doing away with the "Time Schedule".

2. Bringing the grade groups into "constant inter-action"

1. Doing away with the grade "Time Schedule" in order to permit pupils to progress at their own rate of speed.

1. We all know that pupils are inclined to undervalue and waste the time of an instructor. They are seldom known to waste their own time.

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2. We also know that the children of any one group or grade are never normally all weak in the same subject.

3. They differ in their likes and dislikes of subjects ---subject antipathies usually being identical with subject weaknesses. Do away with a weak subject by giving sufficient time to clear up all difficulties and you eliminate the antipathy. Children like to do the things they do well.

4. Interesting subjects can be mastered in less time than subjects presenting more difficulties. If the child sets himself at a subject he will get much from it, and he is apt to absorb and retain it.

5. There are always some children in a group who waste time because they have mastered the subject or because they grasp the idea much more quickly than others. Pupils might better be elsewhere to use the "waste time" for other subjects: difficulties.

6. Given any group of children of the same age and preparation, their mental speed in different subjects is bound to differ greatly.

7. There are always some "slow" children who are invariably carried along by the momentum of the class.

8. There are always some bright children who work only sufficiently to assure keeping ahead of students of lesser ability. They get into lazy habits. They should use their energy to do more.

9. Unnecessary time is invariably consumed in interesting pupils in a subject. The time taken for preparation and presentation to "warm a child up to a subject" might more profitably be used in getting at the subject.

10. We know that going at one's own rate of speed means thorough work. Division of time according to individual need by the individual is fair to the "slow" child as well as the "bright" child. Such progress means ample time for each.

As a means of illustration of our first point in social re-organization, let us say that X--- School is an all day school which opens at 8:45 A.M. and closes at 4:00 P.M., with an intermission from 1:00 to 2:00 P.M.

1. The time from 8:45 A.M. until 12:00 Noon is considered free time. It belongs to the pupil who organizes it in ways best serving his needs and subject difficulties.

2. The time from 12:00 to 12:30 is used for pupil assembly, or special work, committee meetings, etc. It is used by the academic instructors for faculty conferences, etc.

3. The time from 12:30 to 1:00 P.M. is used for daily group conferences. At this time all of the pupils of any one grade-group report for group discussion conference to one of the five academic instructors. They report to different instructors daily so that at the close of the school week they have reported as a grade group to every instructor.

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## 2. Bringing the groups into "constant inter-action".

Let us take the case of Peyton Houston. We will say he is classified as a 6th grade pupil. His 6th grade requirements correspond to what is expected from any 6th grade student in a good school. He has contracted to do a piece of work in twenty days, as twenty days correspond to a school month. The word contract is used to imply that he understands and agrees to what he is to do.

There are no classes before twelve o'clock, so there is no need of a time schedule or ringing of bells to summon him from one room to another. He selects the thing he is most interested in when he begins his morning work. Peyton happens to select geography. From the bulletin board outside of the geography laboratory he gets the 6th grade geography contract-assignment. This assignment indicates the work of a month in advance, and is divided into four weekly assignments. He goes into the laboratory and after carefully reading the requirements of the assignment he proceeds to carry out the instructions. The instructions may be in the nature of references to be read, questions to be answered, maps to be drawn, a route to be outlined, etc., depending upon the phase of geography he is studying. He enters the laboratory without permission and he may leave without permission when he has completed any portion of his work. The time he spends in any one laboratory is determined entirely by his interest span and his fatigue. There is one requirement to be fulfilled before he leaves any laboratory. That is, he must indicate on the geography instructor's laboratory graph the amount of geography work he has completed.

He may have spent most of the morning there, so he may easily have done a week's work in geography. A week's work is that portion of the contract assignment corresponding to the part marked "First Week". This can easily be judged and indicated. If he spends a short time in the geography laboratory and is not sure as to whether he has done 2/5 or 1/2 of the work required for a week he may ask the instructor what part of the work has been covered. (See attached contract.) These graphs are a part of the equipment of each laboratory. They are most useful because an instructor can at a glance see exactly how much ground each individual has covered and can tell comparatively what difficulties are about to be met, etc.

At any time during his stay in the geography room Peyton may have the assistance of the instructor or any other pupil. If while he is in the room several other "6th graders" come into study geography, this group will discover that Peyton has the assignment. Then they will all form a creative group. This group work is extremely valuable and the intimate discussion among an intensive group of pupils who have of their own accord chosen to do geography precludes any disturbance. Each pupil has the opportunity of hearing the subject discussed from many angles. The teacher may enter into their discussion at any time when requested or when he feels he has something to contribute. A notebook is kept in each subject.

Every pupil in the school has a contract card, and before he leaves any academic laboratory he checks up his progress, indicating ground covered on this as well as on the laboratory graph. He marks

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English laboratory. Besides it is of greater value to the child working out a problem in English which entails carpentry, to decide to go to the toy shop, if he makes his decision operative by going to the toy shop. Decision plus action is more purposful and creative. Then too there is the conscious correlation of work. The pupils appreciat the helpfulness of co-related subject laboratories. It is taken for granted that the freedom to move about purposefully is of great benefit to the child's nervous organism. The children are relaxed and move in the same quiet manner as in their own homes.

In the geography community Peyton "participates in the life" of the 6th grade group, but he and others of the 6th grade group must regard the rights of certain groups. Pupils from one group often interest others or may receive help from this inter-related group life, but as individuals and as groups they must in their functioning be socially responsible in permitting others to enjoy their privileges. It is not what they do so much as whether or not they feel the work is their own individual responsibility, whether or not they actually plan and organize it.

The intimate social contact between pupil and teacher is most helpful. The natural way in which the pupils work, their healthy respect for superior moral contact, their joy and pleasure in daily living, and the patience and willingness with which they do hard work is a picture almost unbelievable to officers of the "Lock-Step" rule, who only find mob spirit when occasions release bottled up energies.

One day an army of fine men and women will be produced in the public schools under the guidance and championship of teachers no finer than the ones we now possess, and that time will come when the school life is freed from the bonds of system and routine, permitting teachers to function as human beings rather than machines.

In order to picture this community life and spirit from the children's view point I give some of the opinions of children from eight to twelve years of age who are working according to the plan. No previous discussion as to whether the plan of work was liked or not had taken place. The comments were taken down word for word in short hand by a stenographer. The remarks of the children have not been changed even to improve sentence structure. The meaning is clear. Only one child was twelve years of age. His comment is given first. No attempt was made to encourage favorable replies, on the contrary the questions asked were a challenge because they encouraged no interest in the plan. One instructor from another school was present during the discussion. All of the answers given are from pupils in the childrens University School, of New York City, where first work under the plan began October, 1920. Their expressions as quoted date January 26, 1921.

Their

**Question:** "We have never discussed the plan of work used by the school since we began to use it. As I do not know how you feel about it I would appreciate your telling me whether you like it or not. I am asking for information".

1-- 12 yrs. "In this school a person that can't work as quickly as others in a particular subject just takes that much more time for that subject and finishes all the rest so to be done. I like it for that reason.

"The record cards make each boy and girl do their work quicker because they can see just how much they have accomplished. They do the work better because they all want to finish their assignments, and the cards keep them in touch with each other's work.

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"In other schools if you are sent into the mathematics room with your class you can't change and go into the English room if you're tired. But in our school if you have been doing mathematics for some time you can change and go into some other room for a little while and then go back to mathematics if you want to.

"In other schools you have to work every minute, and if you try to stop for a minute to rest they make you go on. Here you can stop and rest and then get down to harder work again."

D-- 10 yrs. "If you are doing geography in other schools you take an awfully long time and don't finish, and then you have to go to mathematics and you just sit there and waste time because you have done the mathematics already. In this school you can take your time out of mathematics and put it with the geography time, and have enough time to get the geography finished right."

"If you study home work at night, you are tired in school and if you are made to work you don't do it well. Here if you are too tired to work you just sit still and read, and then pretty soon you feel like doing it. You never do things well that you are made to do."

H-- 9 yrs. "When you don't get a certain amount of work done in other schools you have to take it home and study it, and that makes you awfully tired. Here you just go on with it the next day. After a hard day's work you don't feel like studying at home."

"I like the plan because each one has ample time to do his work in, and if you get tired of doing one thing you can do another thing. I like the work better than I do in other schools. The main reason is that when you are absent you can make up your work the next day."

"In other schools they may give you 50 minutes to do work, and it doesn't take you all that time, or sometimes they give you too little time. You have to have just enough time to be suitable."

A-- 9 yrs. "At the end of the month if you do your work very well you are rewarded by your own satisfaction, and beside that you may be put in a higher class."

Question: "Wouldn't you like to have some other reward given to you --- a medal, or a book?"

A-- 9 yrs. "No, that's not necessary, the satisfaction is enough. I'd rather just go ahead."

Question: "At the beginning of the year I don't think you liked the plan at all, and you did not do as good work. What was the trouble?"

V-- 9 yrs. "We were so glad to get into a school where we could be let alone for a little while that we took a vacation"

B-- 9 yrs. "At the beginning of the year everybody was thinking more about other things than about the work."

P-- 10 yrs. "We did not understand how to work."

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G-- 9 yrs. "In the beginning we were still a little shy because we did not know the teachers and what they expected of us.

"We hadn't been used to the way of working here and we had been used to all taking the same subject at once, and then we didn't get the same attention."

J-- 9 yrs. "At the beginning they were used to another way and it took them some time to understand."

E-- 11 yrs. "They thought they were "getting away with it" because in other schools they were made to work."

**Question:** "Do you feel you need a recess in the morning?"

D-- 10 yrs. "No, we take a recess ourselves when we are tired. We can sit down and read."

NOTE: This was unanimous.

Further Discussion of the Plan.

G-- 10 yrs. "I like the plan because we can go on and do our work and not be held back by children who are slower, and also because we can work hard and get through quickly and get credit for the work we do well."

W-- 11 yrs. "In some schools when you go into arithmetic you have to do arithmetic for half an hour, and you have to do so much that you get mixed up. Here in your beginning to get tired and can't make your mind work right on one thing you can go into another room and forget all about the first thing, so you don't get muddled up. Later you can do the other thing."

**Question:** "You have told all the nice things, what about the faults of the plan?"

The children said they had no fault to find with it. This was unanimous also. One boy was appointed by the other children to come to me afterwards. I was at ten with a small group of people when the child came in.

He said, "I beg your pardon, may I speak to you?" My reply was, "Certainly, what is it?" He said quietly, "It is something private. May we step into the next room?" I went immediately. Then he proceeded, "I do not want to be rude, Miss Parkhurst, but the children think you do not like the plan. They like it very much and they have sent me to ask you why you don't like it. Aren't you going to get behind it?"

I assured him that I was interested and would to the best of my ability "get behind the plan". Being the originator you can imagine my sincere appreciation of their interest shown in their challenge. It became from that moment more than ever *their* plan and I was helped to a better perspective.

ASSIGNMENTS.

Theoretically assignments have always been recognized as important in education, but they have not been emphasized sufficiently in practice. In the average recitation the assignment is left until the end of a period and is given all too hurriedly as a matter of pages in a book. There are often as many interpretations of an assignment as there are pupils in the class. Each pupil has a different idea of something the instructor wants him to do, each one tries to catch the idea the instructor has in mind instead of trying to get at the idea of the subject.

Used as an efficiency measure, the *Dalton Laboratory Plan* pivots on the assignment as a means given to the pupil to help him get at the subject. In making the assignment the pupils' interests are taken into consideration---the instructor ascertains that the subjects of the contract are of interest to the pupils. In social projects, which we will discuss later, the plan pivots on certain pupil interests indicated and chosen by the pupil---not only is the project outlined in the large, but a way of getting at the project is made plain. In either case the point to be kept in mind is that the pupil wants to know something and the question is how can he be helped in getting at it.

As the assignments are made monthly in advance, it is possible for each individual instructor to keep the requirements for each grade as a whole in mind and to correlate better the work in the different subjects. Whereas in the average school a single grade made easily exist "by and into itself", under the *Dalton Laboratory Plan* it is impossible. The plan makes it impossible for one subject to be treated apart from other subjects as a distinct unit, and the very community life required by the organization of the plan makes it impossible for teachers not to cooperate.

The whole contract job consists of a number of assignments, each of the assignments having to do with special phases of separate subjects. Any one assignment is not a formal statement of a certain number of pages to be read in a given text and reference books. It is instead more in the nature of a syllabus stated in an interesting way, pointing out ground to be covered, points of difficulty to be noted and kept in mind, questions to be answered, and designating the amount of written and oral work to be done. Instead of the teacher's usual plan of preparing for himself an outline to be followed in the presentation of a subject, he makes instead the assignment conceived of as a plan made for the pupil in attacking the subject. We will commit fewer errors if in making assignments we keep in mind the *Dalton Laboratory Plan*, always attempting to get at the solution of subject difficulties from the standpoint of the learner. The pupil must therefore be informed of not only the difficulties of a given portion of the subject, but also be told in the assignment what the instructor expects of him. We try to create "interest pockets" in the assignments by conceiving of ways to state the re-

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requirements so as to interest the learner, to conceive of ways which will facilitate the learner's attack on a problem. If questions are asked which will arouse his curiosity and suspend his interest, so as not to do his work for him but inspire him to do it, then an "interest pocket" has been made. These interest pockets are important because it is of more value for the pupil to be stimulated by interesting subject matter than to be forced or over-stimulated by the teachers personality.

To make this point clear and show the character of the assignments used by one school under the Plan typical History assignments, 5th, 6th, and 7th grades are given, also some Geography assignments. The first one given is in History. The heading is as follows:

HISTORY

Fifth Grade

4th Contract

This means that the children in the 5th Grade who have completed all parts of their 3rd Contract and are ready to begin their 4th contract job will as one part of their new contract do the work indicated for History. Each grade would of course be given a different History assignment.

These assignments are attached to colored cards, a different color for each grade in order that pupils may the more easily select the one for their own grade if by chance they happen to be out of place on the History laboratory bulletin board. The assignment for each separate week is typed on a separate sheet of paper. These sheets hang on the colored card, one behind the other.

Copies of Assignments.

HISTORY

Fifth Grade

4th Contract

First Week.

Last month we read how the Greeks fought against the Persians and drove them out of Greece. You all remember the Battle of Marathon and the Battle of Salamis, no doubt. After the Persian Wars were all over, and the Persians had decided that they could not conquer the Greeks, the Greeks went back to their homes. You remember the Athenians had had their homes all burned by the Persians just before the Battle of Salamis, so they had to start their city all over again.

The Spartans were jealous of the Athenians, so they did all they could to keep the Athenians from rebuilding their city. They were afraid that the Athenians would become the most important people in Greece. The Athenians, however, succeeded in getting their city rebuilt. They soon got into trouble with the Spartans, who were very jealous still. Finally this trouble ended in a long and cruel war between the two cities. This is what we shall read about this week. Read the story called "Beginning of the Peloponnesian War" in The Story of the Greeks. This war was called the Peloponnesian War because Sparta was in it and Sparta was in the part of Greece called the Peloponnesus. When you have finished the reading, write out the answers to

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the following questions:

1. Who fought in the Peloponnesian War?

2. Why did the two countries fight?

3. How did Pericles explain the eclipse of the sun? (This is two days work)

We shall also read about the *Death of Pericles*, the great leader of the Athenians. Write the answers to these questions when you have finished;

1. What caused the death of Pericles?

2. What was said about the way Pericles found the city and the way he left it? (This is one day's work)

The third story to read this week is called *Greek Colonies in Italy*. You will find the page by looking in the index. You will find out there about some of the Greek cities in Italy and Sicily. Look on the map in the front of the book and see where the cities are. You will be interested to see how the people in some of the cities loved comfort and luxury. You will also find out about how the Athenians planned a great expedition to attack some of the cities in Sicily. Write the answers to the following questions:

1. Tell a story to show how the Sybarites liked comfort.

2. Who were the leaders of the Athenian fleet?

3. What was Alcibiades accused of? (This is two days work)

BE SURE TO BRING ALL YOUR WRITTEN ANSWERS TO ME BEFORE YOU MARK UP YOUR WORK.

## Second Week.

This week let us follow the fortunes of the Athenian leader, Alcibiades. He was the best one to lead the expedition, and without him the fleet and army did not do much. Very few of the men who started out with the fleet ever reached home again. Let us read the story called *Alcibiades in Disgrace* and the story called *The Death of Alcibiades* in the "Story of the Greeks".

When you have finished the reading and think you know about Alcibiades, write out answers to the following questions:

1. Tell how Alcibiades changed sides.

2. Why did he change?

3. How many times did he change?

4. Tell about the death of Alcibiades.

5. How did the Peloponnesian War end?

6. Who won?

## Third Week.

I wonder how many of you have ever heard of the Greek philosopher, *Socrates*. I wonder how many of you know what a philosopher is anyway. See if you can find out, from your reading this week. This week we shall read about the philosopher, Socrates, in a story called that in the "Story of the Greeks". We shall also read two other stories about this same man, one called *The Accusation of Socrates*, and the other called the

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Death of Socrates. When you have read all about him, write the answers to the following questions:

(About the Philosopher Socrates)

1. What is a philosopher?

2. What did Socrates believe?

3. Tell about Socrates and Xanthippe.

(About the Accusation of Socrates)

4. How did the Athenians come to think badly of Socrates?

(About the Death of Socrates)

5. What became of Socrates?

BE SURE TO BRING ALL YOUR WRITTEN ANSWERS TO ME BEFORE YOU MARK UP YOUR CARD.

Fourth Week.

We have been reading about the wars that the cities in Greece carried on among themselves, and we have seen how the Spartans defeated the Athenians in the great Peloponnesian War. Some of the Greeks were still anxious to fight, so when a war broke out between two brothers who were trying to become King of Persia, a large force of Greeks went to help the younger brother Cyrus. This week we shall read about the adventures of the Greeks in Asia. The story to read is in the "Story of the Greeks" and is called *The Defeat of Cyrus*. Then there is another story that comes right after that one called the *Retreat of the Ten Thousand*. Let us read that also. Then we shall write answers to these questions:

1. Who was Cyrus fighting against?

2. Who helped him?

3. What happened to the Greek officers after the defeat?

4. What did the Ten Thousand do?

5. Who led them?

6. Where did they go? (This work will be equivalent to three days work)

We must go on now and see what came of the help that the Greeks gave to the Persian Cyrus. Artaxerxes, the brother who won out, was naturally angry at the Greeks for helping his brother, and so war broke out between the Greeks in Asia Minor and the Persians. Let us read about a Spartan king, Agasilaus, and his battles with Persians. There are two stories, one called *Agasilaus in Asia* and the other called *A Strange Interview*. When you have finished the reading, answer these questions:

1. What city was Agasilaus king of?

2. What kind of looking man was he?

3. When he met Pharnabazus what did Pharnabazus find him doing?

4. What did Pharnabazus do when he saw the simplicity of Sparta?

SHOW ME YOUR ANSWERS BEFORE YOU MARK UP YOUR CARD.

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