The Monitorial System (Swe: Växelundervisning) was an education method that took hold during the early 19th century. This method was also known as "mutual instruction" or the "Bell–Lancaster method" after the British educators Andrew Bell and Joseph Lancaster who both independently developed it. The method was based on the abler pupils being used as 'helpers' to the teacher, passing on the information they had learned to other, often younger, pupils who were divided into smaller groups for this purpose.The monitorial system was a way of organizing education in schools in Sweden during the 19th century.
Monitors
The students who acted as assistant teachers were called monitors. The first school practicing the monitorial system was founded by Joseph Lancaster in 1798 in Southwark, London. The method was aimed at mass educating the growing working-class child population in English industrial towns as cheaply and efficiently as possible.
Introduction in Sweden
The Monitorial education system spread in the early 19th century because it was considered new and exciting. The method came to Gothenburg, Sweden, in the early 19th century.The teaching method was by no means a completely new phenomenon in Swedish education; as in so many other places, it had existed in various forms throughout history.The person given the most credit for introducing the method in Sweden is Count Jacob De la Gardie (1768 - 1842). In 1822, he co-founded the ”Sällskapet för växelundervisningens befrämjande”, ("Society for the Promotion of Monitorial Education"), of which he served as president until he died in 1842.
The Monitorial System
The pupils were divided into groups according to their level of knowledge and each group was then led by a monitor. The various groups were positioned along the walls, or sat on benches in the middle of the room, with the monitor in the middle of their group. Reading and arithmetic were practiced with the help of posters on the walls, which the monitor pointed to when teaching and from which the pupils in turn often had to read aloud.The teacher's job was to supervise and direct the pupils. Thus, teaching was going on around the schoolroom at the same time and the teacher signaled, for example by clapping his hands, when it was time for the pupils to move to the next teaching group. The teacher would also interrogate the pupils when the monitors announced that they were ready for this. The pupils who passed the tests were then moved on to the next group, while the others had to stay where they were for further tuition in the same subject. In other words, children were allowed to learn at their own pace: those who learned quickly could advance through the classes independently of the pace of their peers.Of course, there were also disadvantages. The noise level in the classroom was high and monitors were probably not great educators in most cases. The teacher did do some of the teachings, but for most of the school day, the teacher was mostly a supervisor of the pupils rather than an educator. Teaching was largely mechanical and pupils were expected to memorize what they had learned.
The Abolishment of the Method
It has been said that monitorial teaching was cost-effective as only a few adults were needed and that the space requirements were lower than for conventional schools. However, it has been questioned whether the method was so cost-effective, as the costs of introducing monitoring teaching were relatively high as the method required larger classrooms.By a royal decree to the Cathedral Chapters in 1864, classes were to be established in the elementary school (Swe: Folkskolan) as well, thus eliminating monitorial teaching. However, monitorial teaching was not completely abandoned after the 1864 decree concerning the introduction of classroom teaching under the direct supervision of the teacher. Monitors were used in some parts of the country until the end of the 19th century.
•Växelundervisningens praktiska avskaffande, Uppsats av Michael Olsson och Viktor Magnusson, Uppsala universitet 2011.•Växelundervisningens allmänna utveckling och dess utformning i Sverige till omkring 1830, av Thor Nordin. Årsböcker i svensk undevisningshistoria 1973. •Wikipedia •SkolmuseetTop of Page
Danish watercolor depicting the monitorial system with monitors teaching younger pupils, illustrated by P.C. Klæstrup (1820-1882). Image: Wikipedia. The watercolor shows different groups of pupils along the walls, each being taught by a different monitor. The monitors have posters on the walls to help them in their teaching.
The Monitorial System (Swe: Växelundervisning) was an education method that took hold during the early 19th century. This method was also known as "mutual instruction" or the "Bell–Lancaster method" after the British educators Andrew Bell and Joseph Lancaster who both independently developed it. The method was based on the abler pupils being used as 'helpers' to the teacher, passing on the information they had learned to other, often younger, pupils who were divided into smaller groups for this purpose.The monitorial system was a way of organizing education in schools in Sweden during the 19th century.
Monitors
The students who acted as assistant teachers were called monitors. The first school practicing the monitorial system was founded by Joseph Lancaster in 1798 in Southwark, London. The method was aimed at mass educating the growing working-class child population in English industrial towns as cheaply and efficiently as possible.
Introduction in Sweden
The Monitorial education system spread in the early 19th century because it was considered new and exciting. The method came to Gothenburg, Sweden, in the early 19th century.The teaching method was by no means a completely new phenomenon in Swedish education; as in so many other places, it had existed in various forms throughout history.The person given the most credit for introducing the method in Sweden is Count Jacob De la Gardie (1768 - 1842). In 1822, he co-founded the ”Sällskapet för växelundervisningens befrämjande”, ("Society for the Promotion of Monitorial Education"), of which he served as president until he died in 1842.
The Monitorial System
The pupils were divided into groups according to their level of knowledge and each group was then led by a monitor. The various groups were positioned along the walls, or sat on benches in the middle of the room, with the monitor in the middle of their group. Reading and arithmetic were practiced with the help of posters on the walls, which the monitor pointed to when teaching and from which the pupils in turn often had to read aloud.The teacher's job was to supervise and direct the pupils. Thus, teaching was going on around the schoolroom at the same time and the teacher signaled, for example by clapping his hands, when it was time for the pupils to move to the next teaching group. The teacher would also interrogate the pupils when the monitors announced that they were ready for this. The pupils who passed the tests were then moved on to the next group, while the others had to stay where they were for further tuition in the same subject. In other words, children were allowed to learn at their own pace: those who learned quickly could advance through the classes independently of the pace of their peers.Of course, there were also disadvantages. The noise level in the classroom was high and monitors were probably not great educators in most cases. The teacher did do some of the teachings, but for most of the school day, the teacher was mostly a supervisor of the pupils rather than an educator. Teaching was largely mechanical and pupils were expected to memorize what they had learned.
The Abolishment of the Method
It has been said that monitorial teaching was cost-effective as only a few adults were needed and that the space requirements were lower than for conventional schools. However, it has been questioned whether the method was so cost-effective, as the costs of introducing monitoring teaching were relatively high as the method required larger classrooms.By a royal decree to the Cathedral Chapters in 1864, classes were to be established in the elementary school (Swe: Folkskolan) as well, thus eliminating monitorial teaching. However, monitorial teaching was not completely abandoned after the 1864 decree concerning the introduction of classroom teaching under the direct supervision of the teacher. Monitors were used in some parts of the country until the end of the 19th century.
•Växelundervisningens praktiska avskaffande, Uppsats av Michael Olsson och Viktor Magnusson, Uppsala universitet 2011.•Växelundervisningens allmänna utveckling och dess utformning i Sverige till omkring 1830, av Thor Nordin. Årsböcker i svensk undevisningshistoria 1973. •Wikipedia •SkolmuseetTop of Page
Danish watercolor depicting the monitorial system with monitors teaching younger pupils, illustrated by P.C. Klæstrup (1820-1882). Image: Wikipedia. The watercolor shows different groups of pupils along the walls, each being taught by a different monitor. The monitors have posters on the walls to help them in their teaching.
