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Of course there are all kinds of activities going on in the Scottish prep school classroom. The curriculum as in English prep schools includes a major focus on the core subjects of reading, writing, and matchs. But tgere are many other subjects pursued along with the fine arts. Many of the schools are quite traditional with the teachers seated at their desk giving a lesson to the children facing him or her lestening and taking notes, but there is much less of this than there used to be. Increasingly younger teachers are introducing all kinds of innovations to classroom work. Of course this varies with the subject matter. Science in particular permitted all kinds of interesting demonstrations which can easily interest the children. The art class is a favorite of many children permitting all kinds of hands own activities. The computer is also making a difference in some classes, although this was still relaively limited in the 1980s. And during the summer term there were a variety of activities that can be conducted outdoors.
Of course there are all kinds of activities going on in the prepschool classroom. Our visits encountered a great variety of classroom activities. This of course varied from form to form. We have compiled a typical morning of classroom activities that we encountered from our many school visits. Of course the activities are much more diverse then presented here, but this is a good picture of what one might find at a British prep school. The overal impression is that something very important is going on--serious learning.
The prep school program varied from school to school, but there was a considerablr degree of similarity. This was imposed on the schools by their primary purpose, to prepare the children for their public schools. Thus the curriculum was more or less designed to conform to the guidelines established by the senior schools that the children will be attending. While many subjects are covered, there is a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy. Thus many class room activities are focused on these two primary goals. Some subjects lent themselves to activities more than others. Science in particular permitted all kinds of interesting demonstrations which can easily interest the children. This of course varied with the skill and showmanship of the teacher. Teachers can also keep a variety of animals in the science room which interest the children. Science was not a universal favorite with the children. We are not entirely sure why that was. We suspect the math and precession involved did not appeal to some of the children. While there is a strong emphasis on the core subjects, there is also attention to the fine arts. The art class is a favorite of many children permitting all kinds of hands on activities. Art teachers commonly prepared a program to expose the children to a wide range of medium.
Scittish prep schools like preps schools in England were beginning to make use of the computer. The computer is also making a difference in some classes, although this was still relaively limited in the 1980s. All but the younger teachers were not quite sure what to make of the computer. Many schools were just beginning to install computer rooms and introduce the computer into the classroom.
And during the summer term there were a variety of activities that can be conducted outdoors.
