Joseph Lancaster and the History of Reading Instruction / Marlow Ediger.

Examining the origin and accomplishments of the Lancastrian monitorial system of instruction, this paper discusses the influence of that system on American education. It gives a brief history of how Joseph Lancaster became involved in reading instruction and how he was a pioneer in emphasizing a reading curriculum that was written down. It then describes the monitorial system of instruction and the Lancastrian method of reading instruction. It discusses influences of Lancaster on American education and lists six relevant beliefs in the thinking of Joseph Lancaster that were very progressive for his day. The paper concludes that Lancaster has a relevant place in the history of reading instruction as well as in bringing to the United States his monitorial system of instruction. Listed are 10 trends that are presently used in the teaching of reading. (Contains 15 references.) (SC)

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