Transmission

Teaching Methods

The blackboard and portable slate increased the possibility for a regimented pedagogical method. Portable slates were common during the 19th century, and in many cases were a more familiar feature than wall-mounted boards.

Professor W.J. Alexander, a student in Hamilton Ontario school system in the late 19th century remembered “The whole class would commit to remember facts, grammatical and arithmetic rules, etc., by repeating them in a sort of sing-song chant.”(Alexander, 756)

Students were responsible for caring for the slates, which included the unpopular task of cleaning. Among the memories recollected by pupils, including Alexander, was the sound of the slate pencils scraping the slate, causing grating noises to reverberate around the room.

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