Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did the monitorial system work in English elementary schools?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
education
Students and an instructor in a classroom in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
The monitorial system was a 19th-century teaching method designed to provide mass education to large numbers of children efficiently and economically.12
How the System Operated
Under this approach, an adult schoolmaster instructed a group of superior students, known as monitors or prefects, who then relayed that knowledge to smaller groups of younger or less proficient pupils.12
- Classroom Structure: Up to 1,000 pupils were organized into rows of 10. Activity was conducted with military precision, following strict, non-negotiable directions.2
- Roles: Beyond teaching, specific monitors were assigned administrative tasks, such as taking attendance, examining and promoting students, and distributing learning materials like books and slates.2
- Efficiency: The system reduced the need for adult teachers, though it often reduced learning to rote memorization and drill, leaving little room for creative initiative.12
By 1840, the system began to decline as it was replaced by pupil-teachers—students who were formally apprenticed to learn the art of teaching while continuing their own education.1