Before beginning this course you may ask the pupils to write a paper about a home or a school problem that is disturbing to them. If you assure them that the privacy of their papers will be respected, they are likely to reveal freely their feelings and evaluations. At the conclusion of the course, ask the pupils to write a similar paper and compare the papers for changes in attitudes.

If you wish to make a check occasionally on the progress of the class, you may devise an objective test to be used for that purpose. We do not consider the objective test to be as reliable a guide as your own observation of the pupils’ participation in class and their applications of the principles.

The response to tests is very often deceptive in the case of children; they may be able to parrot the words of the lesson, but not see the applications; or they may be unable to reproduce the words but have an understanding and response that is actively influencing their attitudes or behavior. We consider the ability to repeat the lesson the least important learning; the ability to discover examples in life situations and in selected readings the next most important; but we consider the two abilities plus increased awareness of meaningful language and improved attitudes and behavior the highest achievement.

It may be difficult sometimes for you to evaluate the character of the response you are getting. One teacher asked a little girl why she never joined in the discussion and seemed to be perplexed during the presentation of the lesson. The pupil replied that she was deeply interested, but that she liked to think the lessons over at her leisure. Then she went on to tell how she had solved one of her conflicts with her mother through application of what she had learned.

Quite a few such unexpected responses have made us conclude that we should not measure the class learning in terms of a set body of knowledge to be acquired in a certain period of time, nor should we be discouraged by occasional lags in class development of insight.

If you feel that a test must be given, the following questions are the type that we suggest. We limit the test to one or two questions because the answers called for are too comprehensive to write in one period.

1. Repeat some of the ideas of general semantics that made the deepest impression on you.

2. Tell about a misunderstanding you read about in a book or newspaper that was like one we studied in this course. Has this training influenced your reading of books or newspapers? In what way?

3. Tell about an example of failure to date or failure to see differences in a real-life situation.

4. Have you tried to teach anyone any of these lessons? What was your experience?

5. Do you think you are slower in anger and have fewer quarrels since you have studied these lessons?

6. Have you been able to detect someone stating an opinion as if it were a statement of fact? Tell about it.

7. Do you think you have learned to listen to people more carefully? Are you more willing to ask questions if you don’t understand?

8. Do you do more reciting in class or recite more easily because of this training?

9. Has this training changed your attitude toward any of your school subjects? Describe any changes.

10. Has this training changed your attitude toward any persons? Have you looked for differences in people?