Ascham, ays'kam, ROGER (1515-1568), an English scholar and teacher, who rose to prominence during the reigns of Henry VIII, Mary and Elizabeth. He was educated at Saint John's College, Oxford, and became a college tutor. Later he was appointed teacher of the learned languages to Lady Elizabeth (afterwards Queen Elizabeth). Following this he became Latin Secretary to Queen Mary, and when Elizabeth acceded to the throne, was continued in the position. He is best known by his work, The School Master, a plain and perfect way of teaching children to speak, write and read the Latin tongue. This book was a radical departure from the methods then in vogue and greatly simplified the work and made it more interesting. Consult Quick's Essays on Educational Reformers.