Abstract/Notes: This dissertation describes an inquiry into Montessori-based white teachers' practices of disrupting white identity formation in the classroom through their antiracist stance. The findings within ultimately demonstrate the necessity for white teachers to grow in their understanding and practice of antiracism. Such growth is meaningful because of the role schools play in systematic white supremacy and racism. Together, the evidence and analysis add to the conversation of antiracist work and produce suggestions for deepening and expanding the potential for such growth in white teachers. In this qualitative study, evidence was collected through focus groups and phenomenological interviews with self-described antiracist white teachers who worked in schools with a student population with white students as the majority subgroup, with other subgroups providing less than 20% of the population. Using qualitative inquiry, the data provide insight into how teachers intentionally create their classroom design and how they make changes countering the hegemony through which traditional educational environments are constructed. Participant perspectives are at the heart of this study. Participants shared their hope to apply a Montessori tenet of providing experiences for the child on the subconscious and the conscious level. The teachers expressed how they have examined themselves and examined their Montessori training to uncover ways they can make changes toward being less Anglo-European centered. The data collected and conversations shared are relatable even to teachers outside of Montessori and demonstrate to white teachers with a desire to be committed to antiracism they are not alone and there are ways to make even subtle changes in their classrooms impacting the children they guide.

Language: English

Published: San Francisco, California, 2023

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Language: Italian

Published: Roma, Italy: Opera Nazionale Montessori, 2015

ISBN: 978-88-88227-38-2 88-88227-38-5

Abstract/Notes: This article concerns Maria Montessori’s relationships with the Catholic world: in particular with members of Religious Congregations, from 1904 to 1924. Montessori wanted to found a religious Institute of Children’s Teachers, dedicated to educating according to her Method. The essay reconstructs the supports and oppositions that Maria Montessori had among the Jesuits. And the polemics by the anti-modernists against the Method. A favorable moment occurred with Pope Benedict XV . But a turning point came with Pius XI.

Language: Italian

ISSN: 1723-9672, 2612-6559

Language: Italian

Language: German

ISSN: 0944-2537

Language: Italian

Published: Trento, Italy: Erickson, 2019

ISBN: 978-88-590-2042-4 88-590-2042-5

Abstract/Notes: The research consisted of a qualitative case study of three urban public Montessori schools with a population of 51% or more of students of color and a commitment of 2 years or more of CRP-ABAR within a Montessori setting. The theoretical framework used for the study was the critical race theory, which is the conceptual foundation for examining inequities in public education. This research dissertation had a focus on gaining an insight into the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and parents toward CRP-ABAR in Montessori schools by examining the practices in three public Montessori schools. The possible connections to student outcomes, such as behavioral referrals, suspension rates, and academic achievement for students of color were explored to determine if any connections exist between CRP-ABAR and outcomes for students of color within a public Montessori setting. Three major themes emerged of the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and parents about the impact of the CRP-ABAR in a Montessori setting. The CRP-ABAR could be delivered through a curriculum-oriented approach or a systemic-oriented approach and the CRP-ABAR connects to Montessori through peace-global education and the prepared teacher-environment. The CRP-ABAR practices impact students of color primarily through social emotional growth with limited academic outcomes. Even with an intentional focus and diversity training, many non-Black teachers’ perceptions of students of color included deficit theory thinking. Some parents believed racism is being dismantled through the curriculum and celebrations of diversity. Other parents identified some teachers-staff with underpinning instances of biases and insensitivity.

Language: English

Published: Boca Raton, Florida, 2020

Abstract/Notes: Montessori teachers often enter the teaching field with a strong sense of a Montessori social identity developed through their transformational teacher education experience (AMI, 2018a; Malm, 2004), uniting them around a shared knowledge and belief system (Fairclough, 1992, 2003). While a social identity can connect individuals and provide security and purpose, it can also limit beliefs and behaviors by producing a prescribed way of being (Foucault, 2010). Research (e.g., Sumison, 2002) has shown that when teachers are confronted with instances that challenge their teacher identity and social practice (Fairclough, 1992), they may experience dilemmas and uncertainty (Cuban, 1992; Lampert, 1985) that call their self and social identification as a teacher into question. This post-intentional phenomenological study is an attempt to better understand what is produced and provoked (Vagle, 2018) when Montessori teachers engage in anti-bias and anti-racist (ABAR) teacher self-reflection, a critical first step to implementing antiracist teaching practices in an early childhood classroom (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). Specifically, I explored what is produced and provoked in the Montessori self and social identity as teachers consider ways of being a teacher that possibly differ with the Montessori teacher way of being. Six Montessori early childhood teachers participated in three workshops on ABAR self-reflection which I developed and facilitated over the course of three and a half months. Participant experiences, including my own, and additional phenomenological material (e.g., Montessori's writing, current initiatives in the Montessori social world) offered important insight into the life and evolution of the phenomenon. To guide analysis, I used Jackson and Mazzei's (2012) thinking with theory and Deleuze and Guattari's (1987) notion of the rhizome to conceptualize the life and growth of the phenomenon. Findings revealed elements of the Montessori social identity that provide meaning and purpose for teachers working towards dismantling oppression as well as limitations in the form of a regime of truth (Foucault, 1977/2010) that can challenge the development of a dialogic identity. Implications suggest recommendations for Montessori teacher education programs including strategies of incorporating ABAR reflective practices into Montessori teacher development, reevaluating the words and position of an adored leader for relevance as society evolves, and encouraging social activism by disrupting the notion of objectivity and neutrality in teaching.

Language: English

Published: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2018

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this self-study was to examine the effects of concentrated interaction with anti-bias/anti-racist media on a Montessori guide’s practice. It was conducted over a total of six weeks. The intervention included a pre- and post- survey of understanding, nightly media interactions, daily reflection journaling, daily tallies of anti-bias/anti-racist thoughts during the school day, and a daily confidence scale to measure the participant’s confidence to integrate anti-bias/anti-racist concepts into her teaching practice. The study was completed at a private Montessori school in a medium-sized midwestern town, with an early childhood classroom of fifteen three- to five-year-old students of diverse backgrounds. The findings indicate a slight increase in confidence and efficacy for the participant in discussing anti-bias/anti-racist concepts with students, families and colleagues. The findings also point to the strong need for working with other educators and Montessorians for further integrating anti-bias/anti-racist concepts into classroom practice.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2020