Abstract/Notes: A survey of 92 elementary school teachers in northern British Columbia revealed that rural teachers were more positive than urban teachers toward the use of multiage classrooms and that teachers disagreed about their needs for effectively managing such classrooms. Suggests providing teachers of multiage classrooms with inservice opportunities, sound research-based practices, and additional teaching resources.

Language: English

ISSN: 0013-1253

Language: English

Published: Los Angeles, California, 1979

Language: English

Published: Minneapolis, Minnesota: Jola Publications, 1993

Language: English

Published: Minneapolis, Minnesota: Jola Publications, 2001

Edition: 2nd ed.

Abstract/Notes: Alternative educational concepts evolved in response to classical educational methods in which children are placed in a passive position and the transfer of knowledge is cultivated as a form of teaching. Models of alternative pedagogy (Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio, Agazzi) advocate developmentally appropriate practices which Bredekamp (1993) describes as a presence of different strategies, i.e., child-oriented behaviours of teachers and responding to the child's individual needs. In order to help each child to grow into a universal and competent individual from preschool age, it is necessary to encourage their imagination and creativity, as well as to acquire habits of cooperation and coexistence with other children. One of the activities which promote these desirable characteristics in children is handicraft. Many studies and findings in the area of neuroscience, multiple intelligences theories, and the aforementioned alternative pedagogical concepts emphasize the importance of handicraft and point out its benefits not only for children but for the entire community. However, such an approach to children's learning and activity is poorly represented in educational institutions. Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the views of preschool teachers and parents on handicraft activities and its more frequent use in regular preschool programs. The survey was conducted by an anonymous questionnaire on a sample of 316 respondents, preschool teachers (N=141) and parents (N=175). The results of the study show that both preschool teachers and parents agree that certain elements of alternative concepts such as handicraft have a positive impact on the overall development of the child and that they are useful and practical life skills. They also agree that handicraft activities should be used in educational institutions to a greater extent. [Conference Name: 14th International Technology, Education and Development Conference; ISBN: 9788409179398; Place: Valencia, Spain]

Language: English

Published: Valencia, Spain: International Academy of Technology, Education and Development (IATED), 2020

Pages: 1511-1519

DOI: 10.21125/inted.2020.0499

ISBN: 978-84-09-17939-8

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study is to determine whether teachers' attitudes towards family participation in preschool education institutions that adopt the approaches related to Montessori, Reggio Emilia and MEB education programs differ. In addition, teachers' level of education, age, type of institution, professional qualifications and professional experiences are also considered as variables. In addition, the opinions of pre-school teachers about family participation were examined comparatively. The sample of the study consists of 81 preschool teachers working in the educational institutions that adopt the approaches related to Montessori, Reggio Emilia and MEB education programs in Kadıköy, Maltepe and Ataşehir districts of Istanbul province in the 2018-2019 Academic Year. The Attitude Scale on Family Participation Studies for Teachers and the Personal Information Form containing open-ended questions for family participation were simultaneously filled in order to reveal the similarities and differences in family participation studies. According to the results of the study; the attitude points of the teachers who work in preschool education institutions which adopt the approaches related to Montessori, Reggio Emilia and MEB programs have shown a significant difference. In this context, it was determined that the scores obtained from the attitude scale differed according to the approaches.The attitude scores of the teachers working in preschool education institutions, which adopted the Reggio Emilia approach, was higher than the attitude scores of the teachers working in preschool education institutions that adopted the Montessori and MEB educational approaches. In addition, the attitudes of pre-school teachers towards family participation showed statistically significant differences according to age and category of the institution they served. However, it was determined that the attitudes of pre-school teachers towards family participation did not show a statistically significant difference between the professional title and professional experience categories. At the same time, it was concluded that preschool teachers' views on family participation reflect the educational approaches adopted by preschools. / Bu çalışmanın amacı, Montessori, Reggio Emilia ve Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı eğitim programlarına ilişkin yaklaşımları benimseyen okul öncesi eğitim kurumlarında aile katılımına ilişkin öğretmen tutumlarının farklılık gösterip göstermediğini ortaya koymaktır. Ayrıca öğretmenlerin öğrenim düzeyi, yaşı, görev yaptıkları kurum çeşidi, mesleki ünvanları ve mesleki deneyimleri gibi özellikler de değişken olarak ele alınmıştır. Ayrıca okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin aile katılımına yönelik görüşleri karşılaştırmalı olarak incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu 2018-2019 Eğitim Öğretim yılında İstanbul iline bağlı Kadıköy, Maltepe ve Ataşehir ilçelerinde bulunan Montessori, Reggio Emilia ve MEB eğitim programlarına ilişkin yaklaşımları benimseyen eğitim kurumlarında görev yapan 81 okul öncesi öğretmeni oluşturmaktadır. Çalışma grubunu oluşturan okul öncesi öğretmenlerine "Öğretmenler İçin Aile Katılım Çalışmaları Hakkında Tutum Ölçeği" ile aile katılım çalışmalarındaki benzerlikleri ve farklılıkları ortaya koymak amacıyla demografik bilgileri ve aile katılımına yönelik açık uçlu soruları içeren "Kişisel Bilgi Formu" eş zamanlı olarak doldurtulmuştur. Araştırmanın sonucuna göre; Montessori, Reggio Emilia ve MEB programlarına ilişkin yaklaşımları benimseyen okul öncesi eğitim kurumlarında görev yapan öğretmenlerin aile katılımına yönelik tutum puanları anlamlı farklılık göstermiştir. Bu bağlamda tutum ölçeğinden alınan puanların yaklaşımlara göre farklılık gösterdiği tespit edilmiştir. Reggio Emilia yaklaşımını benimseyen okul öncesi eğitim kurumlarında görev yapan öğretmenlerin tutum puanları Montessori ve MEB eğitim yaklaşlarımını benimseyen okul öncesi eğitim kurumlarında görev yapan öğretmenlerin tutum puanlarından yüksek çıkmıştır. Ayrıca okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin aile katılımına yönelik tutumları yaş ve görev yaptıkları kurum çeşidi kategorilerine göre istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık göstermiştir. Ancak okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin aile katılımına yönelik tutumlarının mesleki ünvan ve mesleki deneyim kategorilerinin istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık göstermediği tespit edilmiştir. Bununla birlikte okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin aile katılımına yönelik görüşlerinin görev yaptıkları anaokulları tarafından benimsenen eğitim yaklaşımlarını yansıttığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Language: Turkish

Published: Istanbul, Turkey, 2019

Abstract/Notes: This quantitative causal-comparative research study addresses the question of whether a teacher’s training background is related to a difference in their attitude toward educational technology. This study specifically targeted Montessori Early Childhood Educators during the COVID-19 pandemic and compared their scores on each of nine subscales on the Teacher Attitudes to Computers (TAC) and Teacher Attitudes to Technology (TAT) survey instruments. Participants were recruited from Montessori-specific Facebook groups and were grouped by their own training background, namely face-to-face, blended, and online. In the study, 214 participants took part of which 76 were trained face-to-face, 63 were trained in a blended format, and 64 were trained in an online format. Differences were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA between pairings of each of the three training backgrounds. Differences were found among each of the three groups in terms of their scores on each of the nine subscales of the TAC/TAT, with the widest gap between those who experienced face-to-face training and those who experienced online training. Further research is needed to gain more insight into the specific experiences of Montessori Early Childhood Educators in reference to their attitudes toward technology and their impact on practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Language: English

Published: Lakewood, Colorado, 2022

Language: English

Published: Warwick, England, 2001

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was (1) to investigate the degree of agreement between AMI trained Montessori teachers' knowledge and attitudes and Montessori's recommendations for guiding the process of normalization among young children and (2) to discover the reasons for differences from those recommendations. Normalization is the central process in the Montessori method. Except for a study by this investigator (Zener, 1993) guiding the process of normalization had not been researched since Montessori's work some forty-five to eighty-five years ago. Therefore, this investigation also provided current teacher experiences of guiding the process of normalization. One hundred sixty five Montessori teachers attending various regional and national conferences were surveyed with knowledge and attitude scales. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10% of the participants. Mean scale scores from 4.0 to 5.0 on a five degree Likert scale and a SD less than 1.0 were projected as satisfactory levels of agreement with Montessori's recommendations. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the scales, and content analysis was used to analyze the interviews. T-tests and ANOVAS indicated that demographic variables were not significant to the results. The study concluded that AMI trained Montessori teachers reflected a satisfactory degree of agreement with the recommended knowledge and attitudes (M = 4.25, SD =.31 and M = 4.50, SD =.34 respectively). Knowledge and attitude correlated (p $<$.01). Reasons for differences among teachers' knowledge and attitudes about guiding the process included using other aspects of Montessori theory, disagreement with Montessori, difficulty in carrying out the theory in practice, misinterpretations of scale items, and misunderstandings about Montessori's recommendations for guiding the process of normalization. Implications for children, teachers, parents, school administration, and teacher education included validation of teachers for the high level of consistency in their reflections on guiding the process of normalization. Recommendations for future research included developing a more complete theoretical understanding of the process of normalization, particularly the importance of respecting children's spans of concentration.

Language: English

Published: College Park, Maryland, 1994

Abstract/Notes: Scope and method of study. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the connection between the beliefs, attitudes, and expectations teachers exhibit towards students who have attention challenges in three independent schools in England and the pathognomonic-interventionist continuum as identified by Jordan-Wilson and Silverman (1991), which identifies, along a scale, where teachers' beliefs lie. Teachers' sense of efficacy as they meet individual student needs was also explored as was what educators in these schools, who have limited, if any, recourse to special education assistance, do to support students who display the characteristics of attention deficit. The pathognomonic-interventionist continuum and Bandura's (1977) construct of self-efficacy were the lenses used to focus the research. The study records participants' responses and reflections about the phenomenon under study, describing what it is they do, how they perceive their responsibility towards their students, and how they support each other. Findings and conclusions. Data compiled from a sample of 10 teachers and 3 head-teachers, were disaggregated to provide a picture of how participant teachers work with attentionally challenged children in selected English independent schools. The results provide evidence that teachers whose profile identifies them with the interventionist perspective present stronger senses of self-efficacy. They are prepared to undertake prereferral-type activities to determine where the student is experiencing difficulty and are then willing to manipulate the learning environment to meet individual student needs. Teachers in these schools perceive it as their professional obligation to design teaching scenarios to benefit all students. Teacher efficacy, their sense of their ability to positively influence their students' educational performance and achievement, is unrelated to years of experience or educational background, but is related to the beliefs which they hold.

Language: English

Published: Stillwater, Oklahoma, 2006