Abstract/Notes: The debate about whether or not religious education should be included in early childhood education is a longstanding one. Even those who believe that Religious education should be included in early childhood programs cannot agree about the content or method for including it. The phenomenon of religious education in Montessori pre-primary schools in the Western Cape Province of South Africa is explored in this study, using a qualitative research approach. More specifically, the study explored the goals of their religious education; the level of awareness of Montessori's approach to religious education and finally looked at how they were implementing religion in their schools. A sample of 4 pre-schools were selected from the 90 Montessori pre-schools in the Western Cape. These included a Non-Denominational, Muslim, Christian and a Jewish School. The Muslim and Non-Denominational schools are full Montessori schools, while the Christian and Jewish schools have incorporated Montessori alongside other curriculums, namely the Jubilee Excellence School Curriculum and Reggio-Emilia approach, respectively. A collective case study approach was adopted and data was collected through observations and interviews. While the findings cannot easily be generalized, it is significant in providing a starting point to understanding the phenomenon of religious education in Montessori pre-schools in the Western Cape. The study highlighted Dr Montessori's personal and professional struggle with religion and found that the struggles Dr Montessori faced in terms of Religion have still not been resolved today. The schools in the Western Cape still grappled with the essence of Montessori's struggle, i.e. where to place religion and how to integrate it in the Montessori method and philosophy. Dr Montessori's beliefs about the importance of spirituality in the early years were found to be consistent with the contemporary views of scholars around the world. The religious schools followed guidelines of their own religions when deciding on which values to focus on. At the Jewish school, the focus was on the community, while at the Muslim school the focus was on the individual and selfetiquette. The focus of the Christian school was on discipline and obedience. The schools had various commitments to spiritual and ethical development of the children. Finally, the study found that the Montessori method was ideal for teaching the practices of religion, but when schools delved into issues of faith or love of God, they switched to other modes of teaching (e.g. preaching). This disjuncture between teaching faith and practices was ultimately Dr Montessori's reason for abolishing religious education from her method.

Language: English

Published: Cape Town, South Africa, 2017

Language: English

ISSN: 0952-8652

Language: English

ISSN: 0519-0959

Abstract/Notes: In 1921, Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) inaugurated Viśva Bhāratī as an institution of higher learning, an ‘uttarbibhāga’, as has been observed, based on the foundations of the brahmacaryāśrama, i.e., ‘pūrvabibhāga’. This special article is a critical reflection on some aspects of this history. First, it strives to historically situate the development of Viśva Bhāratī against the backdrop of the cosmopolitan transcultural entanglements of contemporaneous Indian intellectual life. Second, it endeavours to signpost some key strands of contemporaneous educational philosophy and their broader exigencies. In doing so, it neither claims to provide a definitive history of this institution based extensively on original research nor does it mean to narrate in any triumphalist tone its century-long journey. This then is a commemoration of the institution at its centenary by way of a critical reappraisal of the world of ideas from which it emerged and with focus on some of its early defining moments.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/19472498.2021.1981673

ISSN: 1947-2498

Abstract/Notes: This study examines empowerment as a communicative process among teachers and students at a Midwestern Montessori school. The Montessori method, developed by Maria Montessori in the early twentieth century, is attentive to the tension individuals experience as they attempt to balance their individual freedom with the good of their community. This educational philosophy suggests that empowerment occurs on a systems level as teachers and students learn to manage this tension. Through longitudinal research, I explored the praxis of empowerment in the organizational context of three Montessori classrooms. My analysis of field notes and transcribed interviews yielded three specific areas in which I observed the praxis of empowerment: the nature of the environment, the management of discipline, and the social construction of learning.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/03634520216509

ISSN: 0363-4523

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Language: English

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: Letter to the Editor

Language: English

ISSN: 1470-8647

Language: English