Abstract/Notes: This study was an attempt to find out the impact of Montessori teaching method on EFL learners’ writing achievement. To fulfill the purpose of the study, out of 150 students, 95 male and female students were selected randomly to participate in this study. All of them were given a pretest to find out their level of proficiency. They had no background knowledge of English and they had not studied English before. They were also divided randomly into two groups namely experimental and control. The experimental group consisted of 23 male and 27 female learners while the control group consisted of 21 male and 24 female learners. Experimental group members were instructed based on Montessori teaching method and their instruction was based on different Montessori materials. The control group members had a routine teaching process. Each group was a mixture of both male and female learners with the age range of 5-6. After 12 sessions, writing posttest was given to both groups to evaluate whether there is any significant difference between these two groups or not. The obtained data were analyzed both descriptively and inferentially. The data were analyzed by statistical tests such as one-way ANCOVA and one-sample t-test. The statistical analyses revealed that there was significant statistical differences between two groups mean scores on the writing posttest. Therefore, it can be argued that Montessori teaching method had significant impact on learners’ writing skill.

Language: English

DOI: 10.46809/jpse.v2i1.17

ISSN: 2634-4629

Abstract/Notes: More than 6,000 charter schools exist in the United States, and of these 120 are Montessori charter schools. When studying charter school practices, researchers often examine issues such as performance accountability measures and effectiveness of charter school curricula. In doing so, the outcomes often overlook the challenges for teachers as they attempt to blend the demands of being a charter school with performance accountability and charter school philosophies, such as the Montessori philosophy. In this longitudinal case study, I examined the ways in which teachers in a charter Montessori school used professional development to help balance the demands for standardized testing performance and Montessori goals. The findings illustrate that significant challenges exist for teachers blending multiple educational goals but that professional development can aid teachers in filling in gaps in their existing curricula. This study encourages (1) researchers to question the ways in teachers can be supported through professional development to meet accountability measures and (2) stakeholders to consider how accountability measures focused solely on student performance can have detrimental effects on charter school curricula implementation and teacher retention.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/15582159.2016.1251280

ISSN: 1558-2159, 1558-2167

Abstract/Notes: Penelitian ini merupakan studi literatur yang bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana gambaran stimulasi kemampuan mengenal konsep bilangan anak usia dini melalui permainan matematika Montessori. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode penelitian deskriptif kualitatif dengan studi pustaka. Dalam penelitian studi literatur ini peneliti menggunakan berbagai sumber tertulis seperti artikel, jurnal, dan dokumen yang relevan dengan penelitian dalam penelitian ini. Penelitian ini berfokus pada wacana tentang kemampuan mengenal konsep bilangan pada anak usia dini yang dapat dilakukan melalui permainan matematika Montessori. Hal tersebut menjadi bagian penting dari implementasi pembelajaran di PAUD karena merangsang kemampuan mengenali konsep angka anak sejak dini harus dikembangkan karena akan berdampak besar pada kemampuan kognitif anak yang juga sangat berguna untuk masa depan mereka. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa permainan matematika Montessori sangat efektif digunakan untuk merangsang kemampuan mengenal konsep bilangan pada anak usia dini. Ini terbukti dari bukti yang telah diteliti dari hasil penelitian sebelumnya yang berkaitan dengan kemampuan mengenal konsep bilangan anak melalui permainan matematika Montessori. [This research is a literature study that aims to find out how the description of the stimulation of the ability to recognize the concept of numbers for early childhood through Montessori math games. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative research method with literature study. In this literature study the researcher uses various written sources such as articles, journals, and documents relevant to the research in this study. This study focuses on the discourse on the ability to recognize the concept of numbers in early childhood which can be done through Montessori math games. This is an important part of implementing learning in PAUD because it stimulates the ability to recognize children's number concepts from an early age because it will have a major impact on children's cognitive abilities which are also very useful for their future. The results of this study indicate that Montessori math games are very effective in stimulating the ability to recognize number concepts in early childhood. This is evident from the evidence that has been researched from the results of previous studies relating to the ability to recognize the concept of children's numbers through Montessori math games.]

Language: Indonesian

ISSN: 2614-3097, 2614-6754

Abstract/Notes: Debate about the selection and grouping of pupils by ability has been rekindled in the drive to raise standards. In this paper, we review the literature on ability grouping and its effects on academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils, including self-esteem, attitudes towards school, and alienation. In addition, we consider aspects of the school environment that may mediate the influence of organisational grouping on pupil outcomes. The review refers extensively to British research but draws on international work where appropriate. It is argued that a return to a national system of selection and structured grouping is unlikely to raise standards. Some alternatives to ability grouping are put forward for consideration.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/030549899104026

ISSN: 0305-4985, 1465-3915

Abstract/Notes: Background: There is little standardized information on simple and easy-to-use evaluation of fine motor skills in disabled children. The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between unbuttoning and buttoning ability and age and sex difference. Methods: One hundred and forty-four children (63 boys and 81 girls; age range, 36–83 months) and 14 young adults took part in the present study. The children were categorized into four groups according to age. Every subject went to nursery school and/or kindergarten. On the basis of Montessori education system, unbuttoning and buttoning were performed. The time from beginning to end was measured individually. All the participants were instructed to do the task in the same way. Results: The mean time required for unbuttoning activity was decreased until 4 years old, while that for buttoning was also reduced until 5 years old, respectively. There were no significant differences between boys and girls except in unbuttoning activity at the age of 3 years. Conclusion: More attention should be paid to unbuttoning and buttoning activities in children. It might be a simple and easy-to-use evaluation method in the clinical setting.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-200X.2008.02634.x

ISSN: 1442-200X

Abstract/Notes: This research investigated Education for Sustainability (EfS) at an independent Montessori primary school, located in the Perth metropolitan area of Western Australia. A longitudinal case study involving analysis of data from a 20-year period was conducted to determine the effectiveness of EfS. Historical information about EfS at the school from 1990 to 2005 was examined, with the main focus of the study being on the impact of the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI) between 2005 and 2009. AuSSI promotes a whole school, whole systems thinking approach to EfS.Three school-based issues in EfS were studied. First, the research aimed to determine what elements of EfS were in operation in the school prior to involvement in AuSSI. Second, student outcomes including engagement with whole systems thinking, attitudes and values, knowledge and understandings, and skills and behaviours related to EfS, were investigated during the first 5 years of participation in AuSSI. Third, teacher perceptions of the EfS program, including engagement with whole systems thinking, were examined during this same time period. A case study approach was employed to enable in-depth investigation of EfS in the life of the school prior to, during and post implementation of AuSSI. This approach facilitated revelation of participants’ lived experiences, their perceptions and understandings of EfS, as well as detailed information about student outcomes in EfS. Case study methodology was also compatible with the culture and processes of the participating school and provided an opportunity for utilising a whole systems thinking approach. Data was gathered from a range of sources, through surveys, interviews, observation and document analysis over a 5-year period. The total participants included 11 teachers and 75 students. The research identified particular antecedents of EfS in the Montessori method of education that existed in the school prior to AuSSI, including the whole child approach, together with the Montessori learning environment, curriculum and values. Following participation in AuSSI, student attitudes and values, knowledge and understandings, and skills and behaviours related to EfS were enhanced for all year levels. However, after 3 years, when specific EfS actions and projects ceased, student EfS outcomes were limited. Furthermore, students’ thinking and behaviour indicated a ‘silo’, rather than whole systems thinking approach to EfS. Teachers perceived the EfS program as highly effective in the initial 3 years after joining AuSSI. Key elements that enhanced EfS included EfS staff champions who had access to EfS networks, leadership support, and active school community involvement in all EfS processes. However, after 3 years of being an AuSSI school, the culmination of reduced leadership support for EfS, lack of staff training, vague designation of staff with EfS responsibilities and inadequate community involvement, resulted in cessation of the EfS program. Teacher perceptions on whole systems thinking revealed alignment between Montessori philosophy, EfS and whole system thinking was more in theory than in practice. Through an in-depth longitudinal case study of a school this research highlighted the importance of whole school EfS professional learning, embedding EfS and whole systems thinking across the curriculum at all year levels, whole school support, and the usefulness of a sustainability continuum that recognises the complex, dynamic interplay of issues involved in a school's EfS journey. It is strongly recommended that improvements to pre-service teacher education in EfS are implemented, and a review of the AuSSI toolkit is conducted to refine EfS evaluation processes and to target the specific EfS needs of teachers at different stages of schooling, as well as to enhance understanding and implementation of the whole systems thinking approach. Finally, EfS professional learning for all school staff in all schools is warranted to enhance depth of EfS engagement.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1017/aee.2013.8

ISSN: 0814-0626, 2049-775X

Language: English

ISSN: 0959-4108

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: A study was undertaken to investigate how to prepare Base of Pyramid (BOP) children in India for creativity. The quasi-experiment study involved seventy 5th grade BOP students from two municipality schools in Mumbai, India. The training group students were given Design Thinking training spread over two action research cycles, while the control group received no intervention. The present study reports on findings from the second action research cycle during which the training group received training on divergent thinking skills—skills required for Design Thinking. The data was collected using classroom worksheets and intervention test sheets, and the objective was to find answers to how ideation took place during creative work and whether divergent thinking skills—as a part of Design Thinking training—helped in improving creative ability. The quantitative analysis of The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) inspired intervention test sheets indicated an overall significant difference in creative ability indicator scores of students who received intervention over those who did not. Furthermore, the significant difference was found for figural tasks but not for verbal tasks. The present study also showed how a mixed-method analysis can be useful for capturing socio-cultural elements, measuring relevant idea generation and identifying the need for different creative confidence-building strategies. The study identified language as a barrier for idea expression in the case of BOP students for whom language of instruction at school was different from language spoken at home. The study recommended socio-techno entrepreneurs to use this challenge as an opportunity for becoming stakeholders in creativity skilling for BOP students.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100652

ISSN: 1871-1871

Language: English