Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was to identify competencies for the professional component of a program for preparing nursery school teachers in Guyana. It incorporated a definition of the purposes of the national Nursery Education Program in Guyana and a definition of the behaviors associated with teaching in the nursery schools through: (1) A review of the literature encompassing programs for young children; roles of teachers in programs for young children; competencies for teachers of young children and competency-based teacher education. (2) The development of an interview schedule to gather data about the purposes of nursery schools and the behaviors associated with teaching in the nursery schools in Guyana. (3) Use of the interview schedule to conduct personal interviews with uncertified teachers, certified teachers, supervisors, parents and lecturers attached to the Nursery Education Program in Guyana. (4) Content analysis of the responses to the interview questions. The data indicated that the respondents were aware of the purposes of nursery schools and what constitutes effective teaching in these schools. The information generated through the analysis provided the basis for the formulation of competencies for nursery school teachers in Guyana. The identified competencies are overarching; stated as behaviors to be demonstrated by certified nursery school teachers; and are categorized under the goals of the Guyana Nursery Education Program.

Language: English

Published: New York City, New York, 1982

Language: English

ISSN: 0519-0959

Language: English

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: During the past ten years, a total of 3,642 teachers and administrators have attended the Korean Montessori Teacher Training Program (KMTTP). A sample of Montessori teachers (n = 261) and Korean parents (n = 375) from 32 Korean Montessori schools located in the major cities of Korea were surveyed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of this teacher preparation program. The EXPECTATIONS AND GOAL ATTAINMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (EGAQ), designed by the researcher, was the instrumentation used to conduct this study. Major findings demonstrated that 74.5 percent of the teachers surveyed indicated that their main reasons for attending the KMTTP were to increase their professional competency and their knowledge of child development through Montessori philosophy. The correlation between teachers' levels of satisfaction with their preparation and perceived effectiveness of the training program was higher (r =.29, p $<$.05) than between their levels of satisfaction with the program and their perceptions of their preparedness after completion of training (r =.18, p $<$.05). Significant differences existed between perceived effectiveness of the KMTTP and teachers' ages, positions, and years of experience. Older teachers and those with more advanced teaching positions expressed greater satisfaction with the program. Teachers indicated that, upon completion of the KMTTP, they felt more prepared in, than knowledgeable of, Montessori educational methodology. From the parent perspective, the most frequently cited reason (74.3%) for sending their child to a Montessori School was to provide a learning environment that nurtured their child's interpersonal growth. A majority of the parents (58.5%) were very satisfied with the Montessori experience; no parents were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. In correlating the effectiveness of Montessori education with specific outcomes, parents indicated highest levels of satisfaction in the areas of "concentration" and "academic achievement." A majority of the teachers surveyed (52.8%) encouraged the implementation of the Montessori Teacher Training Program in neighboring countries, with 42.1 percent strongly encouraging implementation. This study demonstrated the need for further development and improvement in the area of Montessori teacher training in Korea.

Language: English

Published: San Francisco, California, 1994

Language: English

ISSN: 0277-9064

Abstract/Notes: This study describes and evalutes the first year of a bilingual Montessori early childhood program implemented at two sites in central Texas. In-depth descriptions are provided of two program components--oral language development and classroom management. Hypotheses related to changes in students' language proficiency and classroom behavior were tested, using the James Language Dominance Test to measure comprehension and production of Spanish and English, and the Coping Analysis Schedule for Educational Settings to assess changes in students' behavior. The description of the oral language development component of the program includes instructional activities for vocabulary enrichment, isolating the sounds of language, and clarifying the functions of words. Adaptations of the Montessori method for implementation in a bilingual setting are presented, along with the discussion of two unexpected findings--the inhibition of the use of Spanish by many Mexican American children, and the association of one language or the other with a particular set of materials. The description of the classroom management component of the program includes the preparation of the environment, observation and record-keeping practices, the basic techniques for presenting materials, and "grace and courtesy lessons." Maria Montessori's views on the nature of education, the role of the teacher, and the concept of discipline and behavior change are discussed and compared to more modern theorists. The results of the formative evaluation reveal that children made significant improvements in English and Spanish comprehension and production. Behavior changes observed included positive shifts in percentage of time spent in self-directed activity, in paying attention to the task at hand, and in positive social interaction. The results of the study are basically descriptive, since only the children in this program were tested and observed. The results indicate that the program goals for the first year were met, and point to a number of possible changes for program improvement, including the use of more Spanish, the recruitment of more Spanish-dominant students, the development of separate sets of materials for Spanish and English instruction, and the sharing by teachers of their particular classroom management strategies.

Language: English

Published: Austin, Texas, 1980

Language: Italian

ISSN: 0042-7241

Abstract/Notes: As Montessori programs in public schools expand, Montessori education is becoming available to a more diverse population of American students than ever before. Students of color have a significant presence in public Montessori schools; over a quarter of students in whole-school public Montessori programs are African American. As these programs grow, researchers have increasingly directed their attention to demonstrating that Montessori works in public schools; however, few studies have examined outcomes for African American students at the lower elementary level, when critical reading and math skills are being established. This study sought to answer the question, how effectively does Montessori instruction promote achievement for African American third grade students in reading and math, compared to similar traditional schools and other public school choice programs?

Language: English

Published: Washington, D.C., 2016

Language: French

Published: Paris, France: Société Théosophique, 1911