Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was to investigate how Montessori educators in a public school setting in California address the pluralistic nature of their students’ cultural, racial and linguistic backgrounds. The Montessori method of education has been an alternative approach to education used around the world for 100 years. In the U.S., teachers’ backgrounds are often culturally and linguistically different from those of their students. How aware of these differences are Montessori teachers as they use the materials, curriculum, and method of the Montessori approach to education? The participants were six Montessori elementary teachers from the same public school, including the researcher. The participants met weekly for one hour focus group meetings which were audio recorded and transcribed by the researcher. Other data included researcher’s field notes in the form of reflections written after focus group meetings. Data was analyzed for generative themes and are presented here framed in theory from the literature on critical pedagogy and the Montessori method of education.

Language: English

Published: San Francisco, California, 2007

Language: German

Published: Berlin, Germany: LIT Verlag, 2009

ISBN: 978-3-8258-1650-6

Series: Impulse der Reformpädagogik , 24

Language: English

Published: New York: Putnam's sons, 1969

Language: English

Published: Zelhem, The Netherlands: Nienhuis Montessori, 2005

ISBN: 978-90-804044-3-4

Abstract/Notes: This document was created through The Montessori Public Policy Initiative (MPPI), a collaborative effort between the American Montessori Society and the Association Montessori International/USA to provide a coordinated voice and engage in advocacy on policy issues affecting the future of Montessori schools in America.

Language: English

Published: 2018

Abstract/Notes: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (San Francisco, CA, Apr 8, 2006). The purpose of this study was to investigate why some Hawaiian language and culture-based (HLCB) educators perceived the Montessori approach to be congruent with their goals and values and to determine the salient features of the Montessori approach used by HLCB teachers who received Montessori training. The sociocultural perspective on learning provided the theoretical foundations and grounded theory methodology guided the research process. Interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 40 HLCB participants, including 15 key informants who had at least 180 hours of Montessori training. Data also included classroom and school visits and analyses of school documents. Data analysis revealed six themes and two linkages that related the themes and their elements. Four themes were related to why HLCB educators have perceived the Montessori approach to be congruent with their values and goals. These were (a) similar views regarding their work as a lifestyle, (b) common pedagogical practices, (c) shared values and beliefs as educators, and (d) an overlapping world-view. One theme described the distinctions between the approaches. The final theme included challenges to implementing and maintaining HLCB programs. The findings suggest that researchers and teacher educators interested in culturally congruent education should take into account the underlying world-view of both the research paradigm and the participants involved, and that school reform should be comprehensive, culturally congruent, and generated from within communities and other stakeholders. They also indicate that culturally congruent, place-based education may enhance academic self-efficacy and could serve as a bridge between seemingly disparate educational approaches.

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: The Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has drastically changed day-to-day functioning in American culture and the outlook of many essential institutions, specifically the education system. A halt in learning for most American school children in the spring semester of 2020, as well as necessary adaptation of the day-to-day functions of educational facilities in the fall has altered the learning environment for children and educators like never before. Research on historical disruptions in education, such as natural disasters and public health crises, provide a partial framework for federal approaches to the modern-day pandemic and their potential consequences. Modern technology has provided an array of alternatives to traditional learning and family engagement, yet barriers still exist, especially in early childhood settings. Specifically in classrooms that rely on sensorial and manipulative-based learning, historically utilized in the Montessori method, online learning is simply no substitute to the potentials of in-person instruction. The purpose of this study is to investigate the evolvement of the classroom environment in response to the pandemic through the eyes of one small Montessori school and draw conclusions on how these shifts are impacting the entire wellbeing of school children, their educators and beyond. Using a qualitative thematic analysis framework and data gathered from multiple interviews conducted with teachers and faculty, my project will develop and offer overarching axial themes that may be applicable to a larger body of modern educators.

Language: English

Published: Chattanooga, Tennessee, 2021

Language: English

ISSN: 0271-6062

Language: English

Language: English