Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: Descriptive and ecobehavioral analyses were used to explore the daily activity contexts in classroom settings reflecting two distinct models of early childhood education. Activity context, social configurations, teacher behavior, and child behavior were explored, with specific consideration given to peer verbal behavior as an indicator of social interaction. Twenty-four children between the ages of 3 and 6 years enrolled in a Montessori classroom and 26 children between the ages of 3 and 5 years enrolled in a traditional preschool classroom were observed over a 3-month period using the Ecobehavioral System for Complex Assessment of Preschool Environments (ESCAPE; Carta, Greenwood, & Atwater, 1986). Overall, activity context, social configurations, teacher behavior, and child behavior varied across settings in ways consistent with program philosophies. However, levels of peer verbal interaction did not vary significantly.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/02568540809594655

ISSN: 0256-8543, 2150-2641

Abstract/Notes: Circle time is commonplace in traditional preschools, yet there are few references to the practice in Montessori’s writings or in major Montessori organizations’ and teacher education standards. This article investigates whether circle time is frequent in Montessori 3–6-year-old classrooms using data from a widely distributed Qualtrics survey. The results, from 276 respondents spanning all 50 states, provide insight into the circle time practices of United States-based preschool Montessori teachers, also known in Montessori classrooms as guides. We present novel information regarding circle time duration and frequency, types of circle time activities, Montessori guides’ circle time training and planning, whether children’s circle time attendance is free choice or compulsory, and the nature of circle time in programs associated with Association Montessori Internationale versus American Montessori Society. Results revealed that 92% of survey participants have circle time every day or most days; most participants hold circle time for 20 minutes or less; the most common circle time events were show-and-tell, calendar work, vocabulary lessons, Grace and Courtesy lessons, read aloud discussions, dancing and movement, snack time, general conversation, read aloud (stories), and birthday celebrations. We found that many of the most frequent circle time activities do not align with children’s preferences, teacher preferences, or Early Childhood best practices. Our work invites Montessorians to engage in the work of reconstructing the traditional practice of circle time to better align with Montessori hallmarks of choice, development of the will, and joyfulness.

Language: English

DOI: 10.17161/jomr.v9i2.20962

ISSN: 2378-3923

Language: English

DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.102

ISSN: 1877-0428

Abstract/Notes: Although there is literature explaining how female ethnographers negotiate male-dominated research settings, there is a lack of literature explaining how male ethnographers negotiate female-dominated settings. It is, more or less, taken for granted the research settings males choose will be suitable for them. The field of early childhood education, and preschools in particular, would benefit from a basic explanation of male fieldworker practices and why they are necessary for men in early childhood education settings. Drawing on personal experiences from two years of ethnographic research, I turn to a Montessori preschool in the Midwestern United States to address the complexities of being a male fieldworker in a female-dominated setting. I first explicate some dimensions of preconstructing suspicion of males in ECE. I then develop a gender recasting strategy with the goal of recasting masculinity. Recasting masculinity is a reflexive self-presentation strategy using personal characteristics as resources to build trust and rapport with research participants.

Language: English

DOI: 10.4471/qre.2014.50

ISSN: 2014-6418

Language: English

Published: San Francisco, California, 1976

Abstract/Notes: Schoggen's description of environmental force units (EFU), actions or constraints upon a child, was the focus of this study. Since those EFU's under investigation conflicted with the child's immediate intentions and desires, they are referred to as conflict EFU's. The study asks how specific characteristics of preschool settings affect the natural occurrence of environmental constraints and children's adaptations to them. A Montessori class, a University Nursery School and two Head Start classes comprised the observed settings. The classification scheme devised by Wolfson and Jackson was used to describe conflictual situations. Fourteen modes of adaption are discussed. Several variables were studied and the findings are extensively presented. The author concludes that despite the high occurrance of conflict EFU in the school environments studied, behavioral changes are effected gradually and temperately, which is in agreement with previous studies done by Fawls (1963) and Schoggen (1963). [Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Convention, Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 2-6, 1970]

Language: English

Published: Washington, D.C., Mar 1970

Abstract/Notes: This research was aimed at an analysis of classroom activities which make up educational programs for young children. Its broad purpose was to analyze systematically and to make comparisons among six preschool programs in order to describe the patterns of activity settings used; the objectives activity settings were designed to reach from the point of view of their designers, classroom teachers; and the social behaviors of teachers and children which are shaped and molded by the requirements of settings and which have not necessarily been planned for or recognized by teachers. The six preschool settings used for the study include a Montessori nursery school, a Head Start program, two laboratory nursery school classrooms, a franchise day care center, and a community day care center. The first section of the report contains discussion of related research, a theoretical model, the six preschool classrooms, and the research procedures. The presentation of the results comprises the rest of the report. The findings are divided into three parts: a quantified picture of six classrooms in terms of activity characteristics and social interaction; an exploration of the relations between the activity and social interaction values; and an examination of the relationship of the personal characteristics of the children to activity participation and social interaction. (SDH)

Language: English

Published: Washington, D.C., 1973

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: The research consisted of a qualitative case study of three urban public Montessori schools with a population of 51% or more of students of color and a commitment of 2 years or more of CRP-ABAR within a Montessori setting. The theoretical framework used for the study was the critical race theory, which is the conceptual foundation for examining inequities in public education. This research dissertation had a focus on gaining an insight into the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and parents toward CRP-ABAR in Montessori schools by examining the practices in three public Montessori schools. The possible connections to student outcomes, such as behavioral referrals, suspension rates, and academic achievement for students of color were explored to determine if any connections exist between CRP-ABAR and outcomes for students of color within a public Montessori setting. Three major themes emerged of the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and parents about the impact of the CRP-ABAR in a Montessori setting. The CRP-ABAR could be delivered through a curriculum-oriented approach or a systemic-oriented approach and the CRP-ABAR connects to Montessori through peace-global education and the prepared teacher-environment. The CRP-ABAR practices impact students of color primarily through social emotional growth with limited academic outcomes. Even with an intentional focus and diversity training, many non-Black teachers’ perceptions of students of color included deficit theory thinking. Some parents believed racism is being dismantled through the curriculum and celebrations of diversity. Other parents identified some teachers-staff with underpinning instances of biases and insensitivity.

Language: English

Published: Boca Raton, Florida, 2020