Abstract/Notes: In this research, it is aimed to examine the effects of Montessori education on the mentally retarded individuals in the special education who have had Montessori education and who have not had it. 24 trainable mentally disabled male students who had and did not have Montessori education in a private school in Kayseri participated in the study. The students were between the ages of 20-22. 12 voluntary participants constituted the experimental group who had Montessori education. The control group included 12 voluntary mentally disabled individuals. While the control group had a routine training for 8 weeks, the experimental group had Montessori education program for 8 weeks. In addition, mothers of the students in the experimental group were included in the training program. The mentally disabled individuals had movement and visual perception skills tests.When the results of the movement perception skills in the experimental and control groups were reviewed, no significant differences were found in the movement skill variables according to the values (p>0.05). While the pretest posttest values in the mentally retarded individuals in the experimental group revealed significant difference (p<0,05), no difference occurred only in the left foot balance test (p>0,05). All pretest posttest values depending on the movement revealed significant difference in the control group (p<0,05).As a result, when the effect of the Montessori program on the movement skills of trainable mentally retarded people was examined, no significant difference was found between the values of the control group, and Montessori education gave similar values as the classical education. Thus, it was concluded that it was advisable Montessori education program to be used widely. When its effect on the visual perception skills was examined, it could be stated that the posttest averages of the each visual perception sub-scale average revealed an increase except the shape-ground connection. Consequently, when the movement skills of the trainable mentally retarded individuals were reviewed, no difference was found in the control group values, and Montessori education values were similar to classical education. Therefore, it is concluded that Montessori education program should be used widely.

Language: English

DOI: 10.11114/jets.v7i2.3875

ISSN: 2324-8068

Abstract/Notes: Montessori stated that the most critical purpose of education is making the children discover themselves and achieve their freedom. Children, whether they are typically developed or have mental disorders, are born with a competence named “absorptive mind” which helps mental activities to emerge. For mental activities to begin to emerge, the child is given a number of keys in a “prepared environment”. When all children are given freedom in a prepared environment, then they feel “happy and motivated” towards a specific skill or knowledge in their sensitive period. When they are allowed to use the equipment freely, they will do practice with it and never get tired of repeated practices. “Repetition” has a key role in “enhancing focused attention, mental strength and ability to grasp and understand”. This review article describes and discusses the Montessori pedagogy and its one type of material, practical life skills.

Language: English

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3544457

ISSN: 2501-2428

Abstract/Notes: This work aims to strengthen the communication skills in English as a Foreign Language of young children in Ecuadorian elementary schools. It used the action research method and a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The sample consists of 10 children of the second grade of elementary school and their parents. All they have permanent residence in the province of Manabi, Ecuador. The researcher team designed an educational intervention based on the Montessori Methodology to improve participants’ communication skills in English as a Foreign Language. The educational intervention lasted 6 months and used the contains of the second grade of the elementary education curriculum of Ecuador. The instruments used for data collection were in-deep interviews, class observation, and the vocabulary acquisition test of Windi (2017). The results showed that all participants improved in 3-4 points their scores of English communication skills from pre-test in comparison to post-test. It concluded that 100% of young children that participated in this research improved their communication skills in English as a Foreign Language when supported the instruction with Montessori Methodology. / Este trabajo tiene como objetivo fortalecer las habilidades de comunicación en inglés como lengua extranjera de los niños pequeños en las escuelas primarias ecuatorianas. Utilizó el método de investigación de acción y una combinación de enfoques de investigación cualitativos y cuantitativos. La muestra está compuesta por 10 niños del segundo grado de primaria y sus padres. Todos ellos tienen residencia permanente en la provincia de Manabí, Ecuador. El equipo de investigadores diseñó una intervención educativa basada en la Metodología Montessori para mejorar las habilidades comunicativas de los participantes en inglés como lengua extranjera. La intervención educativa tuvo una duración de 6 meses y utilizó los contenidos del segundo grado del currículo de educación básica del Ecuador. Los instrumentos utilizados para la recolección de datos fueron entrevistas en profundidad, observación de clases y la prueba de adquisición de vocabulario de Wendi (2017). Los resultados mostraron que todos los participantes mejoraron en 3-4 puntos sus puntajes de habilidades de comunicación en inglés desde la prueba previa en comparación con la prueba posterior. Se concluyó que el 100% de los niños pequeños que participaron en esta investigación mejoraron sus habilidades comunicativas en inglés como lengua extranjera cuando se apoyó en la instrucción con la Metodología Montessori.

Language: English

DOI: 10.46827/ejel.v7i1.3987

ISSN: 2501-7136

Abstract/Notes: The microstudy presented is a psycho-pedagogical experiment, which consists in applying the Montessori-specific experimental factor to a group of pre-school children in the traditional system. The investigative approach is based on a comparative study, the results obtained being interpreted from both a quantitative and a qualitative point of view. In this paper we started from the premise that Montessori strategies foster the acquisition of reading and writing skills at pre-school age. The general objectives of the investigation are the introduction into the traditional experimental system of alternative methods of acquiring reading-writing skills specific to the Montessori system and the study of the Montessori system for the acquisition of reading and writing skills in methodical terms and from the point of view of the results obtained by applying these strategies.

Language: English

ISSN: 1841-0456, 2247-8671

Language: English

DOI: 10.1086/460557

ISSN: 0013-5984

Abstract/Notes: Studies have shown scholastic, creative, and social benefits of Montessori education, benefits that were hypothesized to result from better executive functioning on the part of those so educated. As these previous studies have not reported consistent outcomes supporting this idea, we therefore evaluated scholastic development in a cross-sectional study of kindergarten and elementary school-age students, with an emphasis on the three core executive measures of cognitive flexibility, working memory update, and selective attention (inhibition). Two hundred and one (201) children underwent a complete assessment: half of the participants were from Montessori settings, while the other half were controls from traditional schools. The results confirmed that Montessori participants outperformed peers from traditional schools both in academic outcomes and in creativity skills across age groups and in self-reported well-being at school at kindergarten age. No differences were found in global executive functions, except working memory. Moreover, a multiple mediations model revealed a significant impact of creative skills on academic outcomes influenced by the school experience. These results shed light on the possibly overestimated contribution of executive functions as the main contributor to scholastic success of Montessori students and call for further investigation. Here, we propose that Montessori school-age children benefit instead from a more balanced development stemming from self-directed creative execution.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225319

ISSN: 1932-6203

Abstract/Notes: The development of self-care skills in children is a part of the Core curriculum for preschool education. The contents regarding formation of such skills include shaping hygiene practices, goodhabits and developing motor skills. Maria Montessori drew attention to the development of selfcare skills and functional independence. In her concept of preschool child education, Maria Montessori developed practical life activities which were intended to serve the development of specificskills and their application to everyday life. Therefore, the aim of the research was to identify thelevel of self-care skills in 4-year-old children attending selected kindergartens located in MińskMazowiecki and Siedlce. The research was conducted on 200 children from Non-public CreativeActivity Montessori Kindergarten ‘Zameczek’ in Siedlce, Non-public Montessori Kindergarten‘Delfinek’ in Mińsk Mazowiecki and 6 traditional kindergartens — 2 of which were located inMińsk Mazowiecki and 4 located in Siedlce. The obtained research results indicated a varied levelof self-care skills depending on kindergarten the children attended.

Language: Polish

ISSN: 2353-7140, 2353-7159

Abstract/Notes: Foreign language learning has been a part of German elementary schools for several years now. Montessori schools focusing on individual learning, i.e. mostly independent from the teacher and based on auto-education, interest, and free choice, are also asked to teach an L2. The original lack of a concept of L2 learning for this environment has brought forth different approaches. Bilingual education seems to be feasible and applicable in Montessori education. The downside to this is that even in a bilingual classroom the Montessori way of learning may not allow for very much oral production of the foreign language. The role of L2 production (cf. Swain 1985, 1995, 2005) for language acquisition has been theoretically claimed and empirically investigated. Output can have a positive influence on L2 learning (cf. e.g. Izumi 2002, Keck et al. 2006). This also applies to interaction (cf. Long 1996), where negotiation of meaning and modified output are factors supporting L2 development (cf. e.g. de la Fuente 2002, McDonough 2005). Task-based Language Learning (TBLL) presents itself as one way to promote oral language production and to provide opportunities for meaning-negotiation. Especially tasks with required information exchange and a closed outcome have been shown to be beneficial for the elicitation of negotiation of meaning and modified output. This paper argues that TBLL is a promising approach for the facilitation of L2 production and thus the development of speaking skills in a Montessori context. It also hypothesizes that TBLL can be implemented in a bilingual Montessori environment while still making the Montessori way of learning possible. Different tasks on various topics, examples of which are presented in this article, can lay the foundation for this. Offering such tasks in a bilingual Montessori elementary classroom promises to foster language production and the use of communication strategies like negotiation of meaning, both being facilitative for L2 acquisition. This hypothesis remains to be tested in future research.

Language: German

DOI: 10.13092/lo.54.284

ISSN: 1615-3014

Abstract/Notes: Pre-school programs give children an edge in a competitive world and education climate. It teaches children the basic skills necessary to be successful in formal schooling. Pre-schools provide children a good foundation for continued learning, communication, higher self-esteem and enjoyment of the learning process. Pre-schools have the important task of giving children numerous and varied opportunities to promote children’s development during the formative years including physical development, social development and literary competence. Literary competences open the door to academic learning and help ensure later success in school. The present study was conducted to elicit information on the approaches adopted by pre-schools to foster literary skills among pre-schoolers in Bangalore city. A representative sample of 30 preschool centres were surveyed - 9 Montessori, 8 kindergarten, 8 play-way and 5 crèches. After an introductory session in the preschool centres, a self-developed questionnaire was distributed to the preschool teachers to elicit information on the approaches adopted by pre-schools to foster literary skills among pre-schoolers. Analysis of data obtained indicated that the preschools surveyed had no adequate approaches to foster literary skills in pre-schoolers. Also the preschools surveyed had no adequate library facilities.

Language: English

ISSN: 1930-2940

Abstract/Notes: This research was conducted to determine whether there is any effect of the Montessori approach-based STEM activities on the development of the problem-solving skills of pre-service preschool teachers or not. The mixed-method was employed in the research. The sample of the research consisted of 50 pre-service teachers, who were taking education in the Preschool Teacher Training Department of the Faculty of Education. A single grouped pretest-posttest pattern was created to determine the difference in the problem-solving skills of the pre-service teachers in the research. The quantitative data gathered during the process of the research were analysed with the statistical methods; the qualitative data were analysed with the content analysis. The “Problem Solving Scale” and the “Semi-structured Protocol Form” were used to collect the quantitative data in the research. Qualitative data prepared to support quantitative data consists of the open-ended semi-structured protocol form. The participants were educated with the Montessori approach-based STEM education for 14 weeks. In the results reached as a result of the research, it was observed that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of problem-solving skills and the qualitative analysis results supported the quantitative results.

Language: English

DOI: 10.30831/akukeg.824773

ISSN: 1308-1659