Preschoolers′ Strategic Behavior and Performance on a Same-Different Task
Patricia H. Miller
(Author) , Patricia A. Aloise-Young (Author)
Publication: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology,
vol. 60, no. 2
Date: 1995
Pages: 284-303
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Abstract/Notes: Preschoolers′ strategic behavior was examined on a task in which they must decide whether two arrays are the same. Fifty-six 3- and 4-year-olds selected doors to open which exposed parts of the arrays. Children made moderate use of an appropriate "vertical-pairs" strategy-viewing spatially corresponding parts of the two arrays-and it facilitated performance. Telling nonstrategic children to use the strategy or executing it for them improved their same-different judgments. However, increased spontaneous production of the vertical-pairs strategy over trials did not consistently improve judgments, which suggests a strategy utilization deficiency. Other microgenetic analyses revealed that children tended to use several strategies over the trials and that strategy changes often were not developmentally progressive or driven by failure of another strategy. The discussion addressed production and utilization deficiencies and the diversity of strategy development.
Abstract/Notes: On the basis of the analysis of the general characteristics of alternative schools and the methodology of pedagogical research, the comparison and synthesis of the obtained facts were formed. It is pointed out that in the field of pedagogy, the adoption of (positivist) methodology has become a global trend. It emphasizes the uncritical application of research tools from the corpus of quantitative methodology in research of specific educational problems, as well as in research of alternative schools in which the context of the research is significantly different than the one of the conventional public schools.
A Complement to Lifestyle Assessment: Using Montessori Sensorial Experiences to Enhance and Intensify Early Recollections
Sara Anne Cosgrove
(Author) , Roger A. Ballou (Author)
Publication: Journal of Individual Psychology,
vol. 62, no. 1
Date: 2006
Pages: 47-58
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Abstract/Notes: The Montessori and Adlerian techniques of working with individuals have many parallels. The main premise in Montessori education is to "follow the child" and in Individual Psychology to "follow the movement of the client." A difference in the two philosophies is the use of sensory materials. Montessori education uses sensorial materials extensively, whereas Individual Psychology rarely puts emphasis on using the senses in the healing process. This article explores Montessori's use of sensorial experiences as a means to complement the Adlerian technique of lifestyle assessment. The integration of sensorial experiences into the early recollection gathering process enhances the verbalization of feelings and reduces reliance on intellectualizing.
Language: English
ISSN: 1522-2527, 2332-0583
Article
✓ Peer Reviewed
The Magic School Bus Dilemma: How Fantasy Affects Children’s Learning from Stories
Abstract/Notes: Although children’s books often include fantasy, research suggests that children do not learn as well from fantastical stories as from realistic ones. The current studies investigated whether the type of fantasy matters, in effect testing two possible mechanisms for fantasy’s interference. Across two studies, 110 5-year-olds were read different types of fantastical stories containing a problem and then were asked to solve an analogous problem in a real lab setting. Children who were read a minimally fantastical version of the story, in which the story occurred on another planet “that looked just like Earth,” were no more likely to transfer the solution than children who heard a story that was slightly more fantastical in that the story occurred on another planet and that planet looked different from Earth (e.g., orange grass, a green sky). In contrast, significantly higher rates of learning were observed when the story contained those elements and two physically impossible events (e.g., walking through walls). Furthermore, this improvement was obtained only when the impossible events preceded, and not when they followed, the educational content. Although fantasy may sometimes detract from learning (as other research has shown), these new studies suggest that minimal fantasy does not and that particular types of fantasy may even increase learning. We propose that the mechanism for this may be that a small dose of impossible events induces deeper processing of the subsequent events in the story.
Abstract/Notes: This article is based on a study of an ‘English-medium’ preschool programme for underprivileged children. The diverse linguistic backgrounds of the teachers and students prompted an enquiry into how multiple languages would be negotiated in the setting and how comprehension, learning and communication would occur given that none of the children came from English-speaking homes. The article identifies and interprets key features of verbal language that were observed in the setting and articulates implications for educational practice.
The Effectiveness of a Counseling Program Based on the Use of Montessori Method on Adaptive Environmental Behavior in a Sample of Children with Mild Intellectual Disability
Abstract/Notes: The present study aims to identify the effectiveness of a counseling program based on the use of the Montessori method on the environmental adaptive behavior in a sample of children with mild intellectual disabilities, identifying also the differences in the level of behavioral adaptation in a sample of children on the adaptive behavior scale pre/post application of the program. The researchers define a sample of (40) items, applied to a sample consisting of (40) children with mild intellectual disabilities, aged between (10-12) years, selected from boys, divided equally to (20) experimental samples and (20) control samples, from Al-Ghafir Foundation for people with special needs. The researcher has used the (experimental) method and applied the scale of adaptive behavior. The research has come to several results, the most important of which is that there is a statistically significant correlation between the average scores of the control group and the experimental group, regarding the post application of the total adaptive behavior scale. There are statistically significant differences between the average scores of the experimental group, regarding the post/ follow up application of the adaptive behavioral scale. There are statistically significant differences between the average scores of the control group and the experimental group regarding the post-application of the total behavior scale, in favor of the experimental group. The research reached a set of recommendations, the most important of which are: the necessity of providing the necessary tools for developing skills for children with disabilities within government institutions, setting a special budget.
Ine H. van Liempd
(Author) , Paul P. M. Leseman (Author)
, Ora Oudgenoeg – Paz (Author)
Publication: Journal of Environmental Psychology,
vol. 67
Date: 2020
Pages: 101385
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Abstract/Notes: There is increasing awareness that the physical environment plays a critical role in young children's cognitive and social development, by offering opportunities for exploration and interaction. In this article a narrative review is presented of 19 studies, published between 1987 and 2017, into the relation between spatial characteristics of the indoor play environment of center-based early childhood care and education settings and children's social and cognitive behavior and development. Studies involved children between six months and six years of age. Several studies reported consistent, interesting outcomes. A layout with an open-zoned arrangement, enabling children to keep eye contact with the caregiver was found to stimulate children to use the space more fully. Designated activity areas for activities such as pretend play and construction elicited different types of social and cognitive behaviors. However, the number of studies is small, and very diverse, both in content and in methodology. Suggestions for future research are discussed.
Abstract/Notes: In 2002 the term “dispositions” entered the vocabulary of teacher education with a vengeance when the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) added the concept to its inventory of required standards. Teacher education programs across the country developed lists of professional dispositions that their graduates should attain based on NCATE provided guidelines. Caring, fairness, honesty, responsibility, and social justice were values included in NCATE suggestions; these values were emphasized and, subsequently, assessed in teacher education programs. Students who were found lacking in these traits were counseled out of education programs or given unsatisfactory grades, at least at some institutions. A few of the affected students objected to their treatment, and local administrators heard their complaints. Controversy at the local level quickly accelerated to national stories as conservative-leaning newspapers like the New York Post, and conservative commentators like George Will, brought to the attention of the American public what they viewed as the latest round in American culture wars.
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.
All Together Now: Seattle Program Sends High Schoolers to Montessori Preschool Classroom [Casa Maria Montessori Lab School, Ballard High School, Seattle, Washington]