Abstract/Notes: It is only within very recent history – the past 25 to 30 years – that neuroscience has become a force in child development and educational research, as the tools to study the brain in action have improved and become more readily available. Although neuroscience research on reading, math, and social and emotional function also has important implications for education, this chapter focuses on executive function (EF) skills because these skills play an especially foundational role in learning and because they have been particularly well studied. Basic research on EF development has provided an important foundation for interventions designed to specifically target EF skills in young children, and suggests how to structure places of education to playfully explore their environments in intentional and attentive ways, to practice reflection, and to engage in self-regulated learning. Although neuroscience is a relatively new player in early education, it has transformed people's understanding of the conditions that support learning and brain development.

Language: English

Published: New York: Routledge, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-429-46828-5

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: Error monitoring is a neuroscience concept representing the mechanism which causes a moment of pause after making a mistake. This pause allows individuals to direct attention to important information which can be integrated in order to adjust behavior and thoughts and then adapt by learning from mistakes. Quantitative measures of behavior, brain structures, and neural responses reveal that students who learn at Montessori schools develop an ability to detect errors early and learn to self-correct, whereas students from traditional schools tend to be response oriented. This chapter describes research on error monitoring among Montessori students and presents characteristic factors of Montessori pedagogy that could have a direct impact on error monitoring in children.

Language: English

Published: New York, New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-350-27561-4 978-1-350-27560-7 978-1-350-27562-1

Series: Bloomsbury Handbooks

Abstract/Notes: This paper lends insight into the fundamental postulates of Montessori pedagogy and definitions of contemporary educational neuroscience, focusing on the needs and solutions of contemporary didactic approaches. By presenting the results of contemp...

Language: Croatian, English

DOI: 10.15516/cje.v22i4.3751

ISSN: 1848-5189, 1848-5197

Abstract/Notes: Maria Montessori developed an educational program during the first half of the 20th century. Nowadays, the Montessori method (MM) is considered one of the main alternatives to teacher-paced conventional preschool education. This review aims to open a dialogue between the MM and current understanding of neurodevelopment. Four conceptual pillars of the MM—the sensitive periods, the education of the senses, the prepared environment, and spontaneous activities through repetition—are discussed. According to the MM, the teacher provides children with an environment that, leaning on maturational time windows, should promote sensory development through spontaneous repetition. We describe brain changes in 3- to 6-year-old children due to development and externally-provided experience. Then, it is discussed whether these pillars are supported by neuroscience. Finally, the influences of Montessori are explained, and we suggest possible lines of research to underpin the neuroscientific grounds of the MM.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12262

ISSN: 1751-228X

Abstract/Notes: La mia personale attenzione agli apporti della biologia e, più in particolare, delle neuroscienze per la conoscenza dei processi di sviluppo, apprendimento e formazione (a livello motorio, sensoriale, linguistico, emotivo) e, parallelamente, per lo studio dei processi di cambiamento che si verificano nel corso delle varie età della vita individuale, mi hanno portata a formulare la proposta (confluita nel testo Educazione e senescenza) dello studio comparato della mente bambina e della mente anziana e, in particolare, dello studio dei processi di invecchiamento bio-psicologico e socioantropologico. Le domande iniziali sono state: quale la struttura del cervello, le sue funzioni?, in quale modo le modificazioni cerebrali intervengono a modificare la mente? Per rispondere a questi quesiti, si presentava ineludibile lo studio delle ricerche che in quegli anni si andavano moltiplicando sul cervello e le sue funzioni. Tutto ciò collegato ai contributi che alla mia prima formazione aveva dato il testo di Maria Montessori “La mente del bambino”, unitamente alla conoscenza delle tesi dell’evoluzionismo darwiniano. Si tratta di spiegare i comportamenti umani in termini di attività del sistema nervoso e ad approfondire le interconnessioni cervello-mente-ambiente nonché i collegamenti tra basi neuronali, meccanismi fisio-psicologici (agire, percepire, pensare, parlare, apprendere, comunicare) e ruolo dei contesti ambientali nell’attivare il potenziale di sviluppo e nell’innescare l’attività mentale. / Mi interés personal por las aportaciones de la biología y, más en particular de las neurociencias, al conocimiento de los procesos de desarrollo, aprendizaje y formación (a nivel motor, sensorial, lingüístico, emotivo) y, en paralelo, por el estudio de los procesos de cambio que se verifican en el curso de las sucesivas etapas de la vida de las personas, me han llevado a formular la propuesta (de la que nació el libro Educación y senectud) de hacer un estudio comparado de la mente infantil y la mente anciana y, más en particular, un estudio de los procesos de envejecimiento bio-psicológico y socio-antropológico. Las cuestiones planteadas han sido las siguientes: ¿cuál es la estructura del cerebro y cuáles sus funciones?, ¿de qué modo las modificaciones cerebrales provocan cambios en la mente? Para contestar a estas preguntas se hacía necesario el estudio de las investigaciones frecuentes aquellos años sobre el cerebro y sus funciones. Todo ello vinculado, por otra parte, a las contribuciones que, en relación a la primera infancia, nos había proporcionado María Montessori en su obra “La Mente del niño”, así como las tesis del evolucionismo darwiniano. Se trata de explicar el comportamiento humano en términos de actividad del sistema nervioso y profundizar en las interconexiones que se establecen entre cerebro-mente-ambiente, así como las relaciones entre las bases neuronales, los mecanismos fisio-psicológicos (actuar, percibir, pensar, hablar, aprender, comunicarse) y el rol de los contextos ambientales a la hora de activar el potencial de desarrollo y desencadenar la actividad mental. / My personal interest in the contributions of biology and, more particularly of neurosciences, to the knowledge of the processes of development, learning and training (to the motor, sensory, linguistic and emotional level) and, in parallel, my interest in the study of the processes of change that take place in the course of the successive stages of people’s lives, have led me to formulate the proposal (from which the book Education and Senescence was born) to make a comparative study between the infant mind and the old people mind and, more particularly, a study of the processes of bio-psychological and socio-anthropological aging. The questions raised have been the following: what is the structure of the brain and which are its functions?; how do brain changes cause changes in the mind? To answer these questions it became necessary to study the quite frequent researches in those years about brain and its functions. All this linked, on the other hand, to the contributions that, in relation to early childhood, Maria Montessori had given us in her work “The Mind of the Child”, as well as the theses of Darwinian evolutionism. It is about explaining human behavior in terms of activity of the nervous system and deepening the interconnections that are established among brain-mind-environment as well as the relationships among the neuronal bases, the physio-psychological mechanisms (act, perceive, think, speak , learn, communicate) and the role of environmental contexts in activating the development potential and triggering the mind activity.

Language: Italian

ISSN: 2255-0666

Abstract/Notes: This comment presents Maria Montessori (1870–1952) and highlights that her child-centered method of education is based on brilliant intuitions, which were confirmed by neuroscience research many decades later, such as the distinction of three critical periods in children’s psychobiological development; the importance of the environment in supporting cerebral development and in promoting learning, as well as of affective stimulation in psychological growth and maturation; the specific neural structure of humans that specifically enables the acquisition of a language; the vital role of fine object manipulation in neuropsychological development, and of the physical exercise in brain and nervous system development.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1177/1073858420902677

ISSN: 1073-8584

Abstract/Notes: The goal of this project is to reimagine learning spaces by combining education and architecture principles and a hint of imagination. This is done through designing a school in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C. for children aged 3-12. The design integrates Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio principles with behavioral and neuroscientific insights. Additionally, the imaginative essence of "Alice in Wonderland" brings a whimsical dimension, adding an enchanting layer to the architectural narrative. The design of the school considers how space impacts cognition and creativity, in addition to functional aspects. Highlighting the bond between architecture and neuroscience, the design emphasizes how the built environment shapes children's cognition and emotions. Sensory experiences, architectural elements, and nature integration shape the ambiance, significantly influencing children's cognitive development. Through a blend of educational philosophies, neuroscience findings, and the timeless allure of Wonderland, it aims to sculpt an environment that encourages curiosity, creativity, and profound world connection in children.

Language: English

Published: Blacksburg, Virginia, 2023

Language: English, Norwegian

Published: [Oslo, Norway]: Statens spesiallärerhögskole, 1982

Abstract/Notes: The choice of activities responding to the needs of people with moderate to severe dementia is a growing concern for care providers trying to target the need for a feeling of self-accomplishment by adapting activities to the abilities of elderly patients. The activities created by Maria Montessori seem to be adaptable to this clientele. This study evaluates the short-term effects, as compared to regular activities offered in the milieu. This is a quasi-experimental study where each of the 14 participants was observed and filmed in two conditions: during Montessori activities, during regular activities, and one control condition (no activity). The results show that Montessori activities have a significant effect on affect and on participation in the activity. They support the hypothesis that when activities correspond to the needs and abilities of a person with dementia, these positive effects are also observed on behaviours. This study enabled its authors to corroborate the findings presented in the literature and to contribute additional elements on the positive effects of the use of Montessori activities and philosophy. Used with people with moderate to severe dementia these allow the satisfaction of their basic psychological needs, their well being, and hence, on their quality of life.

Language: English

DOI: 10.2190/AG.71.1.b

ISSN: 1541-3535, 0091-4150