Abstract/Notes: This quote by Maria Montessori piques the imagination in today’s educational field where we still struggle to find an answer to the question of quality. What makes a good teacher? How do we teach people to teach? To listen to the wisdom of Maria Montessori, among others, is to suggest the answer doesn’t lie in training requirements. Although well-meaning, some methods of training approach teaching as a one-size-fits-all approach. Yet, there are myriad techniques for teaching and no one method works for all teachers or all students. Indeed, good teachers use a variety of techniques (Intrator & Kunzman, 2006). Unfortunately, our search for objective standards by which to measure quality teaching has overlooked the fact that the root of teaching lies not in simple methodology, but in the messy business of human relationships. Embracing this means recognizing that who we are and how we relate to the world around us makes a difference in our teaching (Palmer, 1998).

Language: English

ISSN: 1946-0406

Abstract/Notes: Discusses the benefits of mixed-age grouping for children's social and cognitive development and reservations parents sometimes have about mixed-age groupings. Also discusses issues that teachers need to consider when implementing mixed-age groups: children's personal care routines; furnishings; children's language, motor, creative, and social development; and the needs of adults. (BB)

Language: English

ISSN: 0044-0728

Language: English

Published: New York, New York: American Montessori Society, 1994

Language: English

Published: New York, New York: American Montessori Society, 1986

Abstract/Notes: This paper deals with the emergence of political consciousness among Indonesian teachers and students in public Dutch-Indonesian teacher training schools (Hollands Inlandse Kweekschool, HIK) during the last colonial decade up to the beginning of the Japanese occupation in 1942. Most of the Indonesian teachers and students, who pursued careers and education respectively in government schools, had initially embarked from personal expectations of upward economic mobility. Yet, in the course of the 1930s, they grew in deliberate willingness and perception to engage in a wider scope of social dynamics without limiting themselves to the area of power politics. In this paper, the manner in which these students and teachers gave meaning to their daily lives inside and outside of school is identified and analyzed as the factor that critically contributed to the emergence of political consciousness among them. Although the transformation that the teachers underwent in their view of school education was a radical leap when seen from the perspective of the Indonesiacentric historiography of the 1930s, it did not actually show a process of transformative pedagogy. The sense of citizenship that the teachers shared in the 1930s, albeit a dramatic shift from the motivation that had originally propelled them, did not reflect the notion of public education as an independent practice of cultural upbringing irrelevant to the state and state-formation ideology.

Language: English

DOI: 10.20495/seas.3.1_119__8211_

ISSN: 2423-8686, 2186-7275

Abstract/Notes: A função da professora constitui um aspecto fundamental dentro do sistema teórico montessoriano. De fato, Montessori atribui à professora um papel muito delicado: facilitar o correto crescimento da criança “pai do homem”. É por isto que o papel e a função da professora montessoriana devem responder aos pontos fortes de sua teoria educativa: a necessidade de que haja uma forte idéia de escola, a necessidade de diferenciar o momento teórico do momento prático e o papel desempenhado pelo desempenho científico da professora; o respeito que ambos devem ter com a criança (nem a professora nem a ciência podem fixar a priori os resultados de cada criança: potencialmente a excelência é para todos); o xeque a qualquer pretensão de neutralidade/objetividade: quando a relação é com seres humanos é sem sentido pensar que existam técnicos capazes de transmitir conceitos de maneira asséptica. Como dito anteriormente, a professora em Montessori se pode definir como um técnico, no sentido de que não é o científico a que lê corresponde a elaboração teórica senão técnico. Um técnico que não é nem neutro nem asséptico e cuja humanidade se colocará em um primeiro plano para que possa levar a cabo seu próprio trabalho o melhor possível. [The function of the teacher constitutes a fundamental aspect inside Montessori's system of thought. She offers to teacher a very delicate role, that of helping the right growth of child as "man's father". For this reason the role and the function of Montessori teacher must correspond to the principle points of her educative theory, that is to say: the necessity to have a strong idea of school; the need of clearly separating the practical moment (teacher) from the theoretical one (scientist); the respect due to the child both by scientist and teacher (neither teacher nor scientist can pre-established the results of the single child: potentially everyone can become an excellent pupil); the defeat of the idea of neutrality/absolute objectivity, that is to say that when you deal with human being you cannot pretend to transmit notions in a neutral way. Starting from this assumptions Montessori teacher can be certainly defined a technician, but she is a new kind of technician, because she isn't neutral, but on the contrary her humanity is in the foreground so that she can become an excellent teacher. / La función de la maestra constituye un aspecto fundamental dentro del sistema teórico montessoriano. De hecho, Montessori le atribuye a la maestra un papel muy delicado: facilitar el correcto crecimiento del niño "padre del hombre". Es por esto que el papel y la función de la maestra montessoriana deben responder a los puntos de fuerza de su teoría educativa: la necesidad de que haya una fuerte idea de escuela; la necesidad de diferenciar el momento teórico del momento práctico y el papel desempeñado por el científico del desempeñado por la maestra; el respeto que ambos deben tener del niño (ni la maestra ni el científico pueden fijar a priori los resultados de cada niño: potencialmente la excelencia es para todos); el jaque mate a cualquier pretensión de neutralidad/objetividad: cuando la relación es con seres humanos es un sinsentido pensar que existan técnicos capaces de traspasar nociones de manera aséptica. Según cuanto dicho anteriormente, la maestra en Montessori se puede definir como un técnico, en el sentido de que no es el científico al que le corresponde la elaboración teórica sino un técnico. Un técnico que no es para nada ni neutro ni aséptico y cuya humanidad se colocará en un primer plano para que pueda llevar a cabo su propio trabajo lo mejor posible.]

Language: Portuguese

ISSN: 2236-3459

Abstract/Notes: One of the best-known quotes in pedagogical literature is Maria Montessoris “Help me to do it myself.” This citation can be applied to many open questions. For example, how to help students working autonomously on cognitively demanding tasks is not only an unanswered question in didactical literature, but there has also been relatively little research done in this area.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s11858-005-0015-3

ISSN: 1863-9704

Language: English

DOI: 10.1177/002248718103200209

ISSN: 0022-4871

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Abstract/Notes: El Boletin, April 2006

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246