Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/BF01433365

ISSN: 1573-0638, 0020-8566

Abstract/Notes: This study explored practicing elementary school teacher’s conceptions of teaching in ways that foster inquiry-based learning in the science curriculum (inquiry teaching). The advocacy for inquiry-based learning in contemporary curricula assumes the principle that students learn in their own way by drawing on direct experience fostered by the teacher. That students should be able to discover answers themselves through active engagement with new experiences was central to the thinking of eminent educators such as Pestalozzi, Dewey and Montessori. However, even after many years of research and practice, inquiry learning as a referent for teaching still struggles to find expression in the average teachers’ pedagogy. This study drew on interview data from 20 elementary teachers. A phenomenographic analysis revealed three conceptions of teaching for inquiry learning in science in the elementary years of schooling: (a) The Experience-centered conception where teachers focused on providing interesting sensory experiences to students; (b) The Problem-centered conception where teachers focused on engaging students with challenging problems; and (c) The Question-centered conception where teachers focused on helping students to ask and answer their own questions. Understanding teachers’ conceptions has implications for both the enactment of inquiry teaching in the classroom as well as the uptake of new teaching behaviors during professional development, with enhanced outcomes for engaging students in Science.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s10972-011-9251-2

ISSN: 1046-560X, 1573-1847

Abstract/Notes: This study was an attempt to find out the impact of Montessori teaching method on EFL learners’ writing achievement. To fulfill the purpose of the study, out of 150 students, 95 male and female students were selected randomly to participate in this study. All of them were given a pretest to find out their level of proficiency. They had no background knowledge of English and they had not studied English before. They were also divided randomly into two groups namely experimental and control. The experimental group consisted of 23 male and 27 female learners while the control group consisted of 21 male and 24 female learners. Experimental group members were instructed based on Montessori teaching method and their instruction was based on different Montessori materials. The control group members had a routine teaching process. Each group was a mixture of both male and female learners with the age range of 5-6. After 12 sessions, writing posttest was given to both groups to evaluate whether there is any significant difference between these two groups or not. The obtained data were analyzed both descriptively and inferentially. The data were analyzed by statistical tests such as one-way ANCOVA and one-sample t-test. The statistical analyses revealed that there was significant statistical differences between two groups mean scores on the writing posttest. Therefore, it can be argued that Montessori teaching method had significant impact on learners’ writing skill.

Language: English

DOI: 10.46809/jpse.v2i1.17

ISSN: 2634-4629

Abstract/Notes: Today professionals have to deal with more uncertainties in their field than before. We live in complex and rapidly changing environments. The British philosopher Ronald Barnett adds the term ‘supercomplexity’ to highlight the fact that ‘we can no longer be sure how even to describe the world that faces us’ (Barnett, 2004). Uncertainty is, nevertheless, not a highly appreciated notion. An obvious response to uncertainty is to reduce it—or even better, to wipe it away. The assumption of this approach is that uncertainty has no advantages. This assumption is, however, not correct as several contemporary authors have argued. Rather than problematising uncertainty, I will investigate the pros and cons of embedding uncertainty in educational practice of professional higher education. In order to thoroughly explore the probabilities and challenges that uncertainty poses in education, I will dwell on the radical ideas on uncertainty of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. In The Birth of Tragedy (1872) he recognises two forces: the Apollinian, that is the pursuit of order and coherence, and the Dionysian, that is the human tendency to nullify all systematisation and idealisation. Uncertainty is part of the Dionysian. I will argue that when educators take Nietzsche's plea to make room for the Dionysian to heart, they can better prepare students for an uncertain world. If, and only if, students are encouraged to deploy both tendencies—the Apollinian and the Dionysian—they can become professionals who are able to stand their ground in an uncertain and changing (professional) world.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1111/1467-9752.12038

ISSN: 1467-9752

Abstract/Notes: Most educators are familiar with the principles of one of the founding mothers of peace education, Maria Montessori. Bringing an utterly fresh vision to notions of childhood and education, she re‐imagined the classroom as one in which children would explore and discover their own interests and passions. With regard to conflict resolution, she specifically stated that such an education made the continuation of man’s seemingly endless cycle of war and poverty more likely to continue: further, she argued that if education truly could develop ethically and socially conscious men and women, whose moral sense had been developed as fully as their ability to read and write, mankind could begin hoping for a more peaceful world. The following profiles of international Montessori schools should help clarify the processes an educational philosophy goes through when it is adopted by another culture—essential knowledge as education becomes increasingly global—as well as the contributions of today’s Montessori schools to the development of international‐mindedness in students and teachers alike.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/17400200500532128

ISSN: 1740-0201, 1740-021X

Abstract/Notes: The theory of Montessori education has been interpreted by some researchers to be vaguely formulated. However, as shown in previous research, Maria Montessori’s didactic approach to teaching and learning mathematics is fully consistent with variation theory and the theory of embodiment. Dr. Montessori used the theoretical concept of isolation of quality, which means that the learning objects have to be kept identical except for one variable, which has to differ to be perceptible. This concept is in alignment with variation theory, which emphasizes variation as a necessary condition for learners to discern aspects of an object of learning. The other theory applied in this article is the theory of embodiment: important cognitive functions are fundamentally grounded in action that is concordant with Dr. Montessori’s view that mind and movement are parts of the same entity. This article reports on a qualitative single-case study with a formative intention in which we investigated the significance of being acquainted with variation theory and the theory of embodiment when working with Montessori material. The study analyzes a teacher’s mathematics presentations with the Montessori material and the children’s work with this material, using Epistemological Move Analysis, which focuses on how the teacher directs children’s learning. The analysis was shared with the teacher to support her awareness of the ways teaching can be developed from a variation and embodiment theoretical perspective. Results show that the teacher’s awareness of why a specific learning object be treated in accordance with variation theory and embodiment seems to promote a more constructive and effective way to direct children’s learning.

Language: English

DOI: 10.17161/jomr.v6i1.12051

ISSN: 2378-3923

Abstract/Notes: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of teaching Montessori Method on self–concept and motivation of elementary first-grade students in Tabriz. Information was collected on the basis of semi-experimental pretest-posttest research with control group. The population consists of all elementary first grade male students of Tabriz which were 665 schools in 2015-2016 school years. The sample includes 40 primary school pupils (20 in the experimental group and students 20 in the control group) who were selected by multistage cluster random sampling. To collect data, self-motivation Liu, Wang and Parkyn’s questionnaire was used to assess self-concept and motivation for preschool and elementary school age groups. The Montessori method teaching sessions (40 sessions) were conducted on the experimental group and the control group was exposed to traditional and traditional education. After holding Montessori classes sessions and analyzing data with Covariance method, results showed that teaching Montessori Method has been effective on self-concept and motivation of elementary school students. And this method has been able to boost self-image and increase motivation in male students.

Language: Persian

DOI: 10.30495/JINEV.2019.665916

ISSN: 2345-6299, 2476-5627

Language: English

DOI: 10.2307/132785

ISSN: 0095-6848

Abstract/Notes: 53 4- and 5-yr-olds in traditional and Montessori nursery schools were observed for social interaction during free play. The schools differed on teaching orientation and grading but had the same child/adult ratio. Ss in both settings engaged in the same amount of social interaction, but Ss in the Montessori setting had longer mean durations of interactions and more verbal and less nonverbal interaction. Males interacted more than females and adults intervened with males more than with females. Results are discussed as they relate to child/adult ratio and differences across and within settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: English

DOI: 10.1037/0022-0663.68.6.725

ISSN: 0022-0663, 1939-2176

Language: English

DOI: 10.1177/002205742309700805

ISSN: 0022-0574, 2515-5741