Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Abstract/Notes: Special Issue; excerpted from The Montessori Way; with introduction by Joyce St. Giermaine

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Abstract/Notes: excerpt from The Montessori Way

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Abstract/Notes: This study tested the hypothesis that curriculum type (Montessori and constructivist) moderates the impact of temperament (specifically activity level and attention-persistence) on the classroom behavior of 3- to 5-year-old children. Mothers enrolled in Montessori and constructivist preschools filled out the Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory. The children’s teachers filled out the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire and the Preschool Adjustment Questionnaire. A near-significant trend suggested that temperamentally active boys were more likely to be perceived by their teachers as having behavior problems if they were enrolled in Montessori programs than if they were enrolled in constructivist programs. There was no such trend for girls. There was no evidence that temperamental attention span persistence moderated the impact of curriculum type on either boys’ or girls’ behavior. The findings thus give modest support to the notion that parents should be advised to select constructivist early childhood programs especially for boys who are temperamentally predisposed to be highly modifying their teaching practices to better accommodate the needs of these children active. In addition, directors and teachers in Montessori programs may consider

Language: English

DOI: 10.1207/s15566935eed1102_3

ISSN: 1040-9289, 1556-6935

Abstract/Notes: The analysis was carried out as part of a master's thesis and it aimed to analyse the extent to which the Montessori educational philosophy and teaching method incorporated inclusive educational qualities. The Montessori Method was first developed for children who were disadvantaged and considered 'idiots', in the slums of Italy's San Lorenzo. With the usage of her didactic materials, Maria Montessori proved that the children in question were indeed educable given the correct type of instruction. The focus of this article is on the inclusive qualities embedded within the Montessori philosophy and teaching method, which can be reason enough for it to be adopted by developing countries that have limited budgets/funding for the purpose of special education. This method could prove to be an easy alternative for the immediate implementation of early childhood inclusive education for countries such as Malaysia which do not yet possess specific legislation governing special education.

Language: English

DOI: 10.2304/ciec.2008.9.2.178

ISSN: 1463-9491

Abstract/Notes: Assessments provide teachers with essential information regarding children’s learning. Alternative education systems offer insight into ways that assessments can be redesigned to be developmentally appropriate to particular ages, including unique stances on what defines assessment, who should assess, and what should be assessed. We examined themes of early childhood assessment through a review of Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and Waldorf (also called Steiner). Each of these three alternative systems emphasize assessments designed to understand every child’s learning as unique. Many of the practices used align with the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) current recommendations regarding developmentally appropriate assessment. There is a clear acknowledgement that engagement, not just specific knowledge, is particularly important to assess. To assess engagement, classrooms must be carefully constructed learning environments that implement individualized assessment techniques, such as observation. As children engage in developmentally appropriate experiences, teachers assess their individual learning patterns. Specific components of each system contribute to effective and informative assessment, for example collected artifacts and documentation from children’s work (Reggio), activities and materials designed to show children when an error is made (Montessori), and participation in classic stories (Waldorf). The increased focus these systems place on assessing during interactive learning experiences answered NAEYC’s current recommendations regarding assessment as well as on-going calls in education reform for a child-centered approach to learning.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s10643-022-01353-y

ISSN: 1082-3301, 1573-1707

Abstract/Notes: Although children’s physical environments play an important role in their development, there have been few empirical studies on the interior design of early childhood centres. This is partly due to a lack of adequate methods and instruments for the systematic spatial investigation of educational environments. In light of this, the following paper presents a qualitative method for such systematic investigation, which we shall call visual environment analysis. It also presents the results of the application of this method to ten early childhood centre environments, which can be ranged between the two extremes of restraint and expressiveness. The analysis shows that early childhood centre environments may be shaped by partly conflicting aims, such as giving children as much freedom as possible on the one hand and providing them with a stimulating atmosphere on the other. The paper therefore discusses both visual environment analysis as a method and, in applying this method, the interior design of a number of educational environments.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s10643-018-0914-x

ISSN: 1082-3301, 1573-1707