Language: English

ISSN: 0010-700X

Language: English

ISSN: 0010-700X

Language: English

ISSN: 0010-700X

Language: English

ISSN: 0028-5048

Language: English

DOI: 10.1177/105345127200800101

ISSN: 0001-396X

Abstract/Notes: Taylor (2004) argues that the Western moral order is characterised by three key forms — the market economy, public sphere, and self-governance. These forms entail contradictory tendencies for the concept of selfhood and our relations with each other. We do endorse an autonomous and free self, who should pursue her goals, but is also expected to act ethically towards others through mutuality, equality, and collectivity. However, we are concerned with being authentic, i.e. being true to ‘ourselves’, as well as with recognising the needs and differences of the ‘other’. This moral order is based on notions of political equality, democracy, freedom, human rights, and privatised economic prosperity. Moving ‘with Holzkamp beyond Holzkamp’ (Teo, 2016), in this paper, we present a method to foster the skill to step out from one’s moral matrix, the invisible normalised moral order, and view oneself through the eyes of the ‘other’. Focusing on food practices, we developed a method for social self-clarification (Holzkamp, 1995). The skill to see oneself through the eyes of the ‘other’ is necessary in realising one’s entanglement in a global institutional order that foreseeably and avoidably produces severe inequalities.

Language: English

ISSN: 1464-0538, 1746-739X

Abstract/Notes: Portfolios have gained wide acceptance as a learning and assessment tool. Yet, little research has been reported on the practices of teachers who are actually using portfolios within their classrooms and how those practices are moderated by contextual variables. This research examined the instructional, learning, and assessment roles of student portfolios and explored, from the perspective of the classroom teacher, variations in portfolio applications associated with teaching level (primary vs. intermediate) and classroom environment (self-contained vs. multiage-teaming). Kindergarten through Grade 5 teachers in 13 elementary schools completed a survey questionnaire regarding the instructional and assessment uses to which portfolios are put within their classrooms. To further examine for patterns of portfolio use, a subset of teachers was interviewed to explore the perceptions that teachers hold about the impact of student portfolios on themselves and on their students. The results suggest that Kindergarten through Grade 5 teachers make deliberate decisions regarding uses of their students' portfolios, decisions that appear heavily impacted by the maturity or skill level of the child, the purposes of the application, and the classroom environment within which the application occurs. They also depend on whether the portfolio product is in a formative state (working portfolio) or final state (performance portfolio).

Language: English

DOI: 10.1207/S15324818AME1302_5

ISSN: 0895-7347

Abstract/Notes: The aim of this study is to determine the self-efficacy perceptions of special education teachers about the use of the Montessori method by a valid and reliable scale developed by the researcher. The model of the research is a general descriptive model of quantitative research methods. In the 2017–2018 academic year, 67 special education teachers who work under the Directorate of Primary Education of the Ministry of National Education of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are participated in this research universe, which comprise 29, 12, 20, 4 and 2 teachers from Special Education Application Centre, Special Education and Work Application Centre, primary schools, kindergartens and school for visually impaired, respectively. This study was conducted only with all the special education teachers in the universe not by any sampling method. The general proficiency perceptions of the special education teachers for the use of the Montessori method were at the level of instability. According to the general competency perceptions of the female teachers on the use of the Montessori method, it was found that their responses were more positive than the males.

Language: English

DOI: 10.18844/cjes.v11i4.4480

ISSN: 1305-905X

Abstract/Notes: Contextual influences on private speech were examined in two preschools differing in the learning environments they provide for children. Observations of 3- to 5-year-olds were made during free-choice periods in a Montessori and a traditional (play-oriented) program. Consistent with Vygotsky's theory that make-believe play serves as a vital context for the development of self-regulation, the incidence of private speech was much higher during open-ended activities, especially fantasy play, that require children to determine the goal of the task, than during closed-ended tasks with predetermined goals. In line with previous research, the more direct involvement, or external regulation, teachers displayed, the lower the rate of children's private speech. In addition, transitions (as opposed to involvement in activities) were linked to reduced private speech, whereas engagement with peers, in the form of associative play, predicted greater self-directed language. Diminished make-believe play, greater teacher direct involvement, and heightened time spent in transitions largely accounted for the lower incidence of private speech in the Montessori compared with the traditional preschool. Contextual factors also contributed to a drop in private speech at age 5. Implications for fostering children's verbal self-regulation during early childhood are considered.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1016/S0885-2006(99)80065-9

ISSN: 0885-2006, 1873-7706

Abstract/Notes: Teaching at pre-school in Saudi Arabia can involve the use of many types of teaching methods, and the Montessori educational system is one approach that can be used. Over time, this method has gained value and popularity due to its promotion of a self-learning strategy. This current study aims to explore the perceptions of Montessori teachers working in Saudi Arabia about their role in supporting a self-learning strategy for pre-school children. The research sample comprised Montessori teachers working at three schools in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected by undertaking qualitative semi-structured interviews and using an unstructured questionnaire. The interviews was piloted in advanced. The findings show that most of the Saudi pre-school teachers who participated are knowledgeable about teaching the Montessori system in the classroom, and have knowledge of applying the self-learning strategy. However, in practice, their role in supporting children to achieve self-learning is affected by various factors, including: the overall ethos of the Saudi education system, the Ministry of Education’s perceptions about teaching pre-school children using the Montessori system, the teacher’s background and their years of experiences working with pre-school children, and the use of individual education plans for each child.

Language: English

ISSN: 2617-9563