Language: English

Abstract/Notes: This article examines the three most prominent movements of alternative education in Israel: Democratic education, Waldorf education, and the Montessori method of education. By comparing the educational approaches according to specific criteria, the goal is to provide the reader with as broad a picture as possible of their similarities and differences. The discussion focuses on the philosophical approach and general principles of each movement and does not aim to provide information or characteristics of specific educational institutions. One of the goals of the article is to bring before parents, educators, and policy makers knowledge of the different approaches so that they can understand and judge them with greater clarity.

Language: English

DOI: 10.46827/ejae.v6i1.3563

ISSN: 2501-5915

Abstract/Notes: This action research studied the impact of peace education and portions of the Positive Discipline curriculum in a three-six primary Montessori classroom. During five weeks of implementing the research, sixteen students participated in class meetings for twenty minutes a day. The peace table activities and wheel of choice lessons were conducted individually and as a whole class. The peace table activities included a set of mini dishes on a tray, a rain stick, and a peace rose. The wheel of choice consisted of pictures and words of examples of what students could choose to help them solve problems. A few examples are count to ten, apologize, ask for help, and write your name on the agenda. Implementing the presentations into the classroom environment became a work for the students to use if needed and did not occur daily. As a work choice, the previous activities were available on tables and children were allowed to choose the work as many times as they felt was necessary. The research began with baseline data collection through SWIS (School Wide Information System) referral records, student interviews, and student surveys. Sources of data obtained during the study included interviews, surveys, observation tally sheets, and a field journal. The results presented an increase in social awareness and problem-solving skills through the class meetings. Students began acknowledging problems and brainstorming solutions. Class meetings will continue daily to extend the positive problem-solving capabilities and mindfulness students developed in their classroom community.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2016

Abstract/Notes: Maria Montessori’s vision of peace education includes a deep respect for integral human development where a focus on the whole child in the context of the larger community is the norm. Within Montessori education, children learn each part of the universe, living and non-living, play a role in the cosmic order of the world. Long before climate change became a mainstream concern and imminent threat, Montessori understood that ecoliteracy and a deep reverence for understanding how sustainability, sustainable living, respect for the environment, and a deep understanding of the means of production and exchange were essential to the development of a peaceful world. This chapter explores her philosophy of peace education, its relationship to environmental stewardship, and the implementation of these themes within the Montessori context.

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: When critics consider utopian literature, they often claim that the utopian imagination is limited in its ability to provide practical instruction for societal reform. In Archaeologies of the Future, Fredric Jameson extends this critique by arguing that the utopian imagination only exists “to demonstrate and to dramatize our incapacity to imagine the future” (288-289). By returning to an early twentieth century utopian novel, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland (1915), we can put pressure on Jameson’s ideas about the ultimate function of the utopian imagination. By analyzing the education system in Herland, we are able to see how Gilman integrated the contemporary educational philosophy of John Dewey and methods of Maria Montessori to provide an intellectual and institutional foundation for her utopian education system. Therefore, Gilman provides a set of ‘instructions’ to suggest how we might reform current methods of education to fit within her utopian vision. Gilman’s Herland allows us to see how a highly imaginative utopian text can promote social change to build a ‘better’ future.

Language: English

Published: Carbondale, Illinois, 2016

Language: English

ISSN: 0571-1142

Abstract/Notes: During the 1920s and 1930s, the New Education Fellowship (NEF), founded in 1919, established itself as an important international force for radical education and educational experimentation. Its membership was drawn from many different countries and included some of the most prominent progressive educators of that period. By 1945, however, the movement was experiencing international decline. Membership had fallen and in many countries the new educational network had ceased to exist. This situation was a result not only of the destruction of the new educational network in Europe during the Second World War, but also of the change in the outlook of educationists and reformers who sought new solutions to the problems of the reconstruction of society and education. The purpose of this study is to explore the NEF's importance as a disseminator of educational and political ideals after 1945 and its contribution to debates about the post-war reconstruction of education and society, using the considerable but currently little-researched material held at the Institute of Education, University of London. This thesis examines the NEF's network after 1945 and considers how far the NEF successfully extended its membership amongst school teachers and educationists at teacher training colleges. The NEF also sought to develop an international network. The international activities of the NEF, both through links with other organisations, for example, the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and its membership in those countries where the NEF maintained branches are explored in order to gauge the success of the NEF as a movement with internationalist ambitions.

Language: English

Published: London, England, 2009

Language: German

Published: Freiburg, Germany: Herder, 1987

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: This qualitative case study explores how Montessori educators in a public charter Montessori school experience Montessori education for low-income Black children. Using the methodology of a qualitative intrinsic case study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eighteducators (six teachers and two administrators). The participants are diverse in terms of age (26 to 54), race (three white, six African American), gender (two male and six female) and educational experience (2–25 years teaching). Education for Black children in the United States recounts histories of exclusion and segregation. Montessori education for children in the U.S. over the past 100 years shows a progression from exclusivity to inclusivity with the modern push for Montessori in the public sector. Neoliberal education reform is an important context to consider in the reproduction of injustice in American schools. This study’s findings show that participants are responding to this injustice. Negotiating tension, these educators draw onMontessori philosophy, culturally responsive teaching practices, and the tenets of an education for social justice to meet the unique needs of students who are impacted by trauma, inequity, and structural racism. Blending educational traditions to become more responsive to the conditions created by oppressive constructs has created a path through the tension. Prospect Montessori educators enact a hybrid Montessori program that focuses on relationships, communication, and social/emotional learning. This study’s educational implications stem from a call for Montessorieducation to examine its relevancy for under-served Black students.Keywords: Montessori, Neoliberal education reform, culturally responsive teaching, socialjustice

Language: English

Published: Chicago, Illinois, 2022