Abstract/Notes: The rapid pace of changes faced by todays young people calls for pedagogical practices that equip them not only with knowledge but also with the ability to think effectively, flexibly, and independently. This process rely on performance monitoring, a fundamental function of learning. When individuals notice something unexpected, such as an error, they tend to pause. In learning from this discrepant event, they adapt their behavior accordingly. Although performance monitoring is essential for academic learning and improves throughout childhood, its susceptibility to educational influences has not been studied. Pedagogical traditions differ on how they teach children to learn from feedback and errors. Traditional education provides children from one age group with opportunities to engage in work, and then to learn about and correct their performance later based on a teachers feedback and evaluation. By contrast, Montessori education focuses on supporting children in self-correcting in real time. It utilizes specialized materials that encourage childrens self-discovery of relevant concepts, and multi-age classes in which children discuss answers as they work. Here, we compared performance monitoring in children aged 4-15 years attending traditional or Montessori classes. Our multimodal approach (behavior, EEG, and MRI) revealed that 1) cortical regions related to performance monitoring un- dergo significant changes between the ages of 5 and 13 years; 2) children of that age do not process errors as adults do, and 3) pedagogical practices modulate both be- havior and neural responses. More specifically, the behavioral, morphometric and EEG neural data reveal significant differences in how students notice and react to errors, and in how they self-correct. fMRI analyses reveal difference in brain net- work connectivity between students from the two groups, and suggest differences in error correction strategies. Finally, higher academic performances were not at- tributable to higher executive functions, but rather differences in creativity abilities. Our work suggests that how students learn from errors reflects childhood schooling experience. Performance monitoring styles are also likely associated with youths cognitive flexibility more broadly, influencing how they react to novel or unex- pected outcomes. [Au vu du rythme effréné des changements auxquels sont confrontés les jeunes, il est essentiel que les pratiques pédagogiques ne se concentrent pas uniquement sur la transmission de connaissances, mais également sur leur capacité dapprendre de manière efficace, flexible et indépendante. L’élément central à cette entreprise est de favoriser une approche autodirigée et orientée sur les processus, dans laque- lle les élèves développent la capacité d’apprendre de leurs erreurs. Ce processus est appelé la gestion de la performance. Bien que la gestion de la performance soit essentielle aux apprentissages scolaires et se développe durant l’enfance, sa sus- ceptibilité aux influences pédagogiques n’a pas encore été étudiée. Ici, nous avons comparé la gestion de la performance chez des enfants âgés de 4 à 15 ans, issus de classes traditionnelles ou Montessori. Alors que les pratiques pédagogiques traditionnelles mettent l’accent sur le fait que les élèves apprennent à partir des commentaires des enseignants, les pratiques pédagogiques Montessori encouragent les élèves à travailler de manière autonome avec du matériel spéciale- ment conçu pour permettre de faire et dapprendre de leurs erreurs. Notre approche multimodale (comportement, EEG, IRM) nous a permis de dévoiler que 1) les ré- gions corticales liées à la gestion de la performance subissent des changements im- portants entre 5 et 13 ans; 2) les enfants de cet âge ne traitent pas l'erreur de la même manière que les adultes, et que 3) les pratiques pédagogiques modulent à la fois le comportement et les réponses cérébrales. Ce travail constitue une première étape connectant la recherche sur la gestion de la performance avec l’émergence des habitudes mentales chez les enfants dans leurs environnements scolaires, avec des implications directes pour la recherche en développement, les professionnels de l’enfance, et les politiques.]

Language: English

Published: Lausanne, Switzerland, 2020

Abstract/Notes: This article was digitized by the Royal Danish Library. Each page of the article is available as a separate PDF file. Page 1 (p. 363): http://img.kb.dk/iti/60/pdf/iti_60_0375.pdf Page 2 (p. 364): http://img.kb.dk/iti/60/pdf/iti_60_0376.pdf

Language: Danish

Abstract/Notes: O diálogo entre arquitetura e pedagogia intensificou-se nota velmentenas últimas décadas, contudo, no âmbito italiano os exemplos de escolas que fogem aos rígidos modelos tradicionais representa mainda casos isolados. Esta dissertação pretende aprofundar o processo de desenho de projeto para uma Escola Primária pública situada em Itália, em Crespano del Grappa na região de Vêneto, enquadrada no Programa Nacional Scuole Innovative que, através do lançamento de um concursopara 51 novas escolas, representa uma tentativa de inovação no panorama escolar italiano. Apoiado na pedagogia Montessori, ou, mais especificamente, centrando-se na possibilidade de relação entre as suas pioneiras práticas educativas e o desenvolvimento de um ambiente de ensino que possa revelar-se realmente estimulante à aprendizagem, opresente projeto tenta conjugar todas estas preocupações, com osentido do lugar e da escola entendida como equipamento público de referência para a comunidade. [The dialogue between architecture and pedagogy has intensified considerably in the last decades; however, in the Italian context, examples of schools that try to flee the rigid traditional models still represent isolated instances. This dissertation intends to deepen the process of designing a Public Primary School located in Italy, in Crespano del Grappa, in the Veneto region, as part of the national program Scuole Innovative which, through the launch of a competition for the construction of 51 new schools, embodies an attempt to innovate in the Italian school scenery. Based on the Montessori pedagogy or, more specifically, focusing on the possible relationship between its pioneering educational practices and the development of an educational environment, that could be really stimulating to learning, the present project tries to combine all these concerns, with the sense of the place, the landscape and the school as a public reference equipment for the whole community.]

Language: Portuguese

Published: Porto, Portugal, 2018

Abstract/Notes: Nous montrons que la pédagogie de Maria Montessori a ses racines d’une part dans le mouvement sensualiste de Comenius, Locke, Condillac et Rousseau, et d’autre part dans celui pédagogique de Pestalozzi, Itard et Séguin. La scientificité de sa conception et la tradition de sa transmission depuis un siècle garantissent sa crédibilité et sa pertinence ; nous constatons une cohérence dans l’ensemble du matériel pour les différentes matières enseignées et dans son emploi pour les enfants de 2 à 6 ans. Cependant, concernant l’apprentissage de la lecture et de l’écriture, des variations importantes peuvent apparaître selon les langues. Ainsi le matériel utilisé aujourd’hui en Angleterre est-il particulièrement développé et performant, alors que celui en usage en France est moins riche ; mais surtout, les « Dictées muettes©» en vogue dans certaines classes nous apparaissent non seulement désuètes mais sans aucun fondement phonologique et seraient avantageusement remplacées par les « Mots-images©» en cours d’expérimentation. À cette condition, la pédagogie montessorienne pourrait être sollicitée pour renouveler l’enseignement des correspondances grapho-phonologiques du français, y compris pour les élèves en difficulté. We show that Maria Montessori’s pedagogy has its roots on the one hand in the sensualist movement of Comenius, Locke, Condillac and Rousseau and on the other hand in the pedagogic movement of Pestalozzi, Itard and Séguin. The scientificity of its conception and its traditional way of transmission since one century guarantees its credibility and its relevance. We ascertain a coherence in the whole of Montessori’s apparatus of the various subjects taught and its use by the children from 2 to 6 years old.    Nevertheless, concerning the learning of reading and writing, there are important variations from language to language.   For instance, the material used today in Great Britain is particularly numerous and impressive, whereas the one used in France is less prolific and effective. Particularly the “Dictées muettes©” that are very fashionable in many classrooms seem to us not only out-of-date but also without any phonologic foundation. It would be beneficial to replace them by the “Mots-images©” (Word-Picture Cards) that are actually under experimentation. It is a prerequisite so the Montessori pedagogy could be adopted to renew the teaching of including to students in remedial education. [We show that Maria Montessori's pedagogy has its roots on the one hand in the sensualist movement of Comenius, Locke, Condillac and Rousseau, and on the other hand in the educational movement of Pestalozzi, Itard and Séguin. The scientific nature of its conception and the tradition of its transmission for a century guarantee its credibility and relevance; we see consistency in all the material for the different subjects taught and in its use for children from 2 to 6 years old. However, when it comes to learning to read and write, there may be significant variations between languages. Thus the equipment used today in England is particularly developed and efficient, while that in use in France is less rich; but above all, the "Dictées muettes ©" in vogue in certain classes appear to us not only obsolete but without any phonological basis and would be advantageously replaced by the "Words-images ©" currently being tested. Under this condition, Montessori pedagogy could be called upon to renew the teaching of grapho-phonological correspondences in French, including for pupils in difficulty. We show that Maria Montessori’s pedagogy has its roots on the one hand in the sensualist movement of Comenius, Locke, Condillac and Rousseau and on the other hand in the pedagogic movement of Pestalozzi, Itard and Séguin. The scientificity of its conception and its traditional way of transmission since one century guarantees its credibility and its relevance. We ascertain a coherence in the whole of Montessori’s apparatus of the various subjects taught and its use by the children from 2 to 6 years old. Nevertheless, concerning the learning of reading and writing, there are important variations from language to language. For instance, the material used today in Great Britain is particularly numerous and impressive, whereas the one used in France is less prolific and effective. Particularly the “Dictées muettes ©” that are very fashionable in many classrooms seem to us not only out-of-date but also without any phonologic foundation. It would be beneficial to replace them by the “Mots-images ©” (Word-Picture Cards) that are actually under experimentation. It is a prerequisite so the Montessori pedagogy could be adopted to renew the teaching of including to students in remedial education.]

Language: French

Published: Nantes, France, 2009

Abstract/Notes: The system of education developed by Maria Montessori, noted Italian feminist, anthropologist and physician, is the single largest pedagogy in the world with over 22,000 public, private, parochial, and charter schools on six continents, enduring even as other teaching methods have waxed and waned. Despite its international diffusion and longevity, research into the pedagogy is glaringly absent from mainstream educational literature. The purpose of this study is, first, to explore Dr. Montessori's involvement in international conferences and examine how the exchange of ideas by participants may have influenced her pedagogy. Second, this study investigates the implementation of Montessori pedagogy in two countries, the United Republic of Tanzania and the Russian Federation, focusing on the interplay of teacher training, classroom practice, and culture. This comparative multiple case study was designed to differentiate what is universal in the Montessori pedagogy and what is country specific or culture bound. Observations in classrooms guided by a checklist of ten essential elements, interviews with teachers, trainers and leaders of Montessori associations, and historical and contemporary documents are the primary sources of data. The results of the data indicate that limited economic resources, the quality of training, government regulations and availability of Montessori books translated into the Kiswahili and Russian languages influence the implementation of Montessori pedagogy in the United Republic of Tanzania and the Russian Federation to a greater extent than culture. Montessori pedagogy as implemented in Tanzania is thriving and is providing much needed quality education for young children. Several factors influence its implementation, but poverty permeates through all the classrooms and is the most significant. Montessori pedagogy as implemented in Russia also is thriving, in spite of the challenge of consistent training. Impressive efforts such as the work of the Belgorod Montessori Study Center to develop the theoretical understanding and practical applications of cosmic education and Michailova Montessori School's experiment in integrating into a self-managed government school may determine whether Montessori remains on the periphery of pedagogy or moves to the center, influencing future policy.

Language: English

Published: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2010

Abstract/Notes: La pédagogie Montessori est une méthode d’éducation qui a été mise au point au début du siècle dernier par Maria Montessori pour des enfants d’un quartier défavorisé de Rome en Italie. Depuis sa création, elle s’est développée à la marge de l’éducation nationale et se retrouve principalement dans des écoles privées. La pédagogie Montessori devient cependant de plus en plus populaire auprès des enseignants de l’école maternelle publique. Ce récent engouement apparaît fondé à la vue de plusieurs principes de cette méthode. En effet, elle promeut l’autonomie, l’auto-régulation, la coopération entre pairs d’âges variés et l’apprentissage à partir de matériels sensoriels et auto-correctifs. Ces caractéristiques sont plutôt en accord avec les connaissances scientifiques sur l’apprentissage et le développement de l’enfant. Cependant, à ce jour, les preuves expérimentales rigoureuses de son efficacité sont limitées. Dans cette thèse, nous avons mesuré les compétences langagières, mathématiques, exécutives et sociales d’enfants d’une école maternelle, repartis aléatoirement entre des classes appliquant la pédagogie Montessori ou une pédagogie conventionnelle. Nous avons suivi leurs progrès au cours des trois années de l’école maternelle (étude longitudinale) et avons comparé les performances des enfants en fin de Grande Section (étude transversale). Nous avons également élaboré une mesure pour évaluer objectivement la qualité d’implémentation de la pédagogie Montessori dans cette école, situé dans un quartier défavorisé. Nos résultats ne montrent pas de différences entre les groupes dans les domaines des mathématiques, des compétences exécutives et des compétences sociales. Cependant, les enfants issus des classes Montessori avaient de meilleures performances en lecture que les enfants issus des classes conventionnelles en fin de Grande Section. La pédagogie Montessori apparaît donc comme adaptée à l’apprentissage de la lecture chez le jeune enfant. [The Montessori method of education was created at the beginning of the last century by Maria Montessori to help children in a disadvantaged neighborhood of Rome in Italy. Although it is nowadays most commonly found in private schools, the Montessori method has gained popularity among teachers in public preschool and kindergarten in France and around the world. This popularity may appear legitimate with regards to the principles underlying the Montessori methods, which involve autonomy, self-regulation, cooperation between children from different age groups and learning with multi-sensorial and self-correcting materials. These characteristics are broadly in line with research on learning and development in young children. However, there is limited evidence for the effectiveness of the Montessori method in the scientific literature. In this thesis, we measured the linguistic, mathematical, executive and social skills of preschoolers and kindergarteners from a public school in which children were randomly assigned to classrooms in which the Montessori method was implemented or to classrooms in which a conventional teaching was used. We followed children from the first year of preschool to kindergarten (longitudinal study) and compared the performance of children at the end of kindergarten (cross-sectional study). We also developed a scale to evaluate the quality of implementation of the Montessori method in the school, located in a disadvantaged neighborhood. Our results do not show any difference between groups in terms of mathematical, executive and social skills. However, children from Montessori classrooms had better reading performance than children from conventional classrooms at the end of kindergarten. Therefore, the Montessori method appears to be well suited for developing reading skills of young children.]

Language: French

Published: Lyon, France, 2019

Abstract/Notes: This study examines processes connected to teacher’s transformation of the Montessori theory and it's described application to a daily practice. The aim is to create knowledge about what constitutes possibilities and limitations for teachers in their daily work with Montessori education. This does not only refer to what constitutes opportunities and limitations in teachers' everyday work with teaching, but also to what constitutes opportunities and limitations for teachers to learn at work. The theoretical framework is based on action theory and theories on adult learning and connects to a tradition called workplace-learning in which learning is considered to take place in, but also between, individuals. This approach indicates that the contextual conditions which the teachers were imbedded in are important to identify. The study was conducted in four different Montessori-environments and involved nine Montessori teachers. The methods used were participant observation, interviews, informal conversations and review of teacher produced material and documents. Possibilities and limitations in teachers work were related to if they had access to Montessori materials or not. In work with Montessori materials teachers identified the children's abilities to a greater extent than they did when other materials were in use. This identification directed their interventions. When the teachers did not have access to Montessori material their method often appeared to be the same as “individual work” with the provided material. Furthermore, interventions of the teacher were then significantly often procedural rather than content-related, although the teachers clearly expressed that they wanted to go into a dialogue with children about the treated subject area. The survey therefore contradicts with the opinion that Montessori-teachers withdraw in favor of Montessori materials that sometimes has been brought up by interpreters of the pedagogy. Rather, teachers stepped back when other materials were in use. The study also shows how a prerequisite for a collective development-oriented learning among the teachers was dependent on whether teachers made their own private understanding of the pedagogy available to each other. At times, however, teachers took the use of the materials for granted. Some of the teachers also deliberately refrained from making their personal understanding available to others due to the fact that they then could be seen as a less competent Montessori-teacher. This maintaining of a “false” collective understanding is seen as an expression of an institutionalization of teaching practice which was maintained by sanctions from the environment if the individual didn´t recognize the institutionalization in question. Since teacher’s “space for action” in this way was limited, the institution created conditions that prevented a possible development of the working methods in use. In those cases when conditions for a collective development-oriented learning were more favorable, it was clear that the teachers did not perceive Montessori education as a given method but rather saw it as a "model" for teaching in which the teachers had to interpret and define their own method from. The teachers thus came to take advantage of a potential “space for action” which was not noticed when the pedagogy was seen as a method.

Language: Swedish

Published: Stockholm, Sweden, 2016

Abstract/Notes: This study had several objectives. First, to investigate the practices of forest kindergartens in three different geographic regions of Türkiye. Second, to explore how the founders of forest kindergartens overcome challenges and take advantage of favorable circumstances as they set up and run the kindergartens. Third, to research the challenges and favorable circumstances that teachers face in such kindergartens and ways to deal with them. Fourth, to examine what kinds of cultural adaptations kindergarten founders and teachers need to make to use Forest Pedagogy in their own culture or location. Fifth, to elicit the kindergarten founders', teachers', and parents' knowledge of Forest Pedagogy. And sixth, to explore how parents' knowledge of Forest Pedagogy relates to their expectations of forest kindergartens. This study included members of the forest kindergartens (N = 21), which comprised the founders (N = 3), teachers (N = 9), and parents (N = 9). The study discovered that forest kindergartens were not typical, despite sharing similar practices with other kindergartens, such as the daily use of outdoor playgrounds. The diversity of the outdoor settings employed by forest kindergartens varied from region to region, depending on their geographical characteristics. However, they shared certain challenges with other kindergartens, such as a lack of unstructured and affordable natural settings surrounding the kindergartens. In all cases, the kindergarten founders and teachers had limited knowledge of sustainable attitudes for children and the significance of risky play. Yet, the parents possessed the knowledge to value free, muddy, and risky play throughout the year.

Language: English

Published: Ankara, Turkey, 2022

Abstract/Notes: The aim of this paper is to examine the multiple concepts of nature expressed in the writings of Maria Montessori, in relation to children’s relationship with nature and salient educational practices. We analyze the multiple meanings that Montessori herself attributed to the term nature”, going on to explore the role of nature in her child pedagogy, as well as her thoughts on caring for nature, in keeping both gardens and animals, and on nature as the ideal setting for sensory education. We ultimately draw together a Montessorian Pedagogy of Nature that underscores the importance of child-nature interaction during the early stages of development. The study was conducted under the PRIN 2019-2021 program, as part of a leading research national project entitled “Maria Montessori from the past to the present”.

Language: English

DOI: 10.6092/issn.1970-2221/12192

ISSN: 1970-2221

Abstract/Notes: In Montessori classrooms writing is taught using a pedagogy that lays claim to more than a century of practice. In the early 20th century Maria Montessori analysed the process of learning to write for the benefit of street children too young to be at school but who showed interest in writing. Montessori designed a repertoire of lessons and activities that offered the children two separate but parallel developmental pathways, one mechanical and one intellectual. The mechanical pathway had two elements: learning how to hold and control a pencil, and (for alphabetic writing) learning to distinguish individual sounds in the stream of spoken language and to match the sounds with graphic signs. The intellectual pathway also had two elements: learning to use graphic signs to (re)compose the sounds of the language into words, and learning to organise words into written discourse. When the children engaged with Montessori’s lessons and activities, they appeared to be teaching themselves to write. Because this same pedagogy is still in use today, it provides a rare opportunity to investigate an enduring educational practice through which children for more than a hundred years and in more than a hundred countries have become writers.

Language: English

Published: New York, New York: Routledge, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-367-89375-0 978-0-367-89373-6 0-367-89375-4 0-367-89373-8