Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: Checklists on the teacher, practical life, sensorial, reading, and math

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: A growing interest in the benefits of youth meditation has led to new research in early childhood and elementary classrooms. The results of the existing studies are promising, but the body of research is limited and does not include children in a Montessori setting. Youth meditation studies have reported improvements in social-emotional behaviors, self-regulatory skills, executive function, and attention as a result of consistent meditation practices. An action research project was designed to determine if ten children, between the ages of two and a half and six years, in a Montessori classroom would demonstrate an increase in focus and concentration after six weeks of daily meditation practice. Data collection transpired via teacher observations, rating scales, and checklists. The results of this study denoted favorable variations in focus and concentration after the implementation of daily meditation. Future considerations include completing a lengthier assessment to determine the full effects of meditation on students' behavior as well as conducting a comprehensive study that incorporates additional Montessori schools.

Language: English

Published: River Falls, Wisconsin, 2019

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: Scope and method of study. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the connection between the beliefs, attitudes, and expectations teachers exhibit towards students who have attention challenges in three independent schools in England and the pathognomonic-interventionist continuum as identified by Jordan-Wilson and Silverman (1991), which identifies, along a scale, where teachers' beliefs lie. Teachers' sense of efficacy as they meet individual student needs was also explored as was what educators in these schools, who have limited, if any, recourse to special education assistance, do to support students who display the characteristics of attention deficit. The pathognomonic-interventionist continuum and Bandura's (1977) construct of self-efficacy were the lenses used to focus the research. The study records participants' responses and reflections about the phenomenon under study, describing what it is they do, how they perceive their responsibility towards their students, and how they support each other. Findings and conclusions. Data compiled from a sample of 10 teachers and 3 head-teachers, were disaggregated to provide a picture of how participant teachers work with attentionally challenged children in selected English independent schools. The results provide evidence that teachers whose profile identifies them with the interventionist perspective present stronger senses of self-efficacy. They are prepared to undertake prereferral-type activities to determine where the student is experiencing difficulty and are then willing to manipulate the learning environment to meet individual student needs. Teachers in these schools perceive it as their professional obligation to design teaching scenarios to benefit all students. Teacher efficacy, their sense of their ability to positively influence their students' educational performance and achievement, is unrelated to years of experience or educational background, but is related to the beliefs which they hold.

Language: English

Published: Stillwater, Oklahoma, 2006

Abstract/Notes: In the early academic years, read aloud time is frequently incorporated in the daily classroom schedule. For our investigation, we wondered if certain strategies (interactivity, scaffolding, and modeling enthusiasm) would help to foster deeper connections, conversation, and literary skills when used during read aloud time. We observed teacher-directed read aloud time in two Montessori environments, one with toddlers ages 2-3, and one with elementary children ages 6-9. We used various sources of data collection methods to help us track student engagement and focus, with and without the strategies implemented. The results of the study showed that more children stayed focused and engaged longer during read aloud when the teacher used scaffolding, showed enthusiasm and was interactive while reading. When these strategies were not implemented during a read aloud time, children became more easily distracted and were less inclined to make related comments or ask questions. Interactivity, enthusiasm, and scaffolding helped the children to make insightful connections within the text and to their own lives. In order to make read aloud time a more effective learning experience in the classroom, these strategies can be practiced regularly. To continue to help foster early reading skills and maintain an interest in literacy, interactivity, scaffolding and enthusiasm can be implemented during every classroom read aloud time.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2015