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Master's Thesis (Action Research Report)
Filling the Gap: Phonological Awareness Activities for a Montessori Kindergarten
Available from: St. Catherine University
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Abstract/Notes: This action research was conducted to determine if small group explicit phonological awareness (PA) instruction using materials from Early Reading Mastery (Klein, 2015) and Words Their Way (Bear et al., 2006) would increase students’ ability to segment phonemes (i.e., break words into sounds) and build three letter consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words. The research was completed in a full-day public suburban Montessori kindergarten. Data was collected using phonological awareness tests, a teacher adapted spelling test, tally sheet, and researcher’s log. Pre-test data was used to create homogenous small groups for the four-week intervention. Explicitly worded lessons taught PA and phonic skills using traditional and supplementary Montessori materials. Post-intervention data showed an increase in the number of students able to segment CVC words. Establishing a research-based structure of PA lessons and materials has strengthened the researcher’s ability to teach students the foundational PA skills necessary to begin their reading journey. Further research to determine if this instructional practice reduces reading difficulties could be studied.
Language: English
Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2016
Master's Thesis (Action Research Report)
Supporting Phonemic Awareness in a Montessori Children’s House
Available from: St. Catherine University
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Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was to increase five and six year-old children’s phonemic awareness around phonograms to support their writing and reading. Thirteen children from an urban, public charter Montessori school participated in this study. Over the course of four weeks, four phonogram boxes were introduced to the children’s house, each targeting one specific phonogram: sh, ch, er, a-e. The boxes contained objects and labels which children read and matched together. The researcher began the intervention with a pretest, and concluded the intervention with a posttest. The researcher assessed the children’s growth in writing and reading with phonograms throughout the intervention through journal reflections, observation notes and a tally system. The results indicated an increase: in children’s awareness of what a phonogram was, in children’s ability to recognize a phonogram in books, and in some cases, in children’s ability to use phonograms in their own writing.
Language: English
Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2017
Master's Thesis (Action Research Report)
The Effects of Earth-Conscious Art Materials on Early Childhood Montessori Students’ Environmental Awareness
Available from: St. Catherine University
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Abstract/Notes: This action research project investigates the effect of providing earth-conscious materials in the art curriculum on early childhood Montessori students' environmental awareness. The participants for this study were seven preschool students at a private, home-based Montessori school in the urban Western United States. The research design was qualitative and quantitative, utilizing field notes, observational notes, behavioral tally sheets, and group conversational questionnaires to gather information on students' environmental awareness. The students' mean eco-affinity responses increased by 16%, while their mean environmental awareness responses increased by 23%. The frequency of material usage positively correlated with the frequency of environmental actions. The findings suggest that earth-conscious art materials have a positive effect on student environmental awareness. The researcher realized that increased environmental awareness does not indicate increased ecological stewardship. The conclusion of this study urges educators to reconsider the role that art curriculum and materials play on student environmental awareness.
Language: English
Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2020
Doctoral Dissertation (Ed.D.)
A Comparison Study: The Impacts of Montessori and Conventional Elementary Standards-Based Language Arts Curricula on Preschool Students’ Phonemic Awareness and Reading Readiness Skills
Available from: OhioLINK ETD Center
Comparative education, Curricula, Language acquisition - Phonetics, Preschool education, Reading
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Abstract/Notes: Preschools have become an important beginning step in education. This sequential mixed methods study sought to determine if the Montessori preschool setting provides greater academic achievement in reading readiness, specifically phonemic awareness, in preschoolers as compared to a conventional elementary standards-based preschool setting. Social constructivist theory and sociocultural theory were used as theoretical frameworks. Qualitative data was comprised of interviews with kindergarten teachers who agreed unanimously that preschool had a positive impact on students’ academic ability upon entrance to kindergarten. However, all four teachers had a negative connotation pertaining to Montessori students and the Montessori Method based solely on students’ behavior and students’ lack of conformity. For the quantitative data, multiple two sample t-tests were conducted to determine the effect of preschool experience on all 90 participants’ reading readiness scores upon entrance to kindergarten based upon DIBELS FSF and PSF and their KRA assessment scores, while taking socio-economic status into consideration. T-tests were used to compare the results from 30 Montessori students, 30 conventional standards-based elementary students, and 30 students with no preschool experience. All three sub-groups were matched equally based on socio-economic status. Montessori students outperformed the other two school groups on all three assessments. The difference in scores when separating Montessori students by socio-economic status is the most significant finding to come from this study. Montessori students considered low income had statistically lower scores on all three assessments when compared to Montessori students who are not considered low income.
Language: English
Published: Findlay, Ohio, 2019
Article
Creating a Montessori Awareness Program
Publication: AMI/USA News, vol. 19, no. 2
Date: May 2006
Pages: 8–9
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Language: English
Article
Bonding with the Natural World: The Roots of Environmental Awareness
Available from: ERIC
Publication: NAMTA Journal, vol. 38, no. 1
Date: 2013
Pages: 39-51
North American Montessori Teachers' Association (NAMTA) - Periodicals
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Abstract/Notes: With delicate literary style and allusions, Louise Chawla combines her ecological research and Montessori background to portray the unfolding of childhood in natural places. Starting with "enchantment with the world" as the basis for nature education for the child under six, the article suggests that the "loose parts" in the landscape that children manipulate and use result in optimal creative involvement. The act of finding favorite places in all weather, combined with the companionship of an adult role model, leads to a lifelong appreciation, concern, and activism for the natural world. [Reprinted from "The NAMTA Journal" 28,1 (2003, Winter): 133-154. This paper was prepared for the NAMTA Conference titled "Montessori Education for Human Development: The Child and the Natural World," October 31-November 3, 2002 in Chicago, IL.]
Language: English
ISSN: 1522-9734
Article
Environmental Awareness, Part 1: Recycling
Publication: Montessori International, vol. 72
Date: Jul 2004
Pages: 39–40
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Language: English
ISSN: 1470-8647
Article
Sensory Awareness in Infants [part 1]
Publication: Infants and Toddlers, vol. 3, no. 2
Date: 1999
Pages: 5-7, 11-14
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Language: English
Article
Sensory Awareness in Infants–Part 1
Publication: Infants and Toddlers, vol. 3, no. 2
Date: Aug 1999
Pages: 5–7, 11–14
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Language: English
Article
Sensory Awareness in Infants–Part 2
Publication: Infants and Toddlers, vol. 3, no. 3
Date: Nov 1999
Pages: 5–7, 11–14
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Language: English