Abstract/Notes: Part II of this two-part article continues the discussion of what Maria Montessori viewed to be the important components of her educational system. Because she developed the system over her lifetime, we prioritized later accounts when contradictory accounts were found. Whereas Part I focused on the environment, Part II examines the second and third components of the Montessori trinity: the teacher and the child. This article includes descriptions of Montessori teacher prepara­tion, children’s developmental stages, and the human tendencies on which Montessori education capitalizes. It ends with child outcomes as described by Dr. Montessori and as shown in recent research, and provides an appendix summarizing features of authentic Montessori described in Part I and Part II.

Language: English

DOI: 10.17161/jomr.v5i1.9753

ISSN: 2378-3923

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was to understand typically developing children’s repetitive behavior in a free-play, daycare setting. By studying repetition in a non-Montessori setting, we tested the assumption that repetition is a characteristic behavior of all young children and not limited to the Montessori environment. Although Maria Montessori identified repetition during her observations, there is little empirical evidence to support her claim: most research has considered repetition in terms of psychopathology. We collected naturalistic observational data on 31 3- to 6-year-old children for a total of 101 hours to investigate the frequency, contexts, and structure of repetitive bouts. Multilevel model results suggest the ubiquity of repetition, as all children in the study engaged in motor repetition. Furthermore, repetition occurred throughout all free-play activities (construction, animation, fantasy play, rough-and-tumble play, and undirected activity), although repetition was not equally distributed across activities. Motor repetition was not equal across ages either; younger children engaged in more motor repetition than did older children. To understand the structure of repetition, our study also looked at the length of repetition bouts, which ranged from 2 to 19 repetitions and averaged 2.86 repetitions per bout. This natural history of repetition is an influential starting point for understanding the role of repetition in development and is informative to both Montessori and non-Montessori early childhood educators.

Language: English

DOI: 10.17161/jomr.v5i2.7407

ISSN: 2378-3923

Abstract/Notes: In July 1922 a small private school called Nationale Onderwijs Instituut Taman Siswa was born quietly at a traditional town Yogyakarta in Central Java. Taman Siswa means literally “Garden for Pupils”. Nobody expected then that this pupils' garden would become a tough ground of resistance to the Dutch colonial Government later in the 1930's. The political climate in Indonesia around 1922 was showing a remarkable uprising of nationalism centering around the labor union movement guided by the Partai Komunis Indonesia (PKI, Indonesian Communist Party) and Sarekat Islam (Islam Union).

Language: English

DOI: 10.1017/S0022463400017306

ISSN: 0022-4634

Abstract/Notes: การศึกษาชิ้นนี้เป็นการค้นคว้า รวบรวม วิเคราะห์ และสังเคราะห์องค์ความรู้ทางด้านการออกแบบสถาปัตยกรรมและสิ่งแวดล้อมสำหรับเด็กปฐมวัยตามแนวการสอนแบบมอนเตสเซอรี โดยมีวัตถุประสงค์หลัก คือ การประมวลองค์ความรู้และสร้างฐานข้อมูลด้านการออกแบบสถาปัตยกรรมและพื้นที่สำหรับเด็กปฐมวัย ตามแนวการสอนแบบมอนเตสซอรี สาระ และกรรมวิธีการศึกษาของงานชิ้นนี้ ตั้งอยู่บนพื้นฐานของการวิเคราะห์เอกสาร (Document Analysis) โดยมีกระบวนการการศึกษา 3 ขั้นตอน คือ 1) การระบุเป้าหมายทางการศึกษาที่ชัดเจน 2) การศึกษาถึงความเป็นไปได้ที่สภาพแวดล้อมทางกายภาพจะช่วยพัฒนาไปสู่เป้าหมายทางการศึกษา และ 3) การแปลงเป้าหมายในลักษณะของแนวคิดการจัดการไปสู่การออกแบบทางกายภาพ ผลการศึกษาแสดงให้เห็นถึงประเด็นสำคัญของการออกแบบพื้นที่ตามแนวทางมอนเตสซอรี นั่นคือ สภาพแวดล้อมมีความสำคัญต่อการเรียนรู้แบบมอนเตสซอรี โดยสภาพแวดล้อมถือเป็นองค์ประกอบสำคัญที่ช่วยให้การเรียนรู้บรรลุเป้าหมายแนวทางของมอนเตสซอรีต้องการรูปแบบสภาพแวดล้อมที่ถูกจัดเตรียมอย่างมีจุดมุ่งหมาย (Prepared Environment) ที่สัมพันธ์กับกิจกรรมของเด็กซึ่งจะเกิดขึ้นอย่างอิสระและเป็นธรรมชาติภายในสภาพแวดล้อมนั้น ทั้งนี้ เพื่อให้เด็กมีอิสระในการเลือกมีอิสระในตนเอง และเพื่อให้เด็กได้เรียนรู้ ค้นพบ เกิดความตระหนัก และพัฒนาได้ด้วยตนเอง This study searches for the knowledge about architectural and spatial designs for young children led by Montessori approach. It aims to compile the relevant information and then to create a data base that could assist the architectural and spatial designs following the Montessori philosophy. Based on a document analysis, the study process consists of 1) identification of the educational goals, 2) recognition of the potential which the physical environment has for achieving the goals, and 3) phrasing the goals in operative concepts that can be translated into physical design. The result of the study displays the main ideas of the architectural and spatial designs following the Montessori approach. According to Montessori, environment is significant in children’s learning processes and “prepared environment” is a key to provoke children’s freedom to choose, to be independent, and ultimately, to discover, to have awareness and to develop all by themselves.

Language: Thai

ISSN: 2673-0456

Abstract/Notes: [in press]

Language: English

ISSN: 0022-2984, 2167-6437

Abstract/Notes: Childhood adversity and trauma are pervasive and have powerful, far-reaching consequences for health and well-being. Recent years have seen increased recognition of the need for trauma-informed practice, which aims to promote understanding, healing, and the prevention of retraumatization. Historical data show that the early Montessori schools were known internationally as healing schools, wherein children affected by adversity or trauma were apparently healed on a considerable scale. This study presents the findings from a documentary analysis of three primary sources, namely, Maria Montessori’s own original accounts, eyewitness accounts, and media reports pertaining to this healing aspect of the early Montessori schools. The findings demonstrate that, first, from the beginning of her career, Montessori worked with children who had experienced significant exposure to adversity or trauma, second, that her Montessori Method was shown to affect healing or recovery in these children, and third, that her long involvement with trauma-affected children directly led to her later attempts to set up an organization to be called the White Cross, which was to incorporate, among other things, a trauma-informed course for teacher–nurses. In this innovative approach to Montessori studies, we argue that Montessori was ahead of her time, that her work is even more relevant today in the context of adversity and trauma research, and that her methods, principles, and approaches may be harnessed and used in ways that promote trauma-informed practice in contemporary education settings.

Language: English

DOI: 10.17161/jomr.v8i1.15767

ISSN: 2378-3923

Abstract/Notes: Maria Montessori developed a form of education in the first half of the last century that came to be called by her surname, and research indicates it often has positive outcomes. In the years since its development, tens of thousands of schools worldwide have called their programs Montessori, yet implementations vary widely, leading to confusion about what Montessori education is. Although there are varied opinions, here we use Dr. Montessori’s books and transcribed lectures to describe the conclusions of her work at her life’s end. We term this final conclusion authentic in the sense of “done in the traditional or original way,” (the primary definition of the adjective in Oxford English Dictionary, 2019). We do not claim that the original is superior to variants; this is an issue for empirical science. Our overarching goal is to provide researchers, policy makers, administrators, teachers, and parents with a benchmark from which to measure and evaluate variations from the education method Dr. Montessori bequeathed at the end of her life. In the ongoing search for alternative educational methods, the time-honored and burgeoning Mon­tessori system is of considerable interest. Dr. Montessori conceptualized the system as a triangle for which the environment, the teacher, and the child formed the legs. Part I of this two-part article examines Dr. Montessori’s view of what constitutes the environment, in terms of its material, tem­poral, and social features. An appendix to Part II summarizes the features. In the ongoing search for alternative educational methods, the time-honored and burgeoning Montessori system is of considerable interest. Dr. Montessori conceptualized the system as a triangle for which the environment, the teacher, and the child formed the legs. Part I of this two-part article examines Dr. Montessori’s view of what constitutes the environment, in terms of its material, temporal, and social features. An appendix to Part II summarizes the features.

Language: English

DOI: 10.17161/jomr.v5i1.7716

ISSN: 2378-3923

Abstract/Notes: Montessori education has a long history, but its recent growth in American public schools has led to increased interest in research efforts, particularly in exploring the potential of the Montessori experience to moderate the effects of poverty and in gathering data to evaluate public investment in Montessori schools. To assist research efforts, this paper introduces a comprehensive visual model, or logic model, that depicts the core components, underlying assumptions, and intended outcomes of the Montessori approach. Logic modeling, which results in a visual representation depicting the connections among a program’s inputs, primary activities, and outcomes, is often used in program planning and research to provide a common framework from which to work. Developed over a 3-year period by a collaborative group of experienced Montessori researchers and practitioners, the Logic Model for Montessori Education presented in this paper is a valuable tool for researchers with the potential to lay a foundation across disciplines for future research that is both rigorous and systematic in its measurement of Montessori processes and outcomes.

Language: English

DOI: 10.17161/jomr.v5i1.9788

ISSN: 2378-3923

Abstract/Notes: Montessori teacher education includes an intensive and ongoing teacher transformation. This experience aids in the development of a clearly defined teacher identity. Research on teacher identity broadly has shown that while such an identity can offer guidance and support, it can also limit teachers and prevent them from exploring other strategies that may support them and, in turn, their students (e.g., Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009; Britzman, 2003; Sumsion, 2002). This effect is problematic when teachers face moments of uncertainty and dilemmas in their teaching practice. As Montessori classrooms become increasingly diverse, teachers may need to adopt identities that are not explicitly defined in Montessori teacher transformation. This review of literature examines components of a Montessori teacher identity and, broadly, the effects of teacher identity as well as elements of antibias and antiracist teacher-identity development that includes inner reflection and an activist approach to teaching.

Language: English

DOI: 10.17161/jomr.v5i2.8183

ISSN: 2378-3923

Abstract/Notes: Few, if any, empirical studies have explicitly examined the home environments of Montessori-educated children, and specifically whether or not Montessori parents reinforce or undermine their children’s Montessori education at home. With a sample of 30 parents of Montessori-educated toddlers and preschoolers attending a private Montessori school in the Midwest, this cross-sectional study examined Montessori parents’ knowledge of Montessori methods and their parenting beliefs and behaviors at home. Results suggested that Montessori parents from the targeted school were knowledgeable about and valued Montessori methods, even though few had a Montessori education themselves. Parents in this sample varied in their parenting behaviors and choices at home, with some parents who intentionally reinforced Montessori principles and others whose behaviors were inconsistent with a Montessori approach. Findings from this preliminary study provide a first glimpse into the beliefs and behaviors of Montessori parents from which future studies can build upon. Montessori educators and administrators will benefit from future research involving Montessori parents, particularly for those who offer Montessori-based parent education sessions to the families they serve.

Language: English

DOI: 10.17161/jomr.v4i1.6737

ISSN: 2378-3923