Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: In the first half of the 20th century, Maria Montessori (1870-1952) created a radical approach to early education that she believed had the potential to aid political and socio-cultural transformation on a global scale. This study utilises critical theory and insights from the reconceptualist early childhood education movement to contextualise the background and examine the currency of Montessori’s vision of social justice for the child and subsequent world peace. The research focuses on the reflections of graduates from the Bachelor of Education (Montessori Early Childhood Teaching), a model of teacher education developed at the Auckland University of Technology. The study utilised socio-biographical inquiry and case study as key research tools. Participants were drawn from graduates in their first, second and third year of early childhood teaching practice. The specialty degree aims to highlight the social advocacy role of Maria Montessori with regard to children’s rights and as teachers qualify and enter the field, the project explores differences and similarities that they meet in the interpretation of Montessori philosophy. Information was also sought on the factors that support or challenge the development and resilience of teachers during their first three years of practice in the field. In particular, the study considers the relationship between the philosophy and practice of Montessori teachers in Aotearoa-New Zealand with reference to Montessori’s vision and explores how a teacher preparation model can be authentically reconciled with a social justice perspective. Case studies in four early childhood centres exemplify how a framework derived from Montessori philosophy supports development of the ‘just community’. This research has yielded information on the development of effective practice in early childhood education using the construct of critically engaged pedagogy. Insights arising from the project may therefore contribute to advancing both the literature and practice of Montessori education and especially in the New Zealand teacher education context.

Language: English

Published: Auckland, New Zealand, 2011

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Abstract/Notes: This article discusses participative action research performed by a network consisting of researchers and student-teachers of a University of Applied Sciences and teachers and pupils of four primary schools in the Netherlands. The research took place in the context of the research group ‘Behaviour and Research in the Educational Praxis’. The primary schools focused on inclusive education in order to allow children with special educational needs to participate in mainstream schools. The central idea of the research project was to integrate the insiders’ perspective of the teachers with the outsiders’ perspective of the university researchers. Therefore, the research project combined process and content goals. The research lasted from September 2008 to June 2010, and consisted of five different stages: orientation, general and specific exploration, reconstruction and overall analysis. This article describes the goals and results of each of these stages. The article concludes with a final discussion on the main findings. An important result included a nuanced view of teachers on their power position in the classroom. Teachers facilitated children to increase their own responsibility for their behaviour and their interaction with their classmates and the teacher. This seemed to provide a basis for a more organic order in the classroom, which was less dependent on the interventions of the teacher.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/09650792.2012.676302

ISSN: 0965-0792

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: Issues of social justice are not new. The struggles of marginalized humans are deeply rooted in beliefs and actions of our past that remain in our present and that have all the signs of carrying on into our future. One might think that we have evolved; that these deep roots have been upended and progress has been made. The conversations, discimination, and violence that exist suggest that very little progress has been made. We are at a critical point in addressing the challenges that our fellow human beings not only experience but that will also become a part of the fabric of who they are and will be carried on into future relationships and generations only to repress the quality of their one life lived. As we prepared to come together to celebrate 150 years of Dr. Maria Montessori's life and legacy - she was born on August 31, 1870 - we felt it was imperative that we honor her not only as the extraordinary educator and scientist that she was but also as a champion of humanitarian causes. This publication serves as a means for amplifying our voice and shines a spotlight on social justice, or rather injustice, for those within our community and beyond. We are grateful that we were joined in this effort by others who feel this same calling, and that we were led by David Kahn, as executive editor, through his inspiration, dedication to authenticity, and simply his ability to get things done. Our hope is that this publication will not be one that merely sits on a shelf but rather lives on through inspired action.

Language: English

Published: [S.I.]: [s.n.], 2019

Volume: 1, no. 1