Abstract/Notes: This work reports, from a qualitative research perspective, the development of an English Corner project for a preschool Children’s House classroom in central Mexico over the course of a 3-year period. It shows the transition of a language specialist over six consecutive periods of work, from a traditional understanding and practice of teaching English as a second language to young learners into a more comprehensive one of the Montessori Method. The analysis of my own practice is used to recover insights through a reflective process with the intention to develop a second language (L2) Montessori program for 3- to 6-year-olds that aligns better with Montessori pedagogy.  Variables such as instruction time, setting, group constitution, materials, and teaching and learning strategies allowed for certain aspects to arise as leading points of interest for the focus of the analysis and the methodological and pedagogical adaptations that followed each period. This paper is an attempt to fill the gap between the need to deliver a second language effectively in Montessori education and the lack of guidance for doing it the Montessori way; it is especially for practitioners who do not have a Montessori background but also for Montessori-trained teachers for whom more specific preparation would aid their practice. I also hope to stimulate further research in the field of second language acquisition and multilingualism in Montessori education at every level of education.

Language: English

DOI: 10.17161/jomr.v7i1.13401

ISSN: 2378-3923

Abstract/Notes: This article deals with Montessori education and method that addresses "child", "education" and "freedom". Thus, the child is not a young adult, he is an individual with a unique personality and unique intellectual potential. Education is that concern of teaching the child to think and act independently in a responsible manner. In this sense, Montessori education gives children the freedom to find solutions to their own problems. To understand "what they do and what they do" they must be involved. "True freedom is a consequence of development. His famous maxim that he promoted was: "help me do it myself". The 3 components of the Montessorian approach are: the physical environment, the social environment and the adult one. At the center of these 3 components is the child's development from all points of view. All 3 should work in such a way that this development reaches its full potential.

Language: English

ISSN: 2501-8000

Abstract/Notes: Printed for distribution at the course, The Montessori method: an holistic approach to education X 304.17, Education Extension, University of California, Berkeley.

Language: English

Published: Berkeley: University of California, 1977

Abstract/Notes: By means of Montessori education, children aged from 3 to 6 years were introduced to the basics of earth-sciences in general and of glaciology in particular. For this purpose, a one-year-program was established under the principles of Cosmic Education (Sensu Montessori) in order to provide an insight in some parts of the afore mentioned sciences via 3 steps. Step 1 brought up introductory informations about earth sciences, historical geology, planetology, and climatology. In Step 2, specific information about the Ice Ages and glaciology was given by introducing a story about a personified glacier which included information on mass budget (ablation/accumulation), dynamics, features (crevasses), and in relation to those, the dangers of a glacier. Step 3 completed the program by giving the children the opportunity for depicting and acting out their knowledge via glacier-“modelling”, painting, dancing, and making music.After this one-year-program the children were able to give a simple account of the basic principles of climatology and glaciology, which may contribute to a more careful and respectful attitude towards their environment.The program turned out as a helpful and appropriate tool for giving an introduction into the great cycles of nature to preschool children, not only in nursery schools, but also at home with their families. In addition, the interactive and hands-on ways of presentation described were responded by the children with interest and sometimes enthusiasm, which is taken as further evidence for the tool's efficacy.

Language: English

DOI: 10.5408/1089-9995-56.3.220

ISSN: 1089-9995

Abstract/Notes: Since 1994 far-reaching curriculum changes in the form of an Outcomes-based Education (OBE) approach to schooling have been put into practice in South Africa. One of the pillars of OBE is a child (learner)-centred approach, that has an impact on virtually every aspect of classroom management. The question that arises is: what is a child-centred approach and what are its implications for classroom management? This article traces the broad issues surrounding the origins of a child-centred approach and investigates the implications of the implementation of a child-centred approach for classroom management. It concludes that child-centred teaching is still more rhetoric than reality in South Africa, because of certain constraints faced by educators. Constraints educators have to deal with in their classrooms, such as class size and inadequate training label education as child-conscious rather than child-centred.

Language: English

ISSN: 0256-8829

Abstract/Notes: The individual through earliest recorded history reveals contradictory views of the human life-span. "Am I a free and unique individual, able to make choices and decide my own destiny?, or, "Am I only a victim of circumstance, a speck of dust in the universe's whirlwind of fate?" Each view is recognized in education and psychology, but the latter outlook is often prominent in schools which discourage decision making. Throughout the life-span, however, the individual must make choices. Allowing the young student to progress on the road to autonomy, requires a new educational outlook. How might teacher education focus on this new perspective? Rational Autonomy (RA) is an original conceptualization of the psychological foundations for a learning-teaching theory of practice; one which promotes autonomy and reasonable decision making in children and adults. Its purpose is to provide a framework for the development of an autonomous educator who may conceptualize the interaction between the dichotomies of autonomy and rationality. These values are imbedded within the leitmotif of liberty and freedom; individuality and socialization; creativity and cooperation all natural tensions within a democracy and a democratic classroom. Cognitive psychologies today advance a view reflecting an autonomous individual who is interactive, purposeful and capable of conscious decision making. Montessori (1870-1952) recognized these traits as inherent in most children. Viewing autonomy and reason as the individual's means to full cognitive and personality development, she proposed an expansive educational psychology which would anticipate this view in cognitive psychology. Until now, few psychological definitions were available to define Montessori's theories. Thus, this thesis defines existent psychology as providing a "Social Cognitive Field" frame in which to define her theories and derive a new concept. The concept of Rational Autonomy incorporates psychological principles from human development, social, personality and learning theories. Constructs are demonstrated by interaction models of the child, family and educator. These are exemplified in a school program through a site and case study. Elementary and early childhood teacher education extends the Design into a life-span theory. The mentor-teacher relationship, curricular implications, educator group facilitation and university aims are included in the RA Design.

Language: English

Published: Corvallis, Oregon, 1989

Abstract/Notes: Synthesizing ideas from such disparate thinkers as educator Maria Montessori, philosophers John Dewey and Ayn Rand, and Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, Montessori, Dewey, and Capitalism presents a philosophy of education-the theory of concentrated attention and independent judgment-that requires laissez-faire capitalism for its full realization. It is not an argument, except indirectly, for the separation of education and state nor is it a critique of present and past state-run schooling. It is an argument for the abolition of coercion in all areas of life. What is the ideal education system? asks the author. One that rejects the premise of obedience to authority. Not just in teaching, but also in parenting and in all social relations. Just as an ideal social system would allow citizens to pursue their values without interruption or control from an outside authority, namely the state, so also the ideal education system should allow children and students to concentrate without interruption on the learning tasks that interest them. The adult guides and nurtures the young, neither coercing nor neglecting them, to develop the confidence and independence required for an adult life in a capitalist society.

Language: English

Published: Upland, California: Kirkpatrick Books, 2008

Edition: 1st

ISBN: 978-0-9787803-3-3

Abstract/Notes: Western scholarship usually ignores the contributions from other civilizations, India for instance. At the same time, contemporary India seems to have forgotten to some extent the deepest achievements of its own tradition. Moreover, modern culture has often produced some kind of despise against ancient traditions as opposed to the freedom and emancipation of the modern world. This paper tries to unveil all the depth and beauty of Indian philosophy of education, especially through major traditions such as Vedas, Upanishads and Vedanta. It also tries to show that the pedagogic message of the sages of modern India revives all the depth of the ancient tradition. This long history of holistic education in India through 35 centuries may enrich the Western insights with figures such as Steiner, Montessori or Dewey, aware that intercultural dialogue will be one of the major challenges of the XXIst century. It becomes crystal clear through this paper that the vision of integral education in Indian culture was inseparable from the spiritual/ mystical dimension, or to put in reverse terms, the spiritual domain constituted the very foundation of the educational process in Indian philosophy of education, a fundamental point that would be again emphasized by Indian modern philosophers such as Vivekananda, Aurobindo and even Krishnamurti.

Language: English

DOI: 10.29121/granthaalayah.v6.i6.2018.1373

ISSN: 2394-3629, 2350-0530

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: During the last hundred and fifty years, the modernization of Japan has involved the borrowing of many ideas from other countries. However, these ideas were not simply transplanted uncritically. At the same time, some of their basic philosophical aspects were not completely understood. Ideas were and continue to be adapted, thus reflecting the different needs of Japanese culture and society. An illustration of this process of borrowing can be found in early childhood education, especially after the first Japanese kindergarten was established, based on the ideas of Friederich Froebel (1782-1852). Another example of Western ideas influencing Japanese education is the ideas of Maria Montessori (1870-1952). This paper describes the adaptation of a foreign educational movement. In addition, characteristics of Japanese early childhood education will be described, as well as government policies.

Language: English

DOI: 10.18848/1447-9494/CGP/v16i07/46431

ISSN: 1447-9494