Abstract/Notes: The state's first Montessori school, Christopher Academy began with 8 students and has since expanded to 2 campuses serving nearly 150 children.Contributions in Mary's memory may be made to Christopher Academy Montessori School.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: As part of an 8-year study of education reform in rural Kentucky, this report examines the primary program that has evolved in six rural elementary schools as a result of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), which requires that grades K-3 be replaced by a nongraded program. This change aimed to eliminate failure in the first 2 years of schooling and prepare all children for the fourth grade by allowing them to progress at their own developmental rate. Seven mandates for this primary program included developmentally appropriate practices, multiage and multiability classrooms, continuous progress, authentic assessment, qualitative reporting to parents, professional teamwork, and positive parent involvement. This report discusses the relationship of the primary program to other KERA strands, the study methodology, and findings. Reform implementation was hindered by uneven time lines, lack of guidance from the state department, slow formation and organization of school councils, uncertainties about appropriate instructional practices, and KERA mandates for "critical attributes" of primary classrooms. Primary teachers at all study schools attempted to implement the attributes within the first 2 years upon receiving training and new materials, but program implementation was slowed due to over-emphasis on the critical attributes, legislative adjustments, lack of perceived fit to reforms in grades 4-12, and questions of efficacy. Program development at the local level was influenced by principal's leadership, teacher beliefs, school climate, and local response. Attaining program goals may require reinforcing the intent of the primary program and articulating how teachers can infuse challenging content into the primary program in ways that prepare students to meet state academic expectations. Case studies of four primary schools are included. (SAS)

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: Portfolios have gained wide acceptance as a learning and assessment tool. Yet, little research has been reported on the practices of teachers who are actually using portfolios within their classrooms and how those practices are moderated by contextual variables. This research examined the instructional, learning, and assessment roles of student portfolios, and explored, from the perspective of the classroom teacher, variations in portfolio applications associated with teaching level (primary versus intermediate) and classroom environment (self-contained versus multiage/teaming). Teachers for kindergarten through grade 5 in 3 elementary schools (n=314) completed a survey questionnaire regarding the instructional and assessment uses to which portfolios are put within their classrooms. To further examine patterns of portfolio use, a subset of 44 teachers was interviewed to explore teacher perceptions about the impact of student portfolios on themselves and their students. Results suggest that these teachers make deliberate decisions regarding uses of their students' portfolios, decisions that appear heavily impacted by the maturity or skill level of the child, the purposes of the application, and the classroom environment within which the application occurs. They also depend on whether the portfolio product is in a formative state (working portfolio) or final state (performance portfolio). (Contains 7 tables and 14 references.) (Author/SLD)

Language: English

Published: Montreal, Canada, Apr 19-24, 1994

Abstract/Notes: The object of the present invention is a primary means of instruction consisting of semi-plastic and variably colored representations of the teaching objects.

Language: French

Date of issue: 1909-11-25

Language: English

Published: [S.I.]: Golden Clef Publications, 1996

Language: English

Published: Durban, South Africa, 1999

Abstract/Notes: This article is reprinted from American Montessori Society Bulletin, v. 8, no. 3 (1970). It was originally presented/published in conjunction with a conference: Buckenmeyer, Robert E. (1968). “The Philosophical Principles of Pre-Primary Education According to Dr. M. Montessori.” In Philosophy of Education: Proceedings of the 17th Annual Meeting of the Far Western Philosophy of Education Society in San Francisco, Dec. 6-7, 1968, edited by J. Jelinek, 201–25. Tempe, Arizona: Arizona State University.

Language: English

Published: Lexington, Massachusetts: Ginn Custom Pub., 1983

Edition: 2nd ed.

ISBN: 0-536-04367-1

Language: English

Language: English