Abstract/Notes: Heterogeneous mixtures of children occur naturally in play and in many school activities, for example, student council meetings, clubs, and social affairs. These activities demand the variety of ages, talents, interests, and experiences represented by the whole range of students in a school. It is questioned whether academic activities would not also be greatly enhanced by the contributions of, and cooperation among, a heterogeneous group of students learning together. The American school system at present generally organizes students into classes according to age. Because of the abundant research demonstrating the vast differences in ability and rate of development within any one age group, it is argued in this pamphlet that it is perhaps highly artificial to organize classrooms by age alone. The study committee responsible for the content of this pamphlet investigated both the theory and practice of multi-age grouping. In multi-age grouping, children are grouped randomly with no particular consideration of age or ability, although it is recognized that not all areas of study are amenable to such grouping. But for those subjects like art, creative writing, and discussion periods, in which varied levels of maturity, perspective, and experience can contribute more to the learning process, the learning process will be more likely enriched by a greater heterogeneity of pupils. Heterogeneous interaction of age groups contributes to social growth and understanding as well as to academic growth. OCLC: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/301385001

Language: English

Published: Washington, D.C.: National Education Association of the United States, 1968

Language: English

Published: Encinitas, California: Learning for Life, 1999

Language: English

Published: Cleveland, Ohio: North American Montessori Teachers' Association, 1990

Abstract/Notes: Evaluated the effects of placing additional equipment in preschool classrooms on the cognitive and perceptual development of 123 Negro preschool children. Students were randomized into 6 experimental and 6 control classes. Pre- and post-tests of the Stanford-Binet IQ, Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Performance IQ, and 4 subtests of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities were administered. Both desirable and undesirable effects resulted from the environmental enrichment. Results suggest that certain claims about the cognitive and perceptual value of play materials should be reconsidered.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1037/h0032249

ISSN: 0022-0663, 1939-2176

Language: Korean

ISSN: 1226-9417

Abstract/Notes: Italians children-students live a strong technological gap among different education instances: on the one hand, they are attending schools technologically still to the '80 years, on the other hand, they can rely on hyper-technological domestic-family environments where videogames, smartphones, internet are always available. In the school, all learnings take place under the supervision of the teacher that stimulates, directs and corrects these important steps in the basic training. On the contrary, in the domestic environment the presence of technology is increasingly pervasive. These new technologies cognitively stimulate the children, but they entertain the little ones often alone and without the participation and supervision of an adult audience. Thus, the technology gap results in a pedagogical clash among different educational instances and this is the “space” addressed by our research initiative whose objective is the construction of innovative teaching and learning environments for children between 3 and 6 years of age. The specific quantitative outcomes can be defined with respect to three main families of indicators: measures to detect the use of learning environments; indicators of the level of satisfaction and involvement of the various involved actors; real impact on the socio-cognitive development of children produced by the introduction of methodologies and technologies.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.09.056

ISSN: 0747-5632

Language: Italian

Language: English

Published: Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia, 2022

Abstract/Notes: This study was conducted to examine the effects of exploratory play in nature combined with locally based, environmental education (EE), on the environmental literacy (EL) of students in a lower elementary Montessori classroom. The study included one lower elementary Montessori classroom consisting of 24 students of which there were 12 girls and 12 boys, ranging from six to nine years of age. Activities consisted of environmental games, environmental art, lessons and activities that were designed to develop knowledge of the flora and fauna in and around the school. Lessons were followed with opportunities to write/draw reflections on lesson content or complete additional research. Data included questionnaires completed by students before and after the study, parent surveys, student interviews, teacher observations, and samples of student work. Though there were limitations of cold weather and time period, data demonstrated an increase in environmental literacy during the course of the study.

Language: English

Published: River Falls, Wisconsin, 2018

Abstract/Notes: This study implemented goal setting and self-reflection as self-regulated learning strategies and explored how these affected student work completion and on-task behavior. Students in this environment struggled with self-regulated learning and were observed to not complete work on time and needed redirection to focus on work during the work cycle. The study took place in an upper elementary Montessori environment at a private international school. Thirteen 4th grade students (ages 9-10) participated in the study. During this study, students were given lessons on goal setting and self-reflection and had group discussions about effective goal setting. Students set daily goals for themselves during the study and evaluated their progress at the end of the day. Students met with the guides for pre, mid and post-assessment discussions, where they reflected on their goals and progress. Students were observed twice daily for on and off-task behavior, and follow-up work was checked for completion. Despite the challenges of conducting this study during the COVID-19 pandemic, the results showed that student work completion and on-task behavior increased after students began setting goals. In particular, it proved to be beneficial to students who previously struggled with completing work. Further studies could look into integrating goal setting in a more streamlined manner to increase student engagement and interest.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2022