Abstract/Notes: Readers Respond I usually find Montessori Life to be an incredibly useful resource, but the most recent issue (Vol. 31, No. 3, Fall 2019) knocked it out of the park with Dr. Olivia Christensens article, Running in Circles: Dilemmas, Uncertainty, and the Freedom to Cope" Ive been teaching in Montessori Toddler classrooms for 4 years now, and as I start in a new school this year, I felt very connected to this article. [...]I just became aware that my training centers Elementary school now uses traditional education (not Montessori) for fourth and fifth grades. If we are teaching our students to solve their social problems, behave in an appropriate manner, and be accountable for their actions, words, and choices, why are we as Montessori educators not doing the same?

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: [...]I want to encourage every Montessori educator, teacher educator, and administrator to make time for observations in a public or charter Montessori school program. [...]I think that a program should not be labeled a Reggio Emilia program unless there is full commitment to that program-well-prepared teachers, a serious atelier (the art and supplies room, often centrally located), true child choice, and fantastic Tuscan food for everyone in the school. [...]this format makes it impossible for most of the children to come up and do anything-it assumes the teacher will be "doing things" with whatever is being presented. [...]teachers must set policies about tattling, about asking for spelling help, and so on, and encourage children to use peers as much as possible.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: Whether it be with a babysitter, nanny, au pair, grandparent, or friend, it is worth having a conversation that can help clarify or explain why you do what you do. Since your children may spend a great deal of time with their caregiver(s), it is important that your "circle" understands your family's values and wishes. If children ask for help, scaffold and assist a little at a time (e.g., when struggling to put on shoes, offer to put your finger in the heel to help them slide it on rather than doing all of it for them). * Do not interrupt the child if they are concentrating and focused. * Resist punishments like time-outs and reprimands. [...]children crave consistency and routine.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: The experts discuss the importance of boredom as a springboard for creativity, evolutionary biology, the critical stages of the child's brain development (particularly the frontal lobe during infancy and early childhood), brain wave research, and the targeting of children by gaming technology. Riihimaki also presents a number of research polls to buttress the work of her experts-for example, a 2017 Common Sense Media study that points out that between 2013 and 2017, screen time for children from birth to age 8 tripled. When we isolate a child, they don't do well. Since early 2020, we have been doing exactly that in the name of public health.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: A friend suggested I check out a program at Oklahoma City University-a master's degree in early childhood education with an emphasis on Montessori education. Drawn in by this new and interesting method of education, I enrolled and completed the master's degree program. [...]my years teaching children have confirmed all that I had encountered in Montessori's books: the importance of following the child; careful, detailed preparation of the environment every day; guiding each child based on detailed observations; and, especially, "waiting for the child who is not yet there." (Waiting does not mean doing nothing; it means observing and interacting without pressure, an approach developed only after much experience.) Parents visiting a Montessori school the first time are attracted to the colorful materials, asking "How does this work?" or "What is this for?" Their interest often mirrors their children's.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: (Maker Media) And he had this to say in an EdSurge article (in Corcoran, 2015): I believe that one of the lasting impacts of the Maker Movement is to transform our education system, replacing a standardized curriculum and testing with learn-by-doing experiential learning. A perfect example was when I visited a student Maker space at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas; the space was set up by SMU's engineering design department. After the interview, I came away realizing how many of Dale Dougherty's perspectives on Making align with the Montessori philosophy-hands-on learning, creative exploration, independent thinking, trusting/following the child. Dale Dougherty, father of the Maker Movement, talks about breaking rules, erasers & building a learning culture.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: An educational building must integrate smart building strategies to ensure indoor environmental quality. Thermal, acoustic, visual comfort and indoor air quality are to be considered, otherwise they can develop the sick building syndrome. Smart buildings solve this potential problem by providing a highly efficient living ambience that includes safety, comfort and a good quality of living/learning/working experience, that helps the users achieve their best possible performance. These buildings should integrate advanced technologies such as automated systems and the implementation of architectural skins, well and functional designed spaces and architectural features that act as active bioclimatic solutions. The following is a case study of an architectural project for an elementary and junior high school academic campus in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico that has to deal with the extreme climate conditions of the location, while applying the best alternative and bioclimatic strategies through the implementation of inmotics, a responsive architectural skin, sustainable construction systems and native vegetation. In doing so, a comprehensive environmentally friendly building is created, taking advantage of the surrounding natural conditions, using the latest environmentally oriented systems and technologies. The result is a healthy, safe, and productive space for its users that greatly benefits the teaching-learning process.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1051/shsconf/202110203003

ISSN: 2261-2424

Abstract/Notes: Colour preference among children has been explored in a variety of populations and cultures. However, there is scanty research on the psychology of colour and, in particular, colour preference among children in Nigeria. Sixty (60) children (30 males and 30 females) randomly drawn from a population of students of a Montessori School in Ibadan, Nigeria participated in the study. A One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for Repeated Measures Design was used to test five hypotheses stated in the study. Results identified the order of colour preference by the children as red, yellow, tint, white, green, blue, brown and black. Red and yellow were significantly preferred to black. There was significant difference in order of colour among female children, children of age group 9-12 years and children of age group 3-8 years. In conclusion, red and yellow prove to be more stimulating and attractive than any other colour. These findings will be helpful to teaching agencies, and advertising companies and entrepreneurs that major in the production of children materials to know the right colour to use on their products. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n1p325

Language: English

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n1p325

ISSN: 2039-2117

Abstract/Notes: A Montessori early years classroom is distinguished by open shelves displaying carefully arranged sets of didactic objects. The design of these objects follows precise specifications that control variation in the materials used, as well as the colour, shape, size, texture and possibilities for manipulation. The objects accurately represent educational knowledge, while making this knowledge accessible to young children in ways that leave lasting impressions on which future knowledge can be reliably built. When children manipulate Montessori objects, in response to modelling provided by the teacher, their movements weave the objects into a unified multimodal ensemble, a unit of meaning or text, which opens up an instructional pathway that links, in the service of children’s development, the material and semiotic realms of human experience, leading children towards mastery of the knowledge encoded in the objects. The Montessori objects designed in the early twentieth century exemplify what teachers have been doing forever, that is, representing educational meanings in multiple ways to place them within reach of learners. This chapter argues that the durability of the Montessori objects presents an unusual opportunity in the field of pedagogy to explore the educational potential of multimodal representation.

Language: English

Published: New York: Routledge, 2019

Edition: 1st

ISBN: 978-0-203-70107-2 978-1-138-57440-3

Series: Studies in Multimodality

Abstract/Notes: "The January issue of 'The Madanapal', the journal of the Theosophical High School at Madanapalle, carries a photograph of Madame Montessori as frontispiece, an article about the work she is doing at Adyar and some of the main principles of her method of education..."

Language: English