Language: English

ISSN: 2215-1249, 2772-7319

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this self-study was to examine the effects of concentrated interaction with anti-bias/anti-racist media on a Montessori guide’s practice. It was conducted over a total of six weeks. The intervention included a pre- and post- survey of understanding, nightly media interactions, daily reflection journaling, daily tallies of anti-bias/anti-racist thoughts during the school day, and a daily confidence scale to measure the participant’s confidence to integrate anti-bias/anti-racist concepts into her teaching practice. The study was completed at a private Montessori school in a medium-sized midwestern town, with an early childhood classroom of fifteen three- to five-year-old students of diverse backgrounds. The findings indicate a slight increase in confidence and efficacy for the participant in discussing anti-bias/anti-racist concepts with students, families and colleagues. The findings also point to the strong need for working with other educators and Montessorians for further integrating anti-bias/anti-racist concepts into classroom practice.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2020

Language: English

ISSN: 0519-0959

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this paper is to describe the effects of peace education on children’s prosocial behavior. This action research implemented peace education for six weeks in an early childhood classroom of 19 children, in the U.S., ages three to six. Qualitative data including interviews, observational logs, field notes, and a journal were collected. Quantitative data included a tally sheet of incidents and surveys of the children. The research concluded that peace education affected children’s prosocial behavior, increasing the number of prosocial behavior incidents, raising children’s awareness, knowledge, and skills for prosocial behavior, while positively impacting children’s prosocial behavior in the community. Further study was recommended to reinforce the findings by implementing peace education for a longer period of time, applying it in other classrooms, modifying activities and approaches to reach more children, such as those with special needs and behavioral problems, and educating parents in peace education at home.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2019

Abstract/Notes: This action research studied the impact of peace education and portions of the Positive Discipline curriculum in a three-six primary Montessori classroom. During five weeks of implementing the research, sixteen students participated in class meetings for twenty minutes a day. The peace table activities and wheel of choice lessons were conducted individually and as a whole class. The peace table activities included a set of mini dishes on a tray, a rain stick, and a peace rose. The wheel of choice consisted of pictures and words of examples of what students could choose to help them solve problems. A few examples are count to ten, apologize, ask for help, and write your name on the agenda. Implementing the presentations into the classroom environment became a work for the students to use if needed and did not occur daily. As a work choice, the previous activities were available on tables and children were allowed to choose the work as many times as they felt was necessary. The research began with baseline data collection through SWIS (School Wide Information System) referral records, student interviews, and student surveys. Sources of data obtained during the study included interviews, surveys, observation tally sheets, and a field journal. The results presented an increase in social awareness and problem-solving skills through the class meetings. Students began acknowledging problems and brainstorming solutions. Class meetings will continue daily to extend the positive problem-solving capabilities and mindfulness students developed in their classroom community.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2016

Abstract/Notes: An important part of a child’s development is learning how to relate to other children appropriately (Sidorowicz & Hair, 2009). The purpose of this study was to determine whether teaching children about peace would help them to reduce or resolve conflicts in the classroom. The study took place in a suburban Montessori classroom of 26 children, ages three to six years. The Research Methodology section of this Action Research report details the peace lessons and materials used in the peace curriculum. The data collection included observations of children’s conflicts and resolutions, conferences with the children and teachers, and children’s journal writings. The results of the study determined that, as the peace curriculum was implemented, there was a clear reduction in the number of daily conflicts among the children. Also, children involved in conflicts shifted from requiring a lot of teacher involvement to resolve their conflicts to needing little or no teacher involvement in the resolution. Suggested further research includes expanding the peace curriculum lessons over the entire year. In addition, further lessons and work could be added.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2015

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

Abstract/Notes: Montessori education is known as peace education. Normalization is one of the most significant concepts within Montessori education and which herself identifies as the “most important result.” The purpose of this study is to find out when and how precisely this Montessori theory of Normalization occurs in deviated children between zero and six years old; to precisely identify the timing, steps, and circumstances of Normalization, and secondly to examine the possibility of the normalized state of children to lead to peace in society. A total of 48 online survey responses were received from around the world. Twenty-one of the participants completed the open-response sections of the survey, and the analysis was primarily conducted based on these total responses. Results from teachers showed that Normalization begins with children’s spontaneous choice of work and comes with a solid and certain length of concentration. After they finished the work, peacefulness appeared in each child. The children experience this Normalization repeatedly and it manifests either as permanently or semi-permanent. This study centers on Normalization as a potential powerful tool for social change since this state is directly linked to concomitant individual and community peacefulness which can certainly spill beyond the classroom walls into general society. Furthermore, this study identifies the importance of analyzing the permanence of the state of Normalization since knowing the conditions for and causes of this permanence is key to both replication in experiments and its potential as an effective means for long lasting social change.

Language: English

Published: River Falls, Wisconsin, 2022

Language: English