Abstract/Notes: This action research project was instigated to determine the effects of professional development (PD) for practicing Montessori teachers using the Montessori Language materials. The specific targeted materials included: vocabulary cards, sound analysis, sandpaper letters, moveable alphabet, pencil use, and reading. The research took place during a four week period in a large west coast Montessori school that serves children between 18 months and 12 years old. The teachers who participated in the study all worked with children between the ages of 3 – 6 years old. The data was collected using a provider journal (notes taken by the researcher during the PD sessions), questionnaires and weekly teacher logs. The researcher used available PD literature to plan and execute the study, which highlighted the importance of teachers participating in PD that was designed around participant identified content. The literature also provided guidance as to the content methods to incorporate into the PD sessions. At the conclusion of the study, findings revealed that the teachers benefited from support in all the language categories listed. They also became aware of the content delivery methods that best met their individual needs. Future research is needed to determine the content and delivery needs of teachers in different stages of their careers.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2016

Abstract/Notes: Fostering creative minds has always been a premise to ensure adaptation to new challenges of human civilization. While some alternative educational settings (i.e., Montessori) were shown to nurture creative skills, it is unknown how they impact underlying brain mechanisms across the school years. This study assessed creative thinking and resting-state functional connectivity via fMRI in 75 children (4–18 y.o.) enrolled either in Montessori or traditional schools. We found that pedagogy significantly influenced creative performance and underlying brain networks. Replicating past work, Montessori-schooled children showed higher scores on creative thinking tests. Using static functional connectivity analysis, we found that Montessori-schooled children showed decreased within-network functional connectivity of the salience network. Moreover, using dynamic functional connectivity, we found that traditionally-schooled children spent more time in a brain state characterized by high intra-default mode network connectivity. These findings suggest that pedagogy may influence brain networks relevant to creative thinking—particularly the default and salience networks. Further research is needed, like a longitudinal study, to verify these results given the implications for educational practitioners. Research Highlights Most executive jobs are prospected to be obsolete within several decades, so creative skills are seen as essential for the near future. School experience has been shown to play a role in creativity development, however, the underlying brain mechanisms remained under-investigated yet. Seventy-five 4–18 years-old children, from Montessori or traditional schools, performed a creativity task at the behavioral level, and a 6-min resting-state MR scan. We uniquely report preliminary evidence for the impact of pedagogy on functional brain networks.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1111/desc.13389

ISSN: 1467-7687

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how Montessori middle school educators described the use of project-based and student-centered learning to teach social development to their adolescent female students in the southeast region of the United States. The theoretical framework providing a lens for this examination of project-based and student-centered learning and how teachers described how such learning exercised on their students’ social development was Vygotsky’s social learning and development theory. Two research questions were posed for this study. RQ1 asked: How do Montessori middle school educators describe the use of project-based learning to teach social development to their adolescent female students? RQ2 asked: How do Montessori middle school educators describe the use of student-centered learning to teach social development to their adolescent female students? The sample (N = 30) completed 30 questionnaires, 10 individual semi-structured interviews via Zoom, and a 3-member focus group via Zoom. The sampling strategy was purposeful sampling. All participants originated from the southeast region of the United States and represented one school. An open-ended questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group were the sources of data. Thematic analysis with an inductive coding approach was performed to identify, analyze, and report patterns emerging from the data. Four key themes emerged: (a) promoting the construction of knowledge; (b) student voice and choice; (c) student ownership and agency; (d) construction of learning. The results highlighted the important role that Montessori middle school educators play when teaching adolescents girls.

Language: English

Published: Phoenix, Arizona, 2021

Abstract/Notes: British Infant vs Montessori preschool programs, logical structure & number comprehension & cognitive development & social interaction, male vs female, 3 vs 4 yr olds

Language: English

Published: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1977

Abstract/Notes: This dissertation examines the role of quality age-appropriate television in children's knowledge of polite behavior routines. The television program used is from the series "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" and the child subjects are preschoolers in a Montessori school in a midwestern University town. The study asks: What do preschoolers know about appropriate host-guest behaviors and from where does this knowledge come? A developmental investigation of preschoolers' knowledge of polite behavior routines and their learning from the television program is undertaken using the theoretical framework of Soviet activity theory. By framing the interacting elements in the study as an activity system, a study design in five phases emerges. The phases include: observations of children in the classroom environment; a deep reading of the program; interviews with the program's producers; a study of children's learning from the program and knowledge of host-guest behaviors, and; surveys and interviews with parents intended to establish family attitudes and methods for teaching polite behaviors. Results from the five phases are integrated and analyzed within the framework of activity theory. It is concluded that preschoolers have quite a bit of knowledge about how to interact as hosts and guests and that they do imitate and learn from an appropriate television program. Their knowledge of appropriate behaviors and their memory and comprehension for the televised messages increase with age from three to five years. There also appears to be an affective component, involving fear related to strange situations, at work for the youngest children, which may contribute to inhibiting their performance of appropriate behaviors. The television program, the school, and the home, which in this study all reflect middle-class American values, parallel each other in the behaviors they encourage. And although the importance of this kind of television programming is acknowledged, it is concluded that children's abilities in this domain are stretched more by interacting with an adult, that is, learning takes place in the "zone of proximal development" in a role-playing situation, but not simply as a result of viewing.

Language: English

Published: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, 1993

Language: Korean

ISSN: 1226-8836

Language: English

Published: Bothell, Washington, n.d.

Language: English

Published: Moraga, California, 2014

Abstract/Notes: This research explores principles from the Montessori method to inspire a guiding framework that can be employed to enhance the delivery of adult upskilling and re-skilling initiatives. Humanity is witnessing a technological revolution and recovering from the ongoing global pandemic that began in 2020. The effects of COVID-19 extended far beyond physical health, impacting labour market conditions and exacerbating stresses on labour shortages and labour skill gaps. This means that workforce innovation will be critical for economic recovery. Workforce innovation and development involves testing, sharing, and implementing new approaches to employment and training initiatives. More than 100 years ago, amidst the rapid social and economic change that was taking place across Europe, Maria Montessori envisioned a new kind of education that could play a part in a broad social innovation program. She opened the first Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House), aiming for the recovery of an entire community in San Lorenzo, Rome. At the time, San Lorenzo was known as the “shame of Italy”; with the introduction of the Montessori method, it soon became a beacon of hope for the community and the world. The Montessori Method was built on six primary principles: observation; freedom with limits; respect; hands-on learning; independence; and a prepared environment that is designed for children to choose freely from several developmentally appropriate activities. For Montessori, education (which she conceived of as active learning experience in the form of work) was integral to the growth of the child and the formation of a new world. This core philosophy is not restricted to children, however; Montessori’s core principles have been explored in adult learning; as part of designing and delivering healthcare programs for older adults around the world; and in language and social programs for adults at risk of social isolation in Europe. This major research project will focus on exploring how the core principles of the Montessori Method can be applied to support future-ready adult learning to inspire workforce innovation and development in Canada. With a goal of supporting upskilling and re-skilling design innovation, and of prioritizing skills-training and development offerings for groups who face the greatest number of barriers (including racialized women and skilled recent immigrant talent), this study uses a heuristic inquiry approach to explore the question of how employment and skills training programs might learn from, and leverage the core principles of, the Montessori method to respond to and meet the skills gaps and labour shortages in Canada. Through a literature review and Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), this research project offers a Montessori-inspired, principle-focused guide to supporting future-ready adult learning environments.

Language: English

Published: Ontario, Canada, 2023

Abstract/Notes: The garden can be viewed as an imitation of nature in an urban setting. In past times, many educators aware of the importance of nature in the education process were avid supporters of the school garden. Many studies that examined the influence of the school garden in the education process have shown that it offers multiple benefits to the students, one of which is that it furthers experiential learning. Students involved in gardening improve their overall academic performance and increases their interest in learning. It also seems to have positive effects on their overall behavior and on their emotional and social health. In the results of studies, we can also see the students who participated in gardening showed remarkable improvement in their overall physical health, and that they often adopted better nutritional habits. Finally, the school garden can serve as a portal for the students and for the school in general, to introduce them to environmental education and to sustainability in both theory and practice.  Article visualizations:

Language: English

DOI: 10.46827/ejes.v7i9.3247

ISSN: 2501-1111