Abstract/Notes: Dr. Maria Montessori was a perceptive observer of the learning processes of children, and nowhere is this revealed more clearly than in her approach to language. She viewed reading as the ultimate abstraction of language rather than a specific skill to be taught. Decoding is the skill to be taught. The concept of indirect and direct preparation for learning is of major importance in the rich heritage she gave us. She saw the existence of an epigenesis of intellectual functioning, which implies that the experiential roots of a given schema, or learned behavior, will lie in antecedent activities that may be quite different in structure from the schema to be learned. She used this principle effectively. This article discusses how Montessori's method and materials address the indirect and direct preparation for learning written language.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s11881-997-0028-4

ISSN: 0736-9387, 1934-7243

Language: English

ISSN: 0003-0112

Abstract/Notes: A randomized-trials design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a preschool mathematics program based on a comprehensive model of research-based curricula development. Thirty-six preschool classrooms were assigned to experimental (Building Blocks), comparison (a different preschool mathematics curriculum), or control conditions. Children were individually pre-and posttested, participating in 26 weeks of instruction in between. Observational measures indicated that the curricula were implemented with fidelity, and the experimental condition had significant positive effects on classrooms' mathematics environment and teaching. The experimental group score increased significantly more than the comparison group score (effect size = 0.47) and the control group score (effect size = 1.07). Early interventions can increase the quality of the mathematics environment and help preschoolers develop a foundation of mathematics knowledge.

Language: English

DOI: 10.3102/0002831207312908

ISSN: 0002-8312, 1935-1011

Language: English

DOI: 10.3102/00028312024003463

ISSN: 0002-8312, 1935-1011

Abstract/Notes: This study was designed to investigate specific aspects of preschool teacher-child interactions as they relate to task persistence in classroom vs. laboratory settings. It was hypothesized that teacher's criticism and interference would be associated with low task behavior in children, and that reward would be associated with high task behavior in both the classroom and an experimental setting; and that the children's task behavior in the two settings would be correlated. The procedure involved observation of teacher and antecedent child behavior in four Montessori classrooms for 8 days; timed observations of percent of time each child spent on-task in the classroom; and an experimental task, given individually outside the classroom. The results confirm all hypothesized relationships except that between reward in the classroom with persistence on the experimental task.

Language: English

DOI: 10.3102/00028312015003459

ISSN: 0002-8312, 1935-1011

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

Abstract/Notes: Many researchers have investigated the cooperative problem solving (CPS) of children during play; however, there is a lack of studies focused on teachers’ beliefs about how to support the development of children’s CPS in classrooms. This study aims to investigate the pedagogical beliefs of Chinese (n = 3) and US (n = 3) teachers about the CPS of children during play and their decision-making capabilities in supporting children to advance this skill in classrooms. A semi-structured interview was conducted with the integration of video-stimulated recall approach in order to achieve this aim. Results confirm that the Chinese and US teachers believe that children are competent and have the autonomy to decide how to solve problems with their peers. The beliefs are similar across the teachers, whereas their execution of these beliefs varies, which reflects their cultural uniqueness in scaffolding and creating classroom environments.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s10643-020-01087-9

ISSN: 1082-3301, 1573-1707

Language: English

DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12028

ISSN: 0009-3920, 1467-8624

Abstract/Notes: Examines the relationship between two preschool program directors' and teachers' beliefs, instructional decisions, and preschool children's conceptions of reading and writing. Results show that preschool children's conceptions of reading and writing reflected the practices of the two programs. (Author/BB) Directors of two preschool programs were interviewed regarding their orientations toward reading and writing instruction. Ten children from each program were interviewed regarding their conceptions of reading and writing. One school was found to have a “mastery of specific skills/text-based” orientation, and the other was found to have a “holistic/reader-based” orientation. A relationship was found between preschool program's orientations toward reading and writing instruction and children's ideas about reading and writing. The relationships between preschool practices and children's conceptions are examined. Implications for the influence of preschool teacher's beliefs and instructional decisions on children's conceptions of reading and writing are discussed.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1016/S0885-2006(89)90077-X

ISSN: 0885-2006, 1873-7706

Abstract/Notes: Conducted a 2-year observational study of a total of 81 lower- and middle-class 3-6 year olds to examine the behavior of young children in school settings which program all or part of the day as "free play" time. Results indicate that with age, children became more effective in moving from one activity to another; they spent less time in transition and longer periods in activity. Behaviors exhibited while in transition became less dependent on the immediate surrounding and seemed to indicate more autonomy. Lower-class boys had shorter activity lengths and more transitions than the other groups. A qualitative description of children's transition behavior is presented and possible implications of the findings for developmental and educational research are discussed.

Language: English

ISSN: 0016-6677