Abstract/Notes: This mixed-methods action research examined the effects of classroom talk lessons on children’s perceptions of collaborative group work in an online Montessori learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 19 Lower Elementary students and one teacher/investigator. All work was online, both synchronous and asynchronous. Students were presented with lessons in classroom talk, and practiced these skills during online collaboration in the creation of a student newsletter. Key findings were that students use of classroom talk behaviors and rigorous thinking increased slightly over the four-week period and students’ perceptions of their community identity and the value of their ideas increased over the course of the intervention, most notably in younger students. Teaching classroom talk had positive effects on student agency, depth of collaborative work, and grace and courtesy in this digital Montessori classroom. Respectful disagreement was identified as an area for future study.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2021

Abstract/Notes: This action research project studied how student-created formative assessments in mathematics would affect student confidence and perceived math ability. Students participated in a four-week study. The researcher conducted this study in September and October of 2021. The seven participating students were from an Upper Elementary classroom in a private Southern California Montessori school. The intervention consisted of a student-constructed survey taken weekly and a group analysis of the anonymized data collected from the said survey. Additional data sources included parent surveys, end-of-intervention student surveys, and classwork observational tally sheets. This study found that students gained further awareness of their work choices by completing the student-constructed formative assessments and reviewing the data. In the future, educators could conduct further research regarding the impact of using student-created formative assessment long-term and with a wider variety of subjects

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2021

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was to explore how mindfulness practices help increase motivation in high school students in a foreign language classroom. This study was conducted at a small school in an urban area in Texas. Nineteen students between the ninth and tenth grades were the participants in this research. The data collection included a pre and post motivational questionnaire that helped identify how motivated the students felt in the classroom. Data was collected on each participant through weekly self-assessments. The results of this action research showed that the implementation of mindfulness practices helped to increase the motivation of the students in the high school Spanish class. The action research project was conducted at the beginning of the second semester of the school year with a duration of four weeks.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2020

Abstract/Notes: This study project was designed to study the effectiveness of implementations to aid in the successful inclusion of special needs students in a Montessori elementary classroom. This study also looked at the impacts that inclusion has on special-needs students. This study took place in a small Montessori upper elementary classroom of fourth through sixth grade in the southern United States. The implementations included self-control building, self-regulating and calming activities, Grace and Courtesy lessons, team building activities and oral reading, discussions and journal entries of Wonder (Palacio, 2012) Data was collected using student journals, an observational tally, researcher’s field journal, discussion notes and parent pre mid and post surveys The findings indicate there is a correlation of use of the implementations and a reduction of inappropriate interactions. It is recommended that future studies focus on a larger subject base as well as a more longitudinal period of implementations and data collection.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2020

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this action research project was to explore what effects one-on-one coaching would have on whole class transition times. The transitions in question were in a class of first through third graders moving from the period of class-time consisting of individual or small-group work choices to the whole class gathering in order to move on to the next activity, such as circle time in preparation for lining up to head to another part of the school building for Specials classes or lunch or to recess. Mostly this consisted of cleaning up the classroom and gathering as a whole group at circle time. Individually coaching the teacher in implementing specific techniques from No-Nonsense Nurturing® (NNN) online training platform could affect the quality and length of time of identified whole class transitions. Coaching techniques consisted of one-on-one meetings between coach and teacher for identifying through observation, learning through online training and coaching conversations, and planning improvements with the coach as partner. The data collection utilized pre- and postintervention questionnaires, daily time tracker tally sheets, daily phrase tracker tally sheets, and weekly discussion questionnaires. Participation in the coaching cycle was found to improve the teacher’s understanding of NNN as a tool to increase the teacher-student relationships. This, in turn, increases efficiency in whole-class transition times.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2020

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was to see how using High-Leverage Practices with a novice teacher would affect her classroom management skills in a lower elementary, Montessori classroom. Teaching in a lower elementary, Montessori classroom is always difficult as it is a mixed-age environment of first through third grade students. It is also difficult when the teacher is new to the field of teaching. Since many teachers come to teaching from other careers, learning how to effectively manage their classrooms is an on-going struggle. This study focuses on what happens when a master teacher, with more than 20 years of experience, works with a novice teacher who has taught for less than 3 years. The researcher used High-Leverage Practices to model teaching practices in the novice teacher’s classroom based on observed areas for growth. Improvements were seen in the areas selected by the novice teacher, such as giving individual and group lessons, redirecting students who are not engaged, and lesson preparation. Research should continue in this area as there is little history of this practice in Montessori teacher education. Research should also continue to see if the effects of the interventions would be more significant over a longer period of time.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2020

Abstract/Notes: UN and UNESCO connections

Language: English

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: An article filled with suggestions on how to develop observation habits in the elementary classroom.

Language: English

ISSN: 0519-0959