Abstract/Notes: Maria Montessori’s vision of peace education includes a deep respect for integral human development where a focus on the whole child in the context of the larger community is the norm. Within Montessori education, children learn each part of the universe, living and non-living, play a role in the cosmic order of the world. Long before climate change became a mainstream concern and imminent threat, Montessori understood that ecoliteracy and a deep reverence for understanding how sustainability, sustainable living, respect for the environment, and a deep understanding of the means of production and exchange were essential to the development of a peaceful world. This chapter explores her philosophy of peace education, its relationship to environmental stewardship, and the implementation of these themes within the Montessori context.

Language: English

Published: New York, New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-350-27561-4 978-1-350-27560-7 978-1-350-27562-1

Series: Bloomsbury Handbooks

Abstract/Notes: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandated that states implement standards and test-based accountability systems. In theory, local educators are free to select the means for teaching the standards so long as students achieve a predetermined proficiency level on the exams. What is unclear, however, is how this theory plays out in schools committed to educational approaches that are seemingly incompatible with state-determined standards and testing. This dissertation examines how such schools strategically respond to the opposing demands of their program design and these government mandates. This qualitative study focuses on five schools affiliated with the Big Picture Learning (BPL) network. BPL offers an example of an educational program whose emphasis on individualized interest-driven learning and authentic real-world assessment is not easily aligned with standards-driven content and tests. This study considers empirical research on school-level response to externally imposed accountability mandates (Carnoy, Elmore & Siskin, 2003). In addition, it draws on sociology's organization-environment relations literature including institutional isomorphism (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983), agency (DiMaggio, 1988; Oliver, 1991) and the theoretical models of bridging, buffering and decoupling (Scott & Davis, 2007) to create a conceptual framework of how these BPL schools negotiate competing expectations. Findings show that these schools filter state demands for accountability through the lenses of both individual teachers and Big Picture design. While taking action both to meet the demands and protect the core program, schools internalize the value of a standards-based curriculum and increase internal accountability to incorporate content-standards while simultaneously rejecting the validity of testing and gaming the system. Currently, failure to meet state mandates comes with such severe consequences that these schools may be forced to choose between radically morphing to survive or maintaining integrity and possibly closing. However, if the regulatory climate becomes less standardized and more qualitative, these schools could be forerunners in meeting revised mandates. The study suggests policy implications surrounding the intersection of belief systems, consequences and strategic responses. It offers a cautionary tale about the power of the state, the precarious nature of falling outside state norms and what prioritizing bureaucratic efficiency may mean for innovation in education.

Language: English

Published: Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2012

Abstract/Notes: In questo libro si sottolinea come i fondamenti del Metodo Montessori ricolleghino il bambino alla natura attraverso pratiche educativo-didattiche, ambienti e architetture a questo scopo dedicate. Una chiave, questa, per entrare nel mondo montessoriano più evoluto all'insegna di Ecologia, Ecosostenibilità, Biofilia, Energie alternative, dove il contenuto, il contenitore e quel che lo circonda devono essere in totale sintonia con l'ambiente. Colloquio esclusivo, tra gli altri, con l'archistar olandese Herman Hertzberger, autore - insieme all'architetto italiano Marco Scarpinato - del progetto di una scuola romana unica al mondo. [This book underlines how the foundations of the Montessori Method reconnect the child to nature through educational-didactic practices, environments and architectures dedicated to this purpose. This is a key to entering the most advanced Montessori world under the banner of Ecology, Eco-sustainability, Biophilia, Alternative Energy, where the content, the container and what surrounds it must be in total harmony with the environment. Exclusive conversation, among others, with the Dutch archistar Herman Hertzberger, author - together with the Italian architect Marco Scarpinato - of the project for a unique Roman school in the world.]

Language: Italian

Published: Roma, Italy: Fefè Editore, 2021

ISBN: 978-88-949472-9-8

Series: Pagine vere , 49

Abstract/Notes: This research examines how a developmentally appropriate educational program in the early years can affect the development of gifted children. The qualitative research specifically focused on a multi-age, multi-ability setting with partial implementation of a whole language program, a systematic writing process and with some flexibility in grouping of students. Eleven teachers and approximately 260 students in an ungraded primary school were involved, with 3 first year and 30 second year students identified as gifted. The study found that gifted children followed a somewhat accelerated curriculum. Teachers felt that there were definite social benefits to integrating the gifted and nongifted students. The multi-age, multi-ability setting seemed to allow young students not identified as gifted to progress more rapidly than they might have in a traditional graded classroom, as they were exposed to higher level instruction. There was little evidence of the development of creative

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English