For faster results please use our Quick Search engine.
Advanced Search
Search across titles, abstracts, authors, and keywords.
Advanced Search Guide.
Master's Thesis (Action Research Report)
The Effect of Purposeful Movement in the Garden On Attention and Focus in the Primary Montessori Classroom
Available from: St. Catherine University
See More
Abstract/Notes: This study explores how gardening affects students’ focus and attention in a primary Montessori classroom. Over the course of a four-week intervention, the teacher-researcher provided eleven students with mini-gardening lessons, followed by time to use purposeful movement in the garden. When students returned to the classroom to assume their Montessori work activities, the researcher collected data by recording the time it took the students to get on task, whether or not students were focused, and which unfocused behaviors were exhibited. A pre-and post-attitude scale was completed by the students to determine prior experiences and attitudes towards gardening. The study revealed that during the intervention, time to get on task decreased and ability to focus increased. Students who were habitually inattentive and not focused continued this pattern, but did show improvement over the life of the study. Further research is needed to support these findings; post-intervention data could be collected to determine long-term impacts, and a higher number of students should be involved in the intervention for generalization purposes.
Language: English
Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2018
Article
Challenging the Gaze: The Subject of Attention and a 1915 Montessori Demonstration Classroom (Bilingual edition: English/Portuguese)
Available from: Cadernos de História da Educação
Publication: Cadernos de História da Educação, vol. 15, no. 1
Date: 2016
Pages: 166-189
Americas, Montessori method of education - Criticism, interpretation, etc., Montessori method of education - History, United States of America, North America, Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915, San Francisco, California), United States of America
See More
Abstract/Notes: The child's attention, how this attention is reasoned about, and how attention works as a surface for pedagogical intervention are central to understanding modern schooling. This article examines “attention” as an object of knowledge related to the organization and management of individuals. I address what we might learn about attention by studying one specific Montessori classroom, the glass-walled public demonstration set up at the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair. The pedagogy of attention on display and the spectatorship of the classroom provide an opportunity to rethink how power and subjectivity play in the formation of human attractions. I argue that thinking through Montessori offers important and relevant suggestions for present-day examinations of attention. The 1915 demonstration classroom can help us theorize the relation of attention to normalizing and governmentalizing practices. This specific study of how attention operates in one locale has implications for tactile learning theories and for the analytics of power to be used in studies of attention.
Language: English, Portuguese
DOI: 10.14393/che-v15n1-2016-6
ISSN: 1982-7806
Article
Starting Public Programs [Part 3]: Attention to the Environment
Available from: University of Connecticut Libraries - American Montessori Society Records
Publication: Public School Montessorian, vol. 22, no. 3
Date: Spring 2010
Pages: 17
See More
Language: English
ISSN: 1071-6246
Article
'Superior Outcomes' for Public Montessori: Lillard Study in Science Magazine Draws International Attention
Publication: Public School Montessorian, vol. 19, no. 2
Date: Winter 2007
Pages: 20
See More
Language: English
ISSN: 1071-6246
Article
Eagle Peak's Improvement Receives National Attention [Eagle Peak Montessori Charter School, Contra Costa, California]
Publication: Public School Montessorian, vol. 16, no. 2
Date: Winter 2004
Pages: 34
See More
Language: English
ISSN: 1071-6246
Article
North Carolina Officials Find a Gem: Charlotte's Amay James School Gets Attention - and Perhaps a Platform
Available from: University of Connecticut Libraries - American Montessori Society Records
Publication: Public School Montessorian, vol. 14, no. 2
Date: Winter 2002
Pages: 29
See More
Language: English
ISSN: 1071-6246
Master's Thesis (Action Research Report)
The Effects of Mindfulness Practices and Activities on Student Attention and Work Engagement in a Multi-age 4th to 6th grade Montessori Classroom
Available from: St. Catherine University
See More
Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this research was to test whether the implementation of mindfulness exercises would increase focus and work engagement of students. This study incorporated breathing and visualization exercises three times a week. The 5-week study involved 44 children between the ages of 9 and 12 years in a private Montessori school in Northern Michigan. Data collection included daily tallies of on and off task behavior, daily observations of work engagement, pre and post questionnaires about mindfulness completed by each child, and oneon- one discussions with each participant. Results showed an increase in the number of students on task and more students engaged in work over time. The pre and post questionnaire showed an increase in the number of students who liked mindfulness exercises and thought they were helpful, but expressed mixed opinions related to statements regarding focus and distraction. Eighty-two percent of students responded that they found mindfulness exercises helpful. Thirtysix percent mentioned the words “focus” or “concentrate” in their descriptions of how the mindfulness exercises were helpful. Eighty percent responded that they would use the mindfulness techniques independently. The data showed a positive correlation between the implementation of mindfulness exercises and focus in children ages 9 to 12. Suggestions for further research include increasing conversations about ways students can practice mindfulness exercises independently and an extended research period.
Language: English
Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2016