Abstract/Notes: Imaginary play activities are not only enjoyable in their own right, but also offer clear intellectual, social, and emotional benefits to children who participate in them. This article describes the nature of imaginary play as observed in some Montessori classrooms and lays the groundwork for developing a position statement on imaginary play for the early childhood years. In view of prevailing research supporting the importance of pretend play in the child's overall development, the stage is set for an interchange of ideas on whether Montessori's original proposal to align imagination with the elementary curriculum still holds true, or if the time has come to realize that pretend play has something to offer early childhood classrooms.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: This study examines life in a Montessori classroom, with special attention focused on spontaneous episodes of imaginary play. The goal is to better understand what is going on when children engage in imaginary play and how this play assists young learners in their development. This article examines three play episodes, each from a different area of the classroom. A link is established between the value of play in young children's learning and development and the ways in which young children make sense of and experience play in a Montessori classroom. The results of this study suggest that imaginary play occurs as a social activity embedded within interactions with friends. In particular, as children depict imaginary worlds while dialoguing with the materials, they practice interpersonal cooperation and role-taking skills. Although superheroes and pop stars were not invited into a Montessori school, the children found surrogates to express their feelings and needs, and they looked to their classmates in these little scenarios for an endorsement of their ideas.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: Speaking, listening, reading, and writing are all language activities. The human capacity for speaking and listening has a biological foundation: wherever there are people, there is spoken language. Acquiring spoken language is an unconscious activity, and, barring any physical deformity or language learning disability, like severe autism, all children listen and speak. In contrast, writing systems must be consciously learned. A child beginning to read and write has to discover what sound each symbol in the written code stands for and, in English, understand that the sound may change depending upon the placement within a word (i.e. circus or success). However, for 8 percent of the population, this process is remarkably difficult. Variable and often hereditary, this difficulty in acquiring and processing written language is called dyslexia, and it is manifested by a lack of proficiency in one or more of the processes of reading, spelling, or writing. Because dyslexia is a language-based disorder, it can be predicted from language development during the pre-reading stage. Classroom teachers of many pre-reading children can be at the forefront of identifying and helping the child with dyslexia before the disability diminishes that motivation, confidence, and love of learning that denote a Montessori child. Good teachers often just "know" that a child is developing atypically, but rarely is that enough to get the child the help she needs. Some simple screening procedures can provide data to show parents and other professionals and can lend confidence to a hunch. This article offers several screening activities for the classroom teacher.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: In recent years there has been greater emphasis placed on second language acquisition in schools. To be prepared for life in the 21st century, to function within an increasingly interdependent world society, to be free from the petty biases that hinder understanding and from the larger hatreds that lead to confrontation, children will need to acquire the basic tools of communication--including a working knowledge of other people's languages. Although early learning of another language is often viewed as exceptional and sometimes as undesirable, studies conducted around age-related issues find that children before the age of 7 tend to acquire second languages with great ease and fluency. Their older brothers and sisters, in traditional high school or college foreign language courses, seldom reach such communicative competence--even after 4 or 5 years of instruction. Research data, personal observation, and anecdotal information about children suggest encouragement of early second language introduction. This article discusses the benefits of introducing second language programs to young children.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: [...]today's children are homharded with moving images everywhere in their lives-on television, in movies, on smartphones, and on the Internet. HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY MATERIALS NEEDED: * Tray * Samples of photographs from different time periods (ideally, ones that include images of children): * Tintypes (thin iron plates) * Daguerreotypes (copper plates) * Ambrotypes (glass) * Calotypes (paper) * Modern prints (paper) from film or digital camera * A digital photo (on a smartphone, for example), for comparison * Thin cotton or latex gloves (to keep fingerprints off the images; find them at a drugstore or Amazon.com) STEPS: 1. BENEFITS: Since these movies contain very little dialogue, and the characters express their emotions through their movements and facial expressions, children must understand and follow a story line in a different way than they are used to. VIEWING THE WORLD MATERIALS NEEDED: * Stereoscopic viewer * Stereoscopic photographs from different countries and scenes * Old photographs, preferably ones with children, animals, or landscapes (these are the subjects to which my students were most drawn) * New View-Master (with disks) for children (available from many toy stores) STEPS: 1.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: [...]of these observations, and influenced by the teachings of Friedrich Froebel and Emile Jacques-Dalcroze, Montessori created a music curriculum that emphasized self-directed learning through instruments made specifically for children (Goodkin, 2002). Since we try to integrate musical theater into daily activities, rather than isolating this experience as an after-school program, we seek to choose shows that will highlight a unit or academic concept being taught in the classroom. Montessori was greatly opposed to teaching her students that imaginary characters, such as fairies or Santa Claus, exist (Montessori, 1997, p. 43). [...]we use musicals to continue building upon Montessori's philosophies of the purpose of schooling-to teach children about the real world, history, and social understanding (Montessori, 1964). [...]we imagine that she may have made accommodations for this growing art form, finding ways to integrate music, theater, and dance into her teaching and recognizing its importance within our communities and for our students.

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040