Abstract/Notes: Robin Moore and Nilda Cosco view the Montessori approach to the prepared environment as overlapping their understanding of the naturalization of school grounds. As they present the possibilities for a naturalized setting to overcome sedentary lifestyles and maximize learning in the outdoors, they establish necessary components for success: professional design, careful attention to surface drainage, thoughtful use of a hierarchy of pathways, variety in elevation, transitional shelters and terraces, moveable parts, restoration of wild places, inclusion of fruit-bearing species, and, above all, establishing a sense of place. [Reprinted from "The NAMTA Journal" 32,1 (2007, Winter): 129-151. This article is based on a talk given at the NAMTA conference titled "Montessori Awareness: Opening the Doors to Perception," St. Louis, MO, October 12-15, 2006.]

Language: English

ISSN: 1522-9734

Abstract/Notes: During the process of conceptualizing the school of which she is the founding principal, Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School, Katy Myers' driving question was, "What exactly is Montessori high school?" Her answer to this question gets to the heart of the mission of many Montessori high schools. She concluded that her high school must be guided by the principle that "adolescence is the sensitive period for social justice." In presenting how her thinking developed from this point, Myers offers an essential understanding of the work, at both the junior and high school levels, that is centered around empowering adolescents with the tools they need to have the agency to make social change. [This talk was presented at the NAMTA Adolescent Workshop at the AMI/USA Refresher Course, February 17-20, 2017 in Austin, TX.]

Language: English

ISSN: 1522-9734

Language: English

ISSN: 1522-9734

Abstract/Notes: Im Unterschied zur vergleichsweise einheitlich verfassten Waldorf-Schullandschaft in der BRD, bilden die Montessori-Schulen keinen einheitlichen Typus (s. o. Zusammenfassung). Ihre Trägerschaft (z. B. durch eingetragene Vereine, Kirchen oder Kommunen) weist ebenso wie die Schulform, die sie repräsentieren (Grundschule, Hauptschule, Gesamtschule, Fachoberschule, Gymnasium etc.) eine breite Streuung auf. Diese unterschiedlichen Rahmenbedingungen bringen vielfache Vorentscheidungen mit sich – z. B. im Blick auf die Rekrutierung der Lehrkräfte, in Bezug auf die Bewusstheit der Schulwahlentscheidungen der Eltern und die Freiheiten, den Unterricht und das Lernen konsequent an Montessori-Prinzipien zu orientieren.

Language: German

Published: Wiesbaden, Germany: Springer Fachmedien, 2013

ISBN: 978-3-531-19089-1

Abstract/Notes: Seniors with dementia living in nursing homes are often faced with boredom and loneliness due to lack of meaningful engagement and personalized activities. We applied Montessori method to design an interactive table for elderly home residents and evaluated the design with four female residents and a nurse. This method offers a range of levelled interactions to meet the needs at different stages and cognitive decline levels of the residents with dementia. The table initiates interaction with an increasing level of complexity that magnifies the rewarding effects and social connectedness among the residents. The qualitative evaluation during a pilot study indicated that the interactions with the table reduced agitation of the elderly participants and increased the instances of positive social behaviours.

Language: English

Published: Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer, 2018

Pages: 49-58

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-73062-2_4

ISBN: 978-3-319-73061-5 978-3-319-73062-2

Abstract/Notes: Aims. To investigate the efficacy of applying a Montessori intervention to improve the eating ability and nutritional status of residents with dementia in long-term care facilities. Background. An early intervention for eating difficulties in patients with dementia can give them a better chance of maintaining independence and reduce the risk of malnutrition. Methods. An experimental crossover design was employed. Twenty-nine residents were chosen from two dementia special care units in metropolitan Taipei. To avoid contamination between participants in units using both Montessori and control interventions, two dementia special care units were randomly assigned into Montessori intervention (I1) and routine activities (I2) sequence groups. A two-period crossover design was used, with 15 residents assigned to Montessori intervention sequence I (I1, I2) and 14 residents assigned to Montessori intervention sequence II (I2, I1). On each intervention day, residents were given their assigned intervention. Montessori intervention was provided in 30-min sessions once every day, three days per week, for eight weeks. There was a two-week washout period between each intervention. Results. There was a significant reduction in the Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia score for the Montessori intervention period but not for the routine activities period, while the mean differences for the Eating Behavior Scale score, self-feeding frequency and self-feeding time were significantly higher than those of the routine activities period. Except for the Mini-Nutritional Assessment score post-test being significantly less than the pre-test for the routine activities period, no significant differences for any other variables were found for the routine activities period. Conclusion. This study confirms the efficacy of a Montessori intervention protocol on eating ability of residents with dementia. Adopting Montessori intervention protocols to maintain residents’ self-feeding ability in clinical practice is recommended. Relevance to clinical practice. Montessori-based activities could provide caregivers with an evidence-based nursing strategy to deal with eating difficulties of people with dementia.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03858.x

ISSN: 1365-2702

Abstract/Notes: The choice of activities responding to the needs of people with moderate to severe dementia is a growing concern for care providers trying to target the need for a feeling of self-accomplishment by adapting activities to the abilities of elderly patients. The activities created by Maria Montessori seem to be adaptable to this clientele. This study evaluates the short-term effects, as compared to regular activities offered in the milieu. This is a quasi-experimental study where each of the 14 participants was observed and filmed in two conditions: during Montessori activities, during regular activities, and one control condition (no activity). The results show that Montessori activities have a significant effect on affect and on participation in the activity. They support the hypothesis that when activities correspond to the needs and abilities of a person with dementia, these positive effects are also observed on behaviours. This study enabled its authors to corroborate the findings presented in the literature and to contribute additional elements on the positive effects of the use of Montessori activities and philosophy. Used with people with moderate to severe dementia these allow the satisfaction of their basic psychological needs, their well being, and hence, on their quality of life.

Language: English

DOI: 10.2190/AG.71.1.b

ISSN: 1541-3535, 0091-4150

Abstract/Notes: La finalidad del proyecto que se presentará a continuación es la mejora del sistema de recogida de residuos sólidos en los colegios Montessori y Turicará de la ciudad de Piura, de manera que esto ayude a mejorar la calidad de vida tanto de estudiantes como de profesores y otros trabajadores a través de la eficiente y correcta segregación de dichos residuos. El equipo de proyecto en su informe final proporciona toda la información esencial para llevar a cabo la enseñanza y aprendizaje de las acciones necesarias para reciclar de manera correcta y eficiente. Para poder diseñar un sistema adecuado tanto de tachos para recolección de residuos así como la enseñanza para los estudiantes, el equipo ha realizado una serie de estudios en los colegios y el entorno. [The purpose of the project that will be presented below is to improve the solid waste collection system in the Montessori and Turicará schools in the city of Piura, so that this helps to improve the quality of life of both students and teachers and others. workers through the efficient and correct segregation of said waste. The project team in its final report provides all the essential information to carry out the teaching and learning of the actions necessary to recycle correctly and efficiently. In order to design a suitable system for both waste collection bins and teaching for students, the team has carried out a series of studies in schools and the environment.]

Language: Spanish

Published: Piura, Peru, 2016

Abstract/Notes: Patent.

Language: Spanish

Date of issue: 1913-05-01

Abstract/Notes: During a Design and Technology class, engagement is both required to start creative hands-on work and a sign of pupil’s creative thinking. To find ways to achieve engagement, we can look to the Montessori tradition. Due to the fact that learning is regarded as feeding insight through experimenting, tasks have to offer pupils the opportunity to gain knowledge about isolated details of the learning situation. This is realised by brief, simple and objective tasks combined with liberty to approach the hands-on work in one’s own way. Applied to Design and Technology, we can define brief, simple and objective tasks with a focus on a technique as an isolated detail of the learning situation. Offering liberty during hands-on work enables creative thinking. The deployment of well-defined tasks with a focus on a technique is possible by dividing a complex assignment into a collection of brief tasks with single problems and working towards single objectives in the topic, making use of a single technique. Such a collection is a format that has the potential to enable ongoing engagement. This case-study researches the actual effect of a stepwise organised collection of tasks on the design performance of pupils of nine to twelve years old. The results show that the tasks turned out to be useful in initiating engagement. In combination with joint presentations, ongoing engagement was achieved resulting in well-considered designs and products. In addition, dialogue with disengaged pupils delivered solutions towards engagement. As a side-effect of dialogue the teacher-pupil relationships and the pupil-pupil relationships improved.

Language: English

ISSN: 1360-1431