Abstract/Notes: This research is a case study of African American parent involvement at a urban Montessori school in Minnesota. African American parents at this school have had limited involvement in conferences, PTSO meetings, school activities, and on the Site-Based Leadership Team. An examination of the literature was made to investigate the influences on African American parents when they make decisions about their parental involvement. This research covered the historical background, theoretical background, implications, racial barriers, and strategies that increased African American parent involvement. An ethnography was designed to gather data from 9 mothers of African American students. These parents provided information about their backgrounds and their experiences with the school. Staff at the school (6) were interviewed as to their experiences with African American parent involvement. The results of the study offer findings on attitudes, perceptions, needs and ideas for improving African American parent involvement at any school.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2000

Abstract/Notes: In sociological investigation, Weber (1968) believes that concrete historical events can be interpreted in terms of social action. These patterns of action differ from historical accounts, which explore the importance of causal explanation of individual events. Entwistle and Alexander (1993) contend that sociologists of education have paid little attention to patterns of class interaction and inequality in preschools. Adding to Hartley's (1993) work on nursery schools in Scotland, and using an organizational model with a sociohistorical standpoint, this ethnographic case study helps to bridge that gap by concentrating on the historical and ecological contexts of (1) a Laboratory school; (2) a Montessori school; and, (3) a Head Start center. The central problem of the study seeks an answer to the question "If inequalities in preschools exist, what do they look like?" This study assumes that historically educational systems have exerted a form of social control over children in order to transmit cultural values. Part I of the study examines ancient and modern societies, their cultures and their philosophical grounding to reveal the values and trends that contribute to social change in the early education of children. Part II adds a triangulation strategy to explore the ecology (environment and culture) of the three schools in the study. These strategies include archival content analysis of the preschool organizations, nonparticipant observation of the classrooms (Bell, 1993), intensive interviewing of the staff and administration members and a brief survey of the preschool parents. This study draws from the sociology of Weber's "ideal bureaucracy," Berger's "bureaucratic cognitive style," Elias' "civilizing process," Bernstein's "visible and invisible" pedagogy, Bourdieu's "cultural capital" and Anyon's "biased ideological messages." In this exploratory study, the data analysis uses a descriptive methodology, not to draw conclusions, but similar to Glaser and Strauss' "grounded theory" to introduce questions to be explored further by researchers. A final section on policy recommendations is included.

Language: English

Published: Boston, Massachusetts, 2000

Abstract/Notes: Did the work of Maria Montessori have an influence on the educational methods used in the infant and elementary school classrooms in England and Wales between 1910, when her work was first publicized in England, and 1933, when the Consultative Committee of the Board of Education published its report on Infant and Nursery Schools? To answer this principal question the following factors are considered: the effect on educational practices of the slow development of government provided education, the characteristics of the British Infant School, the social and political circumstances which were effecting education in 1910, the nature of Montessori's fame, and the official reaction to Maria Montessori and her work. For information concerning the methods actually being used in the classrooms from 1928 to 1933, the primary sources are memoranda submitted during that period to the Consultative Committee on the Primary School and to the Consultative Committee on Infant and Nursery Schools. The documents were analyzed for references to Montessori, for evidence of teachers having attended Montessori training courses, and for descriptions and advocacy of classroom methods which, according to a definition given by the Consultative Committee in its published report, reflect a Montessori influence. Eleven of thirteen Junior School Inspectors, six of thirteen Infant School Inspectors, and eleven of sixteen Heads of Infant Schools, according to the criteria used, advocate Montessori methods for more than half of the curriculum areas which they discuss. This evidence from the memoranda submitted to the Consultative Committees, combined with conclusions drawn from historical evidence, indicate that Maria Montessori did have considerable influence on the schools of England and Wales.

Language: English

Published: Mansfield, Connecticut, 1981

Abstract/Notes: During the very early twentieth century, Dr. Maria Montessori produced a pedagogical approach that permitted the developmental delayed, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and the youngest of children to advance their cognition and adaptive skills to conventional standards. Her renowned "Montessori Method" was unleashed in 1906 in her home country of Italy and found its way to the shore of the United States soon after. This research will compare the implementation of the Montessori Method in two states, Rhode Island and New York. Both states invested time and money into the instructional ideals of Dr. Montessori in response to the advice of educators and, as is frequently overlooked in the scholarly literature, at the request of parents and community organizations. This study will focus on policy implementation: the how and the who, and on the overall growth and decline of Montessori programs, concentrating on the role parents played.

Language: English

Published: Chicago, Illinois, 2011

Abstract/Notes: This study undertook to investigate the practical application of the Montessori method in London Montessori pre-schools, and how this relates to the individual teacher's interpretation of the theory underpinning the method. This entailed an examination and analysis of the understanding and attitudes of teachers towards the practicalities of Montessori theory, as well as the relationship between that interpretation and the subsequent practice. Hence the key research aimed to determine the position and attitudes of a selection of Montessori teachers in schools today...

Language: English

Published: Brighton, England, 1993

Abstract/Notes: Montessori schooling, created by physician and educator Maria Montessori, is a well-known alternative to the traditional style of teaching. Many researchers have focused on how the Montessori method can produce successful and well-rounded students, not only academically, but within the social realm as well. What is less known is the extent to which Montessori impacts the social development of children and their forming of peer relationships and why it does so. After looking into and discussing the previous literature written on this topic, this thesis project utilizes reviews with two individuals with experience in the primary level Montessori setting to further understand how the Montessori method can possibly benefit the students socially and draw connections between teacher experience and scholarly research. It was discovered that the responses of the participants generally paralleled the claims of previous literature, with specific emphasis being placed on the sense of responsibility and ownership students held in the environment and the reduction of the teacher’s role in constructing how students utilize the environment and interact with one another.

Language: English

Published: Portland, Oregon, 2022

Abstract/Notes: This dissertation presents the results of an exploratory descriptive case study of the Moses Journaling for Equity Experience, a self-reflective intervention for public charter Montessori middle school teachers. The intervention is designed to elicit a reflective process to slow teachers’ thinking so they can decenter Whiteness and elevate the cultures and voices of their students of color within their pedagogy. The intervention was developed in the winter and spring of 2020, drawing heavily on the author’s experience as an equity consultant as well as the rich literature on ways teachers can nurture a sense of belonging for students of color. The intervention was refined with feedback from experienced Montessori teachers, with a focus on ensuring pedagogical alignment and curricular expectations within the Montessori system. Because this study represents the first time the intervention was implemented, it is most properly viewed as a pilot study. Three middle school Montessori teachers were recruited to participate. They began the intervention in the fall of 2021. The intervention consisted of eight weeks of reading curated articles, reflection questions, the collection of evidence, and the journaling of the reflection questions. A final debrief via Zoom encouraged participants to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. As a pilot study, the goal was to gather information on the overall effectiveness of the intervention, intervention shortcomings and strengths. Data were collected weekly in the form of written responses to questions intended to provoke thought and deep reflection on the part of the teachers. At the end of the intervention, each teacher participated in a semi-structured interview to further explore the ideas shared in their individual weekly reflective writings. Critical Race Theory, White Supremacy Culture Characteristics, and the Concerns Based Adoption Model were all used to frame the analysis and to draw conclusions. Results suggest the intervention is effective at building teacher awareness of the cultural, academic, and social assets students of color bring to the classroom, which is the beginning point for teachers to decenter Whiteness in their classrooms to support student of color belonging.

Language: English

Published: Eugene, Oregon, 2022

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to investigate how Montessori educators describe maintaining the fidelity of the Montessori Method when implementing the Louisiana Student Standards influences their ability to provide learning opportunities through social interactions that stimulate multiple senses for students in their classrooms in the south-central region of the United States. This study was informed by a theoretical foundation that drew on the theory of social constructivism and sensory stimulation theory. The three research questions asked participants to describe maintaining the fidelity of the Montessori Method when integrating the Louisiana Student Standards and the influences the standards had on their ability to construct learning through social interactions and provide learning opportunities that stimulate multiple senses in their classrooms. The sample consisted of public Montessori educators teaching in the south-central region of the United States. The two sources of data included 45 questionnaires and 12 semi-structured interviews. All interviews were transcribed and then coded. A thematic analysis of the data resulted in five themes: Montessori educators use supplemental materials, creative scheduling, need targeted professional development, plan instructional activities that require students to work cooperatively, and use authentic Montessori materials. This study will help advance scientific knowledge by adding to the current body of knowledge about the Montessori Method and implementing state standards. Finally, this study provides theoretical, practical, and future implications and suggestions for further research.Keywords: Montessori Method, Louisiana Student Standards, theory of social constructivism, sensory stimulation theory, state standards

Language: English

Published: Phoenix, Arizona, 2022

Abstract/Notes: Montessori education is known as peace education. Normalization is one of the most significant concepts within Montessori education and which herself identifies as the “most important result.” The purpose of this study is to find out when and how precisely this Montessori theory of Normalization occurs in deviated children between zero and six years old; to precisely identify the timing, steps, and circumstances of Normalization, and secondly to examine the possibility of the normalized state of children to lead to peace in society. A total of 48 online survey responses were received from around the world. Twenty-one of the participants completed the open-response sections of the survey, and the analysis was primarily conducted based on these total responses. Results from teachers showed that Normalization begins with children’s spontaneous choice of work and comes with a solid and certain length of concentration. After they finished the work, peacefulness appeared in each child. The children experience this Normalization repeatedly and it manifests either as permanently or semi-permanent. This study centers on Normalization as a potential powerful tool for social change since this state is directly linked to concomitant individual and community peacefulness which can certainly spill beyond the classroom walls into general society. Furthermore, this study identifies the importance of analyzing the permanence of the state of Normalization since knowing the conditions for and causes of this permanence is key to both replication in experiments and its potential as an effective means for long lasting social change.

Language: English

Published: River Falls, Wisconsin, 2022

Language: English

Published: Syracuse, New York, 1978