When I went into my son’s public kindergarten classroom, the walls were COVERED with posters, numbers, letters, this and that. I figured the philosophy was that he wouldn’t help but learn something if he was looking about. In contrast, his Montessori classroom has few items on the walls and they tend to be a displayed craft item or an art print. I felt more contemplative in the Montessori classroom.
One of the few specific instances in which our school differs from Montessori’s design is that in her classrooms one hundred years ago, much younger and much older students were allowed to wander through each other’s classrooms. She pointed out that there was not as much to interest a young child in an older classroom and vice versa, so they didn’t tend to stay long, but it was yet one more aspect of the “community” environment that was important: interacting with different folks. However, one of the lower elementary guides in our school will be having a baby in a few months and plans have been made for the baby to stay in the classroom for its first few months (until he or she can start moving around and disrupting/eating materials). This seems to be a fantastic opportunity for these 6-9 year olds to observe the growth of a baby. Do any other schools out there do this sort of thing?
trevor
March 19, 2009
The paper today had an article on the recent practice in many schools of giving students days off from school if they do well on standardized tests. There were two sides of the issue offered in the article. One favors the practice and reasons that giving students time off motivates them to study harder for the test. The other side thinks that not going to school shouldn’t become a reward; if anything, students should be staying at school as long as possible. I couldn’t help but think, yet again, that Montessori so often fails to fit neatly on either side. So often it is a third way. In my opinion, Montessori rejects external rewards for performance, yet at the same time, rejects the notion that time at school or time on task directly correlates to learning. (If a student is in school for x time, he’ll learn y amount. If the student is at school for 2x time, he’ll learn 2y amount.) Does anyone have an opinion on the days-off-for-performance or on this “third way?”
Trevor, thank you for writing your book and for providing this opportunity to discuss and spread the message of Montessori education.
The Oneness-Family School (http://www.onenessfamilyschool.org/) in Chevy Chase, Maryland offers a unique approach. While our teachers are Montessori trained and our curriculum remains true to essential Montessori principles with mixed-age classrooms, long work periods,universal values etc., we also are equally committed to a unique vision and mission, designed to have a lasting impact on our students, families and the world:
Vision:
Our vision is to foster a new generation of young leaders who become meaningful contributors to the society of the 21st century by expanding their consciousness, realizing their potential, and coming to feel and understand that the world is one family.
Mission:
Our mission is to provide a learning environment in which personal growth is valued as much as academic excellence. Supporting the foundation of our curriculum are five essential pillars: Skills, Inner Awareness, Self-Expression, Understanding of other cultures, and Appreciation for all living things.
Laurie
September 3, 2009
How does/can the Montessori approach address dyslexia? There is more and more evidence that this is a “brain disorder,” and that failure to address it early and with targeted evidence-based approaches neglects childrens’ needs and may impede their learning and educational experience.
trevor
September 4, 2009
I am not an expert on dyslexia or any other learning disorder. However, I do know that many Montessori schools go out of their way to enroll children with various learning disabilities or differences.
The Montessori method is effective for dyslexics, as well as for children with other learning disorders for the following reasons, in no particular order:
1. Early intervention. Primary classes start at age 3 in Montessori schools. Even 3 year olds are beginning to work with letters, and the teachers task is to observe their progress.
2. Individualized instruction. Because the teacher is not lecturing to the whole class, she has the opportunity to provide individualized instruction to each child. This is crucial for children of any ability level.
3. Multisensory learning. Each learning concept is offered through a variety of learning materials, allowing children to learn the same concept through visual, aural, spatial, etc., techniques. Sandpaper letters and other materials offer dyslexics the chance to learn reading concepts with tactile inputs as well as just visually. Manipulatives are widely used in the classroom.
4. Multiple ways, avenues, of learning a concept can be tried, as the teacher does not need to keep all the students on the same page.
5. Montessori focuses on the whole child. There is no stigma attached to not reading “at grade level.” Children progress at their own pace and become confident, eager learners, regardless of how they might measure against their classmates on a test (of which there are none).
7 Comments to 'This and That'
March 11, 2009
When I went into my son’s public kindergarten classroom, the walls were COVERED with posters, numbers, letters, this and that. I figured the philosophy was that he wouldn’t help but learn something if he was looking about. In contrast, his Montessori classroom has few items on the walls and they tend to be a displayed craft item or an art print. I felt more contemplative in the Montessori classroom.
March 11, 2009
We are very lucky to have a wonderful Montessori school in our community. Visit http://www.community-montessori.org
March 11, 2009
One of the few specific instances in which our school differs from Montessori’s design is that in her classrooms one hundred years ago, much younger and much older students were allowed to wander through each other’s classrooms. She pointed out that there was not as much to interest a young child in an older classroom and vice versa, so they didn’t tend to stay long, but it was yet one more aspect of the “community” environment that was important: interacting with different folks. However, one of the lower elementary guides in our school will be having a baby in a few months and plans have been made for the baby to stay in the classroom for its first few months (until he or she can start moving around and disrupting/eating materials). This seems to be a fantastic opportunity for these 6-9 year olds to observe the growth of a baby. Do any other schools out there do this sort of thing?
March 19, 2009
The paper today had an article on the recent practice in many schools of giving students days off from school if they do well on standardized tests. There were two sides of the issue offered in the article. One favors the practice and reasons that giving students time off motivates them to study harder for the test. The other side thinks that not going to school shouldn’t become a reward; if anything, students should be staying at school as long as possible. I couldn’t help but think, yet again, that Montessori so often fails to fit neatly on either side. So often it is a third way. In my opinion, Montessori rejects external rewards for performance, yet at the same time, rejects the notion that time at school or time on task directly correlates to learning. (If a student is in school for x time, he’ll learn y amount. If the student is at school for 2x time, he’ll learn 2y amount.) Does anyone have an opinion on the days-off-for-performance or on this “third way?”
April 8, 2009
Trevor, thank you for writing your book and for providing this opportunity to discuss and spread the message of Montessori education.
The Oneness-Family School (http://www.onenessfamilyschool.org/) in Chevy Chase, Maryland offers a unique approach. While our teachers are Montessori trained and our curriculum remains true to essential Montessori principles with mixed-age classrooms, long work periods,universal values etc., we also are equally committed to a unique vision and mission, designed to have a lasting impact on our students, families and the world:
Vision:
Our vision is to foster a new generation of young leaders who become meaningful contributors to the society of the 21st century by expanding their consciousness, realizing their potential, and coming to feel and understand that the world is one family.
Mission:
Our mission is to provide a learning environment in which personal growth is valued as much as academic excellence. Supporting the foundation of our curriculum are five essential pillars: Skills, Inner Awareness, Self-Expression, Understanding of other cultures, and Appreciation for all living things.
September 3, 2009
How does/can the Montessori approach address dyslexia? There is more and more evidence that this is a “brain disorder,” and that failure to address it early and with targeted evidence-based approaches neglects childrens’ needs and may impede their learning and educational experience.
September 4, 2009
I am not an expert on dyslexia or any other learning disorder. However, I do know that many Montessori schools go out of their way to enroll children with various learning disabilities or differences.
The Montessori method is effective for dyslexics, as well as for children with other learning disorders for the following reasons, in no particular order:
1. Early intervention. Primary classes start at age 3 in Montessori schools. Even 3 year olds are beginning to work with letters, and the teachers task is to observe their progress.
2. Individualized instruction. Because the teacher is not lecturing to the whole class, she has the opportunity to provide individualized instruction to each child. This is crucial for children of any ability level.
3. Multisensory learning. Each learning concept is offered through a variety of learning materials, allowing children to learn the same concept through visual, aural, spatial, etc., techniques. Sandpaper letters and other materials offer dyslexics the chance to learn reading concepts with tactile inputs as well as just visually. Manipulatives are widely used in the classroom.
4. Multiple ways, avenues, of learning a concept can be tried, as the teacher does not need to keep all the students on the same page.
5. Montessori focuses on the whole child. There is no stigma attached to not reading “at grade level.” Children progress at their own pace and become confident, eager learners, regardless of how they might measure against their classmates on a test (of which there are none).
There is quite a bit more information out there on Montessori and special education. You can research this more deeply by first visiting the websites of some of the major Montessori organizations: http://www.amiusa.org http://www.amshq.org http://www.montessori-namta.org
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