Key Elements in Learning

Understanding that all children will instinctively be motivated to learn and explore if the setting is appropriately designed and equipped to accommodate their individual interests and abilities, the Montessori classroom is known as the prepared environment. It is designed with child sized furniture to facilitate the child s independence and freedom of movement. !reating a learning environment that provides constant challenge for the child is addressed through the multi age groupings in each Montessori classroom. !hildren are grouped in mixed ages and abilities in three year age spans "#$%, %$&, &$', '$()* enabling them to learn from each other by engaging in a mentoring process which serves to ignite curiosity. +o address the notion that children are naturally drawn to work and not play, Montessori activities include practical life tasks such as those one would do in a kitchen, baking real food, cleaning actual furniture, washing windows etc. and become part of the young child s daily work activity. +he pride resulting from real work motivates the child toward greater achievement and a sense of accomplishment. ,elf$education Individual instruction -idactic materials ,pecially prepared environment . the trained directness

What does research say?

Pros /etter math and reading skills than public2private schools /etter testing skills /etter spelling, grammar, and punctuation More developed in problem solving and socialization 3ngage in positive interaction on playground ,how advanced social cognition and executive control ,how more concern for fairness and 4ustice 5t the end of the school year, students wrote more creative essays that had more complex sentence structure, selected more positive responses to social dilemmas and reported feeling more of a sense of community at school Method is too restrictive and does not adequately emphasize social interaction and development 6essons taught in classroom are not conducive to home use 7arents are not able to buy materials for home that students use in classroom +rouble ad4usting when either transferring in or out of the school because of no homework 8eport cards with no letter grades are too difficult to see a clear picture on how well or poorly a student was doing "they focus on description of student s behavior and progress in classroom*

Milwaukee Montessori School

-esigned /y0
!hristina 1enesis ,emini /ecky

Cons

Inside the Classrooms Goals for Children

+he goal of Montessori is to provide a stimulating, child$centered environment in which children can explore, touch, and learn without fear, thus engendering a lifelong love of learning as well as providing the child the self$control necessary to fulfill that love. 9ands on learning activities /uild on observation skills +he goal of Montessori education is to help the child become independent. -ressing one s self !hoosing their own work /enefits of independence is an increase in self$esteem and confidence +he goal of Montessori is to provide a safe and stimulating environment where students are granted the authority to follow their natural instinct to gravitate towards wanting to learn. +esting and grading are not factors +eachers are more of facilitators and observers to help create self$direct learning Inter$age socialization in the classrooms to downplay competition and stress

alking !"out the heories

+he Montessori system is more inclined to constructivist than behaviorist. Maria Montessori began with the presumption that children come to school unfamiliar with the appropriate ways of acting in that particular community. 5s such, it becomes the responsibility of the teacher to teach the children what is acceptable, by giving them the words, showing them the actions, and, of course, modeling the appropriate behavior. :ther theories we believe to be in this model0 Maturationist +heory !hildren gain knowledge as they grow and become older. !hildren learn at their own pace. 7iaget . ;ygotsky s !onstructivist +heory !hildren use manipulatives and concrete ob4ects for learning. !hildren learn in their <one of 7roximal 1ardner s Intelligence Theory Children learn by using all their senses. Children learn with hands-on activities. !hildren have interaction with one another and the teacher during learning. !hildren learn with movements and music. ,igmund =reud s 7sychoanalytic +heory !hildren learn quickly and absorb more at a younger age.

eacher#s Su$$ort
Montessori education helps children become independent learners. +he teacher may guide a process but his2her ultimate goal is to inspire rather than instruct. >ork with manipulatives >ork at own pace 8epeat an exercise until it is mastered !lassroom allows movement, concentration, and promotes a sense of order +eacher serves as a resource as students do their work, encouraging and steering them to greater understanding +eacher modifies the classroom environment and ad4usts the materials to meet the needs of the students.