The theory of elaboration in learning resonates with Montessori educators with its multiple components of order, sequence, and scaffolding. For students, elaboration is as simple as expanding on what they already know. Current research identifies elaboration as being an essential component of an optimal learning environment. Montessori Environments are Built upon the…
Practicing skills and concepts is an important part of the learning process; however, just repeating a skill does not lead to improvement. Deliberate practice is the idea that the work being done is challenging enough to stretch the student, but not so challenging as to be frustrating. Deliberate Practice Improves Skills without Dread …
Have you ever noticed that when you’re quizzed by someone, formally or even within a conversation, that when you’re asked to recall something specific, it’s far easier if you’re prompted with options to choose from? It may be easier because of the phenomenon of contrasting cases. “Contrasting cases” is a term that defines…
Aha! Now this makes sense! Research into the use of analogy, metaphor, and allegorical stories and their effect on the brain reveal the same agency at work during learning: when learners activate their prior knowledge through the mechanism of analogies, they extract knowledge like a past experience, enabling them to solve current or…
Rock your New Year Resolutions to improve your Montessori practice by going back to the ABCs! The ABCs of Learning, that is! The newest evidence regarding research based learning strategies demonstrate what many in the Montessori community already know: the Montessori Method is a highly effective way to teach children. What is overwhelming,…
There is a question that has been bugging me, and I’ve been searching for the solution for years. It’s one of those trick questions where the answer is so simple that it’s the proverbial snake that would’ve bit me had I been looking at it the right way. The question however, is monumental: “What are…
As an adult immersed in a culture where I couldn’t speak the language, didn’t know how to eat the food, and being reliant on others to take care of most all of my daily needs, I felt like an infant, needing the care and compassion of others to meet my needs. The past…
“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” -Jane Howard Just this morning I noticed a colleague posted one of those “Are you introverted?” quizzes on Facebook. You know the kind, one of those posts that…
Twenty-seven years ago, I stepped into a Montessori classroom for the very first time. The five year old boy that I was a nanny for forgot to collect the novel he was writing at school, so I parked my car and followed him inside to collect it from the 1970’s home converted into a school.…
Most Montessori schools around the world serve children within a unique education paradigm. Their families may or may not have the information about the benefits of Montessori, how it works, or how to raise their children congruent with the values that attracted them to the school in the first place. Getting primary care-givers on board…