My first year in a Montessori environment was as an assistant to a seasoned, and I believe, enlightened 3-6 Montessori guide and mentor. I say “enlightened”, because Sue embodied that “lovingkindness” that Dr. Montessori promoted in her writings and is attained through inner spiritual transformation. Sue’s every interaction with the children was imbued with this…
Sometimes the process of learning involves unlearning mistaken understandings and correcting misconceptions. Undoing Errors May be Less Necessary in Montessori Montessori environments are unique learning places in which to make mistakes. Our youngest learners rely on hands-on didactic materials in which they gain impressions of concepts including identifying mistakes when the error…
Feedback is about more than self-correcting materials Receiving feedback about one’s work is important for knowing what still needs to be learned and how to improve. Montessori pedagogy is an exception rather than the norm in education in part because it incorporates self-assessment into the methodology. From the beautifully and precisely designed materials…
Every aspect of your school is running smoothly and you have all the resources you need for staff development . . . said no school leader ever. Finding the time and resources to train school staff is an arduous and sometimes thankless job, yet one that I find intriguing. Staff members are schools…
Many in the education field are familiar with Stanford Professor Carol Dweck’s notion of instilling in children a growth mindset, that is a belief that their intellectual abilities can be developed through effort and practice. Recently, some researchers have challenged her work claiming that further analysis indicates that growth mindset interventions are not particularly effective.…
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.…
Whether you are half of a co-teaching team or a more traditional lead guide and an assistant, you are subject to the vagaries of working closely with another adult in a high-stakes and often, high-stress position. Additionally, many teachers do not have the autonomy to choose each other, so you are essential working in what…
A frequently asked question by Montessori elementary teachers at the beginning of the year is how to set up an effective expectation for student work performance and how to balance this structured plan with the spontaneity of student-chosen subjects. Maybe this has come about because most adults (including Montessori guides), have acquired a conventional construct for…