Mindset

The Growth Mindset Debate: Does It Work?

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.…

Plan or Not

To Plan or Not to Plan Student Work Plans

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…

U is for Undoing

U is for Undoing Uncovers Misconceptions

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 Title

Feedback Fixes Mindsets

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…