Excitement as is related to learning is defined as a heightened state of physiological arousal exemplified by an increased heart rate and blood pressure, and higher emotional and attention. What many educators are not as aware of is how excitement can be harnessed to accelerate learning, and how Montessori educators have built-in mechanisms…
When a teacher demonstrates how to do a procedural task, like a math problem, going through the sequence of steps to the solution, this is known as a worked example. Worked Examples Work Our daughter learned to play the guitar primarily from watching Youtube videos! This is a perfect example of how…
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…
This week’s installment of The ABCs of Learning: Montessori Edition varies from the rest of my articles on learning strategies, as knowledge is more of an outcome than a neurostrategy. I’m including it in this series as I believe that when educators deepen their understanding of educational outcomes it can lead them to more mindful…
Hands On Learning is a Hallmark of Montessori Methodology The focus on specific hands on elements in learning environments scaffolds the learning to be acquired. Hands on materials allow for lessons to build upon one another and extend a student’s abilities in a stepped fashion that proceeds from concrete to abstract. Through her observations…
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 …
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.…
Part of being a Montessori guide is a commitment to reflecting and adapting our practices to best serve our students. In today’s parlance this could be considered a “hack”. As my students these days are adult learners, I tend to focus my reflections on how to better help them transfer Montessori pedagogy into their spirit…
Is Self-Regulation Another Neuromyth? “Famed impulse control ‘Marshmallow Test’ fails in new research” reads the headline. On June 1, 2018, a number of media sources broadcast the story that the famed Marshmallow Test was flawed, and went on to report that: “The results, according to the researchers who carried out the new study,…
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…