advice

20 Dec

Consider The Audience

The benefits of reading aloud to young children are well documented. The only controversial question on the topic is boring. Teachers usually ask the question in the shrill, exasperated voice that unfortunately fits our stereotype: Why are there still so many parents who don’t read to their children?

Many parents do, of course, carve out time most days to sit down and read to our kids. We enjoy picking out new books. We have read some of our favorites so often the books have to be replaced, but we keep the old copies because there are so many memories associated with the kids we read to.

Nonetheless, there have always been too many children who enter school having never been read to. Working parents are often too tired at the end of the day, or too busy all day. Some parents are discouraged when children will not sit still long enough to listen. Many parents do not know how to pick books their young children will enjoy. In truth, each of these excuses – busy, tired, frustrated and overwhelmed – is true for most of us, some or all of the time.

It has never been hard to manufacture good reasons for not reading, but changes in technology have offered more convincing excuses to avoid sitting down beside a child with a book. Audio books are easily accessible, and in many cases, the recordings are exceptionally well done. Most popular children’s books have been made into more-popular movies. Hand-held and touch-screen devices allow the youngest children make independent choices, adjust the pace and volume of reading, stop and start at the times they select.

Without a dedicated adult and a book to hold, though, there is no dialogue, no warmth, and no love.

Advice

Here is the simplest, most effective advice, a three-word mantra for read-aloud parents: Consider your audience.

Try it, as I do, several times a day. In less time than it takes to finish the phrase in my mind, I am thinking of a particular child, or a group of kids, their ages and interests, the things they talk about, the subjects that make them laugh, and their attention spans. In a few seconds, I have all the information I need to make a good choice. It’s a tiny, internal flip, but it changes everything. Instead of beginning with a concern, or a sense of duty, or a desire to find the perfect bedtime story, the question turns my attention towards the kids I love.

Happily, the same “consider the audience” advice also works well while reading. Bad book choices are easily identified and replaced. Watching and listening while reading gives teachers and parents all the feedback we need. Humor, fear and confusion are hard to predict, but easy to notice. Maurice Sendak’s monsters are usually not scary, but Mr. McGregor in his garden is often terrifying. Mo Willems is not at all funny unless you read his books with a child. With a child as a reading companion, his characters and the situations he creates are hilarious.

Motivation

One of the strongest motivators for very young children who are just acquiring language is an earnest, urgent desire to express their needs and opinions. (For proof, watch a parent struggle with an unhappy infant, or a toddler in the midst of a tantrum). The same strength of character is revealed when a child is learning to listen. The youngest child will listen attentively when he is interested and has opportunities to respond with opinions and observations. If a child is bored, disconnected or disengaged, he will indeed walk away.

The desire to read begins when a child wants to know more about a subject, or when a story is so interesting she cannot bear for it to end, or when she wants to be like a loved, admired adult. Children who have been read to have longer attention spans, are more engaged, and more motivated. In short, children who have been read to enter school with the habits of good learners already firmly established.

02 Oct

Montessori 2.0

by Jim Fitzpatrick | Montessori Blog

9 Comments

There are many IT or “tech-y” Montessori materials available and being used every day in and out of classrooms, often times unknowingly. “Google it” is now part of our culture. Google is a Montessori material (or, at least, was developed by Montessorians Brin and Page). Amazon is more than a river; it’s from a Montessorian, too!

But what about today’s techy doo-dahs and young children? An increasing number of apps targeted at young children are in the digital storefront; is there value for them? Does your 3 year-old have to have their own iPad? What would pioneering educator Dr. Maria Montessori think about these doo-dahs? Now that I think about it, what did my children play with in the car? It seems the newest source for quiet passengering today is a smart phone, especially those with video capability…

“Mom! The DVD is stuck!”

“Honey, that’s not a DVD. It’s streaming video. We must be out of the hotspot!”

“Mom! Turn around!”

Montessori classroom materials (the ‘real’ ones that are expensive and finely crafted and have been around for more than 100 years) provide an experience meant for collaborative learning within the classroom setting. But don’t even consider piling the Pink Tower into your child’s car seat, and the Red Rods are too long for most fuel-efficient cars. But the digital versions of these educational tools fit into your child’s palm. That means Montessori ‘materials’ are available all the time, even in the car on the way home!

I actually think there’s a Montessori approach for children to experience Montessori “apps.” Some traditional Montessorians might gasp at the thought. I’m a traditional Montessorian and I’m suggesting that when in traffic, when in line, when your child is desperately seeking something to busy themselves, that if digital Red Rods capture their attention, or the tracing of digital sandpaper numerals fixes their concentration until you reach your destination, what’s the harm? If a Montessori-style “app” keeps them focused until you’re again available, might they learn something? Might there be some value? What would Dr. Montessori say?

Do today’s techy doo-dahs have a place in a traditional Montessori classroom? For adolescents, yes. For primary level three and four year-olds, no. Montessori adolescent programs often feature and utilize Smart Boards, iPads, laptops, and hand-held devices as commonly as paper and pencils. For now, those digital “accessory” learning tools are not expected in the younger children’s Montessori classrooms. But a surprising number of young children (under six years) now have access to their parent’s equipment at home, where the one-on-one nature of the techy doo-dahs makes for a better learning experience than in a Montessori classroom.

The Montessori preschool classroom may not be the ideal place for techie doo-dahs, but on the way home in their car seat when there’s traffic and they want to be doing what their older brother or sister are doing? Then, let’s consider the possibilities.

As for Dr. Maria Montessori, herself? She’d be tweeting. She’d be all over today’s techy doo-dahs, presenting lectures and streaming information everywhere. She was a pioneer 100 years ago and she would be today. In fact, here we are now, using IT experiences to share Montessori’s vision for children and their families. Welcome to Montessori 2.0!

12 Feb

The Silent Journey & Discovery – A Photo Essay

by Matt Hillis | Montessori Blog

30 Comments

Barbara Gordon recently visited our school to lead an event for our parents entitled “The Silent Journey & Discovery” (J&D). Ms. Gordon is well know in Montessori circles; she is the founder of the Barbara Gordon Montessori School, an AMI school in Texas, and now travels the country helping schools to implement the J&D with their parents.

The J&D is a powerful and emotional event for many parents. Unfortunately, most parents did not attend a Montessori school as a child; although they can read about Montessori philosophy, attend parent nights and observe the classroom, it can be difficult, at times, for them to really understand the experience that their child has every day at school. The J&D provides and opportunity for parents to explore the entire continuum of the school and experience first hand, just like their children, the amazing things that an authentic Montessori program has to offer.

Rather than write a long winded post about the experience, I though that it might be a nice change of pace to post pictures of the event with brief captions. Just as the purpose of the J&D is to help parents experience Montessori, I hope these beautiful images help you to feel the spirit and energy that existed in our school during the event.

I did record an audio interview with Ms. Gordon about the creation of the J&D and her storied history as a Montessorian. Look for that to posted on the site in March.

Matt Hillis
Executive Director
Bergamo Montessori School

Barbara arrived at our school a day in advance to observe the classrooms and meet the teachers.

The teachers prepared the environment for the event by displaying a variety of lessons throughout the classroom.

Barbara met with the group for about 40 minutes when we started on Friday night. Most parents contributed to our discussion about their educational experiences and their perception of their child’s experience at our school

After the discussion ended, the group was led into each classroom environment (about 15 minutes each) with strict instructions not to speak. An questionaire was provided for each environment and participants were invited to write their observations to share with the group at the end of the “Silent Journey”. The group met and discussed their observations before going home for the evening.

After a group breakfast on Saturday morning, Barbara met briefly with the group. Participants were instructed to choose work of interest among the jobs and lessons that were displayed in advance by the teachers.

The group went to work!

Each material had a associated card – some had instructions, others said “Ask for a lesson!”

After spending 45 minutes in the Primary, we moved to the Lower Elementary.

We finished the “journey” in the Upper Elementary classroom.

After finishing in the Upper Elementary, we came back to the group to process our experience. Many participants were deeply moved. Most parents indicated it was the most important Montessori “parent education” event that they had ever attended.

23 Nov

Authentic Motivation

by Maren Schmidt | Montessori Blog

3 Comments

‘The manager’s job, then, is not to motivate people to get them to achieve; instead, the manager should provide opportunities for people to achieve, so they will become motivated.”
~Frederick Herzberg

Charlie walked over with the teaching clock. ”I’ve learned to tell time. Do any time, and I can tell you.”

Five-year-old Charlie sat down with me, and I proceeded to move the hands of the clock to test him.

”Six o’clock. Twelve-thirty. Two-fifteen. Ten-forty-nine,” Charlie responded, always with the correct time.

”Charlie, you really know how to read a clock. Did your mom or dad work with you?”
”Oh, no. I learned it at school.”

”How?” I wondered out loud, since I had never given Charlie a lesson.

”Mike taught me, and I watched you with Sarah,” Charlie grinned.

Charlie gave me my first ”ah-hah” moment that not every child needs every lesson. As a new teacher, I had faith in my Montessori training and followed as best I could the guidelines for allowing freedom of choice, freedom of movement, freedom to choose where and with whom to work in the classroom and freedom to talk. I believe these freedoms aided Charlie in learning to tell time.

Years later, I read in Alfie Kohn’s book, Punished by Rewards, about creating conditions for authentic motivation, which he called the three C’s of motivation: collaboration that defines the context of work, content of the tasks and the choices people have about the work they do and how they do it. Kohn’s ”three C’s” were the elements that had allowed Charlie to learn to tell time without a teacher.

Collaboration. Our classroom provided for collaboration, as children were free to observe each other at work, free to ask questions and free to move around. The children also knew they were at school to learn to do new things and be with their friends. The children were given basic rules of behavior on how to treat each other and the materials in the classroom and the consequences for not following those rules. Children understood they were at school to learn and work together.

Content. Our school environment also provided the content of the tasks that the children could do by having a three-year progression of lessons for the three-to six-year old displayed on low shelves. The work at school was meaningful to the children with practical activities such as sweeping, buttoning, cutting an apple, as well as learning letter sounds and shapes, reading, writing, spelling, number work, geography, music and more. Kohn quotes Herzberg, ”’If you want people to do a good job, give them a good job to do.”’ The classroom content was full of interesting and challenging work.

Choice. The element of choice in the classroom was a critical factor in creating an environment of achievement, thus leading to the children’s motivation to learn and challenge themselves. The children knew they were free to choose activities a teacher had presented. The children recognized they could work with their chosen activity all day if desired, without being interrupted or told to ”share” the activity with another child. Children were also allowed to ask for a new or challenging lesson. Kohn cites 47 studies that show the higher the level of decision-making, the higher productivity and job satisfaction in a work environment. Choice created powerful learning in our classroom.

Collaboration, content and choice–the three C’s of motivation–emerged when I applied the pedagogical principles I trusted. Use the three C’s to create a place where all can work together while choosing to do meaningful work, thus creating a satisfying and productive life at home and beyond.

02 Oct

Montessori Books for New Parents

by Marcy Hogan | Book Review

4 Comments

I am always very excited when a friend or acquaintance approaches me asking about Montessori. This can also be an intimidating situation, though– how to explain Montessori in a way that is both concise and thorough? I want to give them a stack of books to read, as there are many wonderful resources written both by Maria Montessori and by other authors since her time… but sometimes I’ll hesitate the recommend those right off the bat, especially if the inquirer is a parent of a young child and has little free time. I’m afraid of overwhelming them with too much information all at once, or giving them a dense book that they start reading but then set aside and forget about.

So usually my first recommendation is How To Raise An Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin. This book manages to provide a solid introduction to the Montessori philosophy while still being a light (aka non-intimidating) read. The author explains a few of the key aspects of Montessori, its advantages, how Montessori classrooms work, and suggestions for building a Montessori-like environment in your home with your own children, starting from infancy. The text is accompanied by beautiful pictures to help illustrate the concepts. I feel that this is a pretty great way for someone to get a feel for what Montessori is all about.

This book also serves as a great resource for parents, for quick reviews of Montessori philosophy and how to use Montessori at home. I confess, I tend to keep it near my bedside table to look through for a few moments at night as a reminder of how to incorporate Montessori into daily life with a toddler. Thus, not only is this a great book for newcomers wanting to learn about Montessori, it can also be quite useful even for more experienced Montessorians wanting to use these same ideals at home with our children.

11 Sep

How to Choose a Montessori Program for Your Child

by Marcy Hogan | Montessori Blog

18 Comments

One unfortunate aspect of Montessori is that, since no one “owns” the name/title, anyone who wishes to can open up a preschool, put a pink tower in the corner, and call themselves “Montessori.” There are many wonderful and amazing Montessori schools… and there are also quite a few not very good ones, and unfortunately it is these lesser schools that help spread confusion and misinformation of what Montessori is and how it works.

I often hear from people about how they don’t like the Montessori Method based on a bad experience they, or their sister, or their best friend’s brother’s friend, had with a particular school. One common misconception is that Montessori is all about letting kids run around wild, doing whatever they want, whenever they want. I’ve heard people say that Montessori doesn’t teach kids to respect authority or authority figures. One person told me her sister had taken her children out of a Montessori school because she felt the school was too rigid and didn’t allow for expressing creativity. Anyone who knows and understand Maria Montessori’s philosophy well knows that these are examples of poorly implemented “Montessori” ideas.

The truth is, when done well a Montessori education leads to children who learn inner discipline, thanks to being given absolute freedom within a very carefully prepared and managed environment. These children learn to respect their teachers due to feeling understood and cared for, rather than out of fear. And Montessori is one of the best forms of education I know of for fostering and expressing creativity, as it is the child who is in control and who guides his or her own learning and discovery (I believe I mentioned in a previous post my friend who wrote his own comic books in his Montessori elementary classroom, as a project that helped him practice his creativity, story-telling, handwriting, focus, and follow-through).

So how is a parent to know which schools as “good” and which ones are, well, not so true to the Montessori methodology? It can be tough, especially if you yourself are new to Montessori. I recently went through the process of visiting and observing various schools in the area while searching for the right preschool for my own toddler son. As I compared schools to one another, some excellent and some very disappointing, here are a few things that came to mind as “markers” to look for*:

Classroom “schedule.” One of the first things I like to ask about is the school’s daily “schedule” for the children. Maria Montessori was very clear about the children needing a full 3 hour long uninterrupted, unscheduled work period. This means three full hours without outside interruptions (such as forced circle time where all children must participate, or any other planned activity decided upon by an adult) during which the children are choosing their work, or receiving a lesson by the teacher/guide. Some schools allow for as little as a single hour for free work time, filling up the rest of the morning with snack, circle times, and other structured activities. The problem with a short free work period is that the children never get a chance to really buckle down and focus on their work. I used to work at a school that only gave the children 1 hour to do work, and the entire hour was a constant buzz of activity as the kids let out nervous energy, flitting from one short activity to the other. It was rare to see anyone truly concentrated, and forget about anyone wanting to take out a more involved activity because there wouldn’t be enough time to complete it.

I’ve seen a few schools that provide the children with 2 or 2.5 hours of free work time, which is an improvement. But then I visited one school that stuck to the full 3 hour work period, and the first thing I saw as I approached a primary classroom was the thousand chain (a long chain of 1,000 beads that the children count and label. Yes, 5 year olds can count all the way up to 1,000) all laid out along the hallway, with 2 children counting and placing their number labels alongside it. When you have a long work period, there’s actually time to do long work like the thousand chain. As I watched the classroom, almost every other child in that class was focused on their own work. The level of calm and focus was amazing.

It can be tough to find a preschool that devotes a full 3 hours of free work time, but I do highly suggest trying to find a school that gives the children 3 hours s to work freely.

Certification. This is where I confess that I’m a bit of an AMI snob. I received my training through the Association Montessori Internationale, or AMI. This is the Montessori organization founded by Maria Montessori herself, and seems to do the best job at sticking to the original Montessori ideals and practices. Therefore, for me, I like to see that a school’s teachers also hold AMI diplomas. This is not a requirement or fail-safe by any means– there are many wonderful teachers and schools who trained through different organizations, and I have also encountered AMI teachers and schools who were lacking (in my opinion). But in my experience, being trained through AMI makes it more likely that the classroom’s practices are closer to a more “pure” form of Montessori.

Mixed age groups. I’ve actually been surprised to see so-called “Montessori” schools that split up their classrooms into narrower age gaps. Instead of having kids 2.5 or 3 years old all the way up to 6 years in one classroom, they’ll put 2 and 3yr olds together and 4 and 5 yr olds together, or some other split. I find this puzzling and unfortunate, as part of what’s so great about Montessori is the mixed-age groups and the opportunity it gives the children to learn from each other.

Homework and Motivation. Montessori classrooms – at least the preschool classes – should have no homework. There should also be no sticker charts, grades, or other external reward systems. The child’s best reward for work well done is his or her own sense of pride in him/herself.

Observe the classroom. This is really the most important consideration of all. If you can do nothing else, set up a time when you can observe a classroom at the school, if even only for 20 minutes. Most schools should allow this, either by letting you sit in a chair inside the actual room or they might have a special window for this purpose. If possible, see about scheduling some time to talk to the teacher or another staff member at the school to answer any questions that arose in your mind during your observation. Observing will give you the best sense for what the feel of the whole classroom is like. What are the children like– are they working productively, or do they seem distracted and restless? Are they cooperating, or disrupting each other’s work? What does the classroom itself look like– are the walls busy with distracting posters and prints, or pleasantly decorated without being overwhelming? Are the materials arranged in an orderly manner on the shelves? Does it feel like an inviting environment? What about the teacher– how does she react to the children, and how do they react to her?

And most importantly– how does the classroom make you feel? Does it feel cold, or too rigid, or too wild? Or does what you see make you feel warm and comfortable, and like this is a place where you want your child to be? Because, when it all comes down to it, that alone is probably the most important factor of any school you choose for your child(ren).

23 Jul

Conflict: Break It Up And Break It Down

by Pilar Bewley | Montessori Blog

16 Comments

In a previous post, we explored how natural consequences can help children learn to control their own behaviors. A question arose in the comments: “How should adults (parents and teacher alike) handle a child who is disruptive and aggressive to others?”

The short answer is: There’s no one right answer (but some wrong ones!). Because every scenario, every child, and every adult is different, the right approach has to include a tailored mixture of common sense, compassion, firmness, and consistency. Additionally, you should consider the age of the children you’re helping, since toddlers and pre-schoolers use different levels of communication and reasoning. With that said, here’s an approach I’ve used successfully in the past, but again, the ideal “technique” will depend on the characteristics of the situation at hand…

First of all, if a child is putting a peer in danger (i.e. biting or scratching), it is best to separate the aggressor from the situation as unemotionally as possible and take him to an area where he can calm down safely. Theresa, an experienced Montessori guide, placed a pillow under a table and used it as a calming spot for one student. In some cases, an over-stimulated child might need to leave the scene entirely for a little while.

Reacting to a child’s behavior out of anger and panic is NEVER an effective solution. You might feel angry and frustrated with the aggressor (I know I have!), yet the situation is not about you. His behavior is not a reflection of your ability as a parent or teacher! He is simply asking for guidance in dealing with an unfamiliar experience and strange feelings… It’s a beautiful learning moment, so take advantage of it! You should use a firm voice to let the child know his behavior is unacceptable, but don’t fight violence with violence!

After separating the children, give the aggressive child time to sort through his emotions while you (or another adult) make sure the other child is not seriously hurt; let them both cry if necessary, and invite them to breathe deeply (you might want to take a few deep breaths yourself!).

When the aggressor has calmed down enough to talk, ask him the following questions:

1) What are you feeling? (The language of emotions is key to developing emotional intelligence)

2) What happened? (Get his side of the story but don’t jump to conclusions)

3) Are you ready to tell your friend how you’re feeling and find out how he’s feeling? (If he’s not ready yet, respect this and let him know that you’ll give him a few more minutes to collect himself before going to talk to his friend. Then follow through! If he is still unwilling to talk, invite him to sit in a chair and let him know that when he’s ready to talk he can get up and join you.)

Truly listen to his answers without judging him or dismissing his claims. What sounds trivial to you could be of monumental importance to a four-year-old and will define how he deals with problems as an adult!

When both children are ready, invite them to sit down (this provides a non-confrontational setting), sit with them at their level, give each a turn to air his grievances, and listen to both sides of the story carefully without taking sides (even if one child got hurt). You’ll be surprised how many times I’ve found that the child who got hurt was the one who started the altercation!

Once you have the facts, find out how each child felt during the altercation. Make sure they understand each other’s feelings by re-stating their emotions: “John, Peter says he felt angry when you took the tricycle away from him.”

You should also make sure that the aggressor understands physical violence is never a good choice, by asking, “How do you think Peter felt when you punched him in the stomach?” Don’t be afraid to put him in the victim’s shoes by following up his answer with, “How would you feel if someone did that to you?” If you get a muttered “I dunno” as a response, you could add, “I think you would feel hurt and angry, just like Peter did, because nobody likes being hit and nobody deserves to get hit.” As always, keep your voice firm but calm, because unnecessary drama on your part will cloud the lesson.

Then, ask both of them what they could have done differently to prevent the situation from happening. Sometimes they draw a blank here, and this is normal. After all, if they knew what the right choice was, they probably wouldn’t have gotten into a fight to begin with! Prompt them by asking what the rule is about the limit that was broken. “Peter, what’s the rule about taking turns with the tricycles on the playground?”

Once they state the rule, if they are still unsure of what they should have done differently, you can provide a couple of positive and reasonable suggestions that adhere to the rules of the environment (i.e. playground, home) and are easy for the children to remember in the future.

Never make two children to apologize to each other before they are ready. A forced “I’m sorry” teaches the aggressor that he can get away with anything as long as he’s willing to say a few empty words, while it devalues the needs and emotions of the victim. Instead of demanding an apology, you could ask both children if they feel better after talking things through. Since it’s quite likely that they will be ready to make amends using their own words (instead of your prompt), you can point out how wonderful it is to talk about our problems and understand how the other person is feeling.

You might be shaking your head and thinking, “How in the world will I find the time and patience to go through this?” Have faith! It really only takes about five minutes to go through this mediation process, since children are very transparent and their issues are normally easy to solve (thank goodness!). Sometimes, before you finish mediating they’ll be running off to play holding hands!

I have seen this approach work even for children who are what you might call “repeat offenders”. With consistency and love, even the most impulsive children can develop a more peaceful method of dealing with problems. Children use the tools we give them, so behave with them in the exact same way you would want them to behave with each other. You will be amazed at the long-term results!

Above all, don’t be afraid of conflict, because within it lies an amazing opportunity for growth and learning, not just for the children but for you and your entire family.

MariaMontessori.com

A Project from Montessori Administrators Association