The Montessori Message

The Montessori Message

Category Archives: Mindset

Get Ready

07 Thursday Feb 2019

Posted by Lisa Lalama in 21st century learning, Learning, Mindset, Schools of the Future

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change, planning, polar vortex, winter

polar vortex.jpgEveryone likes to be prepared for what is to come. Some of us may enjoy a surprise or two, but typically, we humans like to plan and be ready. This winter has done nothing if not taught us how sometimes even the best preparations are not quite enough.

Last week, many parts of the U.S. experienced a deep freeze of historic proportion. Residents of cities like Chicago and Minneapolis are quite accustomed to cold temperatures and snowfall during the winter. What they have not seen is the subzero temperatures that gripped that part of the country – temperatures that made it hard to carry out even the most mundane task such as starting your car or going to work and school. Meteorologists predicted this weather, but it exceeded expectations and was not part of anyone’s plans. Everyone had to adapt and adjust to new circumstances.

Life often hands us situations that require us to adapt and change. In some instances, nothing prepares us for the change ahead. In others, we have a few warning signals and can begin to think about what it means to change. One of the goals of school is to prepare students for the next steps in their school and work life. Educators pride themselves in helping students be ready for any situation that might arise. Is that reasonable? Or, instead, is it more beneficial to prepare students for the uncertainty that is sure to greet them, if not next week, then next month or next year, or years down the road?

Schools are preparing students for an uncertain future. We know what we know today, and we know the rate of change is faster than humans have ever experienced in history. We can embrace the change, adapt our mindset to one of seeking knowledge, understanding and learning rather than staying the course that was implemented when educating our citizens began. We continually face new and interesting challenges that require more from us. Are we ready? More importantly, are our children ready? They are our future.

Learn, Unlearn, Relearn

22 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Mindset

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illiterate, learning, literacy, mindset, relearning, retirement, technology, unlearning

23966348.png

Illiteracy used to mean not being able to read and write. No longer. As Alvin Toffler says above, it means much more. Its definition has broadened while also becoming much less specific.

Over 30 years ago, my father-in-law decided to retire. He had worked for more than 30 years as a draftsman and loved his work. He enjoyed the precision and creativity that his job allowed. Throughout his time as a draftsman, he moved from pencil and paper to learning to do his drawings using a computer program. As T-squares, pencils and papers were moved further and further away from his work life, his desire to retire became stronger and stronger. He finally made the decision to retire and never looked back. When asked how he knew it was time to retire, he said quite clearly, “I didn’t want to learn another way to do my job. I loved my work, but I didn’t want to learn anything new.” In other words, he didn’t want to unlearn and relearn. For him the timing lined up. He was old enough to retire and had a good life ahead of him with lots to look forward to. For others, things don’t line up quite as nicely.

In education – as in most other fields – learning, unlearning and relearning are constant states of being. Many times the barrier is one of mindset rather than difficulty with the skill or concept. It’s one thing to decide at retirement age that you’ve learned enough and it’s time to move on; that’s not so easy for most of your work and school life. How literate are you? What have you unlearned and learning recently?  

Staying in the Moment

15 Thursday Feb 2018

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Mindset, Teachers

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education, flexibility, football, montessori, MVP, nick foles, philadelphia eagles, super bowl

Nick Foles
The Philadelphia Eagles are the Super Bowl champs! It was a long time in coming, but loyal fans have been rewarded with an amazing game, a wonderful team and the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Before the game began there was a clip of future MVP Nick Foles saying he was going to just go out and play the game. He wasn’t going to overthink it but instead would respond to what happens on the field and initiate the plays they had practiced. He and his team did just that.

As I listened to him and later thought about what he said, I was struck by the simplicity of his plan. He was not watching and re-watching game tapes. He was not over-analyzing the routes New England used in past games. He was not absorbing the messages given by the media, letting him know his odds of winning this ultimate game. He reacted, responded and played. Continue reading →

The Key to Success

04 Thursday May 2017

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Mindset, Teachers

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challenge, challenges, connections, education, escape room, schools, teachers

You’ve seen them and perhaps entered one; escape rooms are a current fad. They have popped up everywhere. I’ve had fun in two different rooms in two different states. In the first room, there were six of us, and we worked for the entire hour to locate and use the clues and find a hidden time machine. The clock ticked. We ran around the room, giving orders, taking orders, sitting down to think, wiping our foreheads in frustration. It was hard – a lot harder than we anticipated. We worked hard for the full 60 minutes… At 59:59, we unlocked yet another door and were sure we were there, on the verge of discovering the answer to the problem. When they opened the room, that idea was quickly shattered; we had only made it through about two thirds of the maze. Really? The second room was a similar experience. Six of us worked together to find a key needed to solve the mystery. The clock ticked, clues were provided and, again, time ran out. Continue reading →

Is there math in football?

10 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Mindset

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football, john urschel, math, mathematics, ravens, steelers

“Every day, we make hundreds of decisions that are informed by our quantitative judgment. Most of the time, we don’t even realize it. When you’re packing a lot of things into a small bag, you have to think geometrically. When you’re planning a schedule or dividing your time, you’re thinking quantitatively. When you’re trying to decide between two different options, you’re thinking analytically.” – John Urschel

steelers-ravens

Skimming my newsfeed the other morning, I came across an article written by John Urschel, an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens. Typically I would stop reading right there. I am an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and the Ravens are our archrivals. But I try to possess a growth mindset, so I powered on to learn more about Urschel and math. Yes, math. Continue reading →

Intelligence & Adaptation

03 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Mindset

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adaptation, change, intelligence, listening, mindset, stephen hawking

Screen Shot 2016-11-02 at 8.41.53 PM.pngEveryone I know considers him or herself to be an intelligent person. We all like to think we know things and are able to carry on a dialogue that is informative and demonstrates our abilities. On the other hand, many people I know are quite uncomfortable with change. When the unexpected occurs or things do not go as planned, it can be challenging to adapt to the new circumstances.

What we know is that the very universe in which we live is adaptive to changing circumstances. Our world today is quite different from the world that existed at the beginning of time. It has shifted, changed and responded to its environment – literally and figuratively. We need to do the same. As Stephen Hawking suggests, to demonstrate intelligence we must be able to adapt to changing circumstances. We would no more stay seated in a burning building than we should stand by our strongly held ideas in the presence of new evidence. Listening to others – hearing their views and their approach to a given situation – helps us build our intellect. It makes us think.

The next time you find yourself dismissing a new idea, ask if you are adapting or staying the course. Which is the better course of action?

Expectations

05 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Mindset, Montessori Education, Wilmington Montessori School

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Wilmington Montessori, Wilmington Montessori School

Free the Child's PotentialI was reading Seth Godin’s blog the other day and this post reminded me of what we work toward each day at Wilmington Montessori School. It is all about expectations. We all have them and if we are fortunate we have someone or something that pushes us to meet the expectations before us… not because they are being demanding but because they know we can and will meet the expectations. We are capable. At times when we are unsure, those around us aren’t. They support us and guide us and move us closer toward our best selves.

As Seth Godin says: “If we can help just one person refuse to accept false limits, we’ve made a contribution. If we can give people the education, the tools and the access they need to reach their goals, we’ve made a difference. And if we can help erase the systemic stories, traditions and policies that push entire groups of people to insist on less, we’ve changed the world.”

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