The Montessori Message

The Montessori Message

Tag Archives: hands-on learning

Photo-what???

25 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Montessori Education, Teachers, Uncategorized, Wilmington Montessori School

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arts integration, biology, hands-on learning, Maria Montessori, montessori, Montessori education, photosynthesis, science, tableaux, upper elementary

Photosynthesis 9-12Much of what we learn in school is memorized, tested and forgotten. Dr. Maria Montessori believed that children must experience learning through multiple senses; sensory experiences are crucial in the earliest years of development. She developed materials that you will find in most Montessori schools. These materials allow children to explore a concept through their hands, their eyes and language. They provide more than one pathway to learning.

Experiencing learning in a variety of ways provides more opportunity for learning and retaining information. Just about all of us learned about photosynthesis in science class. Some of us probably learned it more than once. Yet, if asked explain the process, could we do it?

As a school that focuses on integrating the arts AND Montessori education, Wilmington Montessori School’s Upper Elementary students had a tremendous opportunity to learn more about photosynthesis. They not only read about it and watched a movie about it; they also actually became photosynthesis. Students collaborated to demonstrate the parts of a plant (root, stem, leaf, flower) and the process of photosynthesis.

When learning about this process again in a higher level of biology in high school, do you think they’ll remember what they read or what they did? Will they know that a certain child represented the roots while another was the sun? This is learning that will last. This is how the arts impact learning. This is Montessori education at its best.

Building Bridges

01 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by Lisa Lalama in community service, Learning, Montessori Education, STEM, Wilmington Montessori School

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9-12 program, bridge, elementary, hands-on learning, montessori, perkins run, project based learning, upper elementary

Bridge - group.jpgA long line of children walked by the window, each carrying a board, following their teachers like ducklings. What were they doing?

These Upper Elementary students worked worked long and hard on a bridge project. Last year, through a study of engineering, they arrived at the idea of building a bridge across the creek in the woods. They worked with the facilities manager, parent engineers and their teachers to determine how they could cross the creek without hopping from rock to rock. Their initial project was lofty indeed, the Golden Gate Bridge over Perkins Run Creek. As it became clear this was an engineering marvel and beyond the scope of their expertise, they adjusted the scope of the project to one more manageable by 9- through 12-year-olds. Two weeks ago, they built a bridge that will be used by our students and campers throughout the year. They achieved their goal. Continue reading →

Going Out

10 Friday Nov 2017

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Montessori Education, Teachers, Wilmington Montessori School

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expeditionary learning, field trip, hands-on learning, montessori, montessori philosophy, school, travel

Photo - UN

Most students go on field trips. Some go on one or two trips each year, and others, like many Montessori school students, go on many. “Going out” is an important aspect of the Montessori curriculum. As adults – teachers and parents alike – we often enjoy these trips soaking in the sights, information and wonder of what each experience has to offer. Do children feel the same way? What is the reason for field trips? Many educators wonder about this very question. Some state that field trips are simply a change of scenery, offering no “real” learning. Others feel they are a distraction, and still others contend they open the eyes and ears of their students. What makes the difference?

In order to fully consider this question, one must return to the question of the purpose of education. Is the goal to convey the same designated body of knowledge to all students or to expose students to ideas, opening doors and provoking a sense of wonder? Field trips are no different. When children visit the fire department or the orchard, the goal is to show them a little slice of life, to help them understand the world beyond their school, home or neighborhood. They are learning about others, the work they do and the place that hold in their lives. Visiting a museum or attending a play allows them to experience culture in various formats and to look beyond their everyday world. The field trips they have today are the building blocks for future experiences throughout their lives.

Education, in the classroom or in the form of a field trip, has the higher purpose of showing the world to students. Each time they visit a new place or learn more about the world, they are building their understanding of their place in the world. They explore ways to contribute to the world and ask questions about it. Our goal is not to simply have students memorize a body of facts or to recall where the pumpkins are planted or the names of the paintings viewed. It is instead to help them see the world today, tomorrow, and many different days and times throughout their years in school and beyond.

Photo - Room 15

The Genius of Montessori

28 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Montessori Education

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

connections, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, hands-on learning, learning, Maria Montessori, materials, math, mathematics, montessori, Montessori education, montessori materials, Pythagorean Theorem

Last weekend, as an evening of theater came to a close, an image proving the Pythagorean Theorem appeared. I was reminded immediately of the Montessori material used in upper elementary classrooms. Though this character in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” was demonstrating his acute mathematical abilities, I again considered how much Dr. Montessori knew about how children learn. She developed a system to make concepts accessible to children and lay the foundation for the more complex mathematics they will encounter as they move on to middle and high school.

pythagoras-materialThese particular materials help children prove the Pythagorean Theorem, which states that given a right-angle triangle, the sum of the squares formed on the short legs equals the square formed on the hypotenuse.

Manipulating these materials demonstrates this and gives children visual and kinesthetic ways to see the theorem in action. They explore it much like we might explore a puzzle; they can see that the pieces “fit.” One side squared plus the other side squared equals the third side…the squares are right there; children can see them, count them and physically move them. They don’t need to be advanced mathematicians to do this work, nor do they need to be able to write the algebraic expression to prove it. Instead they have the opportunity to explore it, manipulate it and see for themselves how to make sense of this idea and store it away for future use. The wonder of Montessori!

Frank Smith and the Book of Learning

02 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Montessori Education, Teachers, Wilmington Montessori School

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education, hands-on learning, learning, Maria Montessori, montessori, Montessori education, teachers, Wilmington Montessori, Wilmington Montessori School

In one of the blogs I routinely follow, I came across The Book of Learning and Forgetting by Frank Smith. Wow! His premise is that there are two views of learning: classic and official. The classic view of learning states:

We learn from people around us with whom we identify. We can’t help learning from them and we learn without knowing that we are learning…Just about all the important knowledge we have about our personal worlds, and the skills we have developed to navigate through these worlds, are a direct result of learning the classic way.

He acknowledges that learning is a social process that occurs naturally through collaborative activities, much as it is in a Montessori classroom. Learning is allowed to happen and it happens for each of us on a bit of a different timeline and path. We work together and learn from each other. It is how we acquire language, understand systems and, if we are lucky, how we learn in school.

Whereas the official view of learning purports:  

It is a theory that learning is work, and that anything that can be learned provided sufficient effort is expended and sufficient control enforced. The theory has gained supreme power in educational systems from kindergarten to university. It has become so pervasive that many people can’t imagine an alternative to it.

TIMG_2730he challenge with the official view of learning is that it encourages forgetting. It does not depend on the situation or the process. It simply states that if you work harder you can learn anything. It all depends on effort; if you don’t learn, it’s because you didn’t put forth the effort.

Just reading these two definitions alone is thought-provoking. How do you learn? When did you learn something others thought was incredibly challenging, but you managed to not only learn it but enjoy it? When did you “have to” learn something easy that just kept eluding you no matter how hard you tried? These are universal experiences. If we’re learning to learn and remember and use the information we’ve been taught, we must do it in the classic way. We need multiple ways for learning to occur. When I’m trying to recall something I’ve learned, I can visualize the information and perhaps recall the words or experience attached to the learning. I do not, however, memorize, which is an official link to learning. The things I’ve memorized for tests or other situations are soon forgotten unless they are used each and every day and in a variety of situations. The official way of learning doesn’t promote learning. It promotes immediate recall, if you are lucky.

Frank Smith’s book is yet another reason to pause and reflect on the learning that happens in a true Montessori classroom. Children are learning from everyone and everything in their environment. Dr. Montessori knew how to engage children in learning and to entice them to ask questions and want more. She knew that learning is a social process and that children must interact with the materials, the adults and each other. She understood the possibilities that existed in presenting the world to a child and then set out to do it. Dr. Montessori prompts us all to learn and to remember.

Maria Montessori: Trendsetter

26 Thursday May 2016

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

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21st-century, 21st-century skills, communication, critical thinking, education, fashion, hands-on learning, innovation, leadership, Maria Montessori, montessori, Montessori education, teachers, teamwork, tomorrow's leaders, Wilmington Montessori, Wilmington Montessori School

blog - maria Montessori
Blog - Montessori Fashion

What do fashion and a WMS education have in common? On the face nothing. Yes, we have some nice T-shirts in our school store and the design is changed once in awhile, but you may have noted that we are not in the fashion business. However, Montessori education is a bit like fashion in that we set trends. We also adapt and change, remaining relevant in an ever-changing world…just like fashion.

There are buzzwords in every field; education is no different. The interesting thing about the latest buzz in education is that it centers on words and ideas such as innovation, flexible thinking, social skills, leadership, collaboration, communication skills, critical thinking, teamwork, creativity, time management, organization and more. Most, if not all, of these words – and practices – have been a part of Montessori education for well over 100 years, reminding us of the adage, “What is old is new again.” Continue reading →

Teaching 2.0

10 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Teachers, Wilmington Montessori School

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fractions, graphing, hands-on learning, iPad, montessori, skittles, teaching, technology, upper elementary, Wilmington Montessori, Wilmington Montessori School

skittlesI have had the great pleasure of working with a small group of students during the past few weeks. Our focus is on math, specifically fractions. I haven’t been in the classroom full time for a few years and, although I knew that children pretty much remain the same, I wondered how I would adjust to the “new ways of doing business.” I found some constants and some things that made my “work” a bit simpler.

As we gathered for a lesson using Skittles candies, the reception was much as it has been throughout time – utter joy. Children love candy, and nothing is better than participating in a lesson where one gets to eat one’s work product! Skittles were sorted by color and fractions were determined and a graph was created that displayed the data. Next was the part children dislike the most…having an assignment. They were given the work to complete and told the expectations that would need to be met to successfully submit the assignment. This is where things shifted. Continue reading →

What do you want to learn?

25 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Montessori Education, Research, Teachers, Wilmington Montessori School

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21st-century, arts integration, connections, education, engaged learners, engagement, geography, hands-on learning, Maria Montessori, math, mathematics, montessori, Montessori education, motivation, quilting, research, sewing, teachers, Wilmington Montessori, Wilmington Montessori School

sewingfinal.JPGTake a moment to think about something in your life you really really wanted to learn. Now think about how you went about learning it. Who was involved? Who or what helped you? Who or what stood in your way? How did you overcome those obstacles? Why did you keep trying in the face of difficulties? Continue reading →

Are You a Math Person?

04 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Montessori Education, Wilmington Montessori School

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

connections, education, hands-on learning, math, mathematics, montessori, Montessori education, teachers, Wilmington Montessori, Wilmington Montessori School

Room 13 - Jin - Binomial Cube
2005 Dubroff - Hundred Board
website photos 055
bead chain

Reading this article reminded me once again of how we perceive math. How many times have you heard statements such as, “I’m not a math person…” or “I’m no good at math?” My guess is more often than you realize. For some reason, people feel it’s ok to not be a math person. As a friend once said, you never hear people say, “I’m not a reading person,” as an excuse not to learn how to read. Math is a part of our everyday lives, and it is puzzling as to why some of us perceive ourselves as unable to figure out that thing called math. Continue reading →

John Dewey: Education as “a process of living…”

12 Thursday Nov 2015

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Montessori Education, Teachers, Wilmington Montessori School

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experiential learning, hands-on learning, John Dewey, lifelong learning, montessori, Montessori education, teachers, Wilmington Montessori, Wilmington Montessori School

Room 15 - Maker Studio 1This week I am compelled to write about John Dewey, who some believe to be the greatest educational thinker of the 20th century.

Dewey wrote about the power and importance of experiential learning… learning by doing. He also viewed the teacher as a facilitator or guide. His pedagogy aligns beautifully with Montessori’s. In considering what school can and should be for children, we cannot neglect Dewey’s work.

Please take a few minutes to read some of his ideas, which ultimately state that, “Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living.” That is the goal. Learning does not begin and end at the school door. It is a lifelong habit. Our work is to set the stage and encourage children to embrace it.

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