The Montessori Message

The Montessori Message

Tag Archives: John Dewey

Continuous Reflection

05 Thursday Jan 2017

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

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John Dewey, montessori, new year, reflection, self-reflection

john-dewey-quoteAs 2016 came to an end, my inbox was inundated with advice – things I should buy, resolve, change and appreciate. I’m sure yours was filled with similar items. The message behind all of these emails is the same; this is the time of year to reflect on the past and set goals for the year ahead.

Schools are places of continuous reflection. There is not a day that goes by on which questions aren’t pondered about what has gone well and what could be done better. Learning is a continual process, not a one-time-per-year event. It is ongoing. As another year begins there is much to consider. Children are entrusted to us. The goal is to educate them and send them off with the knowledge and skills needed to negotiate their world; a world that is continually changing. While some of the things I learned in school are quite relevant today, many are not. However, what I did learn is how to take ideas apart, to ask questions, to reflect on the information at hand and to add my findings to my already existing knowledge base.

Reflecting on our practice as educators allows us to move forward into the future that awaits the students in our classrooms. It also reminds us to honor those practices that will always be important. It causes us to question and search for answers. It is through reflection that we are able to create an environment for all learners to pursue their quest for understanding and to make sense of the world in which they live. Schools, in their best version of themselves, are working to help children learn. For it is in developing the skills needed to learn that one is able to go out and successfully negotiate the world.

Reflection

27 Thursday Oct 2016

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

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John Dewey, learning, reflection, self-reflection

tree reflection.jpgThe first time a baby looks in a mirror, she is surprised and in awe of what is before her…her reflection.

Throughout our lives, we are presented with opportunities to reflect on our experiences, our growth and our path ahead. As John Dewey said, “We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.”

Montessori classrooms not only allow this time for reflection; they are based on reflection. It is through considering what we’ve tried and thinking about what worked and what didn’t – reflection – that learning occurs.

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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