The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance — it is the illusion of knowledge — Daniel J. Boorstin
Normalization
The signs of spring are emerging: chirping songbirds, fluttering butterflies and budding blossoms can be seen outside. With this time of year, we also witness a fresh energy in our classrooms. This is my favorite time of year. Teachers and I delight in the explosion of mastery happening in the classroom. Children’s reading, mathematics and…
Spiral Development
With each season, birthday, and school year in our classrooms there exists a pattern to each child’s individual growth. The pattern resembles a spiral; a continuous upward progression centered on an axis. The axis is the child’s environment (composed of the teachers and the materials). The spiral is the child’s development, through various areas of…
What is Montessori?
Montessori is about a kid with a stick, digging a hole in the mud — hands dirty, engaged, fascinated, uninterrupted. — Trevor Eissler
Montessori Classroom and Control of Error
A key principal within the Montessori classroom, is “control of error” within the materials and presentations. So what does this mean? Simply stated, it allows children to recognize the proper manipulation of the Montessori work, allowing them to test the materials, use their reasoning skills and correct their work themselves. You can imagine the great…
Imagination
Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create. — Maria Montessori
The Importance of Making Mistakes
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. —Mahatma Gandhi As a protective parent, I have been known to step in and share my personal wisdom in hopes of preventing my girls from making mistakes. My actions, though well-intended, can rob them of a valuable learning experience or…
The hands are the instruments
The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence. — Maria Montessori
Slowing Down to Learn
Shared from MindShift on KQED News, http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/02/17/slowing-down-to-learn-mindful-pauses-that-can-help-student-engagement/ February 17, 2015 The excerpt below is from the book “Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom,” by Patricia A. Jennings. This section is from the chapter entitled “Orchestrating Classroom Dynamics.” Mindful Wait Time One way to promote engagement and learning is to consciously create…
Let the children free
Let the children free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a…
