Montessori Classroom Research Articles

Love and the Child in the Montessori Classroom

Love is intertwined with all aspects of the Montessori philosophy, including the way that the teacher builds a constructive relationship with the child. In order to do this, the teacher embarks on her spiritual journey to continuously better herself. In the midst of doing so, she develops certain spiritual qualities that are essential to constructing a positive relationship that respects the development of the whole child. She encourages the child to become independent, according to the stages of development. The epistemology of love, with its seven stages, also offers us a deep understanding of the love that exists between the Montessori teacher and the child. As the child is surrounded by this love, he cultivates a love for the environment that facilitates his learning.

Love and the Child in the Montessori Classroom

Love is intertwined with all aspects of the Montessori philosophy, including the way that the teacher builds a constructive relationship with the child. In order to do this, the teacher embarks on her spiritual journey to continuously better herself. In the midst of doing so, she develops certain spiritual qualities that are essential to constructing a positive relationship that respects the development of the whole child. She encourages the child to become independent, according to the stages of development. The epistemology of love, with its seven stages, also offers us a deep understanding of the love that exists between the Montessori teacher and the child. As the child is surrounded by this love, he cultivates a love for the environment that facilitates his learning.

Children’s preference for real activities: Even stronger in the Montessori Children’s House

In the United States, children are often given the opportunity to engage in pretend activities; many believe this kind of play benefits children’s development. Recent research has shown, though, that when children ages 4 to 6 are given a choice to do the pretend or the real version of 9 different activities, they would prefer the real one. The reasons children gave for preferring real activities often concerned their appreciation of the functionality; when children did prefer pretend activities, their reasons often cited being afraid of, not allowed to, or unable to do the real activity. Given that children in Montessori classrooms have more experience performing real, functional activities, in this study we asked if this preference for real activities is even stronger among children in Montessori schools. We also asked children to explain their preferences. The data are from 116 3- to 6-year-old children (M = 59.63 months, SD = 12.08 months; 68 female): 62 not in Montessori schools and 54 in Montessori schools. Children explained their preferences for pretendand real versions of 9 different activities. Children in Montessori schools preferred real activities even more than did children in other preschools, but all children explained their choices in similar ways. The implications of these results are discussed with regard to play in preschool classrooms.

Parents’ Reasons for Sending Their Child to Montessori Schools

Although the Montessori Method of education is more than 100 years old, the number of Montessori schools in the United States has exponentially increased since 1990. Montessori methods and practices can be complex and difficult for parents to understand, even among parents whose child attends Montessori schools. Moreover, it is unclear why parents decide to enroll their child in Montessori schools. This study presents the results of a survey administered to 124 parents whose children were enrolled in 3 Montessori schools in Massachusetts. Findings indicate that 4 reasons motivated parents’ choice of Montessori education: attraction to Montessori principles, perceived fit with the Montessori philosophy or school, anticipated outcomes, and attraction to the Montessori classroom. These findings indicate that, to support parents’ decision-making, Montessori administrators should invest in parental and public awareness about Montessori education and provide prospective families with specific information related to school fit, classroom environment, and long-term student outcomes.

The Montessori Experiment in Rhode Island (1913-1940): Tracing Theory to Implementation over Twenty-Five Years

This article highlights archived documents pertaining to a 25-year experimental classroom implemented by Clara Craig, then supervisor of training at the Rhode Island Normal School. Craig is notable as she was the only participant in the first International Montessori Training Course in Rome, Italy, in 1913, to gain approval from the Rhode Island Board of Education to study the Montessori Method. Her administrative position at the Rhode Island Normal School provided her with a rare opportunity to influence both teacher preparation and classroom curriculum upon her return. The article traces implementation of the Montessori Method and its Americanized revision, serving as one of the earliest longitudinal examples (1913–1940) of a state-sanctioned Montessori classroom, well beyond the acknowledged first-wave era (1911–1917). Craig’s experience provides a historical perspective that can inform current Montessori initiatives working within complex education and policy contexts.

Montessori Preschool Elevates and Equalizes Child Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study.

Quality preschool programs that develop the whole child through age-appropriate socioemotional and cognitive skill-building hold promise for significantly improving child outcomes. However, preschool programs tend to either be teacher-led and didactic, or else to lack academic content. One preschool model that involves both child-directed, freely chosen activity and academic content is Montessori. Here we report a longitudinal study that took advantage of randomized lottery-based admission to two public Montessori magnet schools in a high-poverty American city. The final sample included 141 children, 70 in Montessori and 71 in other schools, most of whom were tested 4 times over 3 years, from the first semester to the end of preschool (ages 3–6), on a variety of cognitive and socio-emotional measures. Montessori preschool elevated children’s outcomes in several ways. Although not different at the first test point, over time the Montessori children fared better on measures of academic achievement, social understanding, and mastery orientation, and they also reported relatively more liking of scholastic tasks. They also scored higher on executive function when they were 4. In addition to elevating overall performance on these measures, Montessori preschool also equalized outcomes among subgroups that typically have unequal outcomes. First, the difference in academic achievement between lower income Montessori and higher income conventionally schooled children was smaller at each time point, and was not (statistically speaking) significantly different at the end of the study. Second, defying the typical finding that executive function predicts academic achievement, in Montessori classrooms children with lower executive function scored as well on academic achievement as those with higher executive function. This suggests that Montessori preschool has potential to elevate and equalize important outcomes, and a larger study of public Montessori preschools is warranted.

Embedding Aboriginal Perspectives and Knowledge in the Biology Curriculum: The Little Porky

This paper reports on an Action Research project that investigated the integration of Aboriginal and Western knowledge into science learning in a Montessori classroom in regional Queensland, Australia. Drawing on the local knowledge of fauna of community members, the study explored the teaching of science to 12-year 8–9 students in an Aboriginal independent high school in Queensland. The overall study covered 83 lessons that included an initial Short-beaked echidna study. It applied thematic analysis to data to explore the effect of this integrated approach on students’ pride in heritage, cultural knowledge, learning and the Linnaean zoology taxonomy. Results revealed that the contextualisation of Aboriginal and Western science knowledge strengthened students’ Aboriginal personal identity as well as identities as science learners and status of local Aboriginal knowledge.

Technology in the Montessori Classroom: Teachers’ Beliefs and Technology Use

As technology becomes ubiquitous in society, there is increasing momentum to incorporate it into education. Montessori education is not immune to this push for technology integration. This qualitative study investigates four Upper Elementary Montessori teachers’ attitudes toward technology and technology integration in a public school setting. Interviews and observations were used to understand the teachers’ thoughts and actions regarding technology in the classroom. Both the school context and teacher background played important roles in teachers’ beliefs and actions. Teachers in this study expressed positive views of technology in general, exhibiting high technology efficacy and valuing the development of technology skills in their students. However, all four teachers struggled to include instructional technology in ways that are consistent with a Montessori paradigm. Although individual student use of adaptive tutoring software was the most common use of technology, the teachers varied greatly in both the amount of student time spent on computers and the roles that technology played in their classrooms.

Music education in Montessori schools: An exploratory study of school directors’ perceptions in the United States

This exploratory study examined the changing role of music education and the availability of musical experiences for students attending Montessori schools in the Midwestern United States. On a survey instrument designed by the researcher, Montessori school directors ( N = 36) from eight states shared descriptions of the current role of music at their schools, the challenges faced when teaching music, individual perceptions of the impact of music on development, and beliefs about music as a valuable component of the curriculum. Data included responses to Likert-scale items and open-ended questions in an online survey. Analyses revealed that while school directors believed music could be used to engage students in learning or to build upon issues of multicultural understanding, opportunities for musical engagement were limited as a result of stringent budget cuts or time restrictions in the classroom. Implications are discussed in terms of including music in the Montessori classroom in ways that align with Maria Montessori’s pedagogies situated within an international context.

The Role of the Educator in a Montessori Classroom

The traditional school shows the educator as the subject in education, the keeper of information and all control. The child is considered to be the object in education, the one who passively receives information from outside. The following study introduces a new model of educator for pre-school. His role appears to be passive. Indeed, he has the knowledge, but this new conception is just to provide the child with the necessary materials for his development. The Montessori teacher shows the child how to use the materials then he withdraws, humbly, just to observe the feedback. Using the observation, this study proposes a new approach towards the child by avoiding the adult’s constraint. It places the child into a free environment filled with firm, precise limits. Training the adult into the child’s psychology and knowing his stages of development can lead to a better understanding and discovery of the child.

An Intervention Study: Removing Supplemented Materials from Montessori Classrooms Associated with Better Child Outcomes

Montessori classrooms vary a good deal in implementation, and one way in which implementation differs is the provision of materials. Specifically, some classrooms use only Montessori materials, whereas others supplement the Montessori materials with commercially available materials like puzzles and games. A prior study suggested this might be a reason for observed differences across studies and classrooms (Author, 2012) but an intervention study is the best test. The present study presents such an intervention with 52 children in 3 Montessori classrooms with Supplementary materials. All children were given 6 pretests, and non-Montessori materials were removed from 2 of the classrooms. Four months later, children were retested to see how much they changed across that period. Children in the classrooms from which the non-Montessori materials were removed advanced significantly more in early reading and executive function, and to some degree advanced more in early math. There were no differences across the classroom types in amount of change on the tests of vocabulary, social knowledge, or social skills.

Embedding Video-Based Modeling Handwriting Instruction in a Montessori Preschool Phonics Program

A video-based modeling handwriting program for lowercase letter formation was embedded in a Montessori preschool phonics curriculum in one of two Montessori classrooms for 16 weeks. Children could view the DVD on request during phonics lesson time. Phonics skill and letter sequencing patterns improved for the children in both classrooms. The children with access to viewing the video-based modeling showed greater improvement in letter legibility. As part of early intervening services, occupational therapy practitioners may be called upon to make recommendations that benefit all the children in a classroom. Video-based modeling was compatible with the Montessori phonics curriculum and effective for this group.

Implementing a Robotics Curriculum in an Early Childhood Montessori Classroom

An international association advancing the multidisciplinary study of informing systems. Founded in 1998, the Informing Science Institute (ISI) is a global community of academics shaping the future of informing science.

Opportunities for Inquiry Science in Montessori Classrooms: Learning from a Culture of Interest, Communication, and Explanation

Although classroom inquiry is the primary pedagogy of science education, it has often been difficult to implement within conventional classroom cultures. This study turned to the alternatively structured Montessori learning environment to better understand the ways in which it fosters the essential elements of classroom inquiry, as defined by prominent policy documents. Specifically, we examined the opportunities present in Montessori classrooms for students to develop an interest in the natural world, generate explanations in science, and communicate about science. Using ethnographic research methods in four Montessori classrooms at the primary and elementary levels, this research captured a range of scientific learning opportunities. The study found that the Montessori learning environment provided opportunities for students to develop enduring interests in scientific topics and communicate about science in various ways. The data also indicated that explanation was largely teacher-driven in the Montessori classroom culture. This study offers lessons for both conventional and Montessori classrooms and suggests further research that bridges educational contexts.

Implementing Autonomy Support: Insights from a Montessori Classroom

Extant research studies have found that autonomy support has a positive impact on the perceived competence and intrinsic motivation of students. However, few studies have investigated how autonomy supportive classrooms can be implemented. Montessori education is established upon the philosophy of helping each child attain self-mastery and independence. It emphasizes that students be given autonomy to engage freely with their learning environment. This case study of an upper-elementary Montessori classroom found that the Montessori philosophy of education guided how teachers used autonomy supportive strategies. Teachers supported student organizational autonomy by allowing them choice in terms of school work and work partners. They fostered cognitive autonomy by encouraging student independent thinking, encouraging self-initiation, and honoring students’ voice. When implementing control, they acknowledged and respected student feelings, provided rationales for expected behavior, and suppressed criticism. Students surveyed rated themselves highly in terms of intrinsic motivation for schoolwork. Five guidelines are derived from this study to help teachers implement autonomy support in K-12 classrooms.

Analysis of Two Early Childhood Education Settings: Classroom Variables and Peer Verbal Interaction

Descriptive and ecobehavioral analyses were used to explore the daily activity contexts in classroom settings reflecting two distinct models of early childhood education. Activity context, social configurations, teacher behavior, and child behavior were explored, with specific consideration given to peer verbal behavior as an indicator of social interaction. Twenty-four children between the ages of 3 and 6 years enrolled in a Montessori classroom and 26 children between the ages of 3 and 5 years enrolled in a traditional preschool classroom were observed over a 3-month period using the Ecobehavioral System for Complex Assessment of Preschool Environments (ESCAPE; Carta, Greenwood, & Atwater, 1986). Overall, activity context, social configurations, teacher behavior, and child behavior varied across settings in ways consistent with program philosophies. However, levels of peer verbal interaction did not vary significantly.

Young Children’s Imaginative Play: Is It Valued in Montessori Classrooms?

The main purpose of this article is to describe the nature of imaginary play in Montessori classrooms. A transcript from a train ride shows how young children imagine and recreate ideas from their real world experiences and weave them into original new accounts. The author discusses how the play-like action of dramatizing The Caboose Who Got Loose is highly motivating for young children. An informal analysis provides the reader with important insights into the way children see and think about the world. The play episode observed in this study appears as a microcosm of the larger Montessori culture, reflecting the spirit of kindness and respect that permeates Montessori Schools.

Child's Play

Emerging digital technologies enable teachers and students to access and manipulate sights and sounds in their school environments. The challenge is to systematically include these new media in academic environments, and to include adults who are ill prepared in technical issues as primary guides in this effort. This article suggests that child's play should be the focus of these efforts, and that the Montessori classroom provides a good model to guide these considerations. Kristina Woolsey is a Learning Experience Designer at the Exploratirum; Matthew Woolsey is a reporter at Forbes.

Challenging the Gaze: The Subject of Attention and a 1915 Montessori Demonstration Classroom

The child's attention, how this attention is reasoned about, and how attention works as a surface for pedagogical intervention are central to understanding modern schooling. This article examines “attention” as an object of knowledge related to the organization and management of individuals. I address what we might learn about attention by studying one specific Montessori classroom, the glass‐walled public demonstration set up at the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair. The pedagogy of attention on display and the spectatorship of the classroom provide an opportunity to rethink how power and subjectivity play in the formation of human attractions. I argue that thinking through Montessori offers important and relevant suggestions for present‐day examinations of attention. The 1915 demonstration classroom can help us theorize the relation of attention to normalizing and governmentalizing practices. This specific study of how attention operates in one locale has implications for tactile learning theories and for the analytics of power to be used in studies of attention.

A Delicate Balance: The Praxis of Empowerment at a Midwestern Montessori School

This study examines empowerment as a communicative process among teachers and students at a Midwestern Montessori school. The Montessori method, developed by Maria Montessori in the early twentieth century, is attentive to the tension individuals experience as they attempt to balance their individual freedom with the good of their community. This educational philosophy suggests that empowerment occurs on a systems level as teachers and students learn to manage this tension. Through longitudinal research, I explored the praxis of empowerment in the organizational context of three Montessori classrooms. My analysis of field notes and transcribed interviews yielded three specific areas in which I observed the praxis of empowerment: the nature of the environment, the management of discipline, and the social construction of learning.