Maria Montessori: Self Regulation and Independence

1. Maria Montessori: Self Regulation and Independence Laura Jauregui and Lindsey Landgrover

2. Biography • Montessori was born in Chiaravalle, Italy in 1870 • Moved to Florence three years later and then once again to Rome in 1875 • Studied at the University of Rome and earned her medical degree in 1892 • Began to look at the field of pediatrics and slowly became interested in children with mental disabilities • Was one of the founders of Casa de Bambini where she applied her studies and methods to mentally normal children • Traveled around the world, sharing information about her educational method

3. Critical Terms • Concentration: Activity concentrated on a single work with movements of the body guided by the mind. Child is in deep engagement in an activity. • Cycle of Activity: Children repeat an activity which interests them for no apparent reason. Child only stops when inner need is satisfied. • Independence: Not depending on another, most specifically the teacher/directress. • Active Discipline: Act of will, develops gradually. As will develops through the exercise of free choice, children begin to have the self-discipline necessary for obedience. • Sensitive Periods: Child in a sensitive period exhibits spontaneous concentration when engaged in an activity that matches a particular sensitivity. • Work: Children learning and experimenting in a relatively pressure-free environment.

4. Goals and Purpose The purpose of this research study is to compare and contrast the social and individual behaviors of children who are educated in Montessori classroom settings with the social and individual behaviors of children who are educated in more traditional classroom settings. • Are Montessori students more likely to demonstrate more self regulated behaviors than are students in traditional classrooms? • Are Montessori students more likely to receive fewer corrections from the teachers than are students in traditional classrooms? • How do the interactions between Montessori students and traditional students compare and contrast? Whichstudentshave more positive/negativeinteractions? • Are Montessori students more likely to demonstrate independent choices in their classrooms when compared to traditional students in their classrooms?

5. Hypothesis • Montessori students will demonstrate more independence and self regulation than the students in the traditional schools. • Due to: • Higher percentage of positive teacher-student interactions • Higher percentage of postive student-student interactions

6. Definition: Independence • Independentchoices: • Any time that a student performs an activity of their own volition without receiving specific instructions (The Discovery of the Child 57). • Teacher Impedes Independent Choices: • Any time that the teacher (or directress) “waits upon” or acts in such a way as to “suffocate [a student’s] own .. spontaneous actions” (The Montessori Method 95).

7. Definition: Self Regulation • Self-regulation • Student “regulate[s] his own conduct” in such a way that is appropriate to the current situation (The Montessori Method 86). • Teacherimpedesself-regulation • Teacher does not allow the student’s “inner efforts” to develop due to specific corrections or interruption of the work (The Discovery of the Child, 307).

8. Procedure “Child Psychology can be established only through the method of external observation.” (MM 72) • Observe Holy Family (Kindergarten classroom) for 1 hour and record all observations • Observe St. Francis Montessori Primary classroom for 1 hour and record all observations

9. Data Collection Instrument

10. Classroom set up *St. Francis Montessori

11. Classroom set up *Holy Family( Traditional school)

12. Results (Student-Student)

13. Results (Teacher-Student)

14. Hypothesis was correct regarding independence!

15. Hypothesis was correct regarding self-regulation!

16. What went wrong? • NO consent forms from Montessori • 3 consent forms from Holy Family • Had to change our experiment to only observation, could no longer ask the children what they thought of the school or label the children • Visited schools at different times of the day • Only visited for an hour

17. Future research? • Longer time • Perform entire experiment • Older kids • Observe outside of the classroom

18. Nature / Nurture Line Montessori Nature Nurture

19. Bibliography • Cosgrove, Sara Anne, and Roger Ballou. "A Complement to Lifestyle Assessment: Using Montessori Sensorial Experiences to Enhance and Intensify Early Recollections."Journal of Individual Psychology, Vol. 62 Issue 1, P47-58, 12p. EBSCO, Spring 2006. Web. 11 Sept. 2012. • Montessori, Maria. The Discovery of the Child. New York: Ballantine, 1973. Print. • Montessori, Maria. The Montessori Method. Cambridge: Robert Bently, 1964. Print. • Reuter, Jeanette, and Gladys Yunik. "Social Interaction in Nursery Schools." Developmental Psychology. US: American Psychological Association, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2012. <http://dbproxy.udallas.edu:2053/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&hid=107&sid=3f021c19-b8ec-4558-80e0-ddf633454441%40sessionmgr110>.