Chapter 2 Response

This chapter gave me an opportunity to revisit many educational theorists I had not thought about in nearly twenty years. It was interesting and refreshing to read and form opinions on where my educational beliefs lie today. As a Montessori educator for the past fourteen years, I believe my roots are more in line with those of the Constructivist Learning Theories. I especially support the beliefs of John Dewey and Jean Piaget. I agree with Dewey that learning should arise from the students’ interest and that curriculum topics need to be integrated to grasp the whole concept. He supported that all learning should be hands on and experienced based by either working independently or in groups. This is the way I approach learning in my classroom. My co teacher and I work diligently to integrate our subjects. While discussing Ancient Roman history, my co teacher is working with geography concepts on that time period. We are also working and researching the contributions of math, language, and government to our modern society. All students are treated as individuals and their strengths and weaknesses are assessed continuously. While one student is working on basic operations another student may be forging ahead with fraction and decimal work. By allowing the child to move forward at their functioning work level; they develop a sense of pride and accomplishment in what they are learning. Once skills are internalized, the student develops confidence and is able to move forward without frustration on their part. Teachers need to be aware of their students’ sensitive periods of development so all children are learning and absorbing knowledge. As students mature their higher level thinking skills develop as well. Montessori and Piaget are both supporters of the phases of cognitive development and I see it in action everyday within my classroom.

Even though I am a constructivist at heart, I do rely on some directed instruction in working with my students. This is seen through individualized lessons with them to gain knowledge of certain skills. After the lesson is presented I look for various ways to assess their knowledge. My co teacher and I use a combination of assessment formats including projects, portfolios, written reports, and traditional mini assessments. We use the occasional mini assessment to help our student’s transition into a more traditional environment when they leave Montessori.

I believe that technology can be taught with both philosophies as well. Teachers will need to give direction on proper use of the technology and then allow the students to explore and develop their skills. The goal of the integration of both philosophies is the Technology Integration Plan discussed at the end of the chapter. This plan guides the teacher in how to successfully use technology to the benefit of the class. My goal as a Montessori teacher is to learn to integrate more technology within the curriculum without loosing the hands on approach we honor so much. I hope this guide can be a springboard for my co teacher and I in our beginning phase of implementing more technology. I feel that if Maria Montessori were alive today, she would embrace the technological world and encourage Montessori educators to use it within the classroom.