Saturday, August 25, 2007

Unrestricted Freedom?


Unrestricted freedom. It's almost a matter of consequences. You have the freedom to choose whether to brush your teeth or not...but if you choose not to you will get cavities and have to go to the dentist and it will be expensive...and on and on....


Responsibility....


without it ....


no freedom.


Rules do not curb freedom, they set the stage for freedom. Without them we cannot choose anything. In order to drive we have to follow the rules of the road...or we lose our right to drive.
With a child that is of "school age" certain things need to be learned. Now, it is our responsibility to make that work as attractive as possible and as easy a task as possible with supplying the child with the tools necessary to learn. But the option not to learn is not an option. The contract is not ridgid...if done right, it should reflect where the child is.....as children (beyond pre-school) we often don't know what is the best for us. That is why we have parents, teachers, etc.

I tell parents that freedom and chaos are two different things. If I had unrestricted freedom I would work in my art studio all day long and miss out on building relationships with people. Freedom to me is being able to choose for myself what is right as long as it does not cause others negative impact. A list/contract just keeps us focused on where we are and where we are going. I don't believe that beyond pre-school children know what is best for them at all times. They are old enough now to become influenced by society....tv.....peers....books.....experiences....

Montessori liberty does not mean we do what we want when we want to!

If you have an older child that chooses practical life activities all the time, that child is just staying comfortable and safe. New work to some children and people is uncomfortable. We need to make it as exciting as possible.

My son, who is now 28, was a real handful when we transitioned him from Montessori to middle school. The teachers kept at him to read Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer. We were called into the school office to have a conference. There was my husband, myself, my child, two teachers and the Principal. After the "he won't do what he is suppose to speech" I asked them if they asked my child why he didn't want to read the book. They said no...it doesn't matter he has to. I said to my child, "Why don't you want to read the book" and he said..." I read it twice when I was 6 years old, give me a test and I'll proove it".


When we got home, I sat my child down and we had a talk. I told him in a perfect world this situation would not have happened. In Montessori school it didn't....but in life as you get older it does. Sometimes you have to do the work to get to where you would rather be....so, let's go get Tom Sawyer and then we will get some books you want to read. The teachers will be happy and so will you.


Now later in life my son says...you taught me mom that sometimes you have to find out what the game is and the rules and then play it, so you can get on with your passion in life. This child's yearly income at 19 years old is more than I'll ever see." - Karen, Montessori Teacher


Karen offers Classes on various yahoogroups. She is incredibly experienced, informed and will answer any and all questions. Her classes are very very inexpensive and you also get manuals that are easy to follow, written, photos of the work, classmate support, and ideas on extensions. Her information is on the main page under Montessori Education http://peacefulmann.blogspot.com/

Contracts - More Tips


Children can't wait until they are old enough for "contracts".

This is how they work for me and other Montessorians that I have known....

You sit down either Friday or early Monday (I prefer Friday afternoons) The first thing you do is prepare for this Thursday so that you have a list of where the child is in all areas in the present. You start by asking the child how they have felt about their work this week...you ask leading questions like are you happy with how your report is going for you? Do you need help or do you have any questions? Etc. Use statements like, "You must be proud of yourself for having finished that job!" Then say "Now, let you and me figure out what exciting work you will be doing next week". Then go down the list of subjects...like..In math what did you do this week? What do you think you should do next week? Oh, I know you say you don't like fractions...so why don't we figure out what you need to do to get through them! I know you like games...I have a pie game that you might like and that will help you learn fractions! Do you think you would like to try that? Great! and so on....at the end you say...now you get to choose 3 works that you would like to do....you'll get things like basket making, drawing, woodworking, etc. The child then has a list on a clipboard which is also used as a portable desk. They take it with them and cross off as they go or write questions and notes.
This is for a weekly contract.

For older children, do the same thing, only start each morning off with a short meeting with each child and do a daily contract. - Karen, Montessori Teacher

My children's work plans always had the days of the week listed across the top and the subject areas down the side. For a 3-5 class I would list Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Science, Culture, Language, and Art. The teachers I have seen use this allow the child to pick a lesson (or 2) from each subject that is appropriate for the level they are working. After finishing each of these, they can do whatever they like within their remaining time.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Contract Work

This too is an area that I find hard to explain to people who do not understand Montessori. Again I use a quote from Avery who had nailed it on the head:

"My students set weekly goals.

The younger students have a chart that they fill in indicating the number of works in each area they plan to do for a week. This helps them reach areas that they know they would like to avoid, as well as give them a written plan that can help keep them from wandering through the week.

Their goals are approved by a teacher- mostly to ensure that they reach a variety of subjects and so that they will choose challenging work. It also ensures a one-on-one meeting with a teacher in which they have the opportunity to say something like, "I'm really into this math you gave me right now and I think I want to do 5 works in that area this week. Can I just do 1 or 2 grammars while I'm so excited about this math?" (Don't we wish they all spoke this way to us? But often when I listen to their enthusiasm it sounds like this to me!) They carry their goal sheets on a clipboard to every work they do. As they complete each work they note it on the goals sheet.

It's been a lifesaver- they set their goals and create their own work plan. Then I don't feel as though the work is teacher-directed, but I have some measure of accountability too. At the following goals meeting the students bring both their completed goals sheets to us and their new goals sheets to us and we use the old ones to see what adjustments should be made on the new week's goals sheets. We can then use the completed sheets to make notes in our records about lessons they had and whatnot.

It works very well and is helpful given that we have 4 teachers in the classroom- this is very user-friendly. We also do a lot to make our works sequential and labelled with numbers and letters so that the emergent readers don't struggle with what to note on their goals sheets. For instance, upon completing an addition card the student may write: + #15. Grammar may be N #4 for noun 4. Makes it easy.

My older students do the same thing only in a notebook that they keep to cut down on paper and xeroxing. I think it is a good life skill to be able to plan and organize your work for the week and create a system that will help guide yourself through it." - Avery

This is it in a nutshell! Thank you Avery for your expertise.

I meet with the boys as I do "my lesson planning", I say this loosely of course...LOL They tell me what they like what they don't, I explain what they need to know and ask how they would like to learn it. Of course in the back of my head I have the presentations lined up for the month and note what materials will need to be made to facilitate their goals. I always have a wealth of books on the subjects for their choosing. We write down 4 weekly goal sheets and revise it as we go along. (With the 2 little ones I have to do things in monthly increments to make my life easy during the week.) Then they choose how they get it done. One son wants it broken down in daily bits 1 subject a day, the other does the week in subject increments, such as, he will get on a roll and do 2-3 days of language on one day and then math on another.

We have the weeks of "down time" where our week is full of co-op classes or other obligations and those are our free choice weeks. I observe their choices which are oddly enough the 3-6 material but as Montessori said.....Children need to revisit the old material and trust that they are getting something new from it or reinforcing something old.

The last thing we do are independent studies that end in a presentation for the family. It is so delightful to see how different the "props" are, from subject to subject and child to child.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4097/is_200304/ai_n9235386

Montessori Elementary Homeschool Environment

I have had many people ask me about what is the Montessori elementary home school environment? I share with you what others have been able to say much better than I could....

"In a home school situation you will delight in the wonders of the elementary curriculum which sparks the imagination and unfolds the child's natural motivation to learn.

Begin with the Great Lessons and pick up the strands for language, math, physical science, history, etc. Your child's delight will guide you to the appropriate lessons. Your child's reluctance or hesitations will guide you to find alternate ways to spark imagination and interest, inspire confidence, etc.

Trust yourself to observe your child to learn what motivates, captures attention, inspires concentration, and truly develops human potential. Going to the library together to check out books on the curriculum topics will be great fun and keep the curriculum fresh even as it develops the love of reading and knowledge and comfort using the library. Take field trips to the natural history museum and other museums.

Goal setting is a practical life lesson in itself. You will know when it is appropriate to change the timeline of a goal....when your child has finished early, shows mastery of a topic, has a new passion or interest that leads from one goal to another more appropriate, when an interest deepens and takes longer than anticipated...or when a topic is challenging and requires 'backing up' or 'delaying presentation'...follow the child. Teach your child accountability that has flexibility. Teach your child to honor herself and discover the secret of childhood. " - Robin

Robin said this so eloquently and it is one I use for inspiration. I do on occasion feel I am behind on the materials and I tend to hold things up until they are no longer of any interest. So change is good.

Other recommendations for success:
Keeping a daily log
Teach organization
Set weekly goals, approve them with the Educator and write them down on a check off sheet
Use study guides
They set their goals and create their own work plan

http://www.mchkids.com/montessori_elementary_curriculum.htm

Pictures of Montessori Homeschool Environments. They are WONDERFUL!!
http://www.berteig.org/melanie/Haifa/Homeschool/montessori.html

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Montessori Test Taking?

Since Testing is a part of every students life, why not set up a test taking tray?

I rotate subject matters based on what the children are interested in doing, include a pencil, a stop watch or 2 minute timer, the test sheet and correction sheet.

It has become a game to see what is the personal best on multiplication for my oldest son.

Making tests a game helps self confidence and eliminates the fear.