Home "work" for the Montessori student
What about Homework?
You may have noticed that your child never comes home with any homework (except of course reading) from Montessori primary school. This is because Montessori style homework is for the whole family - school work is done at school and 'home' work is exactly that, it is the work needed at home. Just as students in the Montessori classroom are expected to participate in the work of keeping the classroom organised, replacing materials, taking turns to do hospitality and kitchen cleaning, all those things that contribute to the smooth running of the classroom and being part of a community, this care and skill set can be practiced at home.
Similar to the work of the classroom the home 'work' should be varied and interesting and involve elements of choice. Practical life is an important aspect of the infant 0-3 and 3-6 Montessori pre-school curriculum. Skills such as folding and hanging laundry, washing dishes and windows, chopping and peeling vegetables, citrus juicing and basic cooking are all practiced repetitively and enable pre-schoolers to develop independence and self confidence. These skills also make them useful at home - dressing themselves and taking charge of their own clothes and belongings, sweeping and wiping up their own spills and accidents.
I was recently at the house of a Montessori parent friend and her 8 yr old proceeded to make himself an veggie omelette from scratch completely unaided - he then came and sat next to me and offered me some of his snack and told me exactly how he had prepared it. This example of confidence and capability is the essence of lifelong learning and a joy of learning how to be independent - learning is a lifelong process that doesn't belong just at school.
Jan Gaffney (Former teacher and Principal Wa Ora Montessori, Wellington) shared a list of suggested 'homework' ideas (in Montessori Voices magazine April 2018) that you as a family can work on and add to over time:
Children can:
Read at least half an hour a day - this is the essential one - this can be reading together, reading to themselves and listening to audiobooks.
Visit the library - join a reading programme - read together as a family - read recipes and poems both fiction and non-fiction, feed an interest with books.
Read a series - where characters are followed over time.
Play word board games as a family like scrabble and bananagrams.
Do crossword puzzles and sodoku.
Write thank you letters or write to a pen pal.
Write the family shopping list, write the weeks dinner menu plan.
Keep a private journal of thoughts, ideas, inventions and feelings.
Bake for the lunchboxes - homemade muesli bars are so much tastier, cheaper and use less packaging.
At least once a week be the cook for the family evening meal - decide the recipe, budget and shop for ingredients - plan conversation topics to be discussed and clean up afterwards
Take part in family chores - these may be feeding pets/animals, collecting eggs, cleaning, tidying and mending
research alternative eco-friendly and cost effective cleaning products - find recipes and try them out.
Plan a family trip - a day trip or an overnight camping tramp, book a DOC hut or campground, research the options, ask family members what their preferences are.
Play games card games or chess, Monopoly and uno as a family.
Learn how to use hand tools for woodworking, make something useful such as a a carved spoon or bird box.
Volunteer in the community.
Visit museums and art galleries in your area regularly to see new exhibits.
Create ways to fundraise for school or local charities.
Count birds for DOC.
Maintain and or create a family food and herb garden.
Ride a bike, take up gymnastics or swimming, participate in triathlons and train for them.
Participate in a team sport
learn an instrument
Take time to rest, relax and meditate - calm your mind without screens, take time in nature.
It's a start of a list but it gives you an idea of the types of 'homework' available to your children, ensuring they are active and learning and setting them up to be successful and independent adults.
10 Alternatives to saying “good job!”
By using descriptive praise we can avoid judging a student or child’s work or action as good or bad but encourage self evaluation, reflection and encourage them to try harder tasks.
Rachel Peachy explains a Montessori perspective on praise very beautifully on her blog Volcano Mama, nip over there and have a read: http://www.rachelpeachey.com/2016/10/28/why-good-job-doesnt-cut-it-a-montessori-perspective-on-praise/
In the Montessori classroom, external rewards, including excessive praise, are discouraged. This is because the child should become internally motivated, recognizing the benefits and innate goodness of the work they do. This doesn’t happen automatically. Parents and teachers must guide the process and help the child learn to see the importance of each task performed.
Here are some phrases to get you going with descriptive praise at home:
Thank you, I really appreciate your help, it’s so much faster and more fun working together.
I can see you have tried really hard to achieve this
Tell me more about the …..
Why did you choose …..
I really like your choice of ….
I can see you are really getting the hang of this …. , I particularly enjoyed the ….
I’m really interested to learn more, can you describe how you did this
Wow, I didn’t know you could …., that takes a lot of hard work and concentration.
You worked so hard, you must be so proud
You look so happy!
They may be a little bit more to say but they mean so much more than “well done” or “awesome, good work” or “good job”, which can help motivate kids to complete tasks and take on challenges for their own satisfaction and happiness.
MANZ CONFERENCE 2017 ATTENDED BY ROSA AND CARAGH
Montessori Conference reflections
manz conference 2017
Montessori (MANZ) Conference 2017: Sustaining the light in every child
Caragh and Rosa attended their first Montessori conference and have shared some of their reflections below.
Caragh:
I came away enthused and with a greater understanding of the Montessori system. The more I learn the more I think that all children should have the opportunity to learn this way.
Something that particularly resonated with me was the holistic view taken of the child as a whole and not just how well they read, write and solve maths problems. I have seen so many children struggle in the mainstream to the detriment of their self-confidence. Although reading, writing and maths are essential skills, providing children with a wider focus and time to develop at their own speed can only create more confident and independent individuals.
The session on Montessori methods of teaching maths, through problem solving and using materials they can manipulate, was very interesting. The movement and handling of the materials promotes understanding and creates more connections in the brain. The materials are also designed to be self correcting so the children take a more active, discovery role in their learning. This promotes self esteem as the children are not relying on adults to find out if they have got it right. The materials are also designed to be used collaboratively and promotes rich learning conversations as the children work through the activities.
Rosa:
Over the 3 days at the MANZ conference all of the staff that attended were inspired and challenged.
A theme that came through was the importance of the ‘cultural curriculum’. In Montessori, the cultural curriculum is everything that lies outside of teaching math, reading and writing. Michael Duffy (the speaker) emphasised that the cultural curriculum should be what drives the teaching in the classroom. Students should be learning about the very things that interest them and through that, math, reading and writing will also happen. There should not be a mentality of ‘do your math, reading and writing first before you move on to your fun/interesting work’.
Another theme that came through was the idea that children should not be extrinsically rewarded. In order for Montessori children to be motivated intrinsically, teachers need to make sure they are not falling into the trap of rewarding/bribing children with stickers and treats. This even went so far to say that teachers should not say “great work” to a student. Instead of praising children, feedback needs to be more directive, for example,. “I really noticed the way you developed your character in the beginning of the story”. Also turning the conversation around to the student and asking “how do you feel about your work?” or “what do you like about your work?” This moves the teacher away from being the person who gives worth or value to the students’ work. This also gives the student the message that they can give value to their own work. Ultimately the goal is to empower the children in a way that allows them not to rely on validation from others. The children can then build a perceptive eye for themselves and can begin to know what it looks and feels like to have completed something of value. This message fundamentally opposes many teaching philosophies, however it is amazing to see children who are confident without constantly seeking approval as a result of building intrinsic motivation.
An inspiring aspect of the conference was the information on cosmic education. One of the key attributes in a Montessori classroom is the importance of the timelines through history. The link between the historical stories and peace education became clear. The idea is that children who truly understand what came before them can break down barriers between different cultures and see people through a lens that celebrates difference while recognising how similar we all are.
It was a very worthwhile 3 days for all of us; teaching assistants, parents, experienced staff and teachers new to Montessori.
Te kura o papatuanuku - Wairarapa earth school project
Te kura o papatuanuku
Wairarapa Earth School Project
The Wairarapa Montessori Charitable Trust has formed a partnership with Te Kura O Papatuanuku Wairarapa Earth School Project. This project is funded by Curious Minds and is committed to fostering a passion for science and technology through hands-on, garden-based learning. This project brings the Montessori inspired project based learning approach to a wider Wairarapa audience. Te Kura O Papatuanuku believe that learning about sustainability in a future-focused, hands-on way will set our young people on the path to becoming creative problem solvers who will be in such high demand in decades to come. That said, for our project, the short-term local outcomes are just as important. Learning about sustainability and sharing that knowledge and enthusiasm with friends and whānau gives pupils the opportunity to contribute to the well-being of the Wairarapa region, right now.
The project uses:
Use real-world, project-based learning which is proven to make school work more enjoyable, and strengthen students problem-solving skills for later life.
Let the students lead their own learning. This fosters self-motivation and self-confidence, and gives them a sense of project ownership, which means they learn more.
Find out more on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/wairarapaearthschool and follow the blog https://wairarapaearthschool.wordpress.com/.
“When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength” – Maria Montessori
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