Blog Posts

Process vs Product

10/15/2024

“Mommy/Tatty… look what I made for you at school!” “Ima/Abba, I made a cool decoration for our Sukkah!” We all enjoy hearing those words coming out of our children’s mouth, excited and beaming with pride about what they have created or accomplished. As we leave for Sukkos break, some children may be bringing home art projects, while others may not. If your child has not brought anything home, don’t fret. Children respond in different ways to having a project to make. Some children relish the making of the project and are eager to take it home. Others may refuse entirely to participate in the project. There are others that will work hard on their project only to throw it in the garbage when they are done, or to say that they do not want to take it home. All of these are completely legitimate. Our children take ownership of their work, as we teach them to do, and therefore they may choose what to do with their final product.

In our school the emphasis is on the process much more than on the product. The process is where the magic takes place! The learning, creativity and deep thinking and concentration happen while the children are working. Understanding what they are doing and feeling good about it are the main goals in any activity in the school. We want to respect the students' need for choice and therefore do not force them to create projects, or to take them home. We of course always offer and even discuss the values of making cool projects to take home, however, if a child refuses we do not force it.

-Daniella

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Where are the worksheets?

9/20/2024

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I have had people ask me why we “do not do worksheets.” I want to share why we use worksheets sparingly in the Montessori classroom. Dr. Montessori found that the younger the child the more concrete their thinking. As we know, babies do not gain object permanence until approximately 9 months of age. Isn’t this the ultimate example of concrete thinking? They need to see something in order to know it exists. As children grow, their ability to understand object permanence grows. One must then reason that children, who just a few years ago could not fathom the existence of something not in their line of sight would find it difficult to learn, absorb and retain complex concepts such math, language, science, etc. written on a piece of paper. At this young age, if one only learns these subjects on paper, this will not be a complete understanding, but rather an understanding of the concepts as flat as the paper on which they are written.

The Montessori Method starts with the concrete, moving to abstraction as the child becomes ready to absorb it. This allows the children to use the concrete learning as a foundation for understanding the more abstract concepts. This is not to say that worksheets may never be used…The children are welcome to do their math work using manipulatives for understanding and then record their work on a sheet that has the problems printed on it.
In many cases worksheets have a large amount of material on them in order to facilitate repetition and subsequently bring about memorization. In the Montessori classroom fewer repetitions are needed in order to gain fluency of a specific concept because these are broken down into sequential steps for better understanding. In the elementary classroom, the children need only do 5 problems at a time and will walk away with a greater understanding than if doing 3 times as many problems on paper alone. Children may choose to do more problems for the pure joy of deepening their understanding. This scenario is one that brings happiness to the heart of the teacher who sees the children developing their love of learning.

-Daniella

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Structured or Open-ended?

9/20/2024

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In a Montessori classroom, the balance between structure and open-ended exploration is key to fostering independence, creativity, and deep learning. The structure is found in the thoughtfully prepared environment, where each learning material serves a specific purpose and is placed on the shelf in the order that it is taught. This setup provides a clear framework within which children can operate. The classroom is divided into areas of Practical Life, Math, Language, Sensorial, and Culture, each offering a variety of activities designed to meet different developmental needs. The daily routine also has a predictable rhythm, giving children a sense of stability and order. This structure creates a solid foundation for learning while offering the necessary boundaries for children to feel secure and confident.

However, within this structure, we encourage open-ended, child-led exploration during the 2-3 hour work cycle in the morning and the 1 hour work cycle in the afternoon. Children are free to choose what they want to work on and how long they want to spend on each activity. The materials themselves often invite exploration beyond a single use, encouraging children to experiment and discover new ways to interact with them. The role of the teacher, or guide, also reflects this balance. While the guide sets up the environment and introduces lessons, they then step back, observing the children and allowing them to take control of their learning journey. Teachers give individual lessons when they see a child is ready for a new challenge, but they don’t dictate the pace or direction of the child's exploration.

This approach supports each child’s unique learning process, fostering both academic growth and the development of life skills like problem-solving and self-regulation. The flexibility encourages the development of creativity, and a deep sense of autonomy. By letting children follow their interests and make choices, we foster intrinsic motivation and a love for learning.

-Mushky

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Process vs Product

Where are the worksheets?

Structured or Open-ended?

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