The Montessori Blog

The Road to Accreditation

tbourcier@casadimir.org (Tyler Bourcier) — Mon, 13 May 2024 19:45:35 GMT

The Road to Accreditation

Among the staff at Casa di Mir, we always have our attention aimed straight at our classrooms. That said, we also have significant excitement building about our relocation! Given the number of items to share with the community about the move itself, I wish to pull apart some of the other strategic aspects ahead. While this all may seem like part of a move, I wish to highlight some unique efforts that are also underway. Don’t worry, our UOR Communications will still be sustained. But, to shed light on extra efforts, please keep an eye out for communication such as this, as all will be under the headline... “Moving Toward Accreditation”

Next year, Casa di Mir will begin the process of seeking accreditation from the American Montessori Society! This is major news and is being timed to support the transition into our new facility. On the one hand, much of the work being undertaken will be behind the scenes, but on the other, it is essential for you to know how we are strengthening Casa di Mir. Plus, there will be opportunities for you to help! As a close community, I wish for you to know the strategic reasonings behind this action.

Accreditation is an intensive, 2- year analysis of our practice.
Aligns our school with the requirements of the world’s largest Montessori organization (AMS).
Accreditation is the highest level of recognition Casa can achieve.
Maximizes our efforts for holistic education, where we support the whole child’s potential.

As part of the move and strategy, our Elementary classrooms are moving into much smaller physical spaces. These cozier rooms allow students to maximize the multi-age learning environment, create more opportunities and ease for cross-classroom pollination, and create closer learning relationships. Each smaller room will be helmed by our teachers spread out amongst the classes; both Head Guide and Montessori Assistant will guide each classroom in Lower (LE) and Upper Elementary (UE).

Considering the big move ahead, we will share information earlier than we have historically. For example, you can count on hearing about your child’s class placement sometime in June. We hope that this effort helps build even more excitement about what lies ahead.

Practical Life in Elementary and Middle School

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 01:30:04 GMT

Practical Life in Elementary and Middle School

One of the most recognizable parts of a Montessori education is the Practical Life work. Imagine primary children preparing their own snacks or using special frames that teach them to tie, buckle, and snap. Because the images of 3-6 year olds buttoning come so clearly to mind, you might wonder how Practical Life looks in the Elementary years and beyond!

The work of Practical Life does not stop, nor does it become any less important in the older programs. The work itself does, however, take on different forms, incorporating skills which are critical steps toward becoming an independent adult. Skill sets such as care of the environment, pet care, safety education, planning their own ‘going outs,’ learning to make business calls on the phone, and community service are a part of the school routines. The elementary and beyond children are social explorers, and learning to navigate the intricacies of interpersonal relationships, group work, and social justice are keys to this age group! The children have class meetings to handle business, such as classroom jobs, plans for special events, class expectations, problem-solving, etc. At Casa, each classroom formulates a Code of Living, which provides the basis for guiding social harmony in the classroom.

The following are just a sample of some of the practical life skills taught to our older students. Often embedded into the curriculum, they help kids reach independence milestones.

● Time Management

In Casa’s elementary classrooms, time management begins with a work journal and planning. The planning sets forth a list of tasks that are to be completed over the course of the day or week. Students have choice in regards to both the work itself, as well as the order they will complete the tasks, and how they will go about doing so. Often called ‘executive functioning,’ this practice truly develops these essential skill sets of planning and prioritizing, as well as execution.

● Development of Social Skills

As children age and go through the Upper Elementary and Adolescent Program, a developing sense of self and individuality creates more opportunities to relate to peers in new ways. Class meetings are critical in order to process and resolve conflicts and practice strategies. The importance of societal rules, fairness, and justice are heightened during this plane of development. Often discussing rules to an activity are even more important than the activities themselves! Grace and courtesy are still alive and well in our classrooms beyond the Primary years, though they may be more prevalent in a student’s learning to enter an elevator or crafting an email with that special, compassionate touch.

While Practical Life work is an enormous aspect during the Primary years, it is certainly not the end as the student’s social world and physical environment expands beyond the classrooms’ walls.

Elementary History: A Scope and Sequence

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 01:30:25 GMT

Elementary History: A Scope and Sequence

Think back to your grade school days: what do you remember learning about history? Whatever you did learn was probably focused on your country’s history, didn’t take up very much of your total learning time, and may have even contained some “facts” that you began to question as you got older. For the majority of us, in-depth history instruction didn’t take place until perhaps high school, and even then, it wasn’t all that comprehensive.

At Casa di Mir, when we teach history, we start at the very beginning. We give students an understanding of the start of the universe. Over the course of the year/years, we give progressively more detailed lessons that zoom in eventually to the various cultures that have existed on Earth throughout history. We find this approach helps give kids a frame of reference in which everything makes just a bit more sense - and is a whole lot more interesting.

It all starts in the first grade. History is one of the few areas of learning in the Montessori classroom in which students receive group lessons — sometimes even the whole class at a time. This is because all of the children within a three-year age span are developmentally prepared to engage with the information being presented, and when they participate in these big, impressionistic lessons each year they’re in a class, they gain something new each time.

What do we teach and where do we start? We present an overview of what the Montessori history curriculum looks like in grades 1-6:

● The Creation of the Universe

Early in the school year — sometimes even the very first week — lower elementary Montessori guides present a fantastic lesson about the beginnings of our universe. It’s all very dramatic and presented in a darkened room and delivered in a story-telling format, although there are a number of ‘science experiments’ sprinkled throughout. From the Big Bang/Great Flaring Forth, to the formation of the first particles, the first elements, states of matter, density, and the sheer vastness of space, there is a LOT of information included. The whole thing ends with the unveiling of a model volcano into which vinegar is poured to cause an ‘eruption’, much to the delight of 6-9 year old children. This lesson ends with an explanation of Earth’s early geological history, and children walk away excited and in awe.

● The Concept of Time

At some point during the year, and likely toward the beginning, children learn a bit more about the mechanics of how humans observe the passing of time. They look at how the year is divided with the help of their fraction materials, they explore years by making their own timelines, and they learn to tell time on the clock. This section of study concludes by intersecting with grammar and learning the three fundamental tenses: past, present, and future.

● The Long Black Strip

This lesson is literally so big it has to be done outdoors or in a *very* long hallway. While children stand to the sides, the guide carries out a large, rolled up strip of black felt. The outer end is weighted down, and as she unrolls it they tell the story of Earth’s history. From the formation of our planet itself, to the earliest one-celled organisms, through the evolution of all living things, and so on. The strip is 30 meters long, and each centimeter is meant to represent a million years. By the time the very end is revealed, the children can see a tiny slice of white. This represents the amount of time humans have inhabited the earth. You can imagine what children are feeling when they walk away from such a powerful visual.

● The Clock of Eras

As you can tell by now, we like to give children impressionistic lessons, and visual aids that help them develop a frame of reference. The Clock of Eras imagines Earth’s history as if it were encompassed within a twelve hour clock. This circular, laminated cardboard material breaks down the major eras and allows children to see a visual percentage of the total history each section takes up. They are able to see the large chunk of time during which there was no, or nearly no life at all. This is followed by another imposingly long stretch of time during which Earth was host to just one-celled organisms. As life became more complex, the slices of the pie become smaller and smaller, until a minuscule strip of red again shows all of humanity.

● The Timeline of Life

The timeline of life is exactly what it sounds like: a large and gorgeously illustrated wall hanging that shows how life has evolved from the beginning of the Paleozoic Era. Children are fascinated to learn about the seemingly strange earlier life forms, and how over time they changed and paved the way for others. It’s also neat to see how there are several organisms that have withstood the test of time and developed ways to adapt regardless of an ever-changing planet.

● Fundamental Needs of Humans

What do people need to survive? Children learn about our basic needs, consider how they meet those needs today, and explore how various cultures met those needs throughout history.

● The Study of Early Humans

We believe it is critical to teach children about where their ancestors came from. Having an understanding of human history allows us all to respect the enormous progress that has been made in countless ways since the existence of the first humans. We teach students how the earliest humans survived and met their needs, and how their eventual movement around the planet changed the course of history.

● Stages in the Progress of Civilization

This area of study is of particular interest to upper elementary-aged children, and their newly-acquired research skills allow them to spend extensive amounts of time reading and discovering for themselves about how civilizations have functioned throughout history. Students dive deep into learning about ancient and more recent cultures and societies across the globe, discovering the many similarities and differences they have both to one another and to humans today.

Once children complete the elementary program, they have a solid understanding of basic history. This allows them to more deeply understand and appreciate whatever history courses they take in the future.

Montessori Kindergarten, the Gift of Completing the Primary Cycle

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 01:30:27 GMT

Montessori Kindergarten, the Gift of Completing the Primary Cycle

There are many reasons families choose to send their children to Montessori schools. The vast majority of those families are thrilled with their decision once they see how their child is nurtured, encouraged, and celebrated in Casa di Mir’s learning environment.

As the child approaches Kindergarten, an interesting shift tends to happen. Families may begin to feel the pull of traditional schooling. They may have excellent public school options available near them, and begin to worry that the differences that make Montessori so wonderful just won’t be adequate when it comes to preparing their Kindergartener for life.

What we can tell you is that many families who choose to leave Montessori before their child enters Kindergarten end up returning. We can also tell you the three-year cycles in our environments are intentional, and there are some great reasons to give your child the gift of that third year. Let us clarify some of the reasons we think kids do best when they have the opportunity to complete their primary cycle.

Mastery of Skills

The third year in a primary classroom is a chance for students to really shine academically. Everything they have been working on comes full circle and their understanding of concepts solidifies in a way it couldn’t have until now.

Much of what we teach in the earlier years of our primary environments is indirect and direct preparation for the lessons our third years receive and the materials they work with.

Not only are our kindergarten children understanding concepts in new ways, but they can actually demonstrate this knowledge. Educators from all backgrounds will agree that when a person is able to teach someone a skill, they have themselves demonstrated mastery of the skill. Our classrooms are designed so that older students help to teach younger ones. This teaching serves multiple purposes, one of which is to demonstrate their own understanding and mastery.

Opportunities for Leadership

Teaching lessons to younger children isn’t just about academic mastery; it’s also a chance for kids to experience leadership.

We believe that solid leadership is about allowing those with experience to take on a role of guiding others with less experience. So much of this type of leadership is done by modeling, and our kindergartners serve as the very best models for our younger students.

When your child first entered the classroom, they went through a period in which they needed to figure out expectations, routines, and so much more. Children need to learn how to be independent, how to interact with one another and adults, how to care for the environment, and so on. As adults who guide the children, we model and verbalize what children need to learn, but we are wise enough to recognize that they learn more from watching their peers.

Older children relish in this opportunity. It feels good to know that you are helping someone else. It feels good to acknowledge how far you have come, and how you are now able to guide others along their own path. Our third years know about this role because we discuss it with them often. By the time they step into it, they are more than prepared.

Continued Respect for Individuality

You already know that Montessori schools respect each child’s individual path, and that we believe even young people deserve to be treated with dignity. There are many ways in which we differ from conventional institutions, but some that we think are important to highlight are:

· Creating a structure that allows children to take breaks when they need to, and to focus deeply on their work for long periods of time without being interrupted

· Giving children academic choice within limits (they may be required to complete certain tasks, but it’s okay if they choose the order in which the tasks are done)

· Creating flexible seating choices so that children have options to sit alone or with friends, in a chair or on the floor

· Allowing the child to use the restroom when they need to, without having to ask permission from an adult

· Encouraging children to eat a snack when they are hungry and drink when they feel thirsty

Advanced Academic Expectations

Parents in our community often recognize that our curriculum tends to exceed the scope of what is taught elsewhere. We do not push children to learn what is beyond their capabilities, we just know that children are capable of more than most people realize. When given the opportunity, they can amaze us all.

We honor the fact that every single child develops at their own rate, and there is no set time for various skills to be mastered. It is not uncommon, however, for Montessori students to:

· Be reading before they enter kindergarten

· Be working with numbers into the thousands at age four

· Have an understanding of basic grammatical principles at age five

· Engage with basic geometry concepts not typically introduced until years later

· Enjoy skills and content taught in the areas of biology and geography beginning at age three

· Learn cursive handwriting before entering elementary school

· Begin adding large numbers and have a basic understanding of exchanging for tens

Deep-Dives Into Areas of Personal Interest

One of the best parts of being in a Montessori classroom is being allowed the time to explore one’s own interests. Because of the flexible nature of the day, kids can practice various skills while learning about what creates a spark for them.

Are they into dinosaurs? We provide books, paper, and art supplies for them to write about and draw diagrams of these ancient creatures.

Are they proud of their family’s culture and heritage? We make space for children and families to give presentations and share their traditions.

Do they dream about being a vet as an adult? Older children may be given more responsibilities to care for class pets, and they often find creative ways to connect the zoology curriculum to the animals they know and love in real life.

In a Montessori classroom, the possibilities are endless. The experience is unlike anything that can be found in other educational settings, and each year that we can give our children a Montessori education is a gift.

Still have questions? Want to connect with parents of older children at the Casa di Mir to ask questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know how we can support you and your child.

Montessori, Imagination, and Cosmic Education

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 20:45:03 GMT

Montessori, Imagination, and Cosmic Education

In honor of the glorious second plane of development, a beautiful time when children aged 6-12 are learning about themselves and their universe, we thought it might be nice to take a deep dive into the Montessori perspective. Dr. Montessori wrote and spoke quite a bit about her thoughts and findings regarding elementary-aged children, and it can be helpful to look at her work and how it translates into what we do in our classrooms today.

The second plane of development is characterized by many stark differences from the first, including an increased need for peer socialization, a deep sense of fairness and justice, spurts of physical growth, and so much more. It’s also a time when the child’s imagination is highly developed, so it only makes sense to utilize this characteristic when considering the child’s academic needs.

There tends to be a lot of confusion regarding Montessori and imagination; we hope to bring some clarity. All quotes in this article are from To Educate the Human Potential by Maria Montessori, from The Montessori Series, 2007.

A Shift At Six

If you observe in a Montessori primary environment, then walk down the hall to observe in a lower elementary environment, you’ll notice stark differences. It’s no accident that your first-grader is taught in a very different manner than they were when they were in kindergarten.

Sometime right around age six, the child undergoes a transformation. We know development is not exact, and there are absolutely variations between individuals. It is important, however, to recognize patterns and characteristics that have shown themselves to be developmental markers in most children at certain times in their lives. This helps us as parents and educators to better understand their needs and appropriately adjust our approach and expectations.

Children between the ages of six and twelve are intensely curious about the world around them. They are bursting with questions, and eager to soak up as much as they can in regard to subjects such as science, history, and geography. So we meet them where they are.

“Knowledge can be best given where there is eagerness to learn, so this is the period when the seed of everything can be sown, the child’s mind being a fertile field, ready to receive what will germinate into culture.” (p. 3)

Throughout the elementary years, we provide the child with an education that includes in-depth studies of biology, the earth, the universe, the evolution of living things, early humans, and ancient civilizations. These are exactly the types of subjects children want to learn about at this age, so it’s best we take full advantage of this window of opportunity.

“Since it has been seen to be necessary to give so much to the child, let us give him a vision of the whole universe. The universe is an imposing reality, and an answer to all questions.” (p. 5)

Imagination and Intelligence

There is a general philosophy among Montessori educators that the concrete precedes the abstract. This is why during the earlier years of education, we provide extensive access to learning materials for the child to manipulate with their hands, but as they get older (particularly in later elementary and middle school), they shift away from materials and work more without them.

Still, it’s important to remember that if the experience of learning with their hands comes first, the latter, abstract learning becomes deeper and leads to greater comprehension (and interest!).

“Children show a great attachment to the abstract subjects when they arrive at them through manual activity.” (p. 9)

We know that children need to experience the concrete first to truly master content later. But when a child gets older, they are far more interested in using their imaginations. So why not put this to good use? Why not feed their imaginations the truths about their universe? Please note - imagination and fantasy are not the same thing. The latter is where we make room for dragons and mermaids, while the former is the ability to picture an idea in your mind, to synthesize previous concepts and visualize new ones.

“The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence as a fertile field in which the seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination. Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core.” (p. 11)

Giving Them the World (and the Universe)

One of the very first, and central, lessons of the elementary years in a Montessori environment is an introduction to the universe. This begins with the first of five Great Lessons - The Beginning/The Coming of the Universe.

The Great Lessons are designed to be big, dramatic, impressionistic introductions to a broad topic. They spark the child’s wonder and curiosity, and they lend themselves to branching off into a myriad of directions, so that when the child receives the lesson each year during the cycle, they not only glean new information from it as they age, but the follow-study is always fresh and exciting.

This first great lesson begins with the children entering a darkened, prepared classroom. There may be soft music playing, and they take a seat with the youngest students in the front facing the guide, and older students in the back.

Once the children are situated, the guide launches into a storytelling that begins with a time when everything was so dark and cold, we couldn’t possibly compare it to our experiences on Earth today. In one moment, there was a great flaring forth! The guide will have been gently waving a black balloon back and forth as they spoke; they now pierce it and as it bursts, glitter and confetti fly everywhere. Thus, an introduction to the Big Bang.

The lesson goes on to cover the beginnings of the earliest particles, how they formed elements, the beginning of light, the three states of matter found on Earth, the vast magnitude of stars, the formation of our solar system, and the beginnings of our planet. The lesson concludes with a hidden model volcano being revealed and made to erupt.

You can imagine how a child of six, seven, or eight might be feeling after witnessing this, even if it isn’t their first time.

In the weeks following this lesson, the children are able to conduct certain scientific “experiments” that are left on the shelves for them to explore. Each year a follow-up unit of study is explored, including topics such as basic chemistry, rocks and minerals, and space.

Cosmic Work

The second Great Lesson teaches children about the evolution of life on Earth, and how different time periods have led to different groups or organisms inhabiting the planet.

It is important to note that Dr. Maria Montessori was a Roman Catholic living in the early twentieth century. She was also a dedicated scientist. One can only imagine how these two identities might have been at odds with one another, especially at the time. She managed to embrace both unapologetically.

“If asked whether I agree with the theory of Evolution, I answer that agreement or disagreement is a matter of no importance. We must look to facts to correct errors in existing theories, and thus add to knowledge…” (p. 26)

It is with this perspective that she and her son Mario developed much of the elementary curriculum. She did, however, have a beautiful way of viewing the underlying reasons for evolution. Montessori believed that all living things have an innate “cosmic work”. This means that while during the course of their individual lives they work to survive, they are unintentionally doing something that contributes to the greater good. Once this cosmic work has been completed, the species fades out of existence, making way for others.

“All creatures work consciously for themselves, but the real purpose of their existence remains unconscious, yet claiming obedience.” (p. 27)

A few examples: early shellfish filtered calcium out of the water to make their shells, the first plants that existed on land provided oxygen for incoming animal kingdom, and even the fuels we use today come from decayed organisms.

The Scope of Cosmic Education

Cosmic Education is the term used to describe the Montessori Elementary Curriculum. The Great Lessons are a sort of springboard to launch children into this work, inspiring them to use their imaginations and learn more about their universe.

But it doesn’t stop with the creation of the universe, or even evolution.

Following the first two Great Lessons, children also embark on lengthy studies of early humans, the beginning of language, and the history of mathematics. These subjects are all very appealing to the child of the second plane. They are, after all, curious about their own history and their place in the universe. They’re also just figuring out the worlds of language and numbers as they learn basic literacy and mathematics concepts for the first time.

The Montessori lessons included in these studies are far too numerous to list in this article, and there are countless ways children are able to branch off into independent study as well.

Dr. Montessori believed that Cosmic Education is exactly what is needed not only to satisfy the child’s individual needs, but for the betterment of society. If we can lead people to understand the functions of and connections between the various systems and living things, then we’re all better off.

“It is not enough to ensure for the child food, clothing and shelter; on the satisfaction of his more spiritual needs the progress of humanity depends - the creation indeed of a strong and better humanity.” (p. 82)

Still have questions? As always, we love to hear from families - please don’t hesitate to reach out !

Plant Care: Practical Life Meets Science

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 01:30:21 GMT

Plant Care: Practical Life Meets Science

Montessori students begin studying biology at a young age, usually around age three, during their first year in the primary environment. This work continues throughout the course of their time at Casa di Mir. They explore information with more depth than you might imagine, so they end up with a strong base of understanding about living organisms.

Along with zoology, botany is one of the earliest subjects explored. We give our students lessons about plant life and there are supplemental materials on the shelves for them to explore. The learning doesn’t stop there. When it comes to biology, we believe having living examples present whenever possible is one of the best ways to spark genuine interest and increase understanding. Plants are one of the easiest ways to do this, and within our classrooms and throughout the school you will find many beautiful examples of this type of life.

It’s important to note that the plants we keep are not just for display and observation. Our students — even our very youngest students — take an active role in caring for the plants.

The Practical Life Angle

When we think of practical life, all that we teach generally falls under the umbrella of three categories: care of oneself, care of others, and care of the environment. The more we participate in this type of work, the more we realize how connected the categories are.

Plants are one of the best teachers of practical life skills. We keep living specimens in our classrooms intentionally — and for many good reasons. Studies have shown the presence of plants to have a positive effect on peoples’ moods; they are helpful in filtering the air, and they contribute to the natural beauty of our classroom environments.

But - rather than just letting a bunch of pretty plants sit there and be cared for by the teachers, we engage our students in the important work of plant care. The children in our classrooms learn how to properly water living plants. They learn to dust their leaves. They learn to recognize that some plants need more sunlight than others, and that it is up to us to ensure we place them in proximity to windows accordingly.

Beyond the potted plant, our students learn to appreciate the art of arranging flowers to beautify the classroom. They plant gardens, tend to their seedlings, and harvest their own vegetables. They take on a sense of responsibility for living things that are reliant on them. The original Montessori Erdkinder model for adolescents is based in part on students running their own active farm. This still happens in some schools, but others (where an actual farm is not practical or possible) find ways to engage in similar types of experiences.

We believe teaching students how to care for plants has numerous benefits. Well-cared for plants beautify the learning environment, bringing a sort of energized calm into the atmosphere. Plants are also a wonderful introduction to learning to care for something beyond yourself; they have the ability to teach both empathy and responsibility.

The Science Angle

Starting in Montessori primary classrooms and continuing on throughout their school career, our students study botany each year. The skills start simply and are often accompanied by gorgeous wooden puzzles, but our study of plants is always rooted (don’t mind the pun) in living examples.

The content covered is wide-ranging and often intertwines with other subject areas. Here is a general idea of the scope and sequence of our botany curriculum:

● Parts of… (a plant, a tree, a flower, a seed, etc.)

● Identification of various leaf shapes

● Evolution of plants on Earth

● Types of plants

● Plant reproduction

● Plant respiration

● Categories with the plant kingdom

● Botany experiments

● In-depth studies of types of plants and parts of plants

● Native and invasive species

● Plants’ roles with ecosystems

● Interactions between people and plants

● Plants’ roles in economies

There are opportunities throughout your child’s time at Casa to engage in “research projects” about plants. Sometimes, young children may choose to write or draw about what they’ve learned, while older children might take an interest in a particular species, looking up information and writing reports to be shared with classmates.

Exposure to botany beginning at such a young age, coupled with an understanding of how plant life has evolved over the course of Earth’s history, leads Montessori children to appreciate and understand more about this kingdom than many of their peers. They are encouraged to explore their own interests more as they get older, and it’s often amazing how many of them choose independent exploration of this particular subject.

Bringing It Home

Parents often ask us how they can support the Montessori curriculum in their own homes and caring for plants in your home is a wonderful way to bring your child’s school experience into your home.

Start simply! This might even be just picking up a bouquet of flowers at the store, or gathering wildflowers near your home, then asking your child to show you how they learned to arrange them at school. Provide your child with a pair of scissors, a vase or two (or even just empty glass jars!), and access to a sink. If they are still learning, you might guide them in making sure they trim the stems at an angle, and explain how this allows the cut flowers to absorb more water. Allow your child to display the flower arrangements inside your home.

If you’re ready for more, engage your child in the care of your existing houseplants, or perhaps purchase one or two for them to take charge of. Teach them to recognize that different types of plants have different light and watering needs. Remind them to mist or dust leaves occasionally, not only to make the plants look nice, but to help them be more efficient in their photosynthesis.

If you’re feeling really ambitious... spring will be here before you know it! January is a time when gardeners delight in huddling inside their warm homes, thumbing through seed catalogs and planning out what they will do during the upcoming seasons.

We hope this article has provided you with both helpful information and maybe a little bit of inspiration. As always, we would love to hear from you! Whether you have questions or want to see what this looks like in our schools, please reach out and let us know .

Life After Montessori

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 01:30:10 GMT

Life After Montessori

One of the most frequently asked questions parents have for Montessori schools, especially after their child has been enrolled for a year or two, is:

How will my child transition into other schools once their Montessori career is complete?

Some families are just curious about what the transition is like. Others worry that their child won’t be prepared for “the real world”. Our answer is straightforward and it definitely puts parents’ minds at ease.

Staying the Course

First and foremost, we would like to emphasize that every year you give your child in a Montessori environment is a gift. We fully acknowledge the sacrifices our families make to ensure their children are able to experience this very special type of education. There is the obvious financial component, but we know parents often drive out of their way to get to our school. We know participating in our community sometimes means an extra time commitment. We know our parents spend quite a bit of time learning about their child’s education.

We are deeply grateful and recognize all your time and efforts.

We know that sometimes there are factors that make re enrollment decisions difficult for families. That being said, we do want to express that the longer your child is able to stay in a Montessori environment, the stronger the benefits will be for them.

The most critical decision might be allowing a child to complete the cycle they are in. For example, some public school districts begin offering free education starting in kindergarten. If a child attends a Montessori primary program for the first and second years, but leaves before they have a chance to experience their third, they are unfortunately missing a very substantial benefit of the model. Our three-year cycles are intentional; the first year is about looking up to models and grazing new information, the second year is about practice (both in regard to academic skills and mentorship), and the third year gives children the opportunity to achieve academic skill mastery and serve as leaders for the younger children in the class.

Missing out on the kindergarten year is like cake without the icing.

The same goes for the other levels, where Montessori education is carefully structured to support the child through their specific developmental phases. They are respected and honored for who they are, their teachers are able to grow with them long-term, and they continue to experience a genuine joy of learning.

But What About Grades? Tests? Differently-Structured Learning Environments?

Since Montessori schools are structured so that children learn to focus on self-improvement and development, as well as fuel their motivation internally, things like grades and tests don’t make sense. Neither does it make sense to have a teacher standing at the front of a class lecturing the same prescribed information to everyone at the same time.

When a student is college-aged and chooses their own course of study, it makes perfect sense to employ some of these strategies. The student is at a different developmental phase in their life; they have decided what they would like to focus their efforts on, and they have had sufficient time and practice to develop time management skills, internal motivation, and a strong sense of self.

As for the in-between time, when a student leaves a Montessori school and experiences another learning environment for the first time? Academically, they are typically very prepared. We often hear about our graduates feeling quite comfortable with the content and rigor of their classes. Their experiences with our math materials, in particular, tend to resonate deeply as they engage in higher-level courses. As for other areas of study, our students tend to have strong reading skills, solid understanding of effective research strategies, and a general delight and excitement for learning about science and the world (and universe) around them. These attributes make for a smooth academic transition.

How Do Montessori Alumni Fare Socially?

Moving into a new school environment presents a transitional period for all children. What we typically hear from most families as their child settles in elsewhere:

● The child notices differences in the way people behave in different settings.

● The child, who has a firmly-developed sense of who they are, is able to find a friend group that is supportive and like-minded.

● The child has a deep sense of empathy, which helps them navigate their way through this different environment.

● After a bit of time, Montessori alumni often tend toward leadership and mentoring roles in their new schools.

● The child becomes an active member in the new school community, taking advantage of experiences, classes, or clubs that speak to their personal interests.

Are There Long-Term Benefits?

The types of skills Montessori children gain are exactly the types of skills that set one up for a life of success. They are passionate about their work. They treat others with fairness and kindness. They care about the connections in their communities. They are independent thinkers who are capable of sorting through the information we are all bombarded with on a daily basis.

In fact, some of the most well-known and influential people in the world credit their Montessori education for their success. You’ve likely seen lists and read about many of these folks already, but if you haven’t, you can learn more here .

It is only natural to wonder, “What’s next?”. Hopefully we have shed a little light on the subject, but if you still have questions, as always, we encourage you to reach out !

Materials Highlight: The Fraction Insets

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 01:30:06 GMT

Materials Highlight: The Fraction Insets

The Fraction Insets material is a beautiful set that includes ten green metal frames with red fractions from the whole to tenths. Each piece has a small knob allowing children to move them easily.

Prior to an introduction to fractions, the child has had extensive instruction and experiences with numeration being based on the unit. One unit (or one, one whole, etc.) has been the basis by which they have learned to count, skip count, add, and subtract. As the child enters lower elementary, they are ready to learn how to divide a unit.

An Introduction

While the most commonly used and popular fraction insets are circular, there are also triangular and square fraction insets. It’s important for guides to refer to this at times so the children have an understanding that anything may be divided, not just circles.

The first time children use the insets they are encouraged to observe what they notice, and they develop the concept that each inset is a family of sorts. “These are the thirds, these are the sixths, etc.”

The guide will make a point to use intentional language to create a firm basis in understanding: “This circle is divided into four equal parts. We call them fourths.” The guide will write out “fourths” as well as “/4” as children are able to verbally express their understanding.

The Numerator

During the course of this lesson, the guide doesn’t actually use the term numerator just yet. What is emphasized is that while the children previously learned the family names of each inset, the focus will now shift to individual pieces. Examples will be shown using the material, and both verbal and written expressions will accompany each.

For example: “This is one third, or ⅓.” “This is four fifths, or ⅘.” This may be the end of the lesson, or, if the children seem to grasp the concept quickly and easily, it may be combined with the third presentation.

The Third Presentation

The third presentation is essentially a culminating review of what has been covered so far. The children may take turns matching labels with fractions to show their understanding. The critical piece is that the guide will now formally name the numerator and denominator.

There is a lot of opportunity for practice and extension work at this point. Children may trace and label fractions, make booklets or charts, work together to match labels, and so on.This work typically happens during the first year of lower elementary.

Equivalence

This is an exciting lesson for children. Once they have a firm grasp on naming fractions, the guide will again sit them down in a small group. The one whole circle will be removed from its frame and the two halves will be put in its place. The guide will show the children how one whole is equal to two halves. This will be repeated with similar equivalencies: 3/3=1, 4/4=1, etc.

Next, smaller equivalencies will be discovered. The guide will try and fit a piece into a number of different spots, proving where it does and does not fit. Children will learn several simple equivalencies, such as 2/6=1/3 .

As with the previous skill, there is plenty of opportunity for exploration and extension in regard to equivalencies. This is arguably the most important fractions skill of lower elementary.

Operations with Fraction

Once a child has a firm grasp of fraction basics, they are ready to learn operations. This will likely begin in lower elementary and extend into upper elementary, and are taught initially using the fraction insets material. Another material often used is called the fraction box, which includes small plastic replicas of the red circular fraction pieces. Skills include:

● Addition and subtraction using the same denominator

● Multiplying fractions by whole numbers

● Dividing fractions by whole numbers

● Addition with different denominators

● Addition with more than two addends

● Subtracting with different denominators

● Multiplying whole numbers by fractions

● Multiplying fractions by other fractions

● Dividing whole numbers by fractions

● Dividing fractions by fractions

Moving to Abstraction

Use of materials when teaching fractions is critical; at Casa, we believe Montessori students excel later in life with more complicated math concepts because they have such a strong foundation in the basics. Rather than memorizing rote procedures they are physically manipulating numbers with their hands, giving them a deeper understanding of why we do what we do.

One cannot rely on materials forever, though, and there comes a time when the child is prepared to move onto abstraction.

This is often achieved by the guide showing an operation with the material again while also writing out the pencil and paper process. In fact, children will often come to this learning independently. They are able to make the connections as they master skills. If not, the guide is there to show them the way. There comes a point during the upper elementary years when a child no longer needs to rely on the materials to determine the answer to a problem. In fact, using the materials becomes cumbersome, and they are eager to put them behind.

Want to learn more? We encourage you to set up a time to observe . Reading about Montessori education is important and enlightening, but the very best way to understand is to see it for yourself!

5 Ways to Follow the Child

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 01:30:10 GMT

5 Ways to Follow the Child

“Follow the child” is a beautiful, perfect, profound, and frequently used Montessori mantra. Those three words — a foundational element of the Montessori system — are backed by science, proven by generations of children, and consistently revered by families around the world. The phrase is an acknowledgment that each child has their own development timetable, and we need to constantly observe them in order to better understand what they need. It means noticing what the child is drawn toward and finding a way to work that into everyday life.

It may sound simple, but the truth is, in practice it can be so challenging.

Here are some manageable ways to “follow the child” in your life.

1. Stop, look, and listen.

Observation is where everything begins. It seems so obvious, but it’s hard. Balancing parenting with the rest of our lives means we are often rushing around, doing our best, and feeling stressed from time to time.

Try to find the time to slow down, stand back, watch your child, notice what they’re doing, and really listen to what they’re saying. Not just for 30 seconds, but really take some time to observe them from a distance. You may be paying close attention, but the best way to gain insight is to watch quietly until they forget you’re even there.

You will likely be amazed by what you learn.

There’s no need to even draw any concrete conclusions from what you notice; just paying attention and learning more about who your child is at this moment in time will give you amazing insight. It will inform your own parenting in ways you may not expect.

2. Make the time.

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges of parenting is finding the time for just about everything but the truth is that our children usually need more time than we do. It takes them longer to get ready in the morning, there are falls and injuries that will need tending to, there are feelings that will become hurt, and a whole bunch of other unplanned events that occur during the course of every single day.

When possible, plan some extra time into whatever you’re doing. Expect the unexpected, because it will happen, and extra time will allow you to be whatever your child needs you to be in the moment.

Do children need to learn to be flexible and keep a schedule? Absolutely! But they are learning and being able to stop and address issues as they happen is so valuable.

3. Truly and enthusiastically embrace individuality.

As parents we do everything within our power to ensure our children’s success. We care about their nutrition, their education, their emotional well-being, their social skills, and countless other aspects of their lives. We know we can’t control it all, but we just hope that all our hard work will pay off in the end, and it will! It just won’t always look exactly the way we imagined it would.

For each and every one of us there will come at least one point in time when our child will express the desire to choose a path which we did not envision for them. As long as it’s positive (not harmful or hurtful to anyone), our job is to support their endeavors. It sounds so simple, but when faced with the reality, it can be tough.

It can help to practice early and often. Maybe you always dreamed of your child following in your footsteps and playing basketball, but they are more interested in ballet. We need to honor those personal preferences in celebration of the unique person they are. Perhaps everyone else in your family is an extrovert, but your child is more introverted. It might take some adjustments and learning about their needs, but finding ways to support those needs will let them know they can count on you.

Sometimes our children will travel down paths they don’t even choose for themselves, but that we didn’t anticipate nonetheless. They may struggle with something or have incredible and unexpected strengths in other areas. No matter who they are or where their life leads them, kids need to know their parents are on their team, no matter what.

4. Examine your own biases.

Our expectations as parents come from a lifetime of information we’ve taken from our own environments and experiences. Whether positive or negative, these perceptions of how things should be color the way we parent our own children.

Remember at the beginning of this article when we encouraged you to slow down and observe your child? The same approach can be used to look within yourself. Rules, structure, and boundaries are important, as are expectations for our children. The important piece is to ask yourself often: “but, why?”

When we make parenting decisions, we can refer to some handy self-reflection questions:

● What are my values?

● Does what I’m saying reflect those values?

● Am I doing this because it was my experience as a child, or because I believe in it?

● Is this what society expects, or what I think is right?

● Does this support my child?

It’s pretty enlightening to notice some of the choices we make and what they are really based on.

5. Keep learning.

The never ending task of all humans - parents included - is to always continue learning. Some of this will happen with experience as we grow, and some of it will be information we seek out from other sources.

Not only does a continuation of learning help us to be the best parents we can be; doing so shows our children how much we value curiosity, knowledge, and self-improvement. It lets kids know that no one, not even their parents, has all the answers, and that’s okay. It’s so much more important to want to learn more, to know where to look, and to do our very best.

Do you want to learn more about Casa di Mir and how we follow the child? Let us know , we’ll be happy to provide more information!

Montessori Grammar Materials

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 01:30:02 GMT

Montessori Grammar Materials

Montessori grammar materials are so beautiful, and they do a great job of drawing kids in to learning about something many of us dreaded when we were kids ourselves.

The Grammar Boxes

Around the second half of lower elementary, children use the grammar box materials. The grammar boxes consist of wooden boxes containing cards with words and phrases, sectioned trays to lay the cards in, and open-topped containers with larger index-sized cards.

Students start working with the latter, which are called command cards. The command cards direct children to physically do specific things. “Throw the eraser out the door” is a crowd favorite. This is one exciting way Montessori turns language work into something more hands on and participatory.

Once they’ve worked their way through the command cards, children engage with the filling boxes, recreating phrases and sentences and identifying the various parts of speech.

At some point, the children learn the corresponding symbols for each part of speech (some are seen above in the picture), and they become able to write sentences in their notebooks and draw the correct labels above each word.

The grammar boxes are typically completed sometime during the final year of lower elementary, although upper elementary guides may choose to use the material for review purposes.

Sentence Analysis

Montessori sentence analysis is not the same as the sentence diagramming some of us did when we were younger, but it is based on some of the same concepts.

At this point in a child's Montessori education, they are beginning to move toward what we call abstraction. That is, they are beginning to internalize concepts in a way that doesn’t require them to use hand-held manipulatives or materials nearly as often. This is obvious in that the sentence analysis materials are still moveable, but there’s a lot less to interact with. A series of wood circles and arrows, they help the child learn concepts like subjects and predicates.

Eventually, sometime in upper elementary, children explore all kinds of sentence analysis concepts, like indirect objects and adverbial extensions.

Want to learn more about the Montessori language curriculum and materials? Keep an eye on our blog as we highlight more throughout the school year.

Developing Fine Motor Skills

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 01:30:02 GMT

Developing Fine Motor Skills

Developing fine motor skills is critical for everyday activities. There are many ways to help children along this process. Casa di Mir classrooms have specifically designed materials that are intended to strengthen the small muscles in the hands and wrists. The strengthening of these muscles allows us to make more precise movements and perform detailed tasks, as opposed to the large muscles required for gross motor activities like jumping and walking.

While fine motor development is supported at various levels in our Montessori environments, the bulk of this work occurs during the primary years, when a child is between the ages of 3 and 6. Three areas of the classroom play particularly important roles: the sensorial, practical life, and language work. In this article we highlight some of the ways Montessori materials in these areas help children strengthen their hand and wrist muscles. Interestingly, these materials have other purposes as well, teaching a wide range of skills.

Sensorial Materials

● The Pink Tower

A series of pink cubes are meant to be stacked vertically from largest to smallest, with the top block measuring 1cm cubed. Using this material requires a child to use their focus and carefully balance each block, using precise movements as the blocks get smaller.

● Knobbed Cylinders

Wooden cylinders of varying sizes fit into a block designed for this purpose. Each cylinder has a tiny knob for children to hold onto, and there is only one way to fit the cylinders correctly. In addition to developing fine motor skills and their pincer grip, this is one of many materials that aid in developing visual discrimination.

● Mystery Bags

A small cloth bag containing tiny objects and miniatures, a child is meant to feel inside, hold the objects, and determine what they are without seeing them.

Practical Life Materials

● Clothespins

Montessori students learn to wash clothes or linens used in the classroom. One step in the process is, of course, hanging the cloth to dry using clothespins.

● Spray Bottles

Spray bottles are used for a variety of practical life activities in the classroom, including window washing and plant care. The repeated action of squeezing the trigger on the bottle is great for strengthening hand muscles.

● Crumbers and Dustpans/Brushes

Again, with a focus on precision and careful use, there are several practical life materials used for cleaning up the classroom that are also fantastic fine motor tools. Dustpans and brushes are used for cleaning up messes on the floor, while crumbers are similar sets meant for picking up on the surface of a table - after eating but before washing the table.

● Cooking Utensils

A major part of Montessori practical life work is food preparation. There are countless kitchen tools that are used in this learning, and so many of them require the development of fine motor skills. Just a few of these include: vegetable peelers, knives for chopping, apple slicers, whisks, and spatulas.

● Dressing Frames

One of the most direct fine motor materials, the dressing frames teach children to fasten clothing in a variety of ways. A wood frame with two cloth panels is attached in the center; children practice lacing, buttoning, buckling, snapping, zipping, pinning, and more.

Language

● Sandpaper Letters

Perhaps one of the most famous Montessori materials, the sandpaper letters are small wooden tiles with textured letters in the surface. Indirect preparation for handwriting and reading, children use their index finger to trace the shape of the letter while saying the sound it makes aloud.

● Moveable Alphabet

When learning how to write, children are ready to share their ideas before they are ready to grip a pencil. The moveable alphabet is a set of tiny wooden letters that children lay out on a work rug to spell words, phrases, and sentences. Organizing these small letters takes plenty of hand control.

● Metal Insets

Another material that is meant to indirectly prepare the child for handwriting, the metal insets are like a stencil that children are meant to use colored pencils and trace, create lined patterns within, and follow a series of directions to recreate the shapes on paper. This is often a child’s first real experience with learning how to hold a pencil properly, and aids in developing the critical pincer grasp. Some Montessori environments even provide triangle-shaped pencils to aid in this process.

Bonus: Pin Punch

A small wooden or plastic stylus with a sharp metal tip is used to make perforations. Children will often trace a shape onto a piece of construction paper, place the paper onto a specific soft surface, and use the pin punch tool to make a series of holes along the drawn line. If they take their time and do this correctly, they are able to punch out their shape upon completion.

Want to learn more? Curious to discover ways you can support your child’s fine motor growth at home? We welcome questions and love to talk about children’s development. Contact us today for more information.

Inclusivity in the Montessori Classroom

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 01:30:02 GMT

Montessori is a method of education as well as a general philosophy on human development. If we could summarize it into one sentence it might be something like this: A deep understanding of typical human development, coupled with careful observations of the individual and a meticulously prepared environment, can allow each human being the freedom to explore their world to the best of their ability.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could do that for everyone?

Casa di Mir Montessori School doesits very best to make this goal a reality for all who become a part of the community. Below are just a few of the variables we take into consideration.

Age

As you already know, our classrooms are multi-age. This may not be typical when compared to most conventional educational settings, but it’s very intentional and an integral part of what we do. We believe children of varied ages have much to offer one another, and having a span of a few years in one classroom allows for the blending and blurring of different abilities, so everyone always has a buddy to work with. Multi-age classrooms give children opportunities they wouldn’t have elsewhere, such as older models for the young children, and a chance for older kids to explore leadership roles.

Beyond the typical three year age span, we like to take every opportunity for children to interact between the levels. In the same way we see within the walls of a single classroom, the younger children at our school are able to look to the older children as models, and the oldest children have chances to lead in new ways.

Did you know that Montessori can be for adults as well? Some adults read about Montessori and learn to incorporate the principles into their own lives. Others go on to obtain Montessori teaching credentials or explore Montessori higher education. There have even been studies regarding the benefits of applying the Montessori approach to dementia care.

Gender

Montessori schools aim to honor children as they are. We acknowledge that society places certain expectations on children according to their gender, and that it can be a challenge for children whose identity does not conform according to these expectations.

At Casa di Mir, we work hard to eliminate expectations that do not serve the children, and to create a nurturing environment where all children feel supported and accepted.

Race

To fully educate a child, a school must acknowledge that child and family’s experience. We believe that “colorblindness” is harmful; race is an important part of a person’s identity and must be recognized. We want our students to be proud of who they are, and we also want to recognize the struggles that some face due to the color of their skin.

While people of color have known and felt these struggles for centuries, society as a whole is beginning to recognize their reality in recent years. There is still so much work ahead of us, but we are hopeful that we may be on the verge of a shift in cultural awareness.

In our classrooms, we do what we can to support this work. We include families of all backgrounds. We ensure there is literature in our classrooms that is representative not only of the children who are in the room, but of all types of people. As educators, we aim to keep learning, keep supporting, and keep moving forward.

Cultural Heritage

In Montessori classrooms, different cultures are something to be celebrated. We may not celebrate holidays in the same way many other schools do, but we do enjoy exploring different cultural celebrations from around the world. We believe that learning about each other’s unique traditions helps bring us closer together.

We encourage parents to come into our classrooms to share cultural traditions. This might be making latkes with the children for Hanukkah, creating a Nowruz table in the lobby for Persian New Year, or making clay lamps with students for Diwali.

Children love to learn about (and taste, and make) things from other cultures. If your family has something special to share, we encourage you to get in touch with your child’s guide and see if there’s a way to incorporate something into the school year! These experiences are enriching for everyone involved.

Different Abilities

By design, Montessori education is supportive of children with different abilities. The two most obvious examples of this are our multi-age classrooms and individually-paced learning. No two children are alike, and we believe teaching a single, rigid curriculum to a whole room full of children actually serves very few. Differentiation is a popular buzzword in education; we believe true differentiation is about individualizing the curriculum so that it meets the specific needs of each and every child.

Because Montessori honors the child as they are, and aims to guide them on their own path, it makes sense that it’s the perfect environment for many children with special needs. Some needs are more visible than others, but we believe that every child has the right to be a valued member of our community.

Materials Spotlight: The Puzzle Maps

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 01:30:02 GMT

The Montessori puzzle maps are beautifully, colorfully painted and carefully crafted out of wood.These materials can be found in both primary and lower elementary classrooms. While they are used differently in the two environments, Casa di Mir guides take a developmentally appropriate approach to utilizing this beautiful geography material.

The Material

In a Montessori classroom, one will find a wooden rack that contains a series of puzzle maps. They are arranged intentionally, starting with the top shelf and working downward:

The planisphere: two blue circles with removable colored continents
A map of the child’s continent: puzzle pieces indicate countries
A map of the child’s country: puzzle pieces indicate states or provinces
Maps of the other continents of the world: pieces indicating countries

There is also a set of control maps, or corresponding laminated paper maps that have the pieces drawn to scale and labeled. Children may use these as reference depending upon the activity.

The Introduction

Of course, we begin with the top map of the world. Previously, the child will have worked with the Montessori globes, so they will have some idea about the world, the continents, and the oceans. The guide introduces (or reviews) the names of the continents. Then, the guide demonstrates how to properly retrieve the puzzle, lay it out on a work mat, remove each piece carefully and replace them while naming them.

A critical part of the introductory lesson is showing the child how to properly put the puzzle back together and return it to the correct shelf in the rack. Our guides take great care in making sure lessons are not just about the academic skills, but also about how to respect the materials, ensuring they will be in good working order for the next child.

The Work

Once the child has been given the introductory lesson, they may return to this work whenever they like. As with everything else in the Montessori environment, if the child continues to feel drawn to a material, they are still getting something out of the experience. This may appear overly repetitive to our adult eyes, but it’s important that we suspend those judgments and allow the child to trust their instincts.

Once the child has tired of the world map, they are welcome to proceed downward through the others. Their guide does not necessarily need to give a lesson for each one (although they may, for various reasons); once a child understands how to use the puzzle maps they are free to explore them all.

During the elementary years, we encourage children to use an atlas alongside them while they work. While control maps are useful and serve their purpose, it’s important that they begin to develop their proficiency with a variety of reference tools. When using an atlas, they often need to refer to the table of contents, find the correct page, and look carefully for labels that don’t correspond exactly with the colors and fonts they are used to seeing on the Montessori control maps. This is just one of the many ways we gently guide children toward being able to find answers for themselves.

Extensions

The puzzle maps are such a popular material among children, that it’s only natural we should offer extension work to create more learning experiences for those who are ready and eager. Just a small sampling of the possibilities:

Pin punching: In the primary classroom, children may trace continent pieces onto construction paper and use the pin punching tool to perforate each one. They may then adhere them to perforated blue spheres, thereby recreating the map so that they may have a copy to keep.
Map making: Giving children large pieces of white paper, they may carefully trace, label, and color each individual piece.
Embark on research projects: Children who have enjoyed and mastered the puzzle maps may then choose to read and write about various continents or countries.
Continent studies: Some guides choose one continent each semester to focus on in depth. While the puzzle maps serve as a focal starting point, the study will include exploration of biomes, animals, culture, and more.

What’s Next?

Kids love the puzzle maps, so they often spend years absorbing everything they can from them. Eventually, however, they are ready for more. At some point during the elementary years we introduce the pin maps. These are smaller wooden boards with maps drawn on them, and with three tiny holes drilled into each country: one for the country’s name, flag, and capital city. Corresponding metal pins with labels are available for the child to use as they learn to identify each. Control maps are available for the child’s reference.

As with many other materials, the pin maps are introduced in steps. First, the child will just focus on learning to label each country. Once they have mastered that skill, they will move on to flags, and eventually, the capital cities.

Want to learn more? Interested in observing as children engage with these fascinating geography materials? Let us know !

Montessori Materials: The Stamp Game

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 00:07:20 GMT

The Stamp Game

The stamp game is a math material that is used by children sometime between their kindergarten and second grade years (depending upon their readiness). It allows young children to add, subtract, multiply, and divide using numbers into the thousands. Using a material such as the stamp game helps children to learn a concept in concrete terms, rather than abstractly (which is what they will be doing when they eventually complete the same types of problems with just pencil and paper).

Think back to when you learned basic math computations: it was very likely done abstractly, and you memorized what must be done when your numbers added up to more than ten in one column, or you needed to borrow some from the next column, and so on. Being taught that way certainly gets the job done, but what we are effectively doing then is teaching children to memorize the process.

Materials like the stamp game allows children to physically manipulate the numbers in a way that provides a deeper and richer understanding of mathematical processes. Instead of feeling tedious and confusing, the stamp game provides a stepping stone that makes them excited to discover the secrets of numbers and operations. Many Montessori children have reported that as they get older and find themselves working on much more complicated math concepts, they still picture the movement of the tiny stamps in their minds. They have a lasting visual image of what the numbers are doing as they work; it’s not just rote memorization.

Prior to being introduced to this material, the child already has a solid understanding of place value, as well as the basic concept of adding numbers. These skills are gained through other Montessori materials that are carefully developed and intended to be used in a specific sequence.

How is the stamp game used?

A child or small group of children seats on the floor across from their guide. A work mat is unrolled, the guide stands up, walks across the room, and selects the material from the shelf, carrying it carefully to the work mat. Even this small action has purpose: the guide is wordlessly teaching the child where the material can be found and where it is expected to be returned, as well as modeling how it should be carried around the room.

When the box is opened, the guide may ask the children what they notice. They may comment on the colors of the wooden tiles: green, blue, and red. They may notice the small numbers printed on each tile: ones (units), tens, hundreds, and thousands. They may even notice little pegs that they will use much later when they use the same material for division.

The first step is to learn how to make numbers using the stamp game. The guide may write a number such as 3,721 using a printed card or perhaps a dry erase board. Next up, they demonstrate by taking one green unit stamp out of the box and lining it up neatly on the rug in front of the compartment it came from. This is followed by two blue tens tiles, seven red hundreds tiles, and three green thousands tiles. (The color pattern begins to repeat because much later, using a different material with the same colors, the child will learn about number series and why we separate larger numbers with commas. The idea is being introduced indirectly long before it is expressively taught.)

Children then take turns making numbers. If the concept takes some effort, this may be their work and their practice for several days or weeks. If they seem ready for more, the guide will move onto the next step.

On the next step, an addition problem is presented. The children begin to learn the terms addend and sum, and make each addend, separated by a space or perhaps a pencil, on the work mat. The guide then slides the bottom of each column of tiles upward, creating a single line for each place, as illustrated in the photo above. Starting at the bottom of the units, the tiles are carefully counted and recorded in the proper place wherever the problem is written down. This continues with the tens, hundreds, and thousands.

At first, the problems are carefully selected so that there is no need for exchanging. Once the child is ready for more of a challenge, they will learn that if there are ten unit tiles, they will need to be gathered up, deposited back into their compartment, and exchanged for one tens tile. They will learn to say aloud to themselves, “Ten tens is equal to one hundred,” and so on.

As the lesson ends, if the guide feels the children have grasped the concept well enough, the children will be expected to use the material regularly and independently (or with a friend) to complete problems. The guide will periodically check in to observe and determine when mastery is achieved.

Whenever the child is ready (which could be weeks or even months), they will learn how to use the stamp game for subtraction. Again, the first problems will not involve any exchanging of numbers and will simply be a way to understand the basic process. You can begin to imagine the many steps and complexity of each Montessori material. When subtracting, the child will lay out the minuend, slide down the subtrahend, and find the difference.

Multiplication comes next. Children learn that all multiplication is making the same number a specific amount of times. They will see its connection to addition, as the process is very similar.

As for division, the guide will introduce tiny wooden cups - one for each place value. Children look at the dividend and put the correct amount of tiles into the cups. They will then use the wooden pegs mentioned earlier (called skittles as they resemble bowling pins), to mark the divisor. Rather than lining the tiles up beneath the compartments, they now learn to line them up beneath the skittles. They learn that division is about being fair, and that it is the only operation in which we start by using the largest number available rather than starting with the units (ones).

It can take an entire year (or longer) for a child to move through each of the steps described. The guide will keep a close watch on each individual’s progress, and provide them with more challenges as soon as they are ready. When a child has fully exhausted their learning with the stamp game, they are ready to move on to a slightly more abstract math material: the bead frame.

Want to see the stamp game in action?

We believe having parents observe in our classrooms is a critical component of our success. Contact us or schedule a tour to learn more!

Growth Mindset and How To Nurture It

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 13:03:19 GMT

Growth Mindset and How To Nurture It

In Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs , author Ellen Galinsky, identifies the ability to take on challenges as one of the seven essential life skills children need for success. In discussing this particular skill, she refers to Carol Dweck’s work at Stanford University on how children cope with challenges and setbacks, resilience, and success. It is there that she has researched and formulated the theory of mindset.

"Carol Dweck of Stanford University has found that children who avoid challenges have a fixed mindset meaning that they see their intelligence as a fixed trait and therefore are reluctant to undertake challenges that “stretch” them. Children who are willing to take on challenges have a growth mindset , seeing their abilities as something they can develop. She has shown that children with a growth mindset do better in school.”[1] And not just better in school. The world is full of daily life challenges, intellectual, physical, and emotional. People with a growth mindset do better in life! They are more willing to try the next new thing that might look more difficult than what they have been successful doing in the past. They explore different strategies and are certain they can become more capable through hard work. They are willing to see their experiences as opportunities to grow.

Dweck did many studies to explore further how mindset affected outcomes. In one study, she created a questionnaire to assess children’s theories about their own intelligence:

"We asked them questions like this: Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t really change—agree or disagree. We call that a fixed view of intelligence. Another question (that) measures the growth mindset is: No matter who you are, you can always become a great deal smarter."

Then to test whether the children’s mindset or view of their capacities affected their response to setbacks, Dweck and her colleagues gave them increasingly difficult problems to solve, such as puzzles from a nonverbal IQ test.

"We give them a few trials where they do pretty well; then we give them more difficult problems. We see what happens to their strategies, what happens to their enjoyment of the task, what happens to their persistence.

We found that (when) the students who endorsed the fixed view of their intelligence hit difficulty, (they) started blaming their ability for failure; they started not liking the task anymore, and their performance plummeted. The students who thought their intelligence was something they could increase or develop saw the challenge as exciting. They thought, 'I just (need) more effort or different strategies'; they maintained their enjoyment; they maintained their performance.” [2]

Finding such clear results, "Dweck turned her attention to the question: How do children develop a fixed versus growth mindset, and can their mindsets be changed? Dweck turned to the way people talked with children."[3] Basically, the result of her studies in this area is that when we praise a product or label a child as highly intelligent or smart, we set them up for a fixed mindset and the likelihood that they will wilt in the face of challenge. When we acknowledge effort, support strategizing, and demonstrate that mistakes are opportunities to learn, students will take away a growth mindset.

The findings don’t apply just to academics, but to every aspect of life including those in the social/emotional domains. Children with a growth mindset, see themselves as individuals who can grow and change. This practice is at the heart of Montessori education. Knowing that the child is always in the process of becoming the adult he/she can be is a reflection of a growth mindset. We, adults, need to bring this perspective to the child when working out challenges in both academic and social areas.

When faced with a social challenge, we don’t label the child, but we identify the needs and strengths so that strategies can be designed to overcome the challenges and experience the successes.

Labeling a child whether with “gifted”, “learning disabled”, “annoying”, “bully” or “victim” we place a fixed mindset on the child and diminish their ability to develop that essential skill named, “Taking on Challenges.” This is especially true for children who may have their own unique challenges in academic or social learning. No matter how frustrating the challenge is or how slow growth happens, “we can and will grow”, needs to be the mantra. A fixed mindset is a disservice to our children. A growth mindset empowers our children to overcome obstacles and become who they want to be.

What can we do as parents to nurture a growth mindset?

Adults can model a growth mindset to our children in just the way we handle our own challenges.
Sharing with your child your inner joy of hard work and the exhilarating feeling of taking on a challenge is powerful.
Approaching mistakes from the perspective of opportunity rather than failure is essential to this communication of mindset. Let your child hear your own thinking process.
Recognizing when a child takes on a “challenge” as defined by their own sense and acknowledging the effort is also helpful. Resilience is born in the experience of success just beyond the comfortable.
We can empathize with our children, and at the same time let them know that we know they can handle the feelings they are having.
We can encourage them in problem-solving, again conveying that we know they have what they need to come up with several solutions or actions they can take.
We can avoid labeling or putting people “in a box,” especially the child’s peers. Continually reflecting the potential for growth and change is key, even if it happens in baby steps.
Focus on the areas where growth is clearly taking place, usually in the areas of strength and support perseverance, effort, and patience in the areas where growth is tougher.

As educators and as parents, understanding and acknowledging the importance of a growth mindset will offer our children the freedom and encouragement to boldly deal with the challenges that they will inevitably face.

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

[1] Galinsky, Ellen. Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. Harper Studio, NY, 2010.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

Asking Questions: Critical Thinking, an Essential Life Skill

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 14:03:21 GMT

Asking Questions: Critical Thinking, an Essential Life Skill

Young children ask the most wonderful questions! Their questions are windows into how their mind is working! As adults, we can’t help but love the ease of agreeable, obedient children. It is so comfortable! At the same time, children can ask the most frustrating or confounding questions. Ultimately, we want our children to think for themselves, ask questions, reflect on their own values and needs, and make healthy choices. We want our children to grow up to be adults who can think critically and question the overwhelming input they will process in this digital age. Experiences your child has now can make a difference in their critical thinking skills.

So what is critical thinking and how do we support the development of this skill in our children? At its core, critical thinking is the ongoing search for valid and reliable knowledge to guide our beliefs and actions. [1] Critical thinking draws on all the other executive functioning skills including focus, self-control, making connections, perspective-taking, and communicating . “ Critical thinking is the ability to step back and look at what you’re doing, to look at the dimensions of the task, and to evaluate.”[2]

“Critical thinking is closely related to reflection: instead of accepting one’s initial characterization of a situation, subjecting that characterization to a critique, stepping outside of that characterization, refusing to take it for granted that it’s sufficient and considering it in relation to other ways of thinking about the situation. Reflection results in and makes critical thinking possible.”[3]

All this sounds pretty challenging when you are thinking about your young child. Maria Montessori was very keen on supporting the child’s development of critical thinking. Her materials invite questions and reflection. Her curriculum inspires curiosity and is actually based on the typical questions that will be asked at each age level. She advised teachers and parents to stay within the amazing wonders of the natural, real-world, allowing children to inquire into such realities. She did not want children to be subject to gullibility or accept notions passively. She further advised adults to stick to the real and avoid fantasies when working with the young child.

“Given the world, our children are inheriting—a world that is a whirlwind of change, awash in information—how do we help them become critical thinkers? How do we help children know when to trust their own experiences and when to dig deeper, ask more questions, and test out more possibilities? How do we help them learn to discern which sources are reliable providers of information and which are not?”[4] Here are five of the nine suggestions from Galinsky to support the development of critical thinking.

Suggestion 1: Watch your Child Forming Theories About How Things Work

Observe your children at play and see what they’re attempting to understand. Play is the way that children often try out ideas. We do it, too- but we do it by playing with ideas in our minds rather than acting them out, as children do.

Suggestion 2: Promote Your Child’s Curiosity

While children are born with a drive to understand - to be curious - this drive can be weakened or strengthened by what we do. To promote children’s curiosity, be careful not to jump in too quickly to fix things they’re struggling with since working with the “confounding” situation is where critical thinking is promoted. Instead, where possible, help them figure out how they can resolve it for themselves or ask questions about the situation that would help deepen their thinking.

Suggestion 3: Promote Your Children’s “Lemonade Stands”

“Lemonade stands” are those passions and interests your child shows you. This pursuit of interest allows children to see how they can have many pieces of a puzzle and can take the time, focus, and reflection to put them all together in many different ways for a bigger picture. Time to reflect on our own thinking is called “metacognition” or thinking about thinking.

Suggestion 4: Be a Good Model- Try to Provide Accurate and Valid Information to Your Children

We can model critical thinking by encouraging our children to ask questions and by responding with accurate information, always keeping in mind what they are ready to understand. This includes looking up information through reliable sources when we don’t remember or know the answers.

Suggestion 5: Promote Critical Viewing Skills: Bring reflection into a normally passive intake of information

When we watch television, dissect the ads, like film critics. What is that commercial trying to sell? Why did the company choose this way of selling their product? Were they trying to use peer pressure, or sex or adventure, or humor to sell this product? As far as the program goes, we can ask:

What was the content of the program? Can you remember the story, what happens, why?
Why is the program presented as it is?
How does a news channel that is liberal present a news story versus one that is more conservative?
How accurate or stereotypic is the presentation of the issue or a group of people?

Galinsky provides other suggestions. Her book addresses essential skills for our children and is a great read.

Love your child’s questions. Model questioning. Use them as opportunities- windows into deeper places within your child’s thinking. They can reflect wonder, curiosity, defiance- all necessary for the development of critical thinking!

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

[1] Ellen Galinsky. Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills That Every Child Needs. Harper Collins Publishers, New York, New York. 2010.

[2] Frank Keil, Yale University

[3] Philip David Zelazo, University of Minnesota

[4] Ellen Galinsky.

Fun Walks as Part of Casa Middle School’s Physical Expression Curriculum

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 14:03:22 GMT

Fun Walks as Part of Casa Middle School’s Physical Expression Curriculum

A few weeks ago, we went on a power walk to the municipal rose garden. We walked a total of about 8 miles in around 3 hours. Cassidy, a 7th-grade student, originally planned this walk to be a one-way trip, but Mrs. Bonnie encouraged us to challenge ourselves to the round-trip. We were also challenged to learn three new facts about our classmates. We did get a bit confused along the way because we missed a street on which we were supposed to turn, but we were able to get back on track with the help of students who were familiar with the area. Unfortunately, the roses were not in season, but we were able to enjoy a moment in the shade or next to the fountain at our halfway point. The shade was especially rejuvenating with the temperature being about 72 degrees Fahrenheit. This was definitely a walk that challenged our physical endurance. Many of us came to school the next day with sore muscles.

Some of the other destinations we have walked to are Percolation Pond, Blackford Elementary, and John D. Morgan Park. In particular, a highlight for many of the students was John D. Morgan, the “school gathering” location. We were able to reminisce on our memories as we went up the play structure and swung on the swings. Some of us were even daring enough to jump off the swings and sit in the baby swings. Many of us wanted to repeat this walk, but we were unable to because we watched the inauguration ceremony LIVE, which was on the same day as the weekly PE walk. We all hope that the time will come soon when we can go there as a school again.

Middle School Communications Team

Casa di Mir Montessori

Freedom and Choice: Key Tenets of Montessori

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 14:03:24 GMT

Freedom and Choice: Key Tenets of Montessori

Freedom is the opportunity to have choice. Children’s emotional, social, and academic development improve when they are empowered through choice. At the same time, children need to have appropriate boundaries and limits to feel safe and secure.

Montessori’s “freedom with discipline” (where the word discipline means to teach) for the primary ages of 3-6 years and “freedom with responsibility” for children ages 6 and up align with these basic developmental needs. As a parent or teacher, we can craft a safe environment that has opportunities for choices that are developmentally appropriate for the different stages of childhood. What is left for the adult to do is find the right balance between allowing self-determination (freedom) and limits (providing boundaries) for a child to thrive in. Montessori’s keen observation of child development really helps guide this decision-making.

In the Montessori classrooms, movement (which is indisputably linked to cognition) is encouraged. Students are given large, unregulated blocks of time in which the flow of learning and choice in activity can be self-determined. Students are free from the extrinsic control of the grading system. Montessori classrooms are a stark contrast to the regulated, conventional classrooms where students are confined to desks, with rigidly scheduled days, receiving all sorts of external controls on what they learn which is often based on the simple brain function of memorization.

In the Primary Montessori classroom , the environment is set up by the teachers who are keenly aware of the developmental stage of their students. The choices in the environment are all great tailor-made options. Students enjoy the freedom of choice within the limits of their own sense of order and mastery over their environment. The self-discipline of taking an activity off the shelf, using it in the manner they have been taught, and cleaning up by placing it back on the shelf as they found it is learned through the teachers or guides. Students are given lessons in grace and courtesy of working and playing in a community of peers and then guided through the steps. Again, this is a learning of self-discipline and provides the limits for their freedoms. Self-care skills and skills for care of the environment also support the child’s development of self-discipline. This careful combination of choice and limits are core in the Primary Montessori classrooms.

The Elementary Montessori classroom , just like the primary classroom, is created by teachers who understand the developmental readiness of their age group. The level of responsibility for learning increases slowly as the child’s self-awareness, self-discipline, and comprehension of the vast knowledge to be attained grows. With choice comes the development of unique interests and the joy in the pursuit of learning. Students can dive deeper into areas that excite them utilizing the skills they have learned from previous experience. Ultimately, it is expected that the children will use their time in a productive way, balancing their subjects and being responsible for their learning. They learn to self-regulate their choices in the social areas, too. What we see daily in our classrooms is this process of growth in each child as they navigate their choices and their responsibilities for self, others in their community, and their environment.

At the Middle School level , choice and responsibility take on new characteristics. The focus is on the freedom to express whether through public speaking, debate, theater, or simply in discussions of subject material. At the same time, students take on more responsibility for their elective courses, their culmination projects for each study unit, their micro-economy projects, and community service activities. This process of learning and practicing freedom with responsibility enables students to find their place in the community and the world.

A key caution, especially in today’s world , freedom of choice before a level of self-discipline or responsibility is reached can result in a child’s sense of entitlement, a kind of “I want what I want” approach to life. Young children usually make a choice that is ego-centric which is very appropriate. They are also just l beginning to understand the difference between needs and wants. The child must develop a sense of care and concern for others before making decisions that might impact others. The domain of influence of a choice needs to be considered carefully.

For example, a child aged 3-6 can make a choice between a couple of shirts to wear to school or a choice between two different appropriate breakfast foods. The child would not be ready to make a choice that affects a parent’s ability to get to work on time or whether the family should go to the park when it is a work/school day. If a child is often given a choice that is outside their area of maturity of thinking, the child can come to expect to have “power-over” others. The domain of choices available to a child needs to reflect an appropriate potential in that child for self-discipline and responsibility for outcomes.

Another important aspect of learning responsibility for the freedom of choice is the actual experience of the consequence of choice . What great feedback the natural consequences of a choice can be for learning! As adults, we need to allow those experiences for the children around us when they are not life-threatening. The child’s own observation of consequences, as well as the supportive reflections of the adult, can provide a foundation for the next choice-making opportunity.

Adults can model their own process of choice-making by verbalizing their thinking for children to hear. The weighing of pros and cons and the consideration of what the consequences might be is helpful for the child to witness. Feedback, both positive and negative, is essential for the honing of the thinking process and skills of choice-making. We can reason then, that through freedom to choose and the experience of consequences come critical experiences for the development of self-discipline and responsibility.

Montessori education provides such tremendous opportunities for a child to grow and thrive because of the inherent balance of freedom to choose and the limits of self-discipline and responsibility for each developmental stage of the child.

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

My Journey Through Mindfulness and Parenting

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 14:07:22 GMT

My Journey Through Mindfulness and Parenting

Many years ago, I attended a talk by Dr. Laura Markham, a clinical psychologist renowned for her parenting blog based on child-development research. I came out of that talk with a mantra “stop, drop, and breathe.” This meant that whenever I began to have strong emotions, I would stop what I was doing, drop my agenda, and take a deep breath to calm myself down.[1] For a while, these actions felt unnatural and contrived. However, I kept the mantra in my parenting toolkit because I knew that if I let my emotions run high, I would risk exploding at my children and feeling really bad about it afterward.

A few years ago, I started practicing mindfulness more regularly through observing my breath, bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts as they passed through my mind. I started to become more aware of the shift in my emotions. In the beginning, when I felt triggered, I would pinpoint my children’s unruly behavior as the emotional trigger. I would try to stay calm, often by taking long deep breaths. Later on, as awareness about my emotional shift became clearer, I realized that the culprit for my difficult emotions was not my children’s unruly behavior, but rather my unruly restless mind. The unruly mind from a long busy day at work, plus a lack of rest and sleep, caused me to lose my cool as soon as my children behaved differently from what I had expected. According to Dr. Dan Siegal’s hand model of the brain, I “flipped the lid”, losing the state of integration.[2] The insight into understanding my restless mind improved my relationship with my children. Whenever I noticed that I was feeling tired from a long day, I verbalized to my children that I could be quick to short-circuit, and needed to take a break so that I could be a peaceful mom.

In some ways, I began perceiving a mindfulness practice as playing a game with the mind. As I continued to get more familiar with watching my mind, and saw an improvement in my relationship with my family, I felt encouraged to be more mindful. At some point, a deeper insight started to appear. I noticed a pattern of my emotional reactivity when I “flipped the lid.” According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness-Based-Stress-Reduction (MBSR), open-mindedness and curiosity are the attitudes to cultivate in mindfulness practice.[3] With a beginner’s mind, and an interest in parenting and psychology, I came to realize that my emotional triggers were habitual reactions to my own unmet needs in the past. A self-inquiry into these unmet needs helped me identify the soft-spots that often triggered an emotional upset. With the attitudes of non-judgment and acceptance, which are cultivated in the mindfulness practice, I gradually became more accepting of my habitual tendencies that led to upset and worry. This does not mean that I made an excuse for my anger, but mindful awareness gave me space to notice the trigger and to show compassion to myself. As Viktor Frankl, holocaust survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning said “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” In between my emotional triggers and my reactions, I can make a better choice.

You may ask what a mindfulness practice has to do with parenting, besides not yelling at our children. I believe it has everything to do with the social-emotional development of our children. The Polyvagal theory, proposed by neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges, explains co-regulation in mammals when parenting their young.[4] The theory focuses on the evolutionary adaptive mechanism of the vagal pathways, which are the primary component of our autonomic nervous system - parasympathetic and sympathetic response. Utilizing the mammalian ventral vagal pathways, children detect social cues from their parents’ physiological states in order to distinguish safety from threats. These social cues include head and hand gestures, breathing patterns, facial expressions, and vocal intonations. The detection process called neuroception is a reflex, without cognition. When children perceive a sense of safety, they can play, learn, and grow. The sympathetic nervous system involved in a fight-flight response, which may be triggered when we raise our voice or yell at our kids, is down-regulated. The theory highlights the co-regulation between parents and children as the foundation for the children’s emotional self-regulation. When children lose their calm or have a tantrum, they are telling us that they need our help to co-regulate. In the midst of the chaos, parents can help their children co-regulate by embodying mindful awareness of their own feelings and emotions (hint: stop, drop, and breathe), thus indirectly teaching children how to self-regulate, and develop emotional resilience.

Not only do we co-regulate with our children, but we also are their role models, quite literally. Neuroscientists tell us that mirror neurons found in human brains play an active part in the acquisition of social skills, and the ability to empathize with the feelings of others. Mirror neurons are the neurons that fire both when a person performs an action, and when the person witnesses the same action performed by someone else; hence the name “mirror.[5]

At Casa di Mir, students learn, from preschool age, the practice of Nonviolent Communication (NVC). They practice mindful awareness by learning to recognize their own feelings and needs, as well as those of others. They learn to express themselves and make requests for their needs while respecting the needs of others. This process fosters connection and understanding. As parents, we can teach children empathy by practicing mindfulness ourselves. The ways children develop empathy for others are twofold. First, through mindful awareness of their own feelings and needs, the awareness extends outward towards the feelings and needs of others. This is the NVC practice. Second, through empathic mirroring of their parents, when parents are mindful of their own feelings and needs, when parents show care and concern for their children, and acknowledge the children’s needs, the children mirror the same prosocial behaviors, strengthening their empathy for others.

Imagine the ripple effect of empathy in ourselves spreading through our children, their friends and families, and the community. How amazing it is that we can create a better world for ourselves and for our children through practicing mindfulness!

Bay Thongtheppairot

Current Casa Parent

Casa di Mir Montessori

[1] “Are you using this essential parenting tool?” , 25 Aug. 2020, https://www.ahaparenting.com/blog/are-you-using-this-essential-parenting-tool.

[2] Siegel, D., Bryson, T. P. (2012). The whole brain child. New York: Bantam.

[3] Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full Catastrophe living. New York: Bantam.

[4] Porges, S. W. (2015). Making the world safe for our children: down-regulating defence and up-regulating social engagement to optimise the human experience. Children Australia , 40, 2, 114-123.

[5] Rizzolatti, G., Fogassi L., Gallese, V. (2006). Mirrors in the mind. Scientific American , Nov. 2006, 295 (5), 54-61.

Casa di Mir Welcomed Our Family and Enriched Our Lives

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 14:09:52 GMT

Casa di Mir Welcomed Our Family and Enriched Our Lives

Casa di Mir Montessori welcomed my son during a challenging transition period for our family. He had just finished Kindergarten at Montessori of Westfield when my husband got a job interview with a big tech company. The interview meant a great career opportunity and a chance for a new family adventure. However, it also meant facing the decision to uproot our life of 14 years in the Midwest and move to Silicon Valley.

One big concern, in addition to the cost of living in the Bay Area, was my son’s education. We needed a traditional Montessori school with great reviews, that had space available for a first-grader and could enroll him with very short notice. After my husband successfully completed a couple of job interviews, I approached the two Montessori schools near the area where we were planning to look for rental homes. The first school had one spot left and could not assure us it would still be available by the time my husband anticipated a job offer. The second school was Casa di Mir, and it was this school that made all the difference.

Casa helped me breathe a little easier and get on board with our potential move. The school had a classroom with space for a couple more students and the Admissions Director put me at ease by assuring me I didn’t need to confirm our exact arrival date. From there, our experience with Casa di Mir just got better and better. Soon after we arrived in the Bay Area, we took our son to the school for his enrollment evaluation. During this process, the staff was very friendly and inviting. On top of that, Casa was exactly what I was looking for, the perfect equivalent to the Montessori education that my son had received in Indiana. I felt an immediate connection with the school and was eager to enroll my son. In fact, I seemed so eager that a staff member asked me if I should see more before making a decision, to which I responded, “I’ve seen all I need to see, this feels like a great fit!”

The cherry on top for the entire family was Casa’s amazing community. We quickly made connections with other families, and very soon, we had a new social circle. Our friends from Casa helped us adapt to our life in California a lot faster; they made us feel at home.

In the last five years, I have consistently volunteered for Casa helping out in different marketing-related projects. This past summer, I took my involvement with the school to a new level when I became the new Manager of Development and Marketing. At Casa di Mir, I found a meaningful way to utilize my professional experience and true purpose in helping families, new to Montessori, learn everything the school's program has to offer.

My son is now a Casa 6th grader. Thanks in great part to the school, he has blossomed into a witty yet gentle pre-teen. He loves his school, his friends, and he definitely is in an educational environment where he's thriving. I will be forever grateful to Casa di Mir for welcoming my son, my husband, and I, and enriching our lives in so many ways!

Erika Ruiz

Manager of Development and Marketing

Casa di Mir Montessori

Learning from Mistakes: A Critical Life Skill

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 14:11:29 GMT

Learning from Mistakes: A Critical Life Skill

Let’s face it, making mistakes is not fun. Owning mistakes is even harder. It isn’t surprising that kids, like adults, want to be seen as competent. They don’t want to feel embarrassed, and they definitely don’t want to disappoint important adults in their life. The truth is that mistakes are uncomfortable! So, when children do make mistakes, they sometimes deny it in an attempt to stave off that discomfort. They might try to shift the blame, or lie, in order to avoid getting “in trouble” – and to evade unwelcome consequences. This is a prime opportunity to support their learning and development.

We live in a society that puts a lot of pressure on children, especially here in Silicon Valley. In some ways, they’re expected to do it all: be hard-working students, get good grades, earn high scores on tests, and get into good colleges (preferably with scholarships). They’re expected to start businesses, find internships and give back to the community. On top of this, many children also participate in non-academic pastimes – like soccer, ballet, robotics, music, and gymnastics – either by choice or by parent directive. These high expectations can lead to kids feeling like they have to be perfect. And if you’re supposed to be perfect, it can be difficult to admit mistakes.

Some mistakes that happen at school are related to learning or work. These kinds of mistakes are generally easier to navigate. If a child makes a mistake in their work (e.g. incorrect computation, a misspelled word, incorrectly identifying the parts of a volcano) it’s a matter of identifying the source of the mistake and correcting it. In an instance like this, there is no other person involved, so no interpersonal problem-solving is required. However, there are children who can be very hard on themselves when they make mistakes. Again, this is the time to help children see that mistakes are the BEST part of learning because they help us grow!

Mistakes that happen in social situations, which are inevitable when children interact, are generally more complex and challenging. But they are also opportunities. In this realm, when we help children own their mistakes, we’re helping them to hone important problem-solving skills. When a conflict occurs, we guide children to reflect on and process what happened. We help them look at the situation through observations, rather than judgement, in an effort to remain objective. It can be helpful to consider the feelings and needs of those involved, before thinking about how best to move forward. We want kids to know that mistakes are OK! It’s how you respond that’s important.

Owning the mistake is often the hardest part, and it can actually bring some relief. Understanding the why behind the mistake is also important. Once those things have been figured out – and this can be a process – the child is encouraged to decide how to try and make amends. Children (and many adults) tend to quickly leap to, “I’m sorry.” But an empty or forced sorry is meaningless, and kids know it – so that is a trap to be avoided. It can be helpful to think about the situation from the perspective of the other person or people involved. What is it that they might want? What will make it better for them? How can trust be rebuilt?

When children gain practice in owning their mistakes and solving problems, whether in the academic or social realm, they begin to develop trust in their own abilities. And, when children feel more confident in their ability to handle mistakes, and they understand that mistakes are OK, they tend to be more willing to take risks.

Parents can sometimes get in the way of this learning unintentionally. Ever run home to get your child’s Friday Folder, backpack, lunch, jacket, etc.? It’s completely natural to want to support, nurture and protect your child. It’s instinctual. Sometimes, this instinct drives parents to solve problems for their child, rather than supporting the child to work through the problem. Another common tendency is for parents to shield their child from the natural consequences of a mistake. These actions can take away the opportunity for learning and growth.

Mistakes are an inevitable part of life – so how can you support them? When your child makes a mistake, try to approach it as an opportunity. Provide guidance in processing what happened, if needed. When your child owns a mistake, acknowledge their honesty and courage. Allow them to experience consequences (within the bounds of safety), and encourage their efforts to make things right. And finally, model taking responsibility for your own mistakes. Modeling is a powerful teacher.

Anne Nguyen

Director of Admissions

Casa di Mir Montessori

The Developing Child and Our Wonderful Montessori Classrooms

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 13:13:56 GMT

The Developing Child and Our Wonderful Montessori Classrooms

The Montessori classroom is a fertile ground in which children can meet their developmental needs, and thus grow in leaps and bounds academically, socially, emotionally and physically. Our Primary and Elementary classrooms reflect the developmental stages of the child that Montessori identified from her thousands of observations of children. I’d like to address these first two stages or planes of growth according to Montessori.

The First Plane of Development

The first plane in the child’s development is from birth to age six. “The overriding goal of this period is the development of the self as an individual being. This goal gives the child an egocentric focus.”[1] There is a tendency for adults to see this self-centered focus and judge the child as selfish. We must avoid judging the child as if he or she was an adult. From the child’s point of view, self-centeredness is practical. The child must be busy at the monumental task of finishing his neurological development. Sensorial exploration and hand-brain activities are two ways that the child changes the physiology of the brain through his interaction with the environment.

During each plane of development the child goes through periods of concentration on specific capacities. These time frames are called Sensitive Periods. The Sensitive Periods for this first plane are for walking, talking (development of language), sense of culture, movement, will, independence and mental attributes like the discovery of order in the environment, attention to precision, and interest in minute objects.

Montessori observed that children at this stage “possess a capacity for absorbing the surrounding environment merely by being in it.”[2] From birth to three, we see this capacity as the unconscious “absorbent mind.” From 3-6 years of age, we see a child’s ability to apply and use these sensorial impressions to order, categorize and classify objects in her world. Through this 6-year process of absorbing the environment, the child brings into being her own reasoning mind.

Understanding these aspects about the child of 3-6 years, we provide a rich flow of activities for kinesthetic and sensorial work. All practical life activities fulfill the needs for both self-care and the development of perceptual-motor coordination, that hand-brain work that helps brain development. The sensorial shelves are filled with activities that allow a child to hone their sensorial impressions making visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory comparisons and contrasts. As acquisition of language is what this age child is all about, the language work included on the shelves is perfectly timed to this learning. With tactile introductions to sounds of letters, the learning begins through the senses and develops with the child through the use of the moveable alphabet for word building to pencil and paperwork.

The Kinder year in the three-year cycle is a very important year, one of tremendous realization of skills and maturity. Having had the full three years in a Montessori environment, it is a delight to see each Kinder child at this pinnacle of success applying self-care, order/classification, sensorial, language skills to their daily lives as she stands on the cusp of the second plane of development, ages 6-12 years. The children can reflect on how they have grown from that uncertain first year in the classroom to one of confidence, leadership, and “can do” spirit. Being able to experience all the social levels (novice, follower, leader) of the classroom helps the child to understand the complexities of the larger world. They are prepared to meet their next phase of growth with confidence and accept new challenges with a smile.

The Second Plane

Montessori’s second plane of development encompasses the elementary years. While there are degrees of difference between the Lower and Upper Elementary classrooms, the key sensitivities for learning are the same for 6-12 year olds. “Montessori observed startling changes in children beginning at approximately age six indicating both a new goal and a new direction in their development. The children’s focus shifts from individual formation to development as social beings and the direction of their explorations of the world tends to the abstract rather than the concrete. All children’s behavioral tendencies serve these new purposes.”[3] We observe both physical and intellectual changes that allow the child to explore those sensitivities.

The proportions of their bodies, the loss of “baby” teeth for permanent teeth, their muscular strength and stamina all point to their entry into this second plane of development. Observing the child’s intellectual curiosity, mental organization of information, and ease in absorbing knowledge lead Montessori to call this stage, the Intellectual Period. “All other factors… sink into insignificance beside the importance of feeding the hungry intelligence and opening vast fields of knowledge to eager exploration.”[4]

Unlike most curriculums designed for this stage of development, our Montessori curriculum opens up the universe to elementary children beginning first with the all-encompassing view of the formation of the universe and the development of life on Earth. “Human consciousness comes into the world as a flaming ball of imagination.”[5] By relying on his acute imagination, the child can hold the greater picture of the universe, the planet, the evolution of life and becomes “enthused to his innermost core.”[6] Studies are then motivated by the insatiable curiosity and the sheer joy of learning. As children develop during these years, they pursue topics of greater specificity, expanding their knowledge base from the bigger view of life to details.

Also unlike many classrooms, our Montessori elementary classrooms provide opportunities to develop as social beings. Learning is done in collaboration and cooperation as well as individually. Social learning is addressed as new situations or challenges arise. Lessons and opportunities in Compassionate Communication, conflict resolution, and modeling virtues are part of everyday life. We know that children learn best when they experience safety and trust in their environment.

As with the kinder child, the 6th year student who has completed their full 6-year cycle of the elementary Montessori program, stands at the pinnacle of this phase of development and peers into the next plane of development (12-18 years) with a sense of confidence, a tremendous ability to learn, and to be a leader.

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

[1] Lillard, Paula Polk. Montessori Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Education from

Birth to Adulthood. Schoken Books, New York, 1996.

[2] Ibid, p.37.

[3] Lillard, Paula Polk. Montessori Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Education from

Birth to Adulthood. Schoken Books, New York, 1996.

[4] Montessori, Maria. To Educate the Human Potential . Kalakshetra Publications, India,

1948.

[5] Ibid

[6] Ibid

Montessori Leads the Way

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 13:15:23 GMT

Montessori Leads the Way

As education is being reinvented around us and public schools are implementing the Common Core Standards, Montessori Education remains a beacon for all. Because Montessori education is founded in an enlightened understanding of the development of the child from birth to adulthood, it has employed since its beginnings all the elements of a best practices education in the 21st century.

Common Core Standards and their implementation are a response to a period of time where the public schools had been obsessed with measurement, evaluation, and rewards or punishments. During the “No Child Left Behind” directive, the educational system had left behind aspects of intellectual and social/emotional development of the child while being totally driven to subject memorization. The child had not been educated as a whole being.

This past commitment to black and white assessment meant a focus on memorization and rote learning, both of which utilize only small portions of the brain. This has left the higher order thinking skills and executive functioning skills of the developing brain underutilized. The Common Core Standards are directed at the development of reasoning, critical thinking, articulation of thinking, logic, and decision-making. They are noble goals. It will take much time and effort by enlightened educators to bring this type of learning back into the soil of conventional education and to break down the structures rooted in place over the past two decades. We can welcome this Common Core Standards push toward improving conventional education.

So, here stands Montessori Education with over 100 years of experience in providing a developmentally inspired education for kids around the world. Montessori schools have always emphasized intellectual development, creativity, social-emotional well being and an education that follows the immense curiosity of the child. The curriculums from birth to adulthood include nurturing reasoning, critical thinking and problem-solving and autonomy within which the executive function skills develop. From the earliest classroom experiences children are encouraged to take a lead in their learning and given the respect of beings with tremendous potential to become contributors in life.

Teachers are guides and models for the child’s own drive to grow and become. The Montessori programs are built on a well-developed pedagogy of child development which perfectly matches the knowledge we now have of the development of the brain. While tools have changed over the centuries, the growth and development of the child and the human brain has changed very little. The core skills for 21st century life remain the cherished Montessori principles of respect, independence, curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, critical thinking/reasoning, self-awareness, strong communication skills, conflict resolution, development of all senses, and care for community.

So what does Montessori Education do that continues to make it a leading pedagogy in the 21st century and able to be an example of what is desired in the implementation of the Common Core Standards?

It prepares children to take care of their needs and pursue their own interests. The conscious development of independence begins at age three. Daily activities help students develop critical thinking and give them practice in choice-making throughout their early school years. Learning is student-directed from the first day the child takes a Practical Life activity from the shelf to making her own lesson plans each day and choosing her focus of study for research projects. So we graduate self-reliant students.
Students are shown respect and listened to for their thoughts and feelings. A child who is listened to and understood learns to value himself and others. So we graduate self-aware students who can listen to and empathize with others.
Montessori materials empower children to teach themselves and figure things out, so we graduate confident learners, proud of their own thinking processes.
Multi-age classrooms allow for community and the experience of leadership, so we graduate children who cooperate and lead.
Our integrated curriculum encompasses the interrelationship of all things we know and enables children to see their place in the world, so we graduate world citizens who will work toward social justice and a sustainable future through positive choices they make in life.
Our lessons capture imagination and inspire learning, so we graduate students who love learning and can inspire others.
Expressions of learning can be demonstrated through multimedia presentations, art, drama, written work, and other creative ventures. So we graduate students who can think creatively.

The benefits of an education at Casa di Mir, with its emphasis on authentic Montessori pedagogy, are evident and long lasting.

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

What Makes Casa di Mir Special and Unique

Wed, 14 Mar 2018 13:17:22 GMT

What Makes Casa di Mir Special and Unique

What makes Casa di Mir a unique school community, a treasure in the sea of many schools?

Let me count the ways:

Trained Montessori teaching faculty implementing a curriculum designed specifically for the developing child at each stage of growth
The time, energy, and care our teachers invest in their relationship with each child to understand and meet the needs of each child to their best ability
A strong academic program
A curriculum that includes music, art, dance, Aikido, Spanish, educational field trips, and service learning projects
The opportunity to practice independence, take initiative and explore personal interests
A social/emotional curriculum based on character development and education for peace
A like-minded parent community who share the values of a Montessori education and who wish their children to grow up in a wholesome environment
Traditions and celebrations that are cornerstones of the school and that make a lifelong impression
Mindfulness practices that teach self-reflection and self-regulation
We encourage mistakes and the opportunity to learn from them
A place to find acceptance.

It is the balance and blend (kaleidoscope) of all of these elements that makes a rewarding experience possible for our students, every day.

Writing the words in the bullet points above forsakes the passion and energy that infuses their implementation in our community and in our classrooms. The words themselves are often overused in education and can’t convey the actual experience we provide.

There is so much opportunity in our classrooms for the real experiences of teamwork, creativity, and leadership. Children are not confined to a desk or to be receptacles for other’s knowledge. As William Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” The outcomes of our “igniting the fire” for our students are: confidence, joy in learning, a strong sense of self, appreciation for others, and an assurance that whatever the situation, “I can handle it.” Walk into any classroom any time and you will see action toward these goals.

Ask an alumni and you might hear something very similar to what Aaron Shuler (2004) shared with me recently:

“From the very beginning, Casa di Mir taught me to think differently about education. It provided me incredible freedom to express myself, as well as follow wherever my curiosity led. Learning became something that I was doing, not just something that was being fed to me. School was an exploration, a journey upon which I embarked, filled with surprises and wonder. I was the master of my own experience…

Of course, upon reflection, I can see that I was not alone on this journey. Throughout my experience, those around me encouraged me in self direction with an incredible warmth and compassion. They empowered me. They focused my curiosity. Indeed, they inspired me to bring the love of learning they gave me to others.

Now, as I embark upon a career in education, I often think back to how my Casa teachers might help a struggling student, or how they would inspire a group of first graders to give an epic Cultural Night performance. My mission is to bring the Casa experience to all of my students, so that they might be inspired too.”

This is what makes Casa a special place to grow and learn!

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

Alumni Update: Q&A with Niuniu Teo

Fri, 02 Mar 2018 14:18:44 GMT

Alumni Update: Q&A with Niuniu Teo

Last grade completed at Casa di Mir: 5th grade

What memories from Casa di Mir still make you smile? Aikido, the peace making table, Wanda's Buddhist singing bowl, warm fuzzies... everything!

What skills do you still draw on from your experience at Casa di Mir? So much. Everything from the way I consciously avoid "accusatory" sentence structures when I work through disagreements with people to the way I break big projects down into manageable assignments and write them down in an old school planner.

Where did your education lead you after Casa? I attended Pinewood School 6th-12th grade, Stanford University for undergrad (majoring in History). And now I am at Peking University in Beijing, China for my master's degree in Chinese Studies.

Tell us more about your current studies. What is your favorite part? As previously mentioned, I'm now getting my master's in Chinese Studies at Peking University through a scholarship program called Yenching Academy. My favorite part of this experience is how international our community is—my cohort consists of 126 students from more than 40 countries, and getting to know just how small and interconnected our world truly is has been an incredibly enlightening experience.

My research interests primarily focus on modern Chinese history. Something I find fulfilling about this, aside from understanding a part of my own history, is examining how humans can have identical wants and needs, yet create ways of collectively being that are incredibly different from each other, and often unintelligible to each other.

What’s next on your journey? My penchant for telling stories and explaining people to each other has also led me to gravitate towards journalism. One of my favorite jobs I've had thus far is working for KQED's Forum. I find journalism to be rewarding and grounding in ways that academia isn't, and so I hope to continue my involvement in the more "public" sphere of journalism, even as I apply to PhD programs for this upcoming year.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? I've always been grateful for my Montessori experience.

Photo caption: “I've always been grateful for my Montessori experience," says Niuniu Teo

What is play? What is work?

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 14:22:32 GMT

What is play? What is work?

I often get asked the question, is the Montessori primary program “play-based” (a popular term) or are there any academics? This seems to imply that one is exclusive of the other. Is one work and the other play? Can work be play-based?

I found it fun to go to the dictionary to see what is said about the words work and play. Would it shed any light on this question?

The word “work” has a page-long definition in the American Heritage Dictionary. Here is just the first line of it:

work (work) n. 1. Physical or mental effort or activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something. V. 1. To exert oneself physically or mentally to do, make, or accomplish something.

When you watch your children at an activity, I am sure you have seen them direct all of themselves to their purpose. Most of the time when you see this, you would say they are at play! The negative context of work is not experienced by the young child. They simply give effort at everything they do to master something or accomplish something or learn something!!

The definition of the word “play” in the American Heritage Dictionary is nearly as long as the word “work.”

Play (pla) v. 1. To occupy oneself in amusement, sport or other recreation. (amuse: to occupy in an agreeable, pleasing fashion.)

When self care activities are amusing, is it work or play? When academic activities capture the imagination and therefore are amusing or entertaining, are they work or play? When activities that take effort and focus are fun, are they work or play?

Activity with effort is the way children go about everything they do! Even when building sandcastles you can see the intention, focus and pride in the work/play accomplished. Montessori recognized this and brought these terms together in describing activity in the Montessori classroom. She observed that work and play are really synonymous for children. We adults use play and work much more as antitheses of one another categorizing pleasurable or less pleasurable activities or “want to do” from “have to do” activities. To Montessori, and young children, there is very little distinction. From this concept, Montessori constructed the classroom environments. She designed materials and activities that are both fun, engaging, and instructional, blending pleasure with effort and a desired outcome.

Montessori provided guidance in creating learning environments that are both work and play at the same time. She did not see them as opposites. All the activities in the classrooms require the effort and engagement needed for any work activity or play activity. Carrying the red rods to the mat is fun. It is also one of the first math experiences with quantity and measurement. Laying out the beautiful glass beads to show quantity for the symbols “1” or “6” or “10” is fun and creative in many cases; it is also a math “work.” There is a purpose for learning behind all the fun materials in the classrooms, all designed to engage children at a specific developmental phase.

The different attitudes around “work” and “play” are adult constructs. I wish we could create a new word that would mean the blend of these two activities, especially when it comes to describing the activity of learning.

The Montessori classroom is full of work opportunities that children playfully engage in while they are learning. Focusing on the joy of working hard to accomplish something is important. Preserving the blend of work/play in learning activities is a goal in the Montessori classroom. From this comes the experience of joyful learning that we want for our children.

The Casa di Mir Montessori School classroom exemplifies the joy of work as play and play as "work." For those interested in giving their child the gift of a Montessori education, it is worth visiting one of our classrooms to observe students engaged in this way. Contact our Admissions Director or schedule a visit .

For more information on Casa's primary, elementary and middle school programs, visit our Programs page .

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

Montessori: Creating a World of Peace One Student at a Time

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 14:29:10 GMT

Montessori: Creating a World of Peace One Student at a Time

Maria Montessori, founder of the Montessori Method, lived through the tragedy of World War I, the totalitarianism of the 1920s and 1930s, and the devastations of World War II. And yet she saw that the world could be made beautiful.

After a lifetime of observing children, she was convinced that they were the keys to transforming mankind and bringing about lasting peace, if educated through peace.

“We must lay the foundation for peace ourselves by constructing a social environment, a new world for the child and adolescent, so that their individual conscience may develop,” said Montessori.

She developed and implemented an education for peace as the core driver of the Montessori curriculum. By replacing the study of isolated subjects with an integrated view of life, children gain a better understanding of the consequences of their choices.

In an authentic Montessori classroom, peace education is as much a part of a Montessori student’s curriculum as math or language. Peace education starts by honoring the individual. Montessori classrooms are characterized by: personal freedom for each student to learn at his or her own pace; guidance--not authoritarian rule--by teachers; caring for the community, with interactions based on honor, trust, compassion, and respect; and caring for the planet. Peace education is not so much about limiting negative behavior as it is about guiding positive choice for a respectful experience and outcome.

Wanda Whitehead, head of Casa di Mir Montessori School (1989-2018), explains, “Education for peace is the creation of a whole education and curriculum that, because of its core and its many elements, prepares students for choices, actions, and thought in life, to create a peaceful life, whether simple or grand in scope.”

She adds, “The work of peace is hard work, courageous work. It is work that looks to see another’s need while caring for oneself.”

At the primary level, ages 3 to 6, teachers guide students to understand their own feelings and needs and to learn to identify these in others. They learn to take turns speaking and listening. This strengthening of self-awareness are the precursors to conflict resolution. In addition, the Montessori lessons of Grace and Courtesy help children demonstrate respect for each other, the environment, and the classroom materials through action.

At the elementary level, ages 6 to 12, language for conflict resolution skills is expanded as the child grows socially. Classrooms have a peace table or designated area, where two children can go to resolve a conflict. First they decide if they have come to calm before sitting down. Each takes a turn respectfully explaining to the other how they feel and what they need until each has heard the other and the conflict is resolved. Teachers model appropriate behavior and teach the language of resolution.

At the middle school level, ages 12 to 14, peace education takes into account the enormity of change in the adolescent. There is continued focus on conflict resolution. The concept of social justice is more broadly explored through their studies of society as well as among themselves.

Intrinsic to the Montessori curriculum, an education by and through peace emphasizes common origins with other people, other species, Earth, and the universe. As a result, peace becomes a habit. Students feel the drive to make the world more peaceful, socially just, and respectful of nature.

“What I hear and see time and time again from the adults who were once our students,” says Whitehead, who founded Casa di Mir in 1989, “is that no matter what profession they choose, they have a burning desire to serve and to lift humanity up. They find ways to fulfill this drive energized by their inner core of values from the education for peace they received.”

Diane Dunning

Former Director of Development and Communications

Casa di Mir Montessori

How Montessori Helps Children Realize Their Full Potential

Fri, 03 Nov 2017 13:29:11 GMT

How Montessori Helps Children Realize Their Full Potential

It is the child’s potential that brought Montessori to say, “I have discovered the child.” She honored the child for the immense curiosity, drive to learn, and unique interests and talents that she saw within every little being from birth! Therefore, her approach to the child and the educational method was all about the child’s journey of self-discovery, full expression of that potential, and finding her/his place in the world.

So many forms of education disregard the development phases of the child and impose the adult’s notions of the things we think must be learned. The factory model is still prevalent. The notion that the child is an empty vessel to be filled and to fit in a specific place is still behind the structure of conventional schools. The basic premise of this model disregards the unique potential in each child and generally suffocates the natural curiosity and drive of the child, the best tools for discovering his/her own potential.

When we discuss potential, do we mean the potential to become what we have in mind for a particular child to be or do we mean for the child to discover her own unique potential through a nurturing open learning process? Montessori education was created to nurture the child’s own journey of discovery and self-expression.

How is this done in the learning community?

The teacher gets to know the child over a three-year period and understands his/her unique interests, challenges, talents.
The environments are set up to enhance a child’s development and meet unique needs.
Environments are saturated with opportunities to engage executive thinking brain functions and strategies that can be learned to help with choice making, planning, organizing.
Imagination, creativity, enthusiasm are elements of the lessons inspiring learning and sparking the flame of curiosity and intelligence.
Movement is directly connected to learning. Montessori classrooms accommodate this way of learning.
By having a broad and deep curriculum at the child’s fingertips.
By nurturing and supporting an experience of life-long learning toward educated citizenship.
By presenting a limitless integrated base of knowledge rather than compartmentalizing subjects and limiting learning to “grade level” skills.
Providing opportunities to develop mindfulness, concentration and self-discipline.
Taking time to work through interpersonal challenges and encouraging perspective taking.
Frequent and varied interactions among students and adults allow for the development of communication skills.

I would have to say that the whole of the Montessori Method is created to support the child in realizing his/her full potential. Knowing what the child is poised to explore, try out, and learn about at different ages helps us learn environments that enhance those things.

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

The Value of Mindfulness Practices in the Classroom

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 13:29:12 GMT

The Value of Mindfulness Practices in the Classroom

Maria Montessori, founder of the Montessori Method, was not familiar with the term mindfulness as we understand it today. However, she was very tuned in to the need for such personal work and the validation of the inner self. From the beginning, Montessori children played the “Silence Game.” This encouraged a child’s ability to quiet himself, to come to calm, to sense a shift in energy level, to read oneself. Mindfulness puts the individual in observation mode with the opportunity to exercise executive functions of the brain. Mindfulness practice has been a daily part of Casa di Mir Montessori School's classrooms since the school opened in 1989.

With mindfulness practices children:

Develop a strong sense of their inner self and get in touch with what is really valued.
Affirm the inner life and creation of a space to retreat to for a sense of peace, rejuvenation or choice making.
Develop the ability to be in touch with what is sensed not just with the 5 senses but their intuitive sense.
Develop the inner language of compassion, patience, forgiveness, encouragement of self.
Strengthen the ability to concentrate.
Strengthen the power of self-regulation or self-discipline.
Grasp the ability to use imagination for learning.

How is mindfulness practiced in the classroom?

Morning circles provide time for meditation and guided imagery.
Quiet time opportunities are used as needed to reset self when energy is beyond a level needed or emotions are interrupting learning.
Coming to calm and observation are practiced when approaching conflict resolution.
Children may choose to sit or lay in a quiet place (like the library couch) when they feel they need to transition to a place of readiness to work in the classroom.
Silent, sensory walks are taken when on trips to our natural environments.
A child can choose a different place to work that allows them to be in their learning zone.
The “sponge” practice is used to quiet the body and focus the mind. (Sponge = Savasana in Yoga practice, basically body at rest).
Sensory experiences are very mindful practices and are a strong part of the primary classrooms.
Aikido is a whole-body mindfulness practice.
Journaling is a reflective mindful practice.

A strong connection with our inner self is absolutely essential to a peaceful life. It is a positive support to us when we are faced with all of life’s challenges. Giving this experience to our children will help them navigate through life by staying connected to their inner selves and their values.

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

Parenting for Independence

Wed, 23 Aug 2017 13:29:14 GMT

Parenting for Independence

Parenting can be considered the hardest job on the planet. How do we do it so that our children can become the successful, independent, responsible adults we so want them to become?

According to Madeline Levine, author of Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success , “The happiest, most successful children have parents who do not do for them what they are capable of doing, or almost capable of doing: and their parents do not do things for them that satisfy their own needs rather than the needs of the child.”[1] Doesn’t this sound like something we have read or quoted many times from Maria Montessori’s writings?

In sync with the decade of studies done on parental involvement, “Diana Baumrind, a clinical and developmental psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley has found that the optimal parent is one who is involved and responsive, who sets high expectations but respects the child’s autonomy.”[2] They are a strong center on the pendulum between permissive and controlling.

Part of supporting our children’s development into independence is allowing them to learn how to make good decisions. They often acquire this skill by making poor decisions and figuring out, on their own, how to turn it around. We learn far more from our mistakes than we do from our successes.

“By allowing our children to get clear and accurate information—which may be learning the hard way that the stove is hot—about their interactions with their environment of people, tools, nature and ideas, we start them on the path of learning to decide independently how they will act.”[3] This means that many times we need to let a child experience natural consequences instead of shielding them from the experience.

“With our young children we’ve removed many feedback loops for learning and, thus, for making decisions, good or bad. Preschool administrators comment on the growing number of three-year-olds who aren’t toilet trained. Comfortable diapers remove feedback to the child about their actions or lack of action. Plastic tip-proof covered cups prevent spills along with preventing feedback on the fine-motor control necessary to drink from a glass. A diet of finger foods prevents learning how to use a fork, knife, and spoon.

Within the limits of safety, learning to make good choices begins with clear and accurate information about personal interactions within one’s environment.”[4] AND it means as parents we need to let the child get that feedback even if it is uncomfortable or slightly painful.

I recently experienced a parent who “did not have the heart” to remove the binkie from her toddler’s mouth for good. The child’s language development nearly stopped. When, at age 2 ½ years, the parent finally removed it, language skills shot up. As parents, we need to allow feedback. Learning to make good decisions is based on having good information. Our Montessori classrooms are designed to give children clear, accurate and timely information. Parents can set up homes this way, too.

Strong, centered parents are able to raise successful adults because they help cultivate motivation in their children. They do this by acknowledging quietly the child’s accomplishment, showing interest and noticing the focus, work, fun, or care that went into the task. They do not praise.

“As it turns out, children who are not told they’re smart are more motivated to tackle increasingly difficult tasks. They exhibit higher levels of confidence. This may seem counterintuitive, but praising seems to rattle confidence.”[5] Perhaps children are afraid that the next judgment by the parent might not be positive, so they freeze. Eventually this can become “judgment dependency” where the child looks for external judgments to define themselves. Reasonably supporting a child’s autonomy and limiting interference results in better academic and emotional outcomes.

“Hanging back and allowing children to make mistakes is one of the greatest challenges of parenting. It’s easier when they’re young—tolerating a stumbling toddler is far different from allowing a pre-teenager to meet her friends at the mall. The potential mistakes carry greater risks.”[6]

What kinds of risks should we tolerate? “Mastery of the world is an expanding geography for our kids; for our toddlers, it’s the backyard; for preteens, the neighborhood; for teens the wider world. But it is in the small daily risks—the taller slide, the bike ride around the block, the invitation extended to a new classmate—that growth takes place. In this gray area of just beyond the comfortable is where resilience is born.”[7]

Beginning to learn good decision-making early will minimize the risks later in your child’s life. Beginning to let go of their process in this is essential. What’s the barrier? Our own fear. We are so driven to be sure that our child suffers no pain or disappointment or sadness. We are so driven to BE a best parent that we see our child’s suffering as a reflection on our skill as a parent. Be careful of this pitfall! Allowing your child their “bumps and bruises” to support learning can be an act of courage by a parent.

We must remember that children thrive best in an environment that is reliable, available, consistent and non-interfering. (The definition of a Montessori classroom and a secure home.) A loving parent is warm, willing to set limits, and unwilling to breach a child’s psychological boundaries by invoking shame or guilt. “Your job is to know your child well enough to make a good call about whether he can manage a particular situation. Will you stay up worrying? Likely, but the child’s job is to grow, yours is to control your anxiety so it doesn’t get in the way of his/her reasonable moves toward autonomy, independence.”[8]

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

[1] Levine, Madeline. “Raising Successful Children” August 4, 2012

[2] Ibid.

[3] Stark-Schmidt, Maren. “What Should We Teach Our Children? Tomorrow’s Child Magazine , September 2010.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Levine,Madeline. “Raising Successful Children,” August 4, 2012

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

Casa di Mir Founding Philosophies

Thu, 27 Apr 2017 13:30:34 GMT

Casa di Mir Founding Philosophies

Established nearly three decades ago, these essential concepts continue to beautifully serve Casa di Mir students, the school and our community.

Casa's Founding Philosophies:

Education flourishes when children love to learn and feel connected to their community.
A child’s journey is the search for their meaningful place in the world.
The whole of the world can be positively impacted by well-rounded, informed, mature individuals. This development begins early in life, in the home and in the classroom.
The hard work of peace and conflict resolution begins in the initial communications and experiences of the child.
Mindfulness, focus and concentration are the bedrocks of success in life.
Adults are guides and models for the new generation. We must do this well.
Critical thinking, responsibility, compassion, and independence are the gifts of a strong education and will guide a child through to adulthood.

Where is the Science? Everywhere!

Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:37:08 GMT

Where is the Science? Everywhere!

In today’s educational climate the focus on math and science is heightened. When we think of science and math, stereotypical visions of lab coats, test tubes, and formulae often come to mind.

More important than these stereotypes are the methods and skills that underpin the work scientists do. When asked what are the most important skills needed in the field of science, the following items consistently appear at the top of the lists:

observational skills, keen use of senses
classifying/measuring skills
analytic/critical thinking
thoroughly practiced in the scientific method
communication skills
inference/predicting skills
order and precision
collecting data
drive to discover/curiosity

The Montessori Connection

As a scientist and medical doctor, Maria Montessori placed great value in these skills. She was motivated to see students develop these skills in a context of understanding the planet they live on and the life with which they share it.

She strongly advocated that the young child should be filled with a love and curiosity for the magic of the real world.

Her views deeply influenced her development of the Montessori curriculum from infancy through adolescence. These skills are embedded in the work throughout the classrooms. Hands-on experiences, encouragement of exploration and questioning provide daily practice and promote these skills to become a part of the individual’s thinking processes.

Vital science skills are encouraged and nurtured at every level, primary, elementary, and middle school.

Primary

The sensorial area of materials is dedicated to the development of observation, sense of measurement and gradation, love of order and pattern, and the development of the senses. (Early exercise and development of the senses is one of the most important activities for brain development.) When your child is developing keen senses through these materials, they are developing skills and neural pathways that will enhance their scientific thinking in the future.

Practical Life activities provide experiences in classification, order, and observation. The small motor activities prepare kids for pouring, mixing, using hardware and tools. Cooking is one of the first “science lab” experiences in which young children can participate.

Think about it… measuring, observing, mixing of chemicals/compounds, following prescribed steps, experiencing results – all scientific skills!

Elementary

Montessori recognized that the elementary child is naturally curious, always the asker of magnificent questions, and able to ponder the vastness of the answers through his/her wonderful imagination. The heart of the elementary program is the study of such big questions—the origins of the universe and the beginnings of life. Montessori’s Great Lessons are designed to open doors.

Imagine the topics that we can include in the big discussions of the origins of the universe and of life on this planet: super nova’s, formation of our solar system and the plans, the transformation of the Earth from a toxic place to one where life flourishes, the evolution of life, and the studies of the different life forms from microorganisms to mammals.

Earth sciences continue with the study of land and water formations, the movement of tectonic plates, formation of rocks, and the creation of soil. While Geography includes the political landscape, it also includes the study of biomes and the interconnectedness of temperature, precipitation, soil, plants and animals.

Throughout the elementary program, students study the classification of life, plant and animal external and internal structures, and the physiology of plants and animals including humans. A part of the Human Growth class for 5th and 6th graders focuses on the maturing human body.

Middle School

Emphasis on critical thinking, integration of subjects, and synthesis of knowledge is at the root of our middle school curriculum. Process and thinking skills are as important as acquiring concepts in all the areas of study.

Much of the biology studies at this level are farm-based and hands-on. In depth study areas include soil, microorganisms, chemistry, cell structures, plants and animals. Environments and sustainability are also important topics that are covered. In the physics classes, students design and carry out experiments, present their data, discuss and debate their findings, and create hypotheses for follow-up experiments.

The Montessori Student as Critical Thinker

All along the way we see students developing their critical thinking skills, acquiring knowledge, and synthesizing their understanding in hands-on experiences. Critical thinking is key to scientific thinking. It is a reflective and analytical style of thinking with its basis in logic, rationality, and synthesis. It means delving deeper and asking questions like: Why is that so? Where is the evidence? How good is that evidence? Is this a good argument? Is it biased? Is it verifiable? What are the alternative explanations?

This is an essential skill for life that has tremendous importance in science—in fact, in all learning—AND essential for anyone navigating the barrage of “information” we now receive electronically.

Statistics have established a link between critical thinking and improved decision-making. But the idea of “teaching” critical thinking is itself an oxymoron: critical thinking can really only be learned through practice.

Students get this practice throughout the day in a Montessori classroom. We see it in the planning of the day, hands-on experiences with materials, in the problem-solving that takes place in community meetings over social issues, and in the project-based learning where students pursue their own questions.

Our students are often complimented on their curiosity and thinking skills by docents and teachers of the schools they transition to when they leave Casa di Mir. It is a testament to the fact that science and the specific skills needed by scientists and engineers and proactive citizens are front and center in the Casa di Mir Montessori programs.

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

Keys to Enhancing Your Child’s Innate Drive to Learn

Fri, 02 Dec 2016 14:37:09 GMT

Keys to Enhancing Your Child’s Innate Drive to Learn

During orientation meetings for parents, I receive many thoughtful questions. Two of the many questions are the sparks for this article: “How do we bring out the best in a child?” and “How can we encourage a child to discover his/her passions?”

Recognize that your child is the maker of themselves. This understanding guides your approach to all conversations and issues. As you do this, your child will see themselves in this light, growing with the knowledge that who they become is up to them. Respect your child’s independence. We are blessed with this wonderful young person in our lives. We can nurture them with love and respect as they develop themselves. This is not unlike the plant that does the work of growing given the nutrients of the soil, water and sunlight. Recognize that there will be similarities between you and your child and that you are not the SAME. We are all unique. Enjoy this in your child!

Demonstrate and encourage a growth mindset. A growth mindset is an essential way of thinking that opens doors for children. A child who thinks they can’t learn or change their thinking or intelligence or abilities with the right attitude and commitment, can easily stop growing in these ways. Help children change “I can’t” statements into “I can with effort…” Language creates mind sets. When we craft thoughts and language around growth potential, our children can see their own potential for growth and change.

Make sure there is time to explore. Children need time to discover themselves and their interests, unplanned time. Each child does this in different ways. Some children dive into one thing at a time becoming completely absorbed while others dabble with many activities and experiences. Don’t get in the way of a child who is deeply engaged in a subject or exploration of their own.

A child even needs time to be bored. I see boredom as the step just before self-initiative and interests arise. Many children these days don’t get to experience the fruits of boredom as they quickly bring in an easy fix: a screen device. Take away screens, and boredom can turn into amazing play and exploration. Plus, you do not need to “fix” the situation so that your child is not bored. The child needs the opportunity to do this for him/herself. Eliminate or seriously limit screen time. This becomes lost time when in pursuit of passions and self-expression.

Promote self-discipline. Acknowledge your child’s effort in tasks such as his ability to focus, or her persistence with an activity, or the ability to make choices and learn from mistakes. Natural consequences are powerful teachers. Allow appropriate degrees of autonomy with expectations of responsibility. These are qualities that a child needs to pursue interests. Set clear limits based on family values that you can consistently keep.

Listen well and make time to connect without interruptions. This can be challenging when we are so booked ourselves. So often our own agendas take precedence that the child’s “voice” can be lost. Set aside connecting time- out work and cellphones aside. Let your child know by your full attention that they are important to you.

Promote healthy living choices. Encourage good food choices. Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep. Give them lots of outdoor time including time in the natural environments.

Share your passions with enthusiasm. Make room in your lives together for the little sparks of interest your child might share with you, even when this might take you into areas you know nothing about. Show balance in your own life by making time for self, time for family, time for work, and time for play.

Most important of all, be a role model for what you hope to see in your child.

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

Developing Children’s Leadership Skills at School–A Montessori Perspective

Fri, 21 Oct 2016 13:37:13 GMT

Developing Children’s Leadership Skills at School–A Montessori Perspective

For over 25 years, Casa di Mir Montessori School has nurtured the characteristic of leadership in the more than 400 students educated here. They have gone on to be leaders in our community and across the globe. The Montessori approach to education is known for cultivating leadership skills. Enrolling your child at Casa di Mir means you can expect to see an emphasis on character development, independence and responsibility, and communications skills in addition to the acquisition of academic skills.

An article by Glenn Rifkin written for the magazine Briefings on Talent & Leadership grabbed me. He writes, “What do P. Diddy, Sergey Brin, and Peter Drucker have in common?” The answer: “When it comes to producing creative business leaders, a Montessori education has proven to be a potent predictor of future success.” What Rifkin writes in such a grand way affirms what I get to see in our students at Casa and reflected back to us from schools our graduates attend after Casa. Our students easily slip into respected leadership roles as they move forward in their education and their lives.

What are leadership characteristics? Some leaders are out there loud and clear and some quietly exude leadership. In either style, leadership is a blend of knowledge, self-confidence, integrity, strong communication and interpersonal skills, a sense of social responsibility, and the ability to inspire the best in others. There are many positive attributes that we recognize in leaders. What they all have at their core is strong, positive character.

So what is it in a Montessori education that provides the experiences needed for our children to grow a strong character and to develop as leaders? Rifkin gives a great answer in his article:

“The unique and widely lauded education method, created more than a century ago by an Italian physician and education visionary, is built around the concept of self-directed learning, mixed age classrooms, collaboration, creativity and social responsibility. Eliminating the rigid structures of conventional classrooms, a Montessori school encourages students to embrace their curiosity, think imaginatively, and see the world as an array of possibilities.”

Montessori: Build Character, Build Leaders. Montessori provides an environment in which the child can develop intrinsic motivation (passion) and be proactive in his/her own learning and in problem solving. Because children are given the freedom to take initiative, they grow into “can do,” self-confident people. Early experiences of themselves as respected members in their family and classroom communities provide the foundation from which to approach the world at any age. Montessori students become highly principled people because they embrace life and all its differences, accept their own uniqueness and that of others, and become culturally competent and globally aware in the process. These principles of respect, contribution to society, compassion, acceptance, perseverance, and self-discipline drove Montessori in her vision of an alternative education method and motivated the Casa staff in carrying out the vision!

Developing a sense of passion for learning comes through experiencing the space and time to pursue interests. It could start with an interest in bugs, move to dinosaurs and end up in innovative thinking in creating technology designed for the sustainability of our planet.

Other practices in our classrooms that nurture principled leadership are:

Respect for unique qualities in each person allows distinctive gifts to flourish that might not develop in a conventional classroom. Respect for the child’s thoughts and unique talent is core in the Montessori classroom.
Children develop self-confidence through leadership roles in the classroom. Care of the environment, planning special activities and trips in a group, presenting research to peers, and public speaking opportunities all nurture a sense of confidence and positive self-regard.
Teacher as a guide allows the child’s ownership of learning.
Opportunity to exercise choice in a developmentally appropriate situation is built into every classroom environment from toddler through Upper Elementary.
Development of study skills for academic success in a manner that invites self-initiative and independence is built into each classroom.
The three-year cycles allow older children to take on the role of mentor and role model to younger children.
“Whole view” curriculum of evolution of the planet, history of life, development of humans, and current issues provides a big picture perspective and content. When the interrelationship and interdependence of life on the planet is understood, ideas based on sustainability of life and the planet can motivate leaders to be agents of change for the common good.
The development of organizational skills are essential to the classrooms- order of materials in the primary, collection of learning in the lower el (order of knowledge), management of time in the upper el along with application of organizational skills are sequenced beautifully for success.
Nurturing of imagination allows the creative thinking necessary to be innovative.
Communication skills in collaboration, in presentation, and in conflict resolution are developed through daily experiences in these situations.
Understanding of and maturation in dealing with feelings/needs of their own and others leads to development of empathy.

Skills of leadership are skills for success. Whether individuals express their leadership in grand ways like leading corporations, serving in government or simply by living an informed, compassionate life of contribution, these skills and qualities will serve our children throughout their lives. Montessori education creates leaders for the 21st century!

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

7 Essential Life Skills for Children: The Keys to Successful Transitions

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 13:40:25 GMT

7 Essential Life Skills for Children: The Keys to Successful Transitions

I am often struck by how often questions from parents focus on two key things: testing and homework. Both of these have become known to be the least important indicators of joyful learning and success in life. I know that at the heart of all the questions lie the parents’ concerns, “Will my child be successful as they take the next step in life?” “Can they handle the changes and challenges that will come their way?”

It is so easy for us as adults to focus on and worry about the external challenges of any new growth steps. So what are the essential skills needed for a child’s success in life? What do they need to not only be successful academically but in all aspects of adult life?

These ponderings brought me to Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs by Ellen Galinsky. I highly suggest this book to teachers and parents. The acquisition of these skills is a much more likely indicator of future success than the conventional measures like testing and homework. And, it is important to note, the seven life skills that Galinsky identifies are all carefully nurtured in our Montessori environment.

In a nutshell, Galinsky defines the essential life skills as:

1. Focus and Self-Control: “Focus and self-control involve many executive functions of the brain, such as paying attention, remembering the rules, and inhibiting one’s initial response to achieve a larger goal.”[1] (Montessori was very clear on this need and included many activities and materials in the Primary environment to support the child’s development of focus, concentration, and self-discipline.)

2. Perspective Taking: Perspective taking calls on many of the Executive functions of the brain and requires inhibitory control (inhibiting one’s own thoughts to consider others), cognitive flexibility (so you can see situations from different views), and reflection to be able to consider someone else’s thinking alongside your own. Perspective taking affects how we deal with conflict. Simply teaching problem-solving techniques or conflict resolution is not enough. “A curriculum aimed at teaching children to understand other people’s intentions and behaviors by using books, discussions, and role-play has had very promising results.”[2]

3. Communication: Galinsky writes, “Communicating is much more than understanding language, speaking, reading, and writing—it is the skill of determining what one wants to communicate and realizing how our communications will be understood by others. It is the skill that teachers and employers feel is most lacking today.” Core lessons in successful communication begin in the parent-child relationships and continue through teacher-child interactions. Engaging attention and communicating emotions build strong communication skills. Since this skill is based in language, promoting literacy, and using and encouraging a rich vocabulary is key. For example, when you read to young children, ask them why they think a character acted a certain way, or what they think will happen next.

4. Making Connections: “Aha moments” are most often moments that involve seeing new connections. Sorting and categorizing are first exercises in this skill. Making unusual connections is the basis of creativity. Montessori activities and materials allow for so many experiences of the “Aha moment.” The self-correcting materials guide a child to look back at their own thinking and make new connections. The presentation of the subjects in an integrated manner allows for children to make connections between things they study in Science with ideas of History or Geography. “In a Google generation where there are facts at your fingertips,” notes Galinsky, “the person who will later be called boss will be the person who can put those facts together in new and innovative and creative ways.”[3]

5. Critical Thinking: Critical thinking skills also draw on the Executive functions of the brain and involve developing, testing, and refining theories about “what causes what.” It is not unlike the scientific method.

6. Taking on Challenges: We want to help children take on challenges. Children who avoid this generally have a fixed mindset , seeing their intelligence as fixed and are reluctant to stretch. Children who take on challenges usually have a growth mindset seeing that they can develop their abilities.[4] Remember to acknowledge EFFORT to help reinforce the excitement of taking on challenges. “Your focus on this task is amazing.” “The care and time you put into this project has really paid off.”

7. Self-Directed/Enabled Learning: Ellen Galinsky recognizes that social-emotional and intellectual learning are linked. We need to see our community of learners… adults, too. She states so clearly, “motivation begets motivation;”[5] adults foster children’s motivation by being motivated learners themselves. The Montessori Way through its daily implementation gives room for the child to pursue their learning through their own interests as well as through a vast curriculum.

In many of the skills above, executive functions of the brain are referenced. These functions take place in the prefrontal cortex, “the neuronal workspace,” a term coined by Stanislas Dehaene of the College of France in Paris. This is where we assemble, confront, recombine, and synthesize knowledge which then guides our behavior by any combination of information from the past or present experience. This area of the brain begins to develop in preschool years and may not be mature until adulthood.

The very fabric of Montessori education nurtures and encourages practice in all of these skills as children work with materials, negotiate their learning with their teachers, and pursue their own interests. Montessori children take these skills with them and add to them as they move through higher levels of education.

Most of our academic tests involve memorization of facts, some may actually ask for you to synthesize, but that is much rarer in a test. In her lecture on brain development at the AMS conference, JoAnn Deak pointed out that the process of memorization as an act of “learning” actually diminishes neural pathways and higher order thinking . Most tests check for and measure this limited kind of “learning.”

While it is necessary to memorize your multiplication tables and other such tools, what we want most to see develop in our children are the seven essential skills defined here. There is no simple “test” to measure their development of the essential life skills. Tools can be learned through practice and application of tools can be observed.

As our children transition in any phase of their life, we might remind them of these skills that will take them to wherever they want to go.

Mind in the Making is a rich read with all sorts of suggestions for parents to support their child’s development of these seven skills. Montessori classrooms are a rich environment for such learning! For parents who have chosen this method of education, know that it will support your child in a lifetime of learning.

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

[1] Galinsky, Ellen. Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. (HarperCollins Books, New York, 2010) 5.

[2] Ibid, 6-7

[3] Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, interview with Amy McCampbell,February 22, 2005.

[4] Galinsky 10.

[5] Heckman, James (Nobel Peace Prize winner). Skill Formation and the Economics of Investing in Disadvantaged Children. (Science 312, no.5782, 2006)

Bringing Out the Best in Your Child

Fri, 30 Sep 2016 13:43:57 GMT

Bringing Out the Best in Your Child

Growth Versus Fixed Mindset: How to Help Children Become Strong, Resilient Thinkers

“Carol Dweck of Stanford University has found that children who avoid challenges have a fixed mindset, meaning that they see their intelligence as a fixed trait and, therefore, are reluctant to undertake challenges that ‘stretch’ them. Children who are willing to take on challenges have a growth mindset, seeing their abilities as something they can develop. She has shown that children with a growth mindset do better in school.” [1]

And not just better in school. The world is full of daily life challenges, intellectual, physical, and emotional. People with a growth mindset do better in life! They are more willing to try the next new thing that might look more difficult than what they have been successful doing in the past. They explore different strategies and are certain they can become more capable through hard work. They are willing to see their experiences as opportunities to grow.

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset Research

Dweck did many studies to explore further how mindset affected outcomes. In one study, she created a questionnaire to assess children’s theories about their own intelligence:

“We asked them questions like this: Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t really change—agree or disagree?

“We call that a fixed view of intelligence. Another question (that) measures the growth mindset is: No matter who you are, you can always become a great deal smarter—agree or disagree?”

We give them a few trials where they do pretty well; then we give them more difficult problems. We see what happens to their strategies, what happens to their enjoyment of the task, what happens to their persistence.

We found that (when) the students who endorsed the fixed view of their intelligence hit difficulty, (they) started blaming their ability for failure; they started not liking the task anymore, and their performance plummeted. The students who thought their intelligence was something they could increase or develop saw the challenge as exciting. They thought, “I just (need) more effort or different strategies”; they maintained their enjoyment; they maintained their performance.” [2]

Finding such clear results, “Dweck turned her attention to the question: How do children develop a fixed versus growth mindset, and can their mindsets be changed? Dweck turned to the way people talked with children.” [3]

Celebrate Effort Not Intellect

Basically, the result of her studies in this area is that when we praise or label a child as highly intelligent or smart, we set them up for a fixed mindset and the likelihood that they will wilt in the face of challenge. When we acknowledge effort, support strategizing, and demonstrate that mistakes are opportunities to learn, students will take away a growth mindset.

The findings don’t apply just to academics, but to every aspect of life including those in the social/emotional domains. Children with a growth mindset, see themselves as individuals who can grow and change. This practice is at the heart of Montessori education. Knowing that the child is always in the process of becoming the adult he/she can be is a reflection of a growth mindset. We adults need to bring this perspective to the child when working out challenges in both academic and social areas.

When faced with learning challenges, we don’t label a child, but identify needs so that we can design strategies with the child so they can overcome their challenges and experience success.

When faced with a social challenge, we don’t label the child, but we identify the needs and strengths so that strategies can be designed to overcome the challenges and experience the successes.

What can we do as parents to nurture a growth mindset?

Adults can model a growth mindset to our children in just the way we handle our own challenges.
Sharing with your child your inner joy of hard work and the exhilarating feeling of taking on a challenge is powerful.
Approaching mistakes from the perspective of opportunity rather than failure is essential to this communication of mindset. Let your child hear your own thinking process.
Recognizing when a child takes on a “challenge” as defined by their own sense and acknowledging the effort is also helpful. Resilience is born in the experience of success just beyond the comfortable.
We can empathize with our children, and at the same time let them know that we know they can handle the feelings they are having.
We can encourage them in problem solving, again conveying that we know they have what they need to come up with several solutions or actions they can take.
We can avoid labeling or putting people “in a box,” especially the child’s peers. Continually reflecting the potential for growth and change is key, even if it happens in baby steps.
Focus on the areas where growth is clearly taking place, usually in the areas of strength and support perseverance, effort, and patience in the areas where growth is tougher.

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

[1] Galinsky, Ellen. Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. Harper Studio, NY, 2010.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

Run, Jump, Play, Grow that Brain!

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 13:46:15 GMT

Run, Jump, Play, Grow that Brain!

Physical movement has been a brain changer from the time of early humans to our children today. Throwing a ball, jumping, playing with clay, or dancing to a favorite tune are all brain developers for kids. Movement boosts memory, supports language development, and maintains essential elasticity that the brain needs for maximum learning.

Over 100 years ago, Maria Montessori recognized the important role of movement in child development. She made sure her classrooms supported movement, with an emphasis on hands-on activities and sensorial activities. Everywhere in the classroom are invitations to move and interact with the environment. This is certainly true of the preschool thru 8th grade classrooms at Casa di Mir Montessori School.

And while the impact of movement is greatest on our 0-6 year olds, it continues to impact development through young adulthood. In fact, the human brain is not fully developed until about 24 years old.

Yet even though the value of movement is widely recognized for overall health, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle persists. Prolonged inactivity affects self-esteem, social well-being, and emotional balance, in addition to health issues such as obesity.

One study even pointed out that children who lack positive sensory development and physical activity often grow to have smaller brains than their peers who benefited from healthy and constant interaction with the environment. “When they analyzed the MRI data,” the report said, “the researchers found that the physically fit children tended to have bigger hippocampal volume—about 12 percent bigger relative to total brain size—than their out-of-shape peers.”[1]

As parents, we can counteract the tendencies toward sedentary behavior and support the best brain development for our children. For example:

Make sure your child plays outside every day and a lot on the weekends.
Choose home and school environments that foster physical activity and interaction with the environment.
Playdough, mud, jello, fingerpaint experiences are terrific ways to put young hands to work.
Use all senses: smell, taste, hear, see, and touch (remember, skin is the largest organ in the body!).
Offer activities in which the child builds, designs, and creates.
Eliminate or limit screen time as published by the American Pediatric and Canadian Pediatric Societies:

Today, when so much entertainment can be had sitting still, we need to keep in mind the importance of movement and the use of hands on the developing brain. And by “use of hands,” I don’t mean tapping a computer screen for points.

Now, dust off that bike helmet and take your children on a neighborhood ride.

Wanda Whitehead

Director of Education

Casa di Mir Montessori

[1] University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Children’s Brain Development is Linked to Physical Fitness.” Science Daily. September 16, 2010. Laura Chaddock, et.al. A neuroimaging investigation of the association between aerobic fitness, hippocampal volume and memory performance in pre-adolescent children. Brain Research, 2010.