Good at Doing Things: Montessori Education and Higher Order Cognitive Functions from Steve Hughes on Vimeo.

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Tours are now available!  Call (919) 827-1148 to schedule.

Open House: Tuesday, March 6th, 6:00-8:00  Please join us for a tour of our facility to meet our teachers and see our classroom! Registration packets will be available.

Call for details:  919-827-1148

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The Montessori reading curriculum has three essential components: A strong foundation in phonics, comprehension based on visualization, and whole language, or learning to read for meaning and using context clues. Montessori reading is based on a strong foundation of phonics. This multi-sensory approach is unique in that it has children building words (encoding) before actually reading them (decoding). Developmentally appropriate activities allow children to build their own understanding of how sounds are represented by symbols, and these symbols are joined together to form words. In the Montessori classroom, by the age of 4, children are developmentally ready and eager to begin the preparation for reading. Along with learning the sounds and tracing their symbols with the sandpaper letters, students simultaneously learn to hold a pencil and control its use with the insets for design.

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The latest findings, published this week in the online journal Developmental Psychology, are from one of the longest-running child care studies in the United States.

Conducted by the Frank Porter Graham Development Institute at UNC, the research is widely cited in a body of evidence that early childhood education can change the trajectory of young lives.

The findings may be cited in a court battle looming over state-funded pre-kindergarten for low-income children. For months, Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue and Republican leaders in the legislature have been at odds over funding for preschool for 4-year-olds.

The UNC study, known as the Abecedarian Project, began in 1972 with 111 babies from low-income families who were randomly assigned to two groups.

Half were enrolled in quality early childhood education from infancy to kindergarten; the other half, the control group, received what ever care their families arranged.

Researchers have followed the children since then. Along the way, the child care group posted better scores on reading and math tests in school.

They were more likely to pursue education beyond high school and less likely to become teenage parents.  Full Article

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The children who attended the Montessori school, and the children who did not, were tested for their cognitive and academic skills, and for their social and behavioral skills.

“We found significant advantages for the Montessori students in these tests for both age groups,” Lillard said. “Particularly remarkable are the positive social effects of Montessori education. Typically the home environment overwhelms all other influences in that area.”

Among the 5-year-olds, Montessori students proved to be significantly better prepared for elementary school in reading and math skills than the non-Montessori children. They also tested better on “executive function,” the ability to adapt to changing and more complex problems, an indicator of future school and life success.

Montessori children also displayed better abilities on the social and behavioral tests, demonstrating a greater sense of justice and fairness. And on the playground they were much more likely to engage in emotionally positive play with peers, and less likely to engage in rough play.  Read Full Study.

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There are various styles of kindergarten teaching. People think every teacher has his or her own style of teaching the kindergarteners. This is very true but people do not know that the learning style of the students directly influences the teaching style of a teacher. This is specifically applicable in case of kindergarten teachers. The level of learning and the rate at which a kid grasps things happening around him impacts the style of the teachers.

This is known as multiple intelligence theory. According to this theory the learning style and capability varies from one kid to another. Therefore it is not necessary that what works with one kid may work with another also. There are times when teachers need to develop or acquire different styles of kindergarten teaching to teach the kids. A lot of teachers with considerable experience in the field of teaching small kids at kindergarten have developed their own style of teaching. Years of teaching have given them lots of helpful insights into the functioning of a kindergartner’s mind and attitude.

Let us discuss three major styles of kindergarten teaching. The first to be developed was auditory teaching. It was principally designed for students who are auditory learners. They understand things in a better way when they listen to them and not by merely reading the chapters. Teachers try to incorporate auditory lessons and even music sessions in their lessons so as to teach the kids in a better way.

Visual teaching is one of the major styles of kindergarten teaching. Some students learn the best when the things are taught on projectors and screens. If they do not get to see the things that referred in the text, they will only be left to imagine them. This creates problems for some children. For example they will not understand what is a prism or a pyramid unless you show the pictures to them. Teachers make use of videos, presentations and even one act plays to make the kids understand things in a better way.

Last but by the best style of teaching kindergartners is kinesthetic way of teaching. In this technique, kids are encouraged to participate in activities and gain firsthand experience, knowledge and understanding. Almost all the kindergarten teachers are now adopting this approach towards teaching the kids in their class as it is the most active and interactive way to learn.

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If you have to ask any number of today’s parents about children and technology, you would probably find a lot of varied opinions out there. Some would say that young children are not ready to experience and handle electronic items, and the rest would say that they must experience it as early as possible. After considering these two opposing ideals it seems that some common ground needs to be found between all the controversy.

Considering how most kids are with everything they handle, it doesn’t make much sense to give them your touch-screen device to play with for a couple hours. The chances of the device looking the same as when you gave it to them are slim. The biggest drawback of technology these days is that it has a tendency to be fragile and requires a fair amount of finesse to handle and keep it in good working order. Generally speaking, most youngsters would not take such care of your mobile device and who wants to get angry with a three year old for being a three year old?

Consider that most children can’t handle expensive equipment, and on the other hand we have a world that is constantly changing and evolving leaps and bounds on the technological frontier. So much so, that just about everyone has a piece of technology playing a functional important role in their lives. The presence of technology is so prevalent that it simply cannot be ignored, even if you tried to. So where does one turn to when trying to give your child the right exposure to cell phones, tablets or computers? How does a parent that wants to give their child the best possible start in this technological world of ours, get their little ones off to a good start?

The answer to this problem actually lies in the cause. By allowing a child to experience and work with technology as often as possible, they start to learn how to use it with the same care as you. Under the supervision of a knowing and patient adult, there is really no limit to how much a child can learn about technology. For most parents, the thought of letting their child handle expensive electronics is an unnerving one. Cell phones, iPads, computers, DVD players and televisions are can be rather expensive. If you end up having to replace them when you could have prevented it in the first place, you find that it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

The best place to start is at home, where you can sit with your child while they play a game on your phone. They could spend some time with you while you surf the internet on your computer. Letting them type in search entries into Google and going through the web pages with them is an ideal way to create an interactive learning experience while getting the exposure to technology that they need. Keeping a child occupied helps prevents boredom in a child, and every parent knows that a bored child can easily become a problem child. Let’s say you happen to be busy with a work project, and your child is bugging you for something to do. We often resort to a quick solution like putting on a DVD for them to watch. That too can become a tedious matter as they always have to decide which of the movies they want to watch. It causes frustration for the parent and the child experiences your aggravation when it isn’t necessary. If they know how to put a disc into the player, turn the TV on so they can sit back and watch their favorite animation, you can leave them to their own devices and you can carry on with your work unhindered.

For parents that don’t have time to teach their kids about technology but still want to offer their children a chance to experience it first hand, so they can learn and develop the skills they will need in future, there is the option of sending them to techno camps or summer schools where they get exactly that. These camps offer your child a chance to learn from hands on experience and develop a keen insight into what is required to master technology from an early age. There are countless examples of children all across the US where they have learnt from these exact opportunities, and they have developed skills that an adult would only learn once they have graduated from high school.

A thirteen year old girl is able to animate in 3D because she attended a workshop that taught her how to do it. By the time she finishes high school, she will have enough 3D design experience under her belt to secure a stable job that pays well. Another young boy from Alaska attended the Digital media academy at Stanford University, where he was able to study filmmaking. By the time he turned fifteen he had produced two documentaries based on places he visited with his father a few years earlier. These children are going to grow up being more prepared for some of the adversities in life, and they may even be responsible for making great changes for everyone.

This may sound a little off the topic here but it actually ties in quite nicely to the question posed in the title. If you take a look over the ages, we see that key individuals are responsible for great changes to mankind. They are people that have great talents and are exposed to the right environments to allow them to flourish. Individual potential needs to be identified early in life, so that it can be coupled with the child’s will to do what they really want. A lot of your child’s frustration stems from their inability to develop themselves and in most cases that tends to manifest itself in mischief. Once they have the means to do what they can, and need to do, they will flourish and go on to make positive contributions to their lives, their families and to society as a whole.

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– Dr. Maria Montessori
Education and Peace, page 55
(A Montessori quick bite from The Center for Guided Montessori Studies)
Adults enjoy more freedoms than children. We can eat ice cream when we want. We can stay up as late as we wish. We can watch TV until our eyes fall out. We may choose to quit an unsatisfying job, or to move to a better house. We may choose to do more of the things that we enjoy, some of which may not be good for us.

The freedom to do what we want carries with it the burden of making good choices. How do we prepare children for this freedom?

Let’s consider this example.

The girl will tell you she’s four and a half, and that’s a very important distinction to her. Her brow is creased in concentration as she leans over a rug on the floor. Spread out below her are eight cards, four pairs of opposites which she is trying to organize and label. She’s having trouble. She sounds out the labels again – Up, Down, Big, Little, Dark, Light, Hot, Cold. She knows these words.

But something isn’t right.

At home, she’s learned to expect her helicoptering father every time she hits some difficulty. Her challenges are his anxiety – he worries that she’ll become too frustrated and turned off from harder tasks.

Just yesterday she was doing a puzzle and he pointed out where a missing piece went. “I can do it, Daddy!” she tells him time and again. But he distrusts the look of concentration on her face, and finds it very difficult not to offer unsolicited hints.

She is not quitting.

“Up” and “Down” were easy peasy. There’s a picture of a funny little man running up or down the stairs on each card, she can tell which way he is going because of the way he faces.

The picture of the ice cube, she knows that has to be “cold.” And the opposite of that has to be the “hot” grill. She knows grills are hot, she’s been told that many times when her parents are cooking out back. She must have cold and hot right. She turns the cards over, and sure enough they have the same color dot on the back.

But something is wrong with the other opposite cards.

She doesn’t know it, but in a traditional classroom there probably wouldn’t have been that dot on the back of the card.

Such a little thing. Such a world of difference. In a traditional “preschool” or daycare setting the girl would be expected to raise her hand and wait for an adult – hopefully wise, hopefully friendly, but always busy – to find the time to come over and give her a hand. How can a child learn unless she is taught?

Both the lighthouse and the boat are big, but the lighthouse is bigger. Both pictures had sand, but look, there’s a picture of a toy boat too. It makes more sense for the boats to be “big” and “little”.

Her eyes widen and she relaxes. She sees her mistake; the picture for “dark” must be the lighthouse at night. She wasn’t sure because it was a silhouette, and there’s more water in that picture. But if she does it this way then the boats can go together and the lighthouses can go together.

She arranges the cards and puts their labels underneath. She’s almost sure she has it right now. It all makes sense. She flips all the cards and sees that, yes, the color coding all matches.

Satisfied, she completes the work. She randomizes the cards to make the work fun for the next child, and returns it to its shelf.

Children are people, and people make mistakes. Unlike mainstream pedagogy, in Montessori we cherish children’s freedom to make – and correct – their own mistakes. We call this process “control of error”, and it is built into every Montessori work. When a Montessori teacher introduces a child to a new activity, the lesson includes the tools the child needs to perform a self evaluation.

But why is this so important? This is the question we ask today.

Dr. Montessori discovered a secret. This is the secret that the authoritarians of the world desperately hope will never become common knowledge. The secret is that we are all ready for freedom. We always have been. We are not individuals without it. To rob a person’s freedom is to reduce their humanity, to treat them as puppets. If we cherish our society’s freedoms, we must respect the individual.

Dr. Montessori realized that respecting the child meant acknowledging their person-hood. For this reason she designed classrooms that afford children freedom of choice and freedom of movement. How can you be free without the ability to make meaningful choices? How can a school help prepare children for the freedom of adulthood without granting them the experience of freedom?

Of course freedom also means the capacity to act in error. Authoritarians shudder, imagining that left to their own devices children will do nothing productive and cause no end of trouble. Of course, this is not what we see. Dr. Montessori said that the work of children was to create the people they will become, and we find that they pursue this task with marvelous diligence.

But children do make mistakes – errors in movement, academic errors, and errors in judgment. It is the goal of the Montessori method to assist children to recognize and to resolve their errors on their own. For children are not malfunctioning machines for us to “correct” – they are people and deserve the dignity of discovery and self-correction. Humans learn from their mistakes, so we must permit children to make them.

The Montessori materials are designed at their core to incorporate this concept. Every work a child performs includes a tool for control of error. The idea is that a child’s engagement with the material should be sufficient for self-learning, rather than requiring the adult in the classroom to pass judgment.

Not all of the learning in the Montessori classroom is academic. In the social environment, too, we celebrate freedom. Interpersonal conflict is a challenge for children and adults alike, and the Montessori classroom offers both the freedom for these conflicts to arise, and an environment uniquely well suited to solving problems harmoniously. Activities such as a peace table or grace and courtesy lessons are all designed to give children the tools they need to understand themselves, each other and to learn to resolve these conflicts when they arise.

Outsiders often remark that Montessori children seem so mature “for their age”, and this may be one reason why. Science shows us that emotional intelligence (EQ) is a better predictor for success than any academic measure. The Montessori classroom is designed to give children a special environment in which to strengthen these emotional skills.

Dr. Montessori’s secret is that freedom, independence and dignity are all interrelated. Aging adults often resent the loss of independence represented by moving into an assisted living facility. Both the aged and infirm say they hate “being treated like children.”

Children hate being treated like children, too, because the way children are traditionally treated interferes with their need for freedom and independence. The safe prepared environment of the Montessori classroom affords children the freedom to correct their own errors, develop their individuality, and mature into the adults our society needs.

Center For Guided Studies offers Montessori Training for teachers in the United States.

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The question of whether to have your child tested or not is one that often concerns parents, because they fear that there is something “wrong” with their child. ADHD is often seen as the cause of many problems in young children. Parents dread hearing the letters coming out of a doctor’s mouth, but fortunately it also provides some relief. Parents that have to raise children that are excessively hyper-active, and struggle to listen when they are being spoken to, are often seen as problematic and lead to frustration and even anger.

An ADHD child often struggles at school; their lack of concentration often prevents them from learning effectively and it hinders their progress during the most important schooling years. For a parent that wants the best for their child, and seeing them struggle with school work can also be quite taxing and often leads to despondency. The child loses confidence in their abilities and the parent feels like they have let their child down.

Regardless of how one might feel about getting their child tested for ADHD, a simple fact remains that once it has been correctly diagnosed, it can be treated effectively and the child and still lead a relatively normal life.

The process of diagnosing ADHD is generally not an easy one, as specific criteria need to be met in order to confirm the diagnosis. Several symptoms have to present on at least two separate occasions by the time the child has turned a specific age. Doctors and psychiatrists say that they need to present at least 6 of the symptoms by the age of seven. The severity of the symptoms need to be severe enough to impair the child in multiple settings, like their home, their school and even their interactions with peers. Quite often the diagnosis is inaccurate, because there are a number of other factors that can cause the exact same symptoms. Stress is a good example of something that could cause a lack of concentration in your child, and it would most likely lead to misdiagnosis.

Due to the number of possible causes for a lack in concentration or hyperactivity, it is very important that a number of key people play a role in aiding a doctor or psychiatrist. Your child must be evaluated in isolation with a professional as well as when they are interacting with family, friends and teachers. As most of their day is spent at school, a child’s teacher would play an informative role, giving the doctor all the vital information they need to accurately diagnose a child. The teachers often pay careful attention to how a child will interact with his peers as well. These particular relationships are important, as socializing with friends helps create a relaxed environment for the child, as there is generally no pressure to perform apart from having fun. If the teacher notes any specific symptoms in that environment, they would be far more applicable than when the child is sitting in class trying to learn arithmetic, for example, as the stress factors are clearly different.

As your child grows older the symptoms become less prevalent and it is even harder to diagnose. In order to minimize the error in diagnosis, it is much better to get the testing done early. If you suspect that your child has ADHD and they are older than seven, then a different set of tests need to be done to confirm it. What your child is eating, how active they are, and how they interact with people is very important. Extensive tests need to be performed by your child, in order to diagnose it in the most scientific way possible. IQ tests, Connors/Burks questionnaires need to be done. A full psychological evaluation of the child and their family must be completed and assessed. Only then can they conclude a successful diagnosis.

The most common symptom for ADHD is the obvious lack of concentration. A child with ADHD is easily distracted, and they will often be forgetful or miss details entirely. Boredom is also another prevalent sign, and causes the child to become mischievous and demanding. They will often daydream and not be able to focus on a given task. Their listening skills become impaired, and as a result they have difficulty in following instructions and can become confused quite easily. The hyperactivity symptoms include restlessness and being fidgety. They will constantly be in motion, and will tend to talk nonstop. As a result of their hyperactivity, they will often be impatient, and they have difficulty waiting for things.

Unfortunately, most children do not get diagnosed with ADHD and some get incorrectly diagnosed. If it goes untreated, the effects of the disorder cause serious problems at school, and may even lead to drug and alcohol abuse or delinquent behavior. Treatment for incorrectly diagnosed children has been known to cause depression and apathy.

The treatment for ADHD will either be drug related, therapy related or both. Drug treatment requires an assessment by a qualified psychiatrist, as they will need to prescribe the medication. Ritalin is the most commonly prescribe medication for children and can be quite effective if the dosage is managed correctly. Incorrect doses may end up having adverse effects, and for this reason a therapy related treatment is often prescribed. This method is less taxing physically, and still promotes activity without the dangers of any side-effects. Teachers communicate with parents on a regular basis, changes to their environment to limit distractions in class, and changing their diet can significantly improve ability to concentrate better.

As you can see, ADHD doesn’t have to be a disability and you certainly don’t have to worry about how your child is going to cope. If you prefer not to make use of prescribed meds for your child, then you can do some research or speak to a specialist that can help with making a few changes to your child’s daily routine. Spend some time getting to know the symptoms and try to spot them as early as possible. Once you have the measures in place, your child can grow and develop into a healthy and productive lifestyle.

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Why good teachers should command higher pay

What is the value of a teacher that is Montessori certified, speaks three languages and employed at a language immersion preschool?

Teachers compare to none other than the parent in a kids life. Teachers have been able to mold so many lives, through their classes and other forums in which they have been able to influence the lives of their students. The number of students that go through them and whose lives are shaped today by what the teacher had to say is just overwhelming. They have made some peoples’ lives gain meaning. Otherwise such persons would have ended in some not so good places or businesses or employment. The value of a good teacher’s influence on a student cannot be over emphasized. With all the good things being said about the teacher, their story seems to end just there! Is this the forgotten profession?

Motivation is the underlying force that ought to be provided for any employee. Basically motivation drives results from employees; it propels them to good outcomes. Every employee needs to be motivated so that they can give their best. Even the owners i.e. the employers need to be motivated. The employers derive their motivation from;

Seeing that everything is running smoothly. An employer feels good whenever operations in his organization are being run without any hitches. When this happens they concentrate on improving their operations rather than being stuck in trying to solve one problem after the other.

Getting good returns on their investments. The intention of getting into business for the employers is to get returns. When the owners get good returns in terms of the profitability and dividend yields then they are propelled to put in more effort to get better returns in the next financial year.

Achievement of their targets. When the organizations achieve what had been set out for them to achieve. For example if an organization had set to achieve say 20% increase in their level of productivity in the financial year and they achieve that, then the owner will be happy of the realization.

The owners of the schools are employers, be it individuals, companies or the government and the fore mentioned motivators will definitely have a positive influence on them. Likewise the teachers in the schools need to be motivated.  Good teachers are hard to come by.  When a school owner finds a good teacher they must try as much as possible to retain such a teacher’s services. A good teacher basically displays the following characteristics;

Dedicated to their work. They give their all without seeking for alternative jobs on the side to earn more. They are in school when they are supposed to be and even volunteer additional hours to their students.

Delivers good students’ results. The teacher is able to impart the necessary skills and knowledge on the students thus students’ results reflect what has been taught.

Meets the requisite qualifications for the profession. They possess the required professional qualifications which equip them with the skills required for them to deliver in class.

Enjoys want s/he does. A good teacher enjoys the career path that s/he has chosen such that when doing their work one can see the energy that radiates in them.

Has a positive influence on students. The teacher is a role model for his/her students; s/he is able to influence the students to uphold good virtues i.e. discipline, patience and perseverance.

Teachers who posses these qualities need to be sort after and retained in schools. Research has shown that teachers’ influence starts right from preschool all the way to the person’s adult life. A student whose life has been impacted in a positive way by his/her teacher will more often go ahead in life to earn much more than the teacher. This is an imbalance that demotivates most teachers and has forced most people to shun the profession. Very few people are willing to get into this noble profession because of the remuneration.

A good teacher is a motivated teacher. Motivation can come from varies sources. In our world today people seek financial freedom and stability. Every person’s wish is to be rich, if not, then it is to be able to afford a comfortable life. This is relative from individual to individual but the underlying fact being financial freedom and stability. A teacher who commands a good pay will be able to deliver what he is meant to. A good pay shields the teacher from the distractions that come with little pay.

The teacher’s pay determines whether the teacher delivers quality educational material to the students or not. Like any other citizen a teacher has financial obligations which he has to meet, these influence his workmanship and lead others into having other businesses apart from the employment of a teacher. They may even accept a lower paying part-time job to supplement on their salaries. This should not be the case in any career. A career should be fulfilling in individual development, achievement and reward.

A lowly paid teacher will always be on the lookout trying to find a better employer who will be able to meet their financial goals. The teacher’s attention in class is never hundred percent. This means that the teacher will not be able to deliver to the students well enough. Student’s performance will be adversely affected.

And for the teacher who is well paid but he feels like he is being paid well below his worth, chances are that he will very soon his current employer. The departure of a good teacher has a very big impact on the students such that some students start demanding for transfers immediately the teacher leaves. This is not a good sign for any school. The impact of this could so huge if a mass exodus of students takes place. Although even without the exodus the reputation of the school could be dented badly.

So it is paramount to employ and retain good teachers by offering pay packages that are commensurate of their qualifications and experience. A good teacher should receive a good pay package that removes all the other worries in his mind and clears him to give his best towards his work.

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