Fostering Academic Electricity: What Public Language Arts Teachers Can Learn from Montessorians By Charity L. Thompson, 2010 It’s a Friday afternoon and a small group of adolescents are seated around a table together. Most are writing quietly, though the quiet is occasionally interrupted by a giggle or a light teasing comment. When their teacher calls them back to attention, it’s time for these students to share what they’ve been writing, and to discuss what they hear from their peers. One student has written a descriptive narrative of an ideal energy-efficient community. Another has revised an essay about the world’s energy crisis. He wrote the first draft of the essay late at night after watching a documentary that got him thinking. His piece could easily be printed as a newspaper commentary with minimal editing. These students are middle-schoolers, but their writing is on par with or better than that of many local high school seniors. When it’s time for the group discussion to begin, the energy in the room turns electric. The students are tripping over each other verbally to share their opinions, questions and “what-if” ideas. Their curiosity appears insatiable, but unlike younger children whose research ability is often limited to repeating the question “Why?” these students know they can find answers by exploring the stacks of books surrounding them, or the internet, newspapers and educational videos available in their classroom. And after their group discussion ends, that is exactly what they do. Observing the academic electricity in this Portland classroom makes an outsider marvel first at the abilities of these particular students, then at the methods of these particular teachers, and finally (most strikingly) at the abilities that go untapped in so many public school students who have not benefitted from Montessori learning environments or practices. As a pre-service teacher who plans on a career in public Language Arts classrooms, I aim to stick to my goal of serving adolescents within the public system and within my content area. But if my goal is to truly serve students whose families or communities cannot provide the benefit of a holistic Montessori education, I want to work within the public school system to help them tap into their academic potential. To do so will require a careful examination of Montessori theories and practices, particularly in regards to teaching reading, writing, research and critical thinking. While I fully acknowledge that a holistic approach is the most effective way to employ Montessori practices, with this article I intend to find the elements of Montessori education that could be most effectively employed in a public Language Arts classroom at the middle- or high-school level. Origins of Montessori Theory and Practice Maria Montessori’s educational system took shape in the 1890s in Italy, where she was one of the nation’s first female medical doctors, and where she also studied psychology and anthropology. Beginning at the University of Rome LaSapienza Medical School's Psychiatric Clinic, Dr. Montessori worked with young children who had various disabilities and were deemed “uneducable” (Peters), which was considered to be a medical issue rather than an educational one. But Dr. Montessori paid close attention to the activities and learning materials that the children were most drawn to -- the ones that
captured their attention and engaged their concentration -- and developed new learning materials for the children to work with, such as wooden letters covered in sand paper for linguistic and sensory stimulation. The eventual result was that “most of her ‘uneducable’ students passed the state test in reading and math, some scoring above average” (Peters). Through her original school, Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House), and others that eventually opened, Dr. Montessori tested her methods on typical children, who did not have mental or physical disabilities, as well as children living in varying cultures and economic conditions. She found similar results among all of them. Dr. Montessori noted, “When the children had completed an absorbing bit of work, they appeared rested and deeply pleased. It almost seemed as if a road had opened up within their souls that led to all their latent powers, revealing the better part of themselves” (Qtd. in Mayclin Stephenson). Today there are more than 22,000 Montessori schools in 110 countries (Peters), including at least 5,000 in the United States since the first opened in Tarrytown, New York, in 1913. Montessori for Adolescents While most of the world’s past and present Montessori programs have been designed to emphasize exploration for children ages three to five, programs exist for infants and students from the elementary-school level up through age 24. Since 1976 the North American Montessori Teachers Association has held intensive training sessions to certify teachers who wish to employ Montessori methods with adolescents. Rather than treating adolescents as “big kids,” Montessori teachers such as those working in the aforementioned classroom, see teens as “newborn adults,” and their education has a social-emotional focus for ages twelve to fifteen and more emphasis on academic and practical skills for ages sixteen to nineteen. A Montessori school for adolescents is ideally located on a farm where students are responsible for maintenance and even for some financial contributions to the school, such as selling produce from the school’s farm (Mayclin Stephenson). But when a land-based environment is not feasible, a Montessori school can be placed-based, such as the middle school mentioned earlier, which is located in downtown Portland, Oregon, near museums, historical societies, factories and parks for exploration. When even a place-based environment isn’t an option, adolescent Montessori students work within typical school buildings but usually under a holistic, rather than compartmentalized, approach to academic subjects. Today, many students who graduate from Montessori high schools earn International Baccalaureate Diplomas, which require college-preparatory exams, completion of extended research essays, reflection on the nature of knowledge, and projects outside the classroom involving creativity, action and service (International Baccalaureate Organization). The middle-schoolers mentioned previously study under a newly formed Montessori program for adolescents. They have all grown up learning under the Montessori system in their pre-school and elementary school years and, because of it, they are comfortable taking leadership in their own educational activities. At this particular school, large windows give students a view of the urban landscape. The classroom has the feeling of a family den, only there is no television. Instead, there are learning centers around the room with stacks of books, materials and lists of assignment ideas for each
subject. There is a loom that students are learning to put together and use, along with knitting and crochet materials, art supplies, a microscope, maps, board games and boom boxes. The room has several tables, large pillows and cushy couches where students can work or take breaks. Much of their work happens around a large table where teachers work on laptops and students work in notebooks. A large whiteboard hangs near this table. There is a small kitchen area, a handful of computers and a printer for student access. One of the students’ current projects is to finish and paint furniture pieces that will be sold in an auction benefitting the school. Current lessons are integrated across academic subjects and address the current energy crisis and climate change. Students are writing essays on the subject, creating a timeline about the history of energy use, and creating their own definitions of the word “energy.” When the teachers interact with the students, they speak as though they are speaking to adults, and students are encouraged to ask questions when they hear words or ideas they don’t understand. During free work periods, there is little need for teachers to hover over students and keep them on-task because the students are self-directed and engaged in their work. Because Montessori education typically comes through private schools, it’s clear that most of the students in this Portland school come from families that are financially comfortable, if not wealthy. And while a positive, safe and healthy home environment can help any student succeed, this particular classroom’s dynamics make it clear that the students’ academic success and apparent intelligence have been fostered most by their learning environment and the methods that their teachers employ. As Dr. Montessori found in her original research, students with disabilities and students living in poverty flourish under her methods as well as students with typical or above-average abilities and students living in great comfort or wealth (Peters). Crossover Concepts As demonstrated in the example of the Portland school, benefits of Montessori education include student self-direction, a sense of community in the classroom, high levels of academic curiosity, performance and focus. Likewise, an 18-year longitudinal study of Montessori and typical students found that Montessori education was a primary positive factor in academic, personal and social development (Peters). In order to consider ways to bring such benefits to public school students, I will examine the general principles behind Montessori education that might be considered by public school teachers. Angeline Stoll Lillard, one of today’s foremost Montessori researchers, outlined the essential principles of Montessori education as such: 1. “Movement and cognition are closely entwined, and movement can enhance thinking and learning; 2. Learning and well-being are improved when people have a sense of control over their lives; 3. People learn better when they are interested in what they are learning; 4. Tying extrinsic rewards to an activity negatively impacts motivation to engage in that activity when the reward is withdrawn; 5. Collaborative arrangements can be very conducive to learning;
6. Learning situated in meaningful contexts is often deeper and richer than learning in abstract contexts; 7. Particular forms of adult interaction are associated with more optimal child outcomes; and 8. Order in the environment is beneficial to children.” (Qtd. in Peters) In addition, a key concept for a Montessori teacher is to serve as a facilitator of learning who encourages student exploration. “What is the greatest sign of success for a teacher transformed?” Dr. Montessori wrote, “It is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist’” (Qtd. in Peters). Within that teacher-student relationship lies the student’s freedom of choice. “The child's first instinct is to carry out his actions by himself, without anyone helping him,” Dr. Montessori wrote, “and his first conscious bid for independence is made when he defends himself against those who try to do the action for him.” Of these key principles, those that appear to cross over most easily into a public secondary classroom include: • Fostering genuine student interest in learning; • Allowing students to work collaboratively; • Situating lessons in meaningful, practical contexts rather than in abstract contexts; and • Optimizing students’ interactions with adults. Principles that might be integrated partially in public secondary classrooms include: • Freedom to make choices; • Uninterrupted work cycle; and • Minimization of competition or external rewards. The challenges of partially integrating such practices will be addressed later in this article, along with practical applications of these crossover ideas in public secondary Language Arts classrooms. Crossover Challenges Then comes the frustrating, unavoidable consideration that Montessori practices are at direct odds with many of the United States’ public school practices. Public schools -- particularly at the middle- and high-school levels -- are designed for efficiency and leave a lack of choice in the student’s day as they are shuffled from one room to the next, studying one compartmentalized subject after another, often with little choice over how or at what pace that subject will be studied. Students are primarily kept indoors and away from nature, and their modes of operation change from one class period to another, as they move between instructors’ rooms. Meanwhile, instructors are often overwhelmed by the sheer number of students they serve (often 30-plus students per class period, with at least four class periods per day) and pressured by the school, the school district, and local and federal government to teach to externally implemented standards and tests. One of the key components of the Montessori approach -- giving students uninterrupted periods (often three hours) to work within integrated subjects -- is nearly impossible to utilize due to public secondary schools’ scheduling. While the creating an individual lesson plan for each student and
pursuing it through the school year sounds ideal, this is a daunting task when a teacher has more than a hundred students to work with for as little as fifty to ninety minutes at a time, especially when that teacher has little idea of how students are progressing in other subject areas. Montessori purists have understandable objections to the idea of integrating Montessori practices piecemeal into public schools. Students gain most from Montessori education when they are immersed in it before the age of six -- hence, the popularity of Montessori pre-schools. Along with that, students benefit most from Montessori programs when they are immersed in Montessori learning methods, and when they are taught early on the parameters of working as a self-directed member of an academic community. But at the same time that the benefits of Montessori education become clearer, so does the reality that such programs are unavailable to most students in the United States, either because of tuition costs or because Montessori schools simply don’t exist in many cities. Such schools for adolescents are rarer still because most Montessori schools open to serve pre-Kindergarten students and expand into higher grades as their students age and as schools build their reputations. Just like the parent who moves her child from Montessori to a public elementary school, the teacher who wishes to reach students with economic limitations might still be inclined to work within the public school system, no matter how attractive or effective Montessori proves to be. And the teacher who is dedicated to exploring a particular academic subject, such as Language Arts, Biology or Social Science, might be inclined to teach in the compartmentalized setting of a high school or middle school, all the while fully aware of its limitations. With all this in mind, it becomes clearer that the question for teachers in public secondary schools is not, “How can I integrate Montessori practices into my teaching?” but, “What can I learn from the Montessori approach?” For purposes of this article, I’ll address the over-arching concepts of Montessori education for adolescents, and at possible strategies for applying those concepts within the restrictions of a public secondary Language Arts classroom. Putting It into Practice Returning to the crossover concepts mentioned previously, there are strategies and activities a Language Arts secondary teacher might employ to test students’ responses to Montessori principles. Mayclin Stephenson explains the practical application of the Montessori method as, “based on human tendencies— to explore, move, share with a group, to be independent and make decisions, create order, develop self-control, abstract ideas from experience, use the creative imagination, work hard, repeat, concentrate, and perfect one's efforts.” Some strategies and activities that might be applied in a public secondary Language Arts classroom include: • Assign space where students can store their belongings comfortably. • Give students the option to work at a cluster of desks or alone -- arrange desk clusters in one area of the room, and individual desks in another. If room allows, reserve a carpet space where students can choose to work on the floor.
• Create learning centers around the room to present different aspects of a lesson or project choices that can be made within a thematic unit. • Incorporate music, drama, visual arts and electronic visual expression into writing and literature lessons. • Use word games (board games, card games, puzzles) to learn grammar or prepare for state tests. • In lieu of field-based or land-based experiences, assign homework or extra credit allowing students to spend time in nature and write reflections on the experience that relate to literature. • Paper-making • Book binding • Desktop publishing • A study of the history of written language One of the primary goals of these activities and strategies is to get the students working at a level of independence that gradually requires less interaction from the teacher. Free work periods in public high school classrooms are often unproductive, or involve a teacher hovering over students to keep them on task, perhaps because the students are so confined during the rest of their school day. To do so would require careful preparation from the teacher, who would need to be strategic about arranging classroom desks, books and materials. More importantly, the teacher would likely spend a few weeks early in the school year making expectations for the classroom clear to allow students room for self-directed learning without permitting them to run amok. At Montessori High School in Cleveland, Ohio, teachers work to “facilitate learning experiences where students seek contextual studies in the classroom arising from ongoing real-life problem solving and real-world focus” (High School). A teacher might do this from a public Language Arts classroom by paying attention to the issues students are concerned about, and by taking notice of the skills that students appear most naturally inclined to develop. While the Language Arts classroom might not always provide opportunities to practice those skills or directly address those issues, it can be a fruitful place for students’ personal reflection and development of academic understanding in those areas. As Mayclin Stephenson explains, “The steps of learning any concept are analyzed by the adult and are systematically offered to the child. A child is always learning something that is indirectly preparing him to learn something else, making education a joyful discovery instead of drudgery.” It should be made plain that these strategies and activities have not been tested and are meant to be used only as suggestions, or as springboards, for teachers who are developing lessons and activities to suit their own students and professional approach. Conclusion: What it’s Worth While finding ways to effectively integrate Montessori concepts into a public classroom is a daunting, neverending task for a teacher, it must be reemphasized that it is a worthwhile one. At present, the majority of students in the United States do not have the opportunity to benefit from Montessori education, at the pre-Kindergarten level or otherwise. But they deserve the academic strengths that such an approach can foster -- independence, self-motivation, curiosity, social skills and respect from elders
and peers. They deserve to have teachers in their public classrooms who care to nurture them as individual learners.
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