An Intervention Study: Removing Supplemented Materials from Montessori Classrooms Associated with Better Child Outcomes

Lillard, Angeline S.; Heise, Megan J.

doi:10.17161/jomr.v2i1.5678

Cited by 30 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…6 In a move to explore the role of the Montessori materials further, a more recent experimental study 22 removed supplementary materials, to leave just the Montessori materials, from two of the three classrooms in a Montessori school that served 3-6-year olds. Over a period of 4 months children in the classrooms from which supplementary materials were removed made significantly greater gains than children from the unchanged classroom on tests of letter-word identification and executive function, although not on measures of vocabulary, theory of mind, maths, or social problem-solving.…”

Section: Evaluations Of Montessori Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Montessori education: a review of the evidence base

Marshall

2017

npj Science Learn

126

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The Montessori educational method has existed for over 100 years, but evaluations of its effectiveness are scarce. This review paper has three aims, namely to (1) identify some key elements of the method, (2) review existing evaluations of Montessori education, and (3) review studies that do not explicitly evaluate Montessori education but which evaluate the key elements identified in (1). The goal of the paper is therefore to provide a review of the evidence base for Montessori education, with the dual aspirations of stimulating future research and helping teachers to better understand whether and why Montessori education might be effective.

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Section: Evaluations Of Montessori Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Montessori education: a review of the evidence base

Marshall

2017

npj Science Learn

126

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“…Over the last 5 years, Montessori research has focused primarily on teacher autonomy in the classroom, examining how Montessori teachers use Montessori methods to meet the needs of diverse students (Ansari & Winsler, 2014;Carver-Akers, 2013;Danner & Fowler, 2015;Debs & Brown, 2017;Donne & Briley, 2015;Lillard & Heise, 2016;Peng & Md-Yunus, 2014;Steiner, 2016;Tobin, Boulmier, & Zhu, 2015). A second research focus emerges from the use of Montessori methods to develop play and physical motor skills in young students (Bhatia, Davis, & Shamas-Brandt, 2015;Lillard, 2013;Pate, O'Neill, & Byun, 2014).…”

Section: Montessori Curriculummentioning

confidence: 99%

Homework Policy and Student Choice: Findings from a Montessori Charter School

Scott

Glaze

2017

JoMR

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Abstract. The use of homework has been a controversial topic in education for many years: what types of homework to give, how much, and how often. In previous years, Ocean Montessori School (a pseudonym), the site of this study, offered homework like that of traditional public schools, such as worksheets and rote skill practice. Feeling conflicted about the misalignment between traditional homework and Montessori practices, the school administration changed the homework policy for the 2016-2017 academic year. The new policy encouraged students to choose what they wanted to do each night for homework. This study examines the views and practices of the teachers, students, and parents involved in the new homework policy. Data were collected from parent surveys, teacher focus groups, student interviews, observations, and student work samples. The findings indicate that, although students enjoyed the proposed homework change, it lacked sufficient structure for parents, and students needed support from teachers and parents to engage in meaningful homework tasks.

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“…Beyond not omitting any material, neither does an authentic Montessori classroom add material, such as worksheets or commercial toys, to the sets developed by Dr. Montessori. Research supports limiting the materials: children in Montessori classrooms holding only authentic materials performed better on many measures than did children in classrooms supplemented with a variety of other materials (Lillard, 2012;Lillard & Heise, 2016). Logically, adding materials could result in less use of materials developed by Dr. Montessori and her collaborators (e.g., her son Mario).…”

Section: The Materials Environmentmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Finally, there is value in parsimony: too much choice is problematic (Schwartz, 2004), and "overabundance debilitates and retards progress" (Montessori, 1917(Montessori, /1965. These reasons may explain why children performed less well on a wide range of outcome measures in classrooms that added non-Montessori materials (Lillard, 2012;Lillard & Heise, 2016). As with any system, it is reasonable to think that improvements can be made to the Montessori materials, particularly if the improvements are suggested by people who deeply understand the materials and how they work together within and across classroom levels.…”

Section: The Materials Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Authentic Montessori: The Dottoressa’s View at the End of Her Life Part I

Lillard

McHugh²

2019

JoMR

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Maria Montessori developed a form of education in the first half of the last century that came to be called by her surname, and research indicates it often has positive outcomes. In the years since its development, tens of thousands of schools worldwide have called their programs Montessori, yet implementations vary widely, leading to confusion about what Montessori education is. Although there are varied opinions, here we use Dr. Montessori’s books and transcribed lectures to describe the conclusions of her work at her life’s end. We term this final conclusion authentic in the sense of “done in the traditional or original way,” (the primary definition of the adjective in Oxford English Dictionary, 2019). We do not claim that the original is superior to variants; this is an issue for empirical science. Our overarching goal is to provide researchers, policy makers, administrators, teachers, and parents with a benchmark from which to measure and evaluate variations from the education method Dr. Montessori bequeathed at the end of her life. In the ongoing search for alternative educational methods, the time-honored and burgeoning Montessori system is of considerable interest. Dr. Montessori conceptualized the system as a triangle for which the environment, the teacher, and the child formed the legs. Part I of this two-part article examines Dr. Montessori’s view of what constitutes the environment, in terms of its material, temporal, and social features. An appendix to Part II summarizes the features. In the ongoing search for alternative educational methods, the time-honored and burgeoning Montessori system is of considerable interest. Dr. Montessori conceptualized the system as a triangle for which the environment, the teacher, and the child formed the legs. Part I of this two-part article examines Dr. Montessori’s view of what constitutes the environment, in terms of its material, temporal, and social features. An appendix to Part II summarizes the features.

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An Intervention Study: Removing Supplemented Materials from Montessori Classrooms Associated with Better Child Outcomes

Cited by 30 publications

References 17 publications

Montessori education: a review of the evidence base

Montessori education: a review of the evidence base

Homework Policy and Student Choice: Findings from a Montessori Charter School

Authentic Montessori: The Dottoressa’s View at the End of Her Life Part I

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