Maria Montessori (August 31, 1870 – May 6, 1952) was the first woman doctor in Italy in the early 1900’s (Trinity College
Brochure, 2011). She was offered a ‘space’ by the Roman
Association in San Lorenzo district to develop a ‘school’ to prevent aimless violence among economically and culturally deprived children. This was motivated largely by the hope that in keeping unruly young children at school would prevent vandalism, thus prevent property damage (Montessori, M.
1971). This was the beginnings of Madam Montessori’s methods which later gained further support from other educators and theorists.
Dr. Montessori worked with mentally deficient children which led her to examine Jean Itowd’s (1801) attempts at educating the ‘wild boy of Averyon’. She also utilized materials and methods devised by Edovard Seiguin (1844, 1866) for educating students with limited mental capacities. She modified
Seiguin’s approach in education of ‘retarded’ children to the education of ‘normal’ children in the first
translated to ‘Homes of Children’ by Dorothy Canfield- an educational reformer, social activist and best selling American author, (Montessori, M. 1971).
In 1909, Montessori published
relating to children in the Children’s
Houses. The Americans were the first to become interested in her methods, which then led to the explosion of interest due to the progress of her students, (Montessori, M. 1971).
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also known as Active Learning, is the theory that Dr. Montessori helped to develop. It is often described as a method of inquiry-based instruction and it is considered to be a constructivist based approach to education.
This method of teaching is widely supported by other theorists and psychologists Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, and Seymour
Papert. However, there are concerns that students do not meet certain requirements in their learning, (Mayer, R. 2004).
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is thought to have originally modelled discovery learning in the 1960s, but his ideas were very similar to earlier writers, including John Dewey. Bruner argues that,
‘Practice in discovering for oneself teaches one to acquire information in a way that makes that information more readily viable in problem solving’, (Bruner, 1961, p. 26). His philosophy suggests that we should ‘learn by doing’ and it focuses largely on a ‘hands-on’ approach.
Stephanie Rodert- 2073206, Jenny Tsimiklis-2036235
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takes place in problem solving situations where the learner draws on his own experience and prior knowledge. It is a method of instruction where students interact with their environment by exploring and manipulating objects, wrestling with questions and controversies, or performing experiments, (Dewey, J. 1938).
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is broad and involves activities rich in language, maths, sciences and the arts while encouraging students to develop independence and self confidence.
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are also integral in the Montessori curriculum. This allows students to gain an understanding of everyday skills through the use of a hands on approach. Activities include playing with water, sifting flour, doing up buttons or tying shoe laces.
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are also used as a tool to allow the child to draw upon their power of observation to understand the world around them.
This allows students to learn about height, weight, colour, smell and shape, (Trinity College Brochure, 2011).
Descriptions of the discovery processes differ in the labels given and the number of processes that are mentioned. For example De Jong and Njoo, 1992 divide discovery learning into transformative processes and regulative processes.
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Initial view that children need to be occupied to prevent
vandalism and aimless violence
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Child competent being, encouraged to make maximal decisions
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Inquisitive, will discover independently
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Active and Social Learners
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Independent
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Self-correcting
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Problem-solvers
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Hands on
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Learn by Doing
(Bruner, 1961 & Mayer, 2004)
( Trinity College Brochure, 2011)
It is said that children learning through discovery benefit through active engagement in the learning process. Curiosity and motivation are fostered, which enables the development of life-long learning skills. Bruner 1961, especially has demonstrated evidence of its value. He suggests that students are more likely to remember concepts if they discover them on their own, opposed to being taught directly. The child is viewed as inquisitive and therefore they are allowed to discover concepts on their own. Scaffolding tools, such as, ‘Thinker tools’
(White, 1993) are positive ways to implicate discovery learning. In
‘Thinker tools’ learners follow an ‘inquiry cycle’ that contained five stages. All stages contain detailed support, but during the course of working with the environment the support gradually disappears. This is similar to Bruner’s notion of scaffolding; where support is given by adults to assist others. Teachers can apply this method in the classroom.
In contrast, Lewis, Bishay, McArthur, and Chou 1993, state ‘there is little objective data demonstrating its benefits; we still lack a consensus operational definition of discovery learning’.
Criticisms focus on the inefficiency of the method, due to the amount of time needed to conduct genuine inquiry and the knowledge gained from that process. They state that, learning with simulation-based discovery environments has not always yielded better learning results than more traditional explanatory teaching. Another challenging issue is related to the support needed by learners; discovery learning is difficult for learners, and it seems there is a clear need to support learners in discovery learning. Several groups of educators have found evidence that pure discovery learning is less effective as an instructional strategy, than more direct forms of instruction, (Shute & Glaser, 1990).
Mayer 2004, points out that the use of pure discovery methods is not supported. He states that while discovery for oneself may be an engaging form of learning, it may also be frustrating. The main idea behind these critiques is that learners need guidance, but later as they gain confidence and become competent then they may learn through discovery. We as teachers should be critical in using this method and should think of ways to incorporate parts of this method that produce positive outcomes for students, for example; ways to engage learners.
s s
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; learners take a minute to ponder the previous lesson, discuss it with one or more of their peers, and share with the class as part of a formal discussion. This activity enhances social interaction which helps students to meet learning outcomes. Learning
S is socially constructed and this activity enhances social interaciton.
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is a successful way to learn different material. Students with different perspectives come together to share their experience and ideas. Promotes positive participation.
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is an active way for students to learn. Allow students the chance to take a position and gather information to support their view and explain it to others logically. This gives the student a chance to participate in a fun activity and also lets them gain some (Trinity College Brochure, 2011) experience with giving a verbal presentation.
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is also considered an energetic way to learn because it helps students to review course material and it helps them to enjoy learning about a topic. Games such as jeopardy and crossword puzzles help activate students minds.
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is also an example of active learning through the use of a different presentation mode. Including a few questions before you start the video so students will pay more attention and notice where to focus during the video, (McKinney, 2010).
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is ‘instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing’. A simple s question and answer format addresses issues of how to create more
‘active’ classrooms.
McKinney points out that active learning is derived from two basic assumptions: 1) that learning is by nature an active endeavour and 2) that different people learn in different ways.
We as teachers need to understand these ideas and apply them positively in our classrooms to promote optimal learning outcomes for our students. Not all students learn in the same way so we need to use different approaches in our teaching methods to engage students.
Bruner, J. (1960). The Process of Education.
Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Mass.
Bruner, J. (1961). The act of discovery. Harvard Educational Review , Vol. 31, pg 21-32.
Dewey, J. (1938). Logic: the theory of inquiry.
New York: Holt and Co.
Friedler, Y., Nachmias, R., & Linn, M. C. (1990). Learning scientific reasoning skills in microcomputer-based laboratories. Journal of
Research in Science Teaching, 27 , 173-191.
Jong, T. de, & Njoo, M. (1992). Learning and instruction with computer simulations: learning processes involved. In E. de Corte, M. Linn, H.
Mandl, & L. Verschaffel (Eds.), Computer-based learning environments and problem solving . Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
Lewis, M., Bishay, M., & McArthur, D. (1993). The Macrostructure and microstructure of inquiry activities: Evidence from students using a microworld for mathematical discovery. Proceedings of the World Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Education . Edinburgh, Scotland.
Mayer, R. (2004). Should there be a three-strikes rule against pure discovery learning? The case for guided methods of instruction, American
Psychologist Association, Vol. 59, pg 14-19, article viewed online: 17/03/11, <http//:www.psycnet.apa.org/r.mayer>
McKinney, K. (2010). Active Learning . Centre for Teaching, Learning & Technology, article viewed online: 24/03/11,
<http://www.teachtech.ilstu.edu/resources/teachTopics/active.php>
Montessori, M. (1971). The Montessori Method, Schocken Books, New York.
Shute, V. J., & Glaser, R. (1990). A large-scale evaluation of an intelligent discovery world: Smithtown. Interactive Learning Environments , 1 ,
51-77.
Trinity College Montessori Preschool (2011). Brochure, Alexander Avenue, Evanston South, SA. <www.trinity.sa.edu.au>
White, B. Y. (1993). ThinkerTools: causal models, conceptual change, and science education. Cognition and Instruction , 10 , 1-100.