1. Montessori and Fantasy Michelle Buntain Christina Norton Christina Norton

2. Concept Map Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 Christina Norton 11/11/2014

3. Check out my website!website  Goals for my website Goals  Excel Project with reviewed Montessori websites Excel Project Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 Christina Norton 11/11/2014

4.  Introduce Maria Montessori and her theory of development  Describe her educational approach  Explain the key concepts of a Montessori education  Compare a Montessori education to a traditional education Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 Objectives

5.  1 st female physician in Italy  Taught mentally handicapped children  Started Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House)  Develops a new approach to education Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 Maria Montessori

6.  Similar to Rousseau’s ideas on child development  Children have inherent goodness and a love of work  Children learn best when they are allowed to explore and make mistakes  Child-centered education  A child’s mind is different from an adult’s mind  A child’s mind undergoes “predictable changes”  Four Planes of Development theory  “Three Levels of the Mind” theory Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 Theory of Development

7. "Education should no longer be mostly imparting of knowledge, but must take a new path, seeking the release of human potentialities.“ -Dr. Maria Montessori  Methods are based on the scientific observations of a child’s developmental needs  Values the development of the whole child Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 Educational Approach

8. Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 Key Concepts Independent Mastery Indirect preparation Free choiceNormalization

9. Independent mastery- The goal of a Montessori education is to provide opportunities for a child to independently master a particular skill Indirect preparation- The concept of preparing a child for a later skill through a series of activities that are not directly related to that later skill Free choice- A child chooses activities within a prepared environment Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

10.  “The process by which children achieve their true or normal state” (Crain) Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 Freely chosen activity of interest Concentration and repetition of activity Inner peace and joy Normalization

11. The Prepared Environment The Teacher Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 Key Components

12. Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 Thoughtfully and carefully designed by the teacherPleasant AppearanceChild-friendlyMontessori learning materials Prepared Environment

13. A guide or director Prepares the environment Skilled observer Passive role Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 The Role of the Teacher

14. Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014 o Periods for lessons o Single-grade classrooms o Students play passive role o Product-focused report cards o Uninterrupted time for work o Multi-age classrooms o Students play active role o Assessment of progress Montessori Education Traditional Education

15. Cute Video: Process of Normalization  Pink Tower video 1 Pink Tower video 1  Pink Tower video 2 Pink Tower video 2 Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

17. Montessori on Fantasy o Disapproved of fantasy play and reading of fairy tales to children under the age of seven o Children are naturally credulous, and education should help children grow out of their credulity o For imaginary play to be beneficial to children, they must be grounded in reality o Extreme cases of credulity result in insanity o Disapproved of stories about Santa Claus, other imaginary characters  In response to those who claim such stories are beneficial for the development of the imagination, Montessori wrote: “How can the imagination of children be developed by what is, on the contrary, the fruit of our imagination? It is we who imagine, not they; they believe, they do not imagine.” (Spontaneous Activity in Education, 259) Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

18. But Bettelheim says…  “Fairy tales leave to the child’s fantasizing whether and how to apply to himself what the story reveals about life and human nature.” (The Uses of Enchantment, 45) Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

19. Relevant Research o Over 40 years of research addressing pretend play and its effect on development o Many studies show methodological problems Correlational findings vs. causal findings Failure to replicate results Experimenter bias o The available evidence does not show a causal relationship between pretend play and development o Lack of evidence for the claim that pretend play helps child development o More high quality research is needed Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

20. Purpose  The purpose of this research study is to test Montessori’s claim that children under the age of 7 cannot adequately distinguish between fantasy and reality.  This research study will compare the level of credulity - relevant to fantasy - between children under the age of 7 and children over the age of 7. Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

21. Questions o Are children under the age of 7 able to distinguish fantasy from reality? o Are children under the age of 7 able to articulate a moral principle from a fairy tale? Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

22. Hypotheses  The Kindergarteners will be able to partially distinguish fantasy from reality in the story while the 4 th graders will be able to fully distinguish fantasy from reality in the story.  Both groups will be able to recognize a moral principle from the story. Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

23. Procedure o Read the story of Pinocchio o Showed visuals o Interviewed each student individually o Recorded answers with a sound recorder application Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

24. Fantasy-Reality Questions o Pinocchio starts his life as puppet. What’s a puppet? Is Pinocchio real at first? Explain. o Have you ever seen a puppet talk and dance on its own? o How does Pinocchio become real? o Are fairies real? o Have you ever seen a fairy? o What do fairies do? o What happens to Pinocchio when he lies? Does your nose grow if you lie? o What happens to Pinocchio when he is bad? Do you think you will change into a donkey if you’re bad? o How do you know if something is real or not? o Do you think parts of this story are real? Which parts? Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

25. Moral Questions o What did Pinocchio do that was wrong? o Do you think it was bad that Pinocchio stopped at the puppet show instead of going to school? Why? o Should Pinocchio have told the truth to his fairy? Why? o Was Pinocchio brave at some point in the story? How? o Did you learn anything from this story? What did you learn? Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

26.  Have you ever seen a puppet talk and dance on its own? All students answered “No”  Does your nose grow (like Pinocchio’s) if you lie? All students answered “No” Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

27. Are fairies real? o Kindergarteners Students 1,2,3,5 answered “No” Students 4&6 answered “Yes” both referencing the tooth fairy o Fourth Graders Students 1&3 answered “No” Students 4&6 answered “Yes,” both referencing the tooth fairy. Student 2 answered “Yes,” but did not give a explanation. Student 5 answered “Yes,” referencing the tooth fairy and said there are other kinds of fairies too. Student 3 answered “I don’t think so because usually fairies don’t come to my house.” Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

28. Analysis o Tooth Fairy- most common reason for belief Kindergarten vs. fourth grade Parental influence Student 3- unique answer  Montessori did not like parents imposing such ideas onto their children. She believed it was not good for the development of the child’s imagination. “How can the imagination of children be developed by what is, on the contrary, the fruit of our imagination?” (Spontaneous Activity, 259) Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

29. How Do You Know Something is Real? o Kindergarten All answered “I don’t know” o Fourth Grade Student 1: “I can just tell because like, there is no such thing as talking puppets. That’s all I can know.” Student 2: “I don’t know.” Student 3: “You can compare to real life, what would happen in real life.” Student 4: “If it’s real it would probably talk to you.” Student 5: “Looking at it closely or something. Asking questions about it.” Student 6: “If you’re flying they aren’t real, but if you’re walking to school that is real.” Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

30. Analysis  Five of the Fourth Graders described an individual understanding of reality  “In order to develop the imagination it is necessary for every one first of all to put himself in contact with reality.” (Spontaneous Activity in Education, 250)  “If, then, the true basis of the imagination is reality, and its perception is related to exactness of observation, it is necessary to prepare children to perceive the things in their environment exactly, in order to secure for them the material required by the imagination.” (Spontaneous Activity in Education, 254) Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

31. Do you think it was bad that Pinocchio stopped at the puppet show instead of going to school? Why? o Kindergarten Students 1,2,5 answered “Yes” with no reason Students 4&6 answered “Yes” because he needed to learn Student 3 answered “I don’t know” o Fourth Grade Students 1,3,4,5,6 answered “Yes” because he needs to learn Students 1,4,5 added that he was told to go to school and so should have gone Student 2 answered “Yes” with no reason Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

32. Should Pinocchio have told the truth to his fairy? Why? o Kindergarten Four students 1,3,5,6 answered “Yes” with no reason Student 2 said “Yes, so you don’t get in trouble” Student 4 said “Yes, so his nose wouldn’t grow long” o Fourth Grade: All students answered “Yes” Student 2 did not provide a reason Students 1&5 gave the reason that his nose would grow if he lied. Student 5 added “then he could just tell the truth and he wouldn’t be like in trouble or anything. Student 3 said “It’s part of following the Ten Commandments, but also lying doesn’t get you anywhere good.” Student 4 “Because lies are not good, because then you’ll get into the habit of it” Student 6 said “Because the truth’s better than a lie” Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

33. What did Pinocchio do that was wrong? o Kindergarten Students 1&4 did not know Students 2,3,5 said he lied Student 6 answered “He didn’t do what they telled to do” o Fourth Grade Students 1,5,6 said that he didn’t do what he was told to do Students 2,3,4,5 said that he lied Student 1 added that he should not have gone with strangers Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

34. Was Pinocchio brave at some point in the story? How? o Kindergarten All said “Yes” because he saved his father o Fourth Grade Students 1,3,4,6 said “Yes” because he saved his father Student 3 said “…he was actually brave when the cat and the wolf, to go with them, not to run away because they would probably follow him…” Student 5 said “…he got on the stage in front of a lot of people” Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

35. Did you learn anything from this story? What did you learn? o Kindergarten Students 1&4 answered “I don’t know” Students 2, 5, 6 answered “No” Student 3 answered “I know not to lie” o Fourth Grade Students 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 answered “Don’t lie” Student 2 answered “No” Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

36. Analysis o The fourth graders were much more capable of giving reasons for their answers regarding moral questions. o Some of the students gave answers that directly related to the story rather than a moral principle. Example: Pinocchio should tell the truth because his nose will grow (Student 1, 4 th grade)  Although the students may not have displayed a complex understanding of the moral principle of honesty, we think the story was still beneficial for moral development because it gave the students an opportunity to practice identifying moral concepts. Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

37. Data Evaluation Method o We analyzed the students’ answers to the questions discussed in this presentation and determined whether or not they were capable of: Distinguishing between fantasy and reality Recognizing a moral lesson o We then added together the “right” answers and divided by what would be considered a perfect score. o So, a “right” answer had to show either: An ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality An ability to recognize a moral lesson Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

38. Fantasy Questions Considered in Data Evaluation o Have you ever seen a puppet talk and dance on its own? o Does your nose grow (like Pinocchio’s) if you lie? o Are fairies real? o How do you know something is real? Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

39. Were the students capable of distinguishing between fantasy and reality? Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

40. Moral Questions Considered in Data Evaluation o Do you think it was bad that Pinocchio stopped at the puppet show instead of going to school? Why? o Should Pinocchio have told the truth to his fairy? Why? o What did Pinocchio do that was wrong? Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

41. Were the students able to recognize a moral lesson in the story? Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

42. Conclusion  Both the Kindergarteners and the Fourth Graders were partially able to distinguish fantasy from reality. However, we hypothesized that the Fourth Graders would be capable of fully distinguishing between fantasy and reality. The Fourth Graders’ belief in fairies took us by surprise.  While all of the students showed an ability to recognize a moral principle, not all of the Kindergarteners showed this ability on every moral question. The Fourth Graders were more consistent and more capable of giving reasons for their answers to the moral questions. Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

43. Limitations o Convenience sample o The number of subjects o Student Disposition o Lack of interest/ Distraction Improvements o Clearer or more specific questions o Less complicated story o More engaging visuals o Questions that are more relevant to the hypothesis o Interviewer’s influence on responses Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

44. Further Research Ideas o Is there a difference between the fantasy beliefs of boys and girls? o How do different cultures promote fantasy (Santa Claus)? o Peer vs. Parent influence on fantasy beliefs Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

45. Michelle’s Favorite Quotes  “Religion is not a product of fantastic imagination, it is the greatest of realities, the one truth to the religious man.” ( Spontaneous Activity in Education, 266)  “When an apostle seeks to win a soul to religion… he appeals to understanding, not to imagination, for he knows that his task is not to create something, but to call aloud to that which is slumbering in the depths of his heart.” (Spontaneous Activity in Education, 267) Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

46. Bibliography http://ami-global.org http://amshq.org http://www.montessori-namta.org http://www.montessori.org.uk http://montessoriconnections.com http://www.montessori.edu http://montessorihomes.blogspot.com/p/what-is-montessori.html http://www.inspiremontessoriconsulting.com http://montessorischools.org http://puddletownschool.com/what-is-montessori/introduction-to-montessori/ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2242722/The-Pinocchio-effect-If-dont-tell-truth- nose-really-away.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2242722/The-Pinocchio-effect-If-dont-tell-truth- nose-really-away.html Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014

47. Bibliography (Cont’d) The Uses of Enchantment, by Bruno Bettelheim Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications by William Crain The Montessori Controversy by John Chattin-McNichols Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius by Angeline Stoll Lillard Spontaneous Activity in Education by Maria Montessori “The Impact of Pretend Play on Children’s Development: A Review of the Evidence” by Angeline S. Lillard, Matthew D. Lerner, Emily J. Hopkins, Rebecca A. Dore, Eric D. Smith, and Carolyn M. Palmquist Christina & Michelle 12/05/2014