1. Maria Montessori: Self Regulation and Independence
Laura Jauregui
and
Lindsey Landgrover

2. Biography Montessori was born in Chiaravalle, Italy in 1870
Moved to Florence three years later and then once again to Rome in 1875
Studied at the University of Rome and earned her medical degree in 1892
Began to look at the field of pediatrics and slowly became interested in children with mental disabilities
Was one of the founders of Casa de Bambini where she applied her studies and methods to mentally normal children
Traveled around the world, sharing information about her educational method

3. Critical Terms
Concentration: Activity concentrated on a single work with movements of the body guided by the mind. Child is in deep engagement in an activity.
Cycle of Activity: Children repeat an activity which interests them for no apparent reason. Child only stops when inner need is satisfied.
Independence: Not depending on another, most specifically the teacher/directress.
Active Discipline: Act of will, develops gradually. As will develops through the exercise of free choice, children begin to have the self-discipline necessary for obedience.
Sensitive Periods: Child in a sensitive period exhibits spontaneous concentration when engaged in an activity that matches a particular sensitivity.
Work: Children learning and experimenting in a relatively pressure-free environment.

4. Goals and Purpose
The purpose of this research study is to compare and contrast the social and individual behaviors of children who are educated in Montessori classroom settings with the social and individual behaviors of children who are educated in more traditional classroom settings.
Are Montessori students more likely to demonstrate more self regulated behaviors than are students in traditional classrooms?
Are Montessori students more likely to receive fewer corrections from the teachers than are students in traditional classrooms?
How do the interactions between Montessori students and traditional students compare and contrast? Which students have more positive/negative interactions?
Are Montessori students more likely to demonstrate independent choices in their classrooms when compared to traditional students in their classrooms?

5. Hypothesis
Montessori students will demonstrate more independence and self regulation than the students in the traditional schools.
Due to:
Higher percentage of positive teacher-student interactions
Higher percentage of postive student-student interactions

6. Definition: Independence
Independent choices:
Any time that a student performs an activity of their own volition without receiving specific instructions (The Discovery of the Child 57).
Teacher Impedes Independent Choices:
Any time that the teacher (or directress) “waits upon” or acts in such a way as to “suffocate [a student’s] own .. spontaneous actions” (The Montessori Method 95).

7. Definition: Self Regulation
Student “regulate[s] his own conduct” in such a way that is appropriate to the current situation (The Montessori Method 86).
Teacher impedes self-regulation
Teacher does not allow the student’s “inner efforts” to develop due to specific corrections or interruption of the work (The Discovery of the Child, 307).

8. Procedure
“Child Psychology can be established only through the method of external observation.” (MM 72)
Observe Holy Family (Kindergarten classroom) for 1 hour and record all observations
Observe St. Francis Montessori Primary classroom for 1 hour and record all observations

9. Data Collection Instrument
Postive/ Constructive
Negative/Criticism
Notes
Teacher – Student
Compliments student or allows the student to work independently
Corrects the student
Student – Student
Help each other during an activity
Distract each other from work or start an unnecessary discussion

10. Classroom set up *St. Francis Montessori

11. Classroom set up *Holy Family ( Traditional school)

12. Results (Student-Student)
Holy Family
Student-Student
St. Francis Montessori
Positive
56%
60%
Negative
43%
40%

13. Results (Teacher-Student)
Holy Family
St. Francis Montessori
Student-Teacher
Positive
33%
63%
Negative
66%
36%

14. Hypothesis was correct regarding independence!
Independent choices
Teacher impedes independent choices
Holy Family
- Several students were singing a song “B-I-B-L-E” to themselves as they colored a page that had BIBLE written on it in block letters
- When the students who took the survey walked back into the room they went and got markers to bring back to their table
- A student plays by himself with the crayons, he pretends they are airplanes instead of drawing with them
- A student got out of her seat to get a different color marker and the teacher told her to sit back down, saying “Well, sit down and I will get one (a crayon) for you”
- When a student is confused, the teacher repeats the instructions numerous time on a
one-to-one basis
St Francis Montessori
- Two girls cut up a paper and talked about making a tickets with the paper
- When the boy left the singing circle, he picked his own activity to work on
- Little girl doesn’t want to sing anymore so she starts to cut paper without being
instructed to do so

15. Hypothesis was correct regarding self-regulation!
Teacher impedes self-regulation
Holy Family
- Several students continued to work quietly while the teacher worked with the rest of the class
- Student reminds another student not to throw objects
-An angry student calms himself down and sits down with the rest of the classroom, but
his temper raises again and he decides to walk around instead of sitting on the carpet
with all the other students
- Girl has to leave the classroom because she was too loud and rowdy
- Teacher writes names down on the board to show disapproval of a child’s behavior when they scream or speak out of turn
- Teacher tells the students to be quiet 6 times in a row
- Teacher calls all the students over to sing, so one student has to leave her work unfinished
- Teacher tells a student that the drawing is “not his best work” and she knows that “he can do much better.”
St. Francis Montessori
- An older student got her folder and notebook out and began to work without being prompted
- A girl who is copying letters is being watched by a second girl. The second girl tried to trace the letter with her finger but the first girl swatted her fingers away, but a minute later invited the second girl to write her own letter.
- Student was bothering another student, the student being bothered simply asked the
person to stop instead of starting a bicker
- When students come in, they know they should sit on the carpet
- Little boy was asked to leave the singing circle due to misconduct

16. What went wrong? NO consent forms from Montessori
3 consent forms from Holy Family
Had to change our experiment to only observation, could no longer ask the children what they thought of the school or label the children
Visited schools at different times of the day
Only visited for an hour

17. Future research? Longer time Perform entire experiment Older kids
Observe outside of the classroom

18. Nature / Nurture Line
Montessori
Nature
Nurture

19. Bibliography
Cosgrove, Sara Anne, and Roger Ballou. "A Complement to Lifestyle Assessment: Using Montessori Sensorial Experiences to Enhance and Intensify Early Recollections."Journal of Individual Psychology, Vol. 62 Issue 1, P47-58, 12p. EBSCO, Spring Web. 11 Sept
Montessori, Maria. The Discovery of the Child. New York: Ballantine, Print.
Montessori, Maria. The Montessori Method. Cambridge: Robert Bently, Print.
Reuter, Jeanette, and Gladys Yunik. "Social Interaction in Nursery Schools." Developmental Psychology. US: American Psychological Association, n.d. Web. 24 Sept <