Teaching • Carrots Are Orange

Montessori Assessment Tools & Resources

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Montessori Tagged With: Assessment, Classroom, Teaching This post may contain affiliate links.

A Montessori early childhood classroom environment is unique in the way teachers assess children. You won't find testing, quizzes, and grades within a Montessori environment. Most of you reading this article are proud and happy that our children don't have to face the wrath of these tests but where does that leave us?

How can we adequately assess a child's progress and development?

Without formal tests and quizzes, how does a Montessori guide know the progress of a child?

How does he or she know what lessons to plan for that child?

Assessment in a Montessori Environment

The focus of assessment within a Montessori environment, like many things in a Montessori classroom, is not on the end product but, instead, the focus is on the process.

This explanation resonated with me:

“In a Montessori environment, the teacher works in concert with the children to drive the curriculum. While we naturally follow a rich scope and sequence for teaching across the content areas, we are also constantly assessing to see: (1) if the content is resonating with each child, and how; (2) where each child’s own interests resides and how to support this self-discovery; and, (3) in what other ways content can be shared with children so that learners of all styles can find meaning in their work. This process of Scientific Observation is the cornerstone of assessment in a Montessori environment.” (Source: Montessori Madmen)

Formative assessment considers the whole child development and makes assessments based on observations of the child. This type of assessment is essentially ongoing progress monitoring every day to check for mastery and understanding. Summative assessment measures a child's progress at a specific end period of time (such as the end of a month, or quarter) often using diagnostic and standardized tests. With the exception of Montessori public schools, you will rarely find summative assessment tools within a Montessori environment.

So, now what?

Good news! The Montessori environment lends to assessing a child naturally. In fact, assessment tools are used on a daily basis within a Montessori early childhood classroom.

Here are a few examples where assessment naturally occurs in a Montessori early childhood classroom:

The Guide's Daily Observations
Lesson Progress of the Child (assessed through observation & presentations)
Control of Error within the Materials (provides automatic feedback for the child & the guide)

Areas of Focus for Assessment in a Montessori Environment

Work Engagement

How is the child choosing work?
How is he utilizing the work?
How does he ask for assistance?

Social & Emotional Behavior

Is he wandering?
Is he interfering with other children's work?
Describe his interactions with peers.
Is he fidgety? Does he have trouble sitting still?

Order of the Environment

Assessing your environment is just as critical as assessing the child (and yourself for that matter).

This checklist is a fantastic resource to assess the environment: Environment Assessment Checklist

Montessori Assessment Tools & Resources

Assessment Tools

Use a lesson tracking document (like this record keeping document from Montessori Printshop) that indicates presented to the child, assistance required, and mastery of the work.
Examples of the child's work give good indication of progress made and where attention needs focus
Written observations are narrative of your daily, weekly, and monthly observations of the child.

Assessment Resources

I am going to end with a quote from Montessori Madmen about the role and the responsibility of the Montessori guide:

“The Montessori teacher is an artist – trained in noticing the cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral needs of children. We are constantly assessing a children’s position along their own arc of educational understanding, and adjusting our practices to best meet them when they’re ready to learn.”

Let me know how you assess the children in your learning environment.

Marnie

Use Both Hands – A Case for Training Montessori Assistants

By Tammy Oesting Filed Under: Montessori Tagged With: Classroom, teacher, Teaching This post may contain affiliate links.

Training Montessori assistants is imperative for a smoothly run classroom.

If Montessori teachers were given a magic wand for their classrooms, more often than not they’d use it to implement Montessori to the best of their ability. When asked, teachers usually reveal just how many responsibilities they have that can get in the way of their main goals – assisting each child and finding the right material or lesson to meet each child’s needs.

What many teachers need isn’t a magic wand, it’s a personal assistant, and they may have the answer to this need right under their noses. The potential of their classroom assistant is often untapped.

If there are fewer than 10-12 children, a lead teacher just might be able to handle all the responsibilities involved in preparing a classroom and curriculum; observing, planning, and implementing individualized lessons; and keeping up with all administrative duties (such as progress reporting and community building). However, I believe that Montessori classrooms with more than 12 children should have two adults in the environment. This is important for functional and smooth classroom operations.

The Case for Training Montessori Assistants

To have each adult trained to fulfill their unique classroom role is like training both hands to hold the pitcher when pouring water.

All too often, however, only one of the adults is trained for her job. The other adult is often left to cursory and sporadic on-the-job training, given by someone who is meant to teach children, not other adults! The highest performing classrooms I’ve been witness to are ones in which the adults have built a mutualistic relationship with clear communication, expectations for professionalism, an openness to learn from each other, and agreements regarding functions of each role. This mutualism can be learned!

Support staff in Montessori environments are often called upon to overview the environment. This means supervising the children, redirecting children only when needed, maintaining the cleanliness and order of the classroom, and attending to the many chores that surround supporting young children in group settings.

Training assistants can cover an understanding of the scope and sequence of the materials, the importance of the environment, the importance of the quality of their interactions with the children, and their role as an assistant in meeting the teacher’s needs. Such training will ensure they’re better equipped to help the dominant hand pour the water!

What Does Training Montessori Assistants Look Like?

I have a broad perspective as a learner, mentor teacher, and trainer of support staff who work with toddlers through elementary ages. What have I learned? Optimal learning for adults dictates there are multiple modes, such as a guided mentorship and professional development outside of the workplace.

As a brand new assistant, I went to an 8-hour seminar at a local AMI school. While the seminar was great, it was inadequate in terms of follow-up on the job and it wasn’t very comprehensive. My training as an assistant was left to my seasoned mentor teacher and wise Head of School. She takes all the credit for hooking me into Montessori in such a positive way, and for helping me understand what was expected of me day in, day out in that entry level position.

Many years later, there are several excellent in-person assistant training programs offered around the world. Some are affiliated with AMS, AMI, or regional Montessori organizations. Thanks to the universality of the internet, there are now eLearning courses for training support staff, including the one I teach – the Montessori Assistant Toolkit from ClassrooMechanics. To assist the mentor teacher or administrator in best supporting their assistants, ClassrooMechanics also offers the coordinating workshop Supporting Classroom Assistants.

I believe it’s imperative that each adult working in a Montessori classroom build a framework including child development theories, the neuroscience of learning, and principles of Montessori philosophy. These set the stage for specific training in optimizing adult-child interactions, preparing and maintaining the environment, and preparing ourselves for these tasks. Additionally, the role of the lead guide needs to include how to support assistant staff, as the mutualistic relationship that flourishes benefits everyone.

Training Montessori assistants should be a priority, whenever possible. In a nutshell, it is the training of both our hands that pour water without spilling a drop.

More about the Author

Tammy Oesting, Lifelong Learner, Educational Leader, and Innovative Instructor. An American Montessori Society 3-6 and E1-2 certified teacher, Tammy serves the global Montessori community with professional development opportunities by delivering engaging online, on-demand eLearning courses at ClassrooMechanics. Her focus on optimizing classroom performance lead to creating and teaching a live Montessori Assistant Course for years. The need for accessible, quality professional development drove her to put her training online. Tammy and her husband Aaron are location dependent and travel the world visiting Montessori schools and sharing their insights as travel writers at Lands Remote .

How to Observe Children in a Montessori Classroom

By Tammy Oesting Filed Under: Montessori, Philosophy Tagged With: Classroom, Teaching This post may contain affiliate links.

As you may know, delivering a quality Montessori education is a lot of work. Preparing and maintaining an environment that meets every child’s needs, creating curriculum, guiding children to practice community-created rules, reporting progress to parents and administrators, identifying developmental milestones and more, the job of a teacher is overwhelming and depends on a variety of skill sets.

So you might wonder of my accuracy when I make the sincere declaration that there exists a “keystone skill” that is necessary for adults to acquire to effectively deliver Montessori. The skill I’m referring to is observation.

The Importance of Observing Children

Observing children helps teachers accurately infer what is needed to modify the environment or their approach to the child. These conclusions are better relayed to parents and administrators when they stem from actual observations.

For every action of the adult in the Montessori environment, whether it be replacing one material for another, or intervening with a child, or giving a new presentation to a child, there is a thoughtful reason to do so based on the adult's observations. So often what we think must be done is based on our impulses or habits rather than empirical knowledge of what should be done, or not.

Observation prepares the adult to act, but, first, we must prepare ourselves to observe!

In the third lecture of her 1921 London course, Dr. Montessori talked about the preparation of the teacher as analogous to the preparation of scientists in other fields: “Any methodical observation which one wishes to make, requires preparation. Observation is one of those many things of which we frequently speak, and of which we form an inexact or false idea. It should be sufficient to consider what occurs in all the sciences that depend upon observation. The observers in the various sciences must have a special preparation. For instance, one who looks through a microscope does not see what exists there unless his eye is prepared. It is not sufficient to have the instrument and to know how to focus it. It is also necessary to have the eye prepared to recognize the objects.”

The first steps in preparing for observing children are internal. Our brains are plastic; that is, they grow and change. Our patterns and habits of thought can be changed with practice. One pattern that hinders our ability to capture what we actually see is the “chatter” or fleeting off-task thoughts that float through teachers minds at any given moment.

Dr. Montessori suggested that guides wear a “beaded belt” and move one bead along the belt every time an impulse to act came upon them. Actions are far more effective when founded on actual observations. I suggest that adults working in Montessori environments practice training themselves to quiet their impulsive thoughts and observe what is actually happening before they respond to a child. No beads needed, just a bit of practice.

Consider starting with one minute and building up your ability to quiet your chatter with practice. Practice by watching YouTube videos of children working, or better yet, live in the classroom setting. Jot a tic mark every time a thought pops in your mind that is not something you are actually seeing or hearing in that moment. With practice, you’ll make more space as an effective observer and will know better when to intervene, and when not to.

More about the Author

What You Need To Know About Starting A Montessori School

By Maria Burke Filed Under: Montessori Tagged With: Teaching This post may contain affiliate links.

Have you decided that you want to start a Montessori school or program? Are you wondering what the next steps might be and resources you need to begin? Look no further! These sites and suggestions will help you realize your dream.

First Steps to Starting a Montessori School

Observing as many different classrooms and programs in various Montessori schools as is possible will give you many ideas. These will include the environment you want to create and the materials you may need to purchase.
Connecting with directors of schools helps you to understand how programs are run. Oftentimes, directors are willing to discuss their successes and difficulties. They may even share documents which they use for their programs.
Learning about state and local regulations will help determine what steps you need to take to become certified. The United States Department of Education has a document about the State Regulation of Private Schools.
Writing a business plan will help you focus your thoughts and ideas in order to realize your vision. The Small Business Administration has resources you can use.

Online Resources for Starting a Montessori School

The International Montessori Foundation has a course called Building a World-Class Montessori School. This 12-week course goes through eleven different units which will help you focus your dreams in order to make them a reality. I have completed this course, and although it is intensive, I highly recommend it. The information you receive is invaluable.
NAMTA has published a book called The Whole School Montessori Handbook. This handbook takes you step-by-step to create the documents you will need and the decisions you need to make. I also highly recommend this book. It has numerous samples for all program aspects.
The American Montessori Society has compiled a school resource website with a few resources you can consult.
People of Our Everyday Life has an article which lays out specific steps you may want to consider.
Living Montessori Now has an article which focuses on starting a preschool classroom at home.
NAMTA has a resource which has links focusing on subjects such as organization, budgets, legal issues, and financial operations.
Montessori for Everyone has an article with seven tips to start a Montessori classroom.
Trillium Montessori hosts a private Facebook group for current Montessori directors and those people with a desire to star ta school

While there is a lot to consider before starting a program, these sites and resources are invaluable to helping you reach your goal. Let me know how it goes!

Maria

Is One Certified Teacher Enough in a Montessori Classroom?

By Maria Burke Filed Under: Montessori Tagged With: Classroom, Learning Environment, Montessori, Teaching This post may contain affiliate links.

My sister described her visit to meet a lead teacher and observe a classroom at a local Montessori school in search of a good spot for her daughter: “There were 25 kids in the class. It just seems too much. We want 12 kids max.”

As a Montessori trained teacher and parent, I had to take a deep breath before responding: “How many teachers were in the class?”

She paused for a moment, “There were 3 including two assistants and a lead teacher.”

Then I explained three key tenets of a Montessori classroom that make the teaching arrangement possible and effective:

Multi-age environment
Liberty within a Prepared Environment
Role of the teacher

Although Montessori classrooms typically have 3 adults, the lead teacher is typically the only one with certification. This reality is somewhat shifting, however, as the demand becomes more apparent that every adult in the class should be trained to some extent in Montessori. There are Montessori assistant training programs that exist and the popularity is rising. You likely will see many schools begin to adopt this approach in the future.

When Maria Montessori designed her method, she emphasized the following:

children interact and learn from their peers within a multi-age setting
children interact with the carefully planned environment and the materials on the shelves with liberty
after careful observation of the children and preparation of self, the teacher prepares the environment, customized to the children's development and interests, in a way that invites the child to engage and want to learn

3 Reasons Why One Trained Lead Teacher Works in a Montessori Classroom

# 1 – Montessori's Multi-Age Setting

Montessori classrooms consist of three-year age groupings at all levels. The oldest children have a firm grasp of the material in the environment. Therefore, they are able to give lessons to the younger students, thereby solidifying their knowledge. The youngest students see the older children as models, and as they progress through the cycle, they begin to look forward to their third year when they are able to be the models. {Read >> Why Multi-Age Classrooms Rock and Advantages of Multi-Age Classrooms}

#2 – Montessori's Prepared Environment

Montessori's carefully prepared environment gives children liberty to choose works that attract them. With that said, an important note is that Montessori designed the curriculum so that the materials on the shelf progress in a way that allows the child to move through the sequence easily and seamlessly based on observing and understanding the children within the environment. This liberty allows the teacher opportunity to observe more than intervene to guide the child.

#3 – The Role of the Teacher

Montessori requires intensive teacher training. He or she must learn all aspects of the curriculum, the materials to use, and the lessons to give. In The Discovery of the Child, Montessori said, “A teacher must, therefore, be well acquainted with the material and keep it constantly before her mind. She must acquire a precise knowledge of the techniques that have been experimentally determined for the presentation of the material and for dealing with the child so that he is effectively guided” (151).

The role of the teacher is a critical component of the prepared environment. Through training, the teacher prepares herself in order to better prepare the environment for the children. She will know how to navigate the environment, how to lean into older children to give lessons (to aid in their own development of leadership, communication, and social skills), and how to observe effectively to create an engaging classroom for the children.

Therefore, the second (and often third) adult in the classroom assists the lead teacher with observation, helps children who might need redirection or a bit of guidance with the materials. While the assistant is often not a fully certified Montessori teacher, their experience in the classroom is worth a great deal as far as child development, communicating with kids, and disciplinary approaches go. Plus, the mentorship offered by the lead teachers goes a long way in preparing the assistant.

Transparent Classroom & 9 Other Montessori Record Keeping Tools

By Maria Burke Filed Under: Montessori Tagged With: Classroom, Teaching This post may contain affiliate links.

Choosing a record keeping system to use in the classroom or at home can be daunting. There are many different options, and you need to find one that not only meets your needs but also fits your budget and time constraints. So, of course, I decided to go out and do a bit of research for you. This post includes my favorite record-keeping finds.

Montessori Record Keeping Resources

Just Montessori offers a record-keeping document at no cost. The document includes an effective “checkbox” approach to tracking the progress of works found in the early childhood Montessori classroom.
Teachers Pay Teachers offers tons of paid and free record keeping options for you to download and print out.
Mandie’s Montessori Materials has a file for Montessori Record Keeping in the Elementary Classroom, which is available for $9.99. This file includes documents in each area of the classroom as well as teacher-related forms.
Montessori Print Shop has a Primary Montessori Record Keeping document at a reasonable cost to you. It contains blackline masters for the areas of the classroom. Don't miss out on MPS's free record keeping documents, too!
Trillium Montessori offers a wealth of Montessori record keeping and lesson planning knowledge.

Montessori Record Keeping Online Resources

Montessori Records Express is a program that allows teachers to monitor progress, take attendance, plan and record lessons, and prepare reports. You have the ability to copy and paste lessons from other schools that use the software, or you can input the lessons that are specific to your classroom. It also has a parent portal.
Montessori Compass offers a 14-day free trial to determine whether this software is right for you. This software is available for use on all devices. You have the ability to record attendance, classroom observations, and lesson ideas and plans; print weekly work plans; see classroom progress at-a-glance, and communicate with parents.
Montessori Workspace allows you to track progress, record social observations, and create customized reports and lists.
Transparent Classroom allows you to enter observations, hold the entire history of a child online, generate conference reports, allow parents access to information, customize lessons, and track information.

I hope you are able to find the program which works for you! Share the tool you use to manage records and plan lessons!

Maria