Seeing With the Eyes of a Child

It is my great good fortune that many mornings a charming young lady named Maggie  bestows upon me -with her unique energy and enthusiasm- a warm and welcome, spontaneous hug. This exchange for me is a sacramental moment - a milestone moment in which you catch a glimpse of the almost unbearable preciousness and mystery of life -chock full of meaning about openness, connection and hope which children uniquely provide.

I began my teaching career as a substitute teacher in the public school in Maine.  One fall day, I was called to substitute for a fourth grade teacher in a small mid coast town.  Among the twenty four students was a special needs child named Chris.  I was instructed to not worry overly about his engagement or performance and just focus on the lessons left to me with the whole class.  I did my best to include Chris but to also not bring any pressure to bear.  Just prior to recess at lunch time it was time for me to read aloud.  So, I sat in a chair and began reading aloud to the class.  Suddenly, Chris stood up and walked up to me, climbed in my lap and put his head on my chest.  I could tell from the faces of the children that this was unusual and endeavored to convey a keep calm attitude to all as I continued reading aloud.  Inwardly, I was of course confused and most uncertain how to proceed.  As I concluded the story, I asked the children to line up for recess and asked the line leader to seek an adult.  Eventually, the school nurse arrived and with some effort cajoled Chris away from me and on to his lunch.  He later went home.

At the end of the day, the school social worker came to speak with me and offered explanations of the experience most of which did not resonate with me.  As I drove home from my day, I finally had a chance to explore from my perspective both what had happened and how I felt about it.

Even now as I recall this, I am filled with energy and emotion.  I remain in awe of what Chris taught me in that sacramental moment that we shared.  He gave me the gift of awareness, an understanding of connection and the many levels on which it unfolds for teachers and their students, and he helped me know that my students would endlessly offer me so much more than I offer them.  These sacramental moments are the true experience and understanding of education as love and of the vitality that flows out of simply being present to one another.

Now, I am a mom to two children – a son and a daughter – and they look at me seeing me with the eyes of a child and through some sacramental grace of life love me. 

In the winter season we are invited once again to be as open and transparent as children in practicing and embracing the utter simplicity of love – giving and receiving it in our lives. At heart, our spirit and spirituality perpetuates the truth that every child is a unique light and well nurtured will self-actualize and share his or her many gifts.  This belief elevates the process of education from a simple intellectual pursuit to the shaping of individuals who will lead lives of consequence. Children grow not just in knowledge but in wisdom, not just in critical thought but in compassion. We want each child to realize his or her richest potential for learning and become an independent, self-motivated and contributing member of the world community and to engage in service to others. “The aim of such an education indicates the desire to contribute to the good of all, to share in this cosmic goodness.” Maria Montessori

Embracing Our Imperfection

“Nothing that lives is, or can be, rigidly perfect; part of it is decaying, part nascent. All admit irregularity as they imply change; and to banish imperfection is to destroy expression, to check exertion, to paralyze vitality.”  John Ruskin

I aim in my life and work toward a humble acceptance and personal embrace of ‘imperfectability’;  I try to remember that it is not efficiency nor precision, nor an unflawed performance that characterizes a human self, but rather the stops and starts, imperfection and flaws in performance that humanize each of us. We are a multifarious group -thank goodness- for this informs our human dignity and magnificence – our unique potential. ‘ It is the soul’s business to strive toward expression, and maybe the soul’s greatest expression comes through imperfection nobly embraced, and through valuing in others what is imperfectly beautiful, what is beautifully imperfect—in a word, what is human.’

Each of us has our own unique flaws.  It is the imperfections and flaws we each have that make our lives together significant and rich. Self-acceptance of imperfection allows us to look for the good in others.

A Parable
A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself because this crack in my side causes water to leak all the way back to your house."
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house".

Blessings to all cracked pots

Chinese parable

What a Difference We Make

As a parent, securing my children's future through a commitment to personal financial planning – by drawing up a will, buying life insurance, educating them well, and hopefully, investing wisely – is a top priority. Lately I recognize that those efforts are less meaningful if I am not also ensuring that they end up in a world worth living in. So I try to teach my children about the decisions we make individually and collectively so that my grandchildren will have a world worth inheriting. Understanding that modeling is an effective way to teach, I look for ways, with colleagues, to model what a sustainable school and world would look like.

As Anthony Robbins observes, “Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.”  We have a broad and ambitious vision for students. Our goal is to develop in learners their full potential - social/emotional, intellectual, creative and physical. This reflects our commitment to the development of the whole child. Learning is cumulative, an integrated process, rather than fragmented.  We are forging frontiers that will sustain and perpetuate this shared vision

As children reach a fuller understanding of the world around them, they begin to recognize the needs of others and want to help when the occasion arises. Each classroom community nurtures an ethic of caring. Generosity becomes unconscious—it is the connection that exists between all members of the group. It’s not a set of rules, but of everyday living. All are encouraged to notice who needs help and to deliver it in a supportive and humble manner. S/he does not need nor ask for praise or thanks—his/her internal satisfaction is clear; s/he is confident that s/he is capable of helping another person  We are committed to enlightening our students to their responsibility to the planet and its inhabitants. Our work calls for children to help children, for families to help families. This altruism is an important part of what school teaches and how we all live in the community.  Author, educator and psychologist Alfie Kohn writes in Altruism and Empathy in Everyday Life that "one learns more from personal involvement with pro-social action than from either hearing about it or watching someone else." He continues that "what we believe to be true about ourselves and others affects how we behave, which in turn affects our assumptions about human nature."

It is reassuring, then, that at the heart of our educational philosophy is a simple, but powerful notion engendering sustainability, compassion, empathy, and learning:  I take and I give back.  In this balance we find the great value and benefit – to ourselves and to our world, to our present and to our future – of our individual nurtured and nurturing lives.

Process or Be Processed

I recently listened to Douglas Rushkoff  speaking about his new book Program or Be Programmed and identified facets of his main ideas that profoundly resonate for me with the power of student centered, self-directed education.  Just as he weighs in on how technology as a tool can do for us but left un-tempered might reduce our personal empowerment, so I wonder how an over focus on benchmarking and data driven decision making diminishes the fundamental nature of education – learning how to learn as a process. “As one who once extolled the virtues of the digital to the uninitiated, I can’t help but look back and wonder if we adopted certain systems too rapidly and unthinkingly. Or even irreversibly. But those of us cheering for humanity also get unsettled a bit too easily, ourselves. We are drawn into obsessing over the disconnecting possibilities of technology, serving as little more than an equal and opposite force to those techno-libertarians celebrating the Darwinian wisdom of hive economics. Both extremes of thought and prediction are a symptom of thinking too little rather than too much about all this. They are artifacts of thinking machines that force digital, yes or no, true or false reconciliation of ideas and paradoxes that could formerly be sustained in a less deterministic fashion. Contemplation itself is devalued. The sustained thought required now is the sort of real reflection that happens inside a human brain thinking alone or relating to others in small self-selecting groups, however elitist that may sound to the techno-mob. Freedom—even in a digital age—means freedom to choose how and with whom you do your reflection, and not everything needs to be posted for the entire world with “comments on” and “copyright off.” In fact, it’s the inability to draw these boundaries and distinctions—or the political incorrectness of suggesting the possibility—that paints us into corners, and prevents meaningful, ongoing, open-ended discussion. And I believe it’s this meaning we are most in danger of losing. No matter the breadth of its capabilities, the net will not bestow upon humans the fuel or space we need to wrestle with its implications and their meaning.” Rushkoff

The value added of self-directed education and learning is that students internalize, develop and understand how to maximize their intrinsic learning potential; integrating self-management (contextual control), self-monitoring (cognitive responsibility), and motivational (approach a task in different ways using different strategies) dimensions.  In this way the learner harnesses the natural desire to help achieve a meaningful learning experience that will last through adulthood. The highly motivated, self-directed learner with skills in self-reflection can approach the broader ‘real world’ as a continual classroom from which to learn. Self-directed learning becomes even more powerful when it's systematic, that is, when the learner participates in identifying:

•  What areas of knowledge and skills we need to gain in order to get something done (learning needs and goals)

•  How we will gain the areas of knowledge and skills ( learning objectives and activities)

•  How we will know that we've gained the areas of knowledge and skills (learning evaluation)

• What are the criteria and means of validating

Listening to Rushkoff  re-ignited and renewed my educator’s passion for distilling and cherishing the power of education as a tool that can be wielded to understand how with intention and forethought to learn from everything we do; to take advantage of every experience as a learning experience;  to see systems and the people  we work with as resources - a lifelong process.

“Just as we think and behave differently in different settings, we think and behave differently when operating different technology. Only by understanding the biases of the media through which we engage with the world can we differentiate between what we intend, and what the machines we’re using intend for us—whether they or their programmers even know it.” Rushkoff

The Joyful Primary - a lasting, sustainable foundation for learning

“Education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual and is acquired not through listening to words but experiences in the environment.“  - Dr. Maria Montessori

This week I spent time observing in five primary classrooms that each provide students with a supportive learning environment where developmentally appropriate materials and positive learning experiences are clearly contributing to the growth of self-motivated and independent learners.  Each class is a multi-age grouping, balancing gender and developmental stages.  It is evident that the child teacher ratio assures each child maximum interaction with the teachers, and allows the teachers to observe and guide children individually.

Watching many of the youngest children seek help from an adult or older child as they learn to accomplish the task independently affirmed the marvelous outcomes of freedom and confidence that accompany the journey to self-sufficiency and… the ability to help a friend.  At the heart of this process is the notion that we take what we need and we give back what we are able – a quintessential Montessori value.

I observed class circle and the ensuing “work cycle” where children 'assimilate to the environment'.  All of the classrooms were demonstrably operating on the Montessori principle of freedom within limits. The children freely worked at their own pace with materials of their choice.  The teachers worked with children individually and in small groups, giving lessons and guidance on the prepared Montessori materials.  It was common to see a teacher giving a lesson to a few students while the rest of the children focused on work in different areas of the classroom. 

The shelves each held materials that children can explore to experience the full breadth of the curriculum through an open process of discovery. Individuality is balanced with an equal sense of responsibility and respect for the classroom community. Students investigated their own interests and chose activities exerting a sense of control over his or her life.

These joyful Montessori classrooms provide freely chosen learning materials to students, which are carefully and thoughtfully designed to offer a solid foundation for reading, writing, creativity, critical thinking, as well as, active participation in a community of others. As a child completes three years in Primary s/he becomes a self-composed, confident, and compassionate leader for the younger children. S/he learns to think independently, learns to learn with joy, and to self-regulate for social harmony - the common good.

*Research at the Universities of Virginia and Wisconsin has recently confirmed what Dr. Montessori observed long ago:

• "Movement optimizes learning. Active bodies create active minds. Montessori learning materials offer challenging work requiring both the body and the mind.
• Interest is key. Children learn best when they are interested. Children in Montessori classrooms choose their work, so they are able to pursue their interests.
• Motivation comes from intrinsic satisfaction. Montessori teachers avoid extrinsic rewards and competition since motivation is reduced when the rewards are removed. The Montessori method nurtures a child’s love of learning and desire to contribute and help others without rewards and punishments.
• Choice and control help children progress.  Montessori students choose their activities and manage their time. Students who have control over their educational experience make better decisions, exercise good judgment, and are more deeply engaged in their work.
• Order, beauty and routine are important. Montessori environments are aesthetically beautiful, tidy and organized. An attractive and dependable environment allows children to easily select and complete work and participate in maintaining the classroom.
• Collaboration inspires learning. Children in a multi-age environment learn from each other. Young children benefit from the example and guidance of older children. Up to age 6, children often prefer to work individually or in pairs. Montessori classrooms for young children are designed to accommodate this characteristic. After age 6, children are more likely to work in groups, collaborating on projects. Montessori classrooms for older children allow them to learn this way. Students solve problems by interacting with each other and listening to multiple perspectives. Montessori students have a strong sense of self, and are cooperative and supportive of each other. “

Each stage of Montessori education builds on the preceding one to form a lasting foundation. An authentic and complete Montessori education is truly a value added for life!

*www.curry.virginia.edu/research/centers; www.waisman.wisc.edu/

Toddler Classroom – Space to Learn

"An interesting piece of work, freely chosen, which has the virtue of inducing concentration rather than fatigue, adds to the child’s energies and mental capacities (leading to) self-mastery."   Maria Montessori

Recently, I was able to visit and observe in three toddler classrooms all of which were beautiful spaces actively supporting the engagement of children in purposeful work. The classroom environments were carefully prepared to be both beautiful and functional. The physical design, furniture and materials were varied from room to room but all equally supported the children’s independence and ‘innate impulse’ for self-development.

I could see so vividly how the work unfolding before me under the careful and gentle tutelage of gifted teachers assisted the children toward developing self-discipline, the ability to focus through the work in the environment. The materials were effectively captivating the child’s attention -clearly, the key to encouraging that focus.

It is important to say that in Montessori education this toddler stage is considered the first plane of development and to acknowledge that it is the one that has the most influence. ‘It is where thought, feeling, behavior, self-image, and self-esteem are formed.’

But what impressed me the most is the magical way the teachers used eye contact to let children know they are ‘with them’; used appropriate physical contact like holding hands and gentle touch to reassure and offer closeness; and focused attention to convey respect and how deeply valued each child is.

Recommended reading

Awakening your Toddlers Love for Learning  -  Jan Katzen-Luchenta  

Assessment-Feedback and the Self-directed Learner

One of the great strides in education over the last ten to fifteen years is in valuing diverse approaches to assessment and the benefits of innovative assessment.  This includes moving away from assessment of to assessment for learning. Montessori curriculum has always embedded these innovative measures and vehicles for feedback to the learner as an intrinsic part of the learning materials and environment.  As it is very intentionally embedded in the learning continuum to empower and build the learner’s confidence it can be an elusive piece in parent perception of the great strengths and benefits of the science and genius of Montessori.

Assessment for learning is different from formative assessment, the technique known to most traditionally schooled people.  While formative assessment is about providing teachers with evidence, assessment for learning is about continuous assessment and about informing students about themselves.  Formative assessment reveals who is and who is not meeting ‘outcomes’ or ‘standards’; assessment for learning tells teachers what progress each student is making toward meeting a learning outcome as they are learning —when there is still an opportunity to employ the feedback. In the formative assessment scenario the teacher typically provides the feedback to the learner.

When evaluation focuses on the results or outcomes of a program, it is called 'summative.  Summative assessments are  used to evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional program and teaching at the end of an academic year or a set time. The aim of summative assessment is to judge student competency after an ‘instructional phase’ is complete. They are used to determine student mastery of certain competencies and to identify areas that need to improve. Summative assessment seeks to identify which students have reached the top of the learning curve.  It holds students and their teachers accountable for achieving required outcomes - judging learning quantitatively at a particular point in time.  Examples are large-scale, on-demand state and district assessments, as well as traditional classroom assessments, e.g. tests and quizzes, typically used for report card grading.

In the Montessori learning environment there is a continuous array of assessments for learning used to help students learn more—to lead them deeper into their own learning.  Montessori assessment traverses many styles of assessment including authentic assessment – ‘the measurement of "intellectual accomplishments that are worthwhile, significant, and meaningful" – as well as performance based assessment. 

For example, authentic assessment “ … seeks to assess many different kinds of abilities in contexts that recreate situations in which those abilities are used. Students read real texts, write for authentic purposes about meaningful topics, and participate in authentic literacy tasks such as discussing books, keeping journals, writing letters, and revising a piece of writing until it works for the intended audience.  Both the material and the assessment tasks look as natural as possible.”  Authentic assessment stresses the thinking behind work, the process, as much as the outcome.

Performance-based assessment aims at a demonstration of the scope of student knowledge on a subject rather than simply measuring the accuracy of responses to a select series of questions.  Assessments become more than single events occurring at the end of the teaching. They become part of the learning process and keep students aware of their progress and confident enough to continue striving.

In the assessment for learning process, instructional decisions are made by students and their teachers. Thus, students use assessment information too, using evidence of their own progress to better understand what comes next for them. It relies on the class curriculum so that what has been learned and what comes next is clear to all throughout the learning. Assessment for learning motivates by helping students monitor and identify their success. Assessment for learning happens continuously throughout the learning process.  Students have a clear vision of the learning task from the beginning of the learning, as well as an understanding of the progression to competence.  Students also have continuous access to descriptive (as opposed to evaluative or judgmental) feedback from the teacher; information that helps them to improve the quality of their work.

These proactive assessments – which are at the heart of the Montessori approach to student-directed learning – allow students to engage with their own learning process and to successfully negotiate the road to mastery and learning competency.  Each of these specific practices draws the learner more deeply into taking responsibility for her or his own success. Over time these real indicators of learning generate and support an intellectually sophisticated, competent self-directed learner – the goal for every Montessori student.

Sources and references

Assessment for learning: putting it into practice, Paul Black, Chris Harrison, Clara

Montessori and Assessment, Haines, Annette M.

Montessori Assessment Outline, North American Teachers Association