Author: relda

By Tara Israelson – Nīkau Head Teacher – Preschool

I recently found myself in a discussion on the subject of rewards for young children and their merits and drawbacks.

As I listened to the rationale behind offering rewards for specific behaviours in the early childhood classroom, I wondered to myself where this fits within the Montessori context.  It’s a tricky concept to unravel because there are many rewarding experiences every day both for the children, and the teachers in the classroom.  However, how many of these rewards are extrinsic versus intrinsic, and what is the connection between rewards and motivation?

An extrinsic reward is something tangible and visible given to someone for an achievement they have made.  An intrinsic reward comes from within the individual and is grounded in satisfaction, pride in work done and a feeling of accomplishment.  In a classroom, an extrinsic reward might be a treat–maybe extra playtime outside or a grade on a paper or end of term project.  In contrast, an intrinsic reward in a classroom may not be obvious at all unless you are close enough to hear the tell-tale, “I did it!” before the child joyfully moves on to their next pursuit.

In our Montessori classrooms we value the intrinsic reward over the extrinsic for a variety of reasons.  Dr. Montessori felt that rewards interfered with children’s learning and studies show that this is true, particularly when looking at long term behaviour.  While for short term results, a tangible reward might get the response we are looking for, the child is not motivated to repeat this behaviour in the long term.  Part of the rationale for giving rewards to children at school is the notion that children do not enjoy learning and that they need an incentive.  In our classrooms we know that this is not true–that children are highly motivated to learn!  Their interest knows no bounds!  Rather than an incentive, we need only give the children time to practice their lessons, and materials to work and play with that feed their interests.  The reward for the child comes from the satisfaction of discovery or being able to complete something completely on their own.

Dr. Montessori said, “a child does not need praise; praise breaks the enchantment.” (The Child, Society and the World, p. 16).  We have found this to be certainly true in our classrooms. Even a seemingly unintrusive “good job” offered to a child who has been feeling quite proud of him or herself can instantly steal the joy.  They have already made their own internal judgements about what they have done and our remarks are completely unnecessary.

As we age we begin to need more external rewards for the work that we do, but for children whose natural inclination is to learn, they are merely a distraction from the real prize.  There is a great chapter on rewards in the book Montessori, the Science Behind the Genius by Angeline Stoll Lillard.  It is available on Amazon and through Book Depository.

By Michael Draper–Physics and Electro-tech Teacher–High School

“When are we ever going to use this?” This is a common question from teenagers in conventional high schools, yet we rarely hear this question in Tāwari. Why is that?

Maria Montessori identified that the primary drive for adolescents is learning what they need to function as an adult.

Part of this is social. Adolescents need to establish their own unique identity, to develop their own self-expression and to fit in with others beyond the environment of family.  In the 6–12 years, children learn through social play, safe in their position as children within a family/whānau.  With adolescence their awareness turns to the challenge of becoming participants in adult society and their social experimentation and learning suddenly becomes very real and earnest.

Another equally important part is occupational: the need to learn how to become a contributing member of the community.  Historically, this was the age children would enter into apprenticeships, working at the feet of a master to learn their trade or occupation. They started with simple tasks, then as their confidence and exposure to the real work developed, they would move on to progressively more skilled and more complex tasks.  This progression also reflects our more recent understanding of the process of body and brain development that occurs in adolescence, starting with broader physical capabilities and progressing through finer skills to the blossoming of abstract thinking proficiencies in later adolescence.

Adolescents want to learn. They are driven to learn what they perceive will be useful for them as adults. Just telling them there is purpose isn’t enough. If they can’t see for themselves a clear connection between what they are being taught and its usefulness for them as adults, they will struggle to maintain attention.  The key here is relevance. When ākonga see relevance in what they are learning, they learn faster, understand and retain more.

At Wā Ora this understanding is reflected in the different emphasis and work patterns of Kawakawa (school years 8-10) and Tāwari (the NCEA years).  In Kawakawa, the emphasis is on social development and on practical experiences of working with others and with the physical world.  There is less emphasis on academic learning in Kawakawa, partly because the young adolescent brain is still developing capacity for this and partly because of the need to give ākonga the experiences that give meaning to future academic learning.

In Tāwari however, the priority shifts to the more academic requirements of senior high school learning.  It is here that the experiences and practical learning in Kawakawa pay off; where conventional school students struggle to see the relevance of many lessons, Tāwari students have a rich store of practical experience to which they can relate the more abstract learning of senior high school.  With a richness of experience to draw on, the question of “When will I ever use this?” becomes redundant.

By David Starshaw–Mathematics Teacher–High School

I don’t believe that maths is the most important subject and I want to explain why below. There are also links to a great video and quiz at the end of this article. The quiz is quite confronting but the video contains an important message for everyone to hear.

On one hand, yes, maths is everywhere. It makes your computer work, it drives your car, it underpins the internet, helps people and governments spend their money wisely, it enables data-mining companies to predict your behaviour, it can be used to influence the results of elections and referendums, and it can be used to pass level 3 NCEA.

But while maths makes your computer work, you don’t need to understand the maths in order to use your computer. Only specific professions use high school maths in the real world. Be honest, how many times have you used quadratics since leaving school?

But I believe that the misuse of data is one of the biggest issues in today’s society. And it is allowed to happen because we all have misconceptions about the world that we believe, rather than the reality. I don’t think I’m overstating this. Look at Trump. Look at Brexit. Look at the rise of echo chambers where people can redefine their realities and warp the facts beyond all recognition. Did you know that most people overestimate the proportion of their country’s population who are immigrants? Did you know most people overestimate the wealth held by the richest 1%? It is the stories that we tell ourselves, rather than reality, that define our world view.

Most people are unaware that we have brought extreme poverty crashing down. In the last 50 years, poverty has reduced to 50% of what it was. In the words of the late Hans Rosling, “People say that we cannot solve poverty. Of course they think so. They don’t even know what has already happened! The first thing to think about the future is to know about the present.”

I think therefore that statistics is the most important subject at high school. And also the humanities subjects.

How many misconceptions do you think you have? Watch Hans Rosling’s TED talk: How Not To Be Ignorant About The World and take the Gapminder Global Knowledge Test he mentions. I assure you it’s quite confronting.

By Allyson Ashfield–Kawakawa teacher

Well we couldn’t have asked for better weather for Wā Ora’s ninth odyssey to the top of the South Island this year, that’s for sure. This year’s focus, as well as to build our community for the year, was on Pedagogy of Place and that place was The Abel Tasman National Park, its environs and Motueka. We were reunited with Henry and introduced to Paddy, both of whom organised this year’s Odyssey.

Our journey started with a long day of travelling from Wellington to Picton and then a very warm bus ride over the Takaka Hill to Totaranui, our base for the next six days. Sarah Jane had travelled ahead and had a delicious meal ready and waiting for the weary travellers.

Having only just arrived, half the group were off on their Abel Tasman Coastal track tramping adventure the next day, while the other half spent a full day on Onetahua /Farewell spit on a guided adventure. From the omniscient Murray, we learned about the history, the special features and the flora and fauna of this unique part of New Zealand. A highlight was jumping off a giant sand dune and tumbling to the bottom.

Our planned tramp of 45 km over two nights was a little too ambitious, especially with the baking hot weather, and each of the two groups modified the hike to suit their group. I was really impressed with the tenacity and resolve our adolescents displayed to reach the campsites and the support and help they showed to each other. They all dug deep and I’m immensely proud of them. As a result, my group spent a beautiful day at Bark Bay, exploring waterfalls, swimming, investigating tidal flows, more swimming, learning how to secure tents in the wind and how to deal with a plague of bumble bees!

Once back at Totaranui we spent time in the local area visiting an art gallery for local artists in Takaka, Waikorupupu Springs and Wainui Falls and a half day sea kayaking before heading back over the hill to Motueka for our Marae stay at Te Awhina Marae. We were very lucky to be staying there on Waitangi Day as we got to experience welcoming visitors onto the marae, from the perspective of the manawhenua, and help out with hosting the visitors. Some of our students got to see the setting up of the hangi in the morning and we all had a good feed from it in the evening. A great way to end our 2019 Odyssey adventures.

A couple of thoughts from our adolescents about odyssey:

“Odyssey is a great learning experience for Kawakawa to connect and learn for the year ahead. I love how we get to go and explore New Zealand and learn about the Maori history.” A year 10 student.

“It was a good way to start the school year. A good introduction to Kawakawa; it helped me get used to the class.” A year 8 student.

By Carol Palmer–Tawhai Teacher

Every year as a new wave of children joins our class I notice a surge in the uptake of handwork. Children are naturally drawn to this creative work because handwork connects to all things and meets so many needs in the child.

Handwork takes commitment, both to master and to complete a project.  Children in modern society can become so used to quick-fixes and instant gratification that they lose the ability or motivation to strive for anything longer term.  Knitting a scarf can take months, particularly if the child goes through all the steps of washing and spinning the wool, and knitting it on knitting needles that they have made themselves.  These projects teach children that we can achieve great things, if we take them one step at a time.

Handwork is therapeutic, it creates a space in time when the hands are engaged but the mind is free to process and unwind–it naturally slows down to meet the rhythm of the craft, and its natural balance is restored. In a culture where children are becoming increasingly stressed and anxious it is more important than ever that we offer them an outlet for their tension.

In a world where children are used to working with electronic devices–connecting with plastic, metal and glass and using finger tips and thumbs to tap and swipe–there is, more than ever, a need to develop the hand.

When we sew, we must hold our fabric in place and manipulate our needle to come out in the precise spot needed to make small, neat stitches. Then we must pull the thread hard enough to draw it tight, but not so hard that the fabric bunches up, or the needle becomes unthreaded. There are few other activities offered to children, which build their fine motor skills in such detailed and comprehensive way.

Any serious knitter will tell you how much maths is involved in resizing patterns and any IT specialist can tell you how closely the binary combinations of knit and purl relate to coding. When we make clay pots, we explore the pottery that our ancestors used, how it was designed and fired and what this tells us about our history. When we carve wood we learn to respect strict safety rules and when we weave baskets we have to think about the strength of our construction and its suitability to our intended purpose.

So whilst we are doing a lot of handwork, we are preparing hands for writing with our spinning, engaging the mathematical brain with our knitting and practising engineering as we make our tools. We are engaging the scientific brain as we discover the effect of pH on the colour of dye and building stamina as we commit to completing long term projects. We are learning mindfulness techniques and, as a side bonus, we are producing beautiful objects.

Handwork connects to everything and connects us to each other. Please feel free to come and join us in our creative work in Tawhai.

By Robin Wilkins– Pūriri teacher–primary

Parents often ask this question after their child has moved to primary. They feel despondent and wonder where their adorable, well-mannered child has gone. Be assured, this is perfectly natural; the child has entered a new stage of development, one that is loud, messy and rude–what Montessori called the ‘age of rudeness’.

Dr. Montessori identified four major planes of development through which humans grow and mature. She observed common developmental characteristics within roughly six-year increments, which she referred to as the planes of development.

As the first plane child approaches three, they are ready for a prepared environment that serves as a bridge to the outside world. Learning materials are for individual use and encourage the child to sensorially explore the real world. At approximately six however, startling changes begin to happen indicating a new direction in their development, as they move towards the second plane.

At this stage, children become intensely social. Lessons are now given in groups, whereas in preschool, they were one-on-one for the most part, and group work is the norm. The classroom becomes a dynamic, vibrant, sometimes chaotic and messy environment through which the children move.

They develop a new physical strength and stability giving them great stamina and energy. They are adventuresome, ‘rough and tough’ and they enjoy overcoming obstacles and facing challenges.

Imagination develops, as does the reasoning mind and the ability to think abstractly. They begin to question how and why things happen and begin to wrestle with moral questions and making judgements. This is the age that the concept of justice is born. They not only want to discern just from unjust acts, but they want to fight injustice whenever they become aware of it. ‘Tattling’ is a result of this and they will continually report on the behaviour of other children even though they may not be doing the right thing themselves.

Behavioural changes are also evident with the second plane child becoming more extroverted–they want to be with other children and be like them. They play social games and establish groups with new rules. These often involve secret languages, passwords, hidden treasures, hideouts and bizarre rituals.

Kids will be mean to other kids because they are establishing a place in this new social grouping which is so key at this age. At this age they are still somewhat ego-centric, seeing everything in terms of how someone else hurt or embarrassed them; rarely do they see their own part in it. When talking through issues that arise, their stories are often told with glaring omissions which only come to light with deeper investigations.

Every day we help ākonga navigate their social journey and support them in making decisions that positively impact their social relationships.

By Krista Kerr – Pōhutukawa teacher

When discussing a child’s behaviour at school with a parent I often hear the comment “Why doesn’t my child do that at home?”–‘that’ being anything like: follow instructions, put things away when they are finished with them, or get along well with others.

The two words that I always go back to are expectation and consistency.

Our akomanga are set up to build our class cultures. For a large group of people to be together day after day, learning and getting on, there has to be some boundaries. We keep these to a minimum and they are mostly based on the respect of others. These then become the expectations that we all hold each other to. For example, when an activity is finished with, it is replaced in the correct place just as it was found before moving onto another activity. This is out of respect for others that may want to use that activity and to preserve the order of the class.

However, having expectations is only half of it – you then have to consistently hold each other to these expectations. Simple right?

Of course this is not as easy as it sounds, especially outside the bubble that is school.  At kura we have a whole class full of people to uphold these behaviours; it doesn’t just come down to one or two people (especially in preschool where our four-year-old ‘police officers’ remind everyone of the ‘rules’!). We also have the luxury of time–at home one day you may have the time to follow through on the expectation that your child will tidy up their breakfast mess, but the next morning you forgo that for the sake of getting to school on time. Decide ahead of time what the consequences will be when this happens, which is then consistently applied. Perhaps it is there after school for them to tidy, perhaps they get up earlier the next morning so that they have the time needed.

However, the more you set boundaries around the behaviours that you expect and then consistently stick to these (with yourself as the role model), the quicker these expectations will become habits. Start small with realistic expectations, involving your child in these decisions if age appropriate, help to set up the forming behaviours and then build from there.

Another common question concerning consistency I get from parents is, “What can I do at home to be consistent with what my child is doing at school?”

I’m going to plug our parent education nights and fortnightly blogs here! Interact with your child’s teacher and with the school community. Give feedback on areas that you would like more information on; whether that be literacy, preparing for transitions, behaviour, Montessori philosophy… The information we share via parent evenings, blogs, newsletters is going to be more relevant to you if it is about topics that you are interested in finding out more about!

Me korero ano – let’s talk more!

By Richard Goodyear – Kawakawa teacher

A key part of our curriculum in Kawakawa is called ‘occupations’. I’m sure you’ve heard bits and bobs about this over the years or you may have children in the adolescent programme already so know quite a bit.

Occupations is one of the main pillars of our programme. It is both a collection of traditional subjects (science, technology, design, communication and more) and a mandate for a way of working (going out to meet professionals, seeing projects in society and inviting experts in to help us, and working on hands-on projects that serve the community).

Currently, the students get a lot of choice about what projects they join but once in that group, often the autonomy for the project sits largely with the adult guide. That model is not so different from what many mainstream adolescent programmes are doing around the country.

We are going to change that next year and at the same time expand the purpose of our projects. Projects will exist within themes that are both current and future-focused in Aotearoa.

The first of those is kaitiakitanga, the notion of guardianship. As our society comes to grip with the impact we have had on the land, we know we are going to have to adopt economic activities that see the land, water and life thrive while the people also thrive. Kaitiakitanga projects will be focused on this and other related themes and be based on the high school site of course but branch out into the forests and streams on this side of the Hutt Valley.

Manaakitanga is another occupations overarching theme. This uniquely Māori concept encompasses hospitality, respect, caring for others, hosting and many other ideas. It will look a bit like growing food and serving people lunch, but it will be so much more. We might put a hangi down but before we can do that we will need to investigate the soil chemistry of our site (it used to be a plastics factory after all). We might make a pizza oven and explore the physics of insulation and heat first. Ākonga will have the opportunity to follow ideas of their own and ones worked out by their teachers.

And lastly, we will have a good old-fashioned zone for tinkering and creating. We are calling it ‘Maker Space’. It will evolve into something we can’t imagine yet but no doubt it will be a place to build, create, code, solder, print 3-D models, solve problems and so much more. It will be full of tools and will be a place to try weird and wonderful projects. Some of which will have a purpose, some of which may just be created. Just because. One of my hopes for ‘Maker Space’ one day is to create a plastics recycling factory (designs are online). But we’ll see.

Exciting times in Kawakawa.

By Carolyn Bohm – Rātā teacher

Summer is here and as the days continue to lengthen and warm up, it’s a great time to think about active outdoor undertakings. Active time outdoors comes with a range of benefits for children (and adults) from increased physical health, to learning about the natural world, to gaining a sense of independence. Movement is critical to a child’s healthy growth and development. Spending time outdoors and moving helps children maintain healthy immune systems and decreases their chances of future problems with obesity and heart ailments. Further, physical activity increases children’s appetite at meal times due to the energy they burned off playing, walking, swimming or biking and helps them sleep better at night, tired from their physical adventures.

Taking children to the playground or a park is a great way to get them active as well as socializing with other children. When allowed to free play at the park, children learn to make new friends outside of a structured environment, how to navigate the dynamics of playing games in a group (which is much different than playing with just one other friend on a playdate), and how to successfully interact with people who have different temperaments, lifestyles and past experiences. Free play also allows children to develop leadership skills and a co-operative spirit that encourages bonding.

Time spent outdoors free playing, exploring, or engaging in science inquiries encourages a sense of independence in children as well. When at the park or playground with their peers, children can experience the opportunity to do things how they want and be in control of what happens. Outdoor play time fills kids with a sense of energy that encourages them to push themselves in exploration and discovery.

Experiences outdoors are perfect for giving children a better understanding of the world around them, whether an understanding of botany, zoology, geology, physics or astronomy. Nature’s constantly changing essence helps children hone observation skills around the cycles of life and terrain that leave the world around them simultaneously in constant flux, but also reassuringly familiar. Positive experiences with and appreciation for nature in childhood helps children develop a stronger sense of environmental awareness. Treks, planting trees, gardening, fruit picking, going to nature exhibitions, or visiting botanical gardens are all great ways of combining physical activity with time spent learning outdoors. If you are looking to do more structured outdoor science exploration there are plenty of books and websites that give outdoor science activities (and explanations for those activities) that use materials you either might have at home already, or could easily pick up from the store. Many of the science explorations I have done in the classroom have come from science books I picked up from the library, some of the my favourites being the “Science Lab for Kids” series.

In the Montessori classroom we strive to make learning a fun, engaging activity that encourages a love of exploration in children. Learning, therefore, is not a chore or something to need a break from, but an exciting endeavour for all times of the year.

By Anna McLean – Preschool Deputy Principal

The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult.     Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood

There is a lot of jargon associated with Montessori education and one such phrase is “The Prepared Environment.”  Here are some of the considerations that are given to providing an environment that allows tamariki to engage with it.

Firstly, it is an environment that supports the freedom to move and explore.  Tamariki choose an activity and take it to where they want to use it. It may be inside or outside. Once a child has been given a lesson they are free to explore the activity again and again until it is no longer calling to them or the skill has been mastered.

The mixed age group is a feature of a Montessori classroom. Tamariki are able to learn from their peers at their own pace and through their observation of how things operate within the class.  The older tamariki are the role models and naturally provide support for the younger ones, as they too were supported when they first started.

The classroom is aesthetically beautiful with care and thought going into every item that is placed within the space.  Natural materials are preferred such as wood, metal, glass, cotton as opposed to plastic. Everything has a place and activities are returned to the correct position on a shelf, complete and ready for the next person.

All the furniture is child-sized.  Shelving within the environment is at a height which allows tamariki to independently use items without adult support.

Utensils are fit for purpose i.e. if tamariki cut up fruit they use a knife with a sharp edge.  Plates and glasses break if they are dropped which is an opportunity to learn how to carefully clean up.

There is only one of each material. If tamariki choose to do an activity already in use, they have to wait until it is back on the shelf. This naturally supports the concept of patience.

Materials are complete.  If a piece of equipment is broken or there are pieces missing, then it is removed from the shelf until it is fixed or parts replaced.  Many of the Montessori materials in a preschool class have a “control of error” – the clue to the child that either it has been completed correctly or something isn’t quite right, thus supporting the repetition of the activity until the correct solution is found.

The outdoor environment is also prepared using the same principles.  It is also a place to observe nature and take part in the practical activities associated with a garden.

Individually, you may see aspects of what has been discussed in other preschool environments but it is all of these aspects collectively that make the prepared environment a key part of Montessori philosophy.