Interactive Learning Tools Offer Opportunity for Rich Dialogue with Children

As one of our preschool teachers compiles portfolios of her students’ work on tiny flash drives, our 9-12 students research forms of government online, our teachers respond to emails from parents, and I type this blog, it’s clear that technology has become interwoven in our daily routine at Wilmington Montessori School. The world is “going digital” – or, arguably, has already “gone” – and while our staff and parents may remember a time when this wasn’t the case, our children will not.

It’s strange to think that objects we grew up with – the calculator, rotary phone and floppy disk, to name a few – are on their way to becoming artifacts like the abacus and quill pen. What other objects will become obsolete in our lifetimes and in the lifetimes of our children?

A German digital creative agency has utilized the new interactive capabilities of YouTube to share their answers to some of these questions in their Museum of Obsolete Objects.

The well-designed online museum allows viewers to take a nostalgic trip back in time. Yes, some of the creators’ conclusions are debatable – The fax machine became obsolete in 1999? The radio transmitter in 2004? – but that’s part of what makes this quirky site so intriguing. The Museum of Obsolete Objects serves as an amazing conversation starter, particularly between members of different generations. A discussion with your children or students could include the following:

• Which of the objects does your child remember? How about you?
• Do you agree that these objects are indeed obsolete?
• Which new innovations made each of these objects obsolete?
• What do you notice about the pace at which objects are becoming obsolete?
• Discuss some current objects and when you believe they might become obsolete or what type of technology could eventually replace them.
• If you have any of these obsolete objects available, allow children to interact with them and compare them with their newer replacements.

Interactive learning tools like this one provide an opportunity for rich dialogue between people of all ages. Want to check out some other virtual museums? Here’s a list of a few, courtesy of Teacher Tap (a free professional development resource that helps educators address common questions about the use of technology in teaching and learning). For a different outlook on the obsolete, here’s a list of obsolete skills.

What websites do you enjoy sharing and discussing with your children? Please share them in the comments!

Facing the 21st Century Through Labs Without Walls

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending an event at which Ellen Kullman, chairwoman and CEO of E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co, gave a powerful speech with some very clear messages.

As I sat listening, I was struck by many parallels to the world of education. When she speaks about DuPont, Ms. Kullman describes a company in transformation as it moves into its third century, noting that DuPont cannot continue to function as it did 50 years ago but must respond to the changing needs and problems of the world community. One such program – and one DuPont believes it has the scientific knowledge base to address – is the need to create an adequate world-wide food supply by the year 2050.

Kullman shared personal experiences with farmers and communities with scarce access to food in an October 13 press release. “I’ve walked through fields with farmers on four continents. I now understand many of the concerns they have and their hopes for the future for their families and communities,” Kullman said.

In order to meet this lofty challenge, Ms. Kullman knows that DuPont needs to work collaboratively with others throughout the global community. She describes “labs without walls,” where we learn from each other rather than existing in competitive isolation. Ms. Kullman emphasized the need for people to think creatively and innovatively as they use science to address world problems. Collaboration, a global perspective and use of science to solve important problems were the main themes throughout the address. Ms. Kollman described the importance of this collaboration: “At the end of the day, no one country, company, government or foundation can meet the global food security challenge alone ... Together, we can accomplish what no one can do alone.”

Find out how something as small as a seed can make an enormous change in the lives of farmers, their families and communities:

So, how does this parallel the educational world?

Clearly, just as DuPont cannot function as it did 50 years ago, neither can the schools that are preparing a new generation to do the work Ms. Kullman envisions. Research shows us that schools that foster and support global thinking, cooperation and innovation are child-centered schools encouraging risk-taking and new ideas – Montessori schools fit this description perfectly. More importantly, as Montessori teachers and parents, we need to serve as “labs without walls,” sharing what works in our schools with a broader community so that more children will be prepared to solve world problems – even world hunger.

Reading Aloud: A Ritual for Children of All Ages

As I watch my school prepare for its annual book fair next week, and I prepare to co-present a workshop on the importance of reading aloud in Montessori classrooms, I've wondered why my own nightly ritual of reading aloud to my (now teenage) sons stopped.

This summer, I read The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma. Alice writes of the Reading Promise made with her father when she was nine years old. This promise, to read every night for 100 days, became the Reading Streak ending at day 3,218 which was Alice’s first day in college. Once again, I wondered why I let the ritual of reading aloud to my children fade away.

The book clearly highlights the educational benefits of reading aloud with your child even into the teen years. However, it also brings to light something equally as profound; the importance of rituals in creating strong relationships with our children. Not only was Alice developing a deep personal relationship with her father, Jim Brozina; he was demonstrating his confidence in her by supporting her growing independence.

In the forward, Brozina writes,

“If a child sees something in a parent that that child aspires to, he or she will copy that parent and be content. If children feel that a parent is living a life that shows compassion and understanding, patience and love, that child will not have to reach a stage of rebellion against that parent... A parent who has proven time and again that the growth and happiness of his or her children is priority number one does not have to worry about where those children are heading in life. They will be sensitive and productive members of society for as long as they live. This story is by and about one such girl.”

Recommended reading:

• Learn more about Alice and start a streak of your own with your child at www.makeareadingpromise.com.
• Author James Patterson tells CNN.com "How to get your kid to be a fanatic reader."

Celebrating Peace Through Montessori Education

Today, many nations and schools around the world are celebrating the U.N. International Day of Peace. Maria Montessori believed that “establishing peace is the work of education.” With this in mind, Montessori schools around the world focus on helping adults and children alike to understand the interconnectedness of all people. I especially like this quote from Maria Montessori:

“We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.”

Each day at Wilmington Montessori School is an opportunity for the school community to experience the interconnectedness we have with each other.

Today, Jackson Politis, an 8-year-old who is my guest Head of School for the day, shared his thoughts about this with his peers at our school-wide Peace Assembly. Jackson said,

At Wilmington Montessori School, there are many ways that we are peaceful:

We help each other – especially the older children help the younger children. People can make friends easily here because we work together very well.
When we have problems we fix them using respectful words and not our actions. We help other people outside the school. We raise money and we collect shoes, coats, and canned food for others in our community.

In sixth grade, students do a project that helps people in another country. Last year, they did “Save the Rain” to help people have clean water. The sixth graders are planning now for their trip to the United Nations and their project this year.

As a part of our Peace Day celebration, each child and adult in the Wilmington Montessori School community creates chalk drawings representing our thoughts about peace as part of the Chalk4Peace project. In our all-school gathering, we are reminded about a special jar where each community member puts a paper crane to symbolize each person in our community as a whole.

Today was a very special day; however, in actuality, as Jackson pointed out, each day at WMS is peace day as we continue to celebrate our connections within both our local and global communities.

Montessori and School Reform

This past weekend Washington D.C. played host to the SOS-Save Our Schools march to the White House. Anthony Cody organized this grass-root effort to inspire change in current narrative surrounding public education reform. One of the key messages from the march is the importance of educational policy reform that moves away from test driven environments. Rather, the group is in support of creative learning environments where students are empowered to learn and teachers are empowered to un-lock each child’s potential. In short, less educational time spent on test preparation would allow for more in-depth study and essentially, higher quality education.

As Montessorians, we know that the quality educational model Cody and his supporters seek exist everyday in our Montessori schools and classrooms. The Montessori curriculum is not test-driven. Contrarily, it is individualized and allows students freedom of choice in a dynamic, energized and free-flowing classroom. One of the rally’s keynote speakers, actor Matt Damon, emphasized the important role imagination, empowerment, and love of learning played in his education and subsequent success. Montessorians easily and readily relate to the concept of empowering the individual learner by fostering independence, creativity, and a love of the process of learning.

Click the video below to see Matt Damon’s inspiring and appreciative speech praising the importance and value of creative and empowering teachers and learning environments…