What Do You Value About Teaching in a Montessori Program?

1. What Do You Value About Teaching in a Montessori Program? A day of discussions, reflections, and sharing! January 26, 2007

2. Who is this person and where did he come from? • Who is this person and where did he come from? • Married, Father, 4 children- 22, 20, 17, 14 • Principal Highglen School – 1 ½ years • Principal – Nakusp, B.C. and area for 15 years. • Intermediate school, Primary school, 3 rural schools, k-7 school. • Principal –St. Joseph School Smithers, B.C. • 4 years, teacher 4 years.

3. Who is this person and where did he come from? • Two Montessori 60 hr. sessions • distance learning, Bozeman Mont. • Royal Roads University • 2 years online training on District Admin • MEd – Educational Administration UBC • Enhancing education through the use of technology • Elementary Teacher Training (UBC) • Focus on lower income and mulit-cultural students. • BSc – Microbiology UBC • High School – Lord Byng – Vancouver, • 4 years SELF Program – self directed, multi-graded humanities program

4. Visioning • How do you see your school? • _______________ is like a Montessori program because:

5. Context • What is the context of your school and your work? • What is the difference between a Private Montessori School and a Public Montessori School? • What are the obligations and constraints that you face by being a Public Montessori School?

6. Context • Instructional Delivery Options • Choice is an important principle in Alberta’s educational system. Parents can access a number of instructional delivery options for their children. School authorities have the flexibility to deploy resources and use any method of instructional delivery as long as Alberta Education standards are achieved. • P. 89 Guide to Education

7. Context • Section 21(1)(a)(b) of the School Act states that an alternative program is an education program that: • (a) emphasizes a particular language, culture, religion or subject-matter, or • (b) uses a particular teaching philosophy, but is not a special education program, a Francophone program or a program of religious education offered by a separate school board. • P 90 Guide to Education

8. Context • What are the benefits of being a Public Montessori School? • How do you see it at the present? • How do you see your program evolving? • How do you plan to have this vision carry on after you have left. • Does your school have a consensus on these points?

9. What do you value? • How do your core values effect your beliefs about teaching in a Montessori Program? • What core value systems are in play within your schools? • Montessori’s Philosophical Framework • Alberta Ministry of Education Curriculum • Alberta Teachers’ Association Code of Ethics • Research of Best practices in teaching and learning. • Your personal core values.

10. What do you value? • How would you describe the Montessori part of your program? • Does is change? • Can it be adapted? • Can it be blended? • Can you share portions of it with other professionals in typical programs? • Is there a point when it stops being a Montessori program?

11. What do you value? • How about the Public School portion of your program? • Does is change? • Can it be adapted? • Can it be blended? • Can you share portions of it with other professionals in typical programs? • Is there a point when it stops being a typical program?

12. What would a diagram of the two systems involved in a Public Montessori Program look like? Give it a try! Montessori Context Alberta Public Context + = ??

13. Alberta Public Context Montessori Context Public Montessori Program

14. Montessori Context Alberta Public Context Public Montessori Program

15. Montessori Context Alberta Public Context Public Montessori Program

16. What do you value? • How you describe the relationship between these two value systems, dictates the issues you are troubled by and the type of answers you seek to resolve them.

17. Ethical Dilemmas • Much of our decision making is based on our core value systems. • Public Montessori programs have two distinct value systems in place, with a spectrum of three possible viewpoints for Teachers. • One that generally gives Public Context supremacy • One that generally gives Montessori Context supremacy • One that seeks to blend the two contexts by picking and choosing or by fusing them

18. Ethical Dilemmas • All three may be correct. • All three may be passionately held viewpoints. • All three may be mutually exclusive. • Dual-Track schools may have Montessori Teachers operating under one value system while the “typical” track is operating under a different system.

19. Ethical Dilemmas • Another way to describe an ethical dilemmas is a right vs. right decision making situation!

20. Ethical Dilemmas • Any time a decision is made based on the context of one domain, it will most likely to be objectionable to individuals operating outside that core value system. • Each group or individual in your school may be operating from within a different core value system

21. Ethical Dilemmas • Generally, if you find you can’t reach a consensus on some issue because both sides see no middle ground between two opposing viewpoints – you are probably in the middle of an ethical dilemma. • These dilemmas can be very stubborn and can tear apart a staff.

22. Montessori Context Alberta Public Context Public Montessori Program What “colour” is this portion?

23. Ethical Decision Making • A Short Course in coping with Ethical Dilemmas • Based on: How Good People Make Hard Decisions by Rushworth Kidder • Individual vs. Community • Releasing the Names of Sexual Offenders • Short-Term vs. Long Term • Spring Break Holiday vs. RRSP contributions • Justice vs. Mercy • Kim Walker’s Trial • Truth vs. Loyalty • Whistle blowers

24. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • The first step in finding a solution to an ethical dilemma is to identify the problem as ethical dilemma. • Right vs Wrong • Right vs Right • Individual vs. Community • Short-Term vs. Long Term • Justice vs. Mercy • Truth vs. Loyalty

25. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • Resolution Principals • Do what’s best for the greatest number of people (ends-based thinking) • Follow your highest sense of principle (rule-based thinking) • Do what you want others to do to you (care-based thinking

26. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • Do what’s best for the greatest number of people (ends-based thinking) • Do what maximizes good things happening

27. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • Follow your highest sense of principle (rule-based thinking) • “An action done from duty has its moral worth, not in the purpose to be attained by it, but in the maxim in accordance with which it is to be decided upon.” (Kant 1724-1804)

28. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • Do what you want others to do to you (care-based thinking) • The Golden Rule: “Here certainly is the golden maxim: Do not do to others that which we do not want them to do to us.” (Confucius 551-479 BC)

29. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • Nine checkpoints for ethical decision making • Recognize that there is a moral issue • Determine the actor(s) • Who’s issue? Who’s impacted • Gather the relevant facts • “Two roads… diverged in a yellow wood, …looked down one as far as I could… until it disappeared in the undergrowth” Robert Frost

30. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • Nine checkpoints for ethical decision making (cont.) • Test for Right vs. Wrong issues • Legal? • Stench Test • Front Page Test • Tell Mom Test • Test for Right vs. Right paradigms • Apply resolution Principals • Which one seems to fit the best?

31. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • Nine checkpoints for ethical decision making (cont.) • Investigate the “trilemma” options • Is there a third way?, Middle Ground? • Make the decision • May require moral courage! • Reflect and revisit the decision. • Go back and seek lessons once its all settled down!

32. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • Try These! • A School has a long term practice of encouraging parents to be part of the class placement process. Over the years, some teachers have been seen as “better” teachers. Now when parents request a class placement, they have an expectation that they will get their request. Many parents make request, but the most articulate are those from more advantaged families. How do you ensure that class assignments are fair and that classes have a good representation of student abilities.

33. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • Students in the Montessori program are not scoring well on provincial reading assessments. Some of the teachers have attended Guided Reading sessions and other schools in your district have made impressive gains through the use of platooned, reading groups. Your Superintendent has commented that perhaps some of the uninterrupted work time could be used to improve reading scores.

34. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • A Public Montessori School celebrates seasonal holidays in their class. Some of the teaching staff prefer to not celebrate them because they don’t see them as adding to the already loaded curriculum. Families with children in the two different types of classes are unhappy and feel that it is unfair.

35. Solving Ethical Dilemmas • The Public Montessori, dual track school has a new principal who’s forte is using Effective Behaviour Support, or Positive Behaviour Support Techniques. She would like staff to hand out “gotcha awards” – catching students being good. The class which gets the most awards each week wins a pizza party. Many of the staff are interested in improving the student behaviour.

36. Issues to discuss • Place of a Literacy Program in a Montessori Program • Recognize that there is a moral issue • Determine the actor(s)- Who’s issue? Who’s impacted • Gather the relevant facts • Test for Right vs. Wrong (Stench Test Front Page Test, Tell Mom Test) • Test for Right vs. Right paradigms • Apply resolution Principles • Invetsigate the “trilemma” options (third option? middle ground) • Make the decision • Reflect and revisit the decision.

37. Potential Ethical Issues • What core values do Literacy programs support? • How well are your students doing now? Do you know? How do you know? • Are their needs being met, in the way you are doing things now? Is it working well for all of the students? • Individual vs. group instruction • Leveled Instruction within a multigraded group • Platooning • Impact on uninterrupted work time.

38. Potential Solutions • Use materials for individual instruction • Plan leveled lessons across a few rooms • Group materials differently • Use materials as you currently use materials, but assess and monitor and instruct, based on levels. • Collaborate with other Alberta Public Montessori programs to develop a common strategy for literacy programs • Do these solutions lie in all of the core value regions of the diagram? • Will everyone find them acceptable?

39. Issues to discuss • Elaborating Learning Outcomes in a Montessori Classroom • Recognize that there is a moral issue • Determine the actor(s)- Who’s issue? Who’s impacted • Gather the relevant facts • Test for Right vs. Wrong (Stench Test Front Page Test, Tell Mom Test) • Test for Right vs. Right paradigms • Apply resolution Principles • Investigate the “trilemma” options (third option? middle ground) • Make the decision • Reflect and revisit the decision.

40. Potential Ethical Issues • What Core Values do Learning outcomes support? • What purpose are they trying to meet? • What is the impact of not having articulated learning outcomes? • Who needs access to have them? • What are the standard practice in Alberta schools? • Given that you have to meet the same learning outcomes as the typical program, can you get away without having them. • How well are your students doing now? Do you know? How do you know? • Are their needs being met in the way you are doing things now? Is it working well for all of the students?

41. Potential Solutions • Integrated Montessori/Public Curriculum with key (Public) learning outcomes clearly articulated for all to see, possibly done in 3 year groupings. • Just run a Montessori Curriculum and assume it covers the prescribed learning outcomes for the province. • Incorporate Provincial topics or content into the Montessori curriculum. • Collaborate with other Alberta Public Montessori programs to share Scope and Sequences of learning outcomes. • Do these solutions lie in all of the core value regions of the diagram? Will everyone find them acceptable?

42. Issues to discuss • Profile of the child which best fits the program. • Recognize that there is a moral issue • Determine the actor(s)- Who’s issue? Who’s impacted • Gather the relevant facts • Test for Right vs. Wrong (Stench Test Front Page Test, Tell Mom Test) • Test for Right vs. Right paradigms • Apply resolution Principles • Investigate the “trilemma” options (third option? middle ground) • Make the decision • Reflect and revisit the decision.

43. Potential Ethical Issues • The obvious answer is that a Montessori program is ideal for a inquisitive, self-motivated, self-monitoring, well-behaved child who comes from a supportive family! • Do you exclude students with: • behaviour management issues, Learning difficulties • Emotional problems, Special needs • With a lack of intrinsic motivation, With a lack of Montessori experience (when they apply in later years) • Does exclusion also relate to current class composition? • Is there financial pressures to accept children? • What is the impact of excluding students – both positive and negative? For the school? For the student?

44. Potential Solutions • Examine intent of program and determine policy to child inclusion in program. • Set criterion for acceptance and publicize it in your documentation and your orientation sessions. Give your prospective families a thorough “informed consent” regarding student and family expectations prior to registration. • Counsel unsuccessful students to find other placements. • Find out what other public Montessori schools are doing and work on a consistent policy. • Do the solutions lie in all of the core value regions of the diagram? Will everyone find them acceptable?

45. Issues to discuss • Balance of the 3 hr uninterrupted work time with other subjects • Recognize that there is a moral issue • Determine the actor(s)- Who’s issue? Who’s impacted • Gather the relevant facts • Test for Right vs. Wrong (Stench Test Front Page Test, Tell Mom Test) • Test for Right vs. Right paradigms • Apply resolution Principles • Investigate the “trilemma” options (third option? middle ground) • Make the decision • Reflect and revisit the decision.

46. Potential Ethical Issues • What is the purpose of the UWT? • Does having a UWT impact classes who don’t have one? (dual track schools) • What are the consequences of having a UWT? • Is there a consensus that it is a requirement? • Is this mainly a logistical issue or a philosophical issue?

47. Potential Solutions • Set up UWT, class by class, or by age groupings. • Limit the length of UWT, have 2 – 90 min UWT’s • Link UWT in Montessori classrooms to Literacy times in typical classrooms. • Have ½ of classes have UWT while the other classes have other subjects, prep, PE…, then switch around? • Alternate UWT days with Interrupted WT days. • Take prep out of schedule – give prep time as lieu days – this simplifies school scheduling. • Double up primary classes in gym as prep time – this simplifies school scheduling

48. Issues to discuss • Relationships with Montessori Teachers and Community Teachers. • Recognize that there is a moral issue • Determine the actor(s)- Who’s issue? Who’s impacted • Gather the relevant facts • Test for Right vs. Wrong (Stench Test Front Page Test, Tell Mom Test) • Test for Right vs. Right paradigms • Apply resolution Principles • Investigate the “trilemma” options (third option? middle ground) • Make the decision • Reflect and revisit the decision.

49. Potential Ethical Issues • Is poor relationships really an option? • Are the issues one-way or two-way? • Is good communication happening both ways? • Are there issues where consensus is possible? • What are you professional responsibilities towards your colleagues?

50. Potential Solutions • Communicate! • Articulate friction points. Articulate core values. Articulate ethical decision making concepts! • Seek a mediator to assist. • Seek middle ground? Is there a middle ground? • Find out what other public Montessori schools are doing and work on a consistent policy. • Is the friction only between Montessori staff and typical program staff?