It's impossible to embark on a radical redesign of education without first identifying and momentarily suspending our most basic (and usually unexamined) assumptions about what's happening in schools. The illustration embedded here identifies some of our current, commonly held, largely unexamined assumptions about education. Each of them has, over time, served to carry us toward … Continue reading Ten Horsemen of the Educational Apocalypse
Return to Scientific Pedagogy (or: why I’m a feral Montessorian)
To my way of seeing it, "Montessori" has become a universalized descriptor, signifying a loose collection of progressive educational principles. In fact, Dr. Maria Montessori developed and documented a thoroughly articulated and richly integrated classroom practice for assisting the healthy and natural development of pre-school and elementary age children. She accomplished this through the systematic … Continue reading Return to Scientific Pedagogy (or: why I’m a feral Montessorian)
Scientific Pedagogy, Part III: formulating a new discipline
The embedded illustration is an attempt to clarify and – believe it or not (see previous post) – simplify (for my own understanding), the streams of thought that appear to have influenced Dr. Maria Montessori in her work of formulating what she referred to as a Scientific Pedagogy. Importantly, the fields of Ethnography and Ethology … Continue reading Scientific Pedagogy, Part III: formulating a new discipline
Scientific Pedagogy, Part II: the intellectual ingredients
Maria Montessori synthesized the principles and practices of four sciences and put them to work in a large room full of small children to develop a framework for the discipline she came to call Scientific Pedagogy. Having herself been educated as a medical doctor, with enough coursework in anthropology to warrant her employment as a … Continue reading Scientific Pedagogy, Part II: the intellectual ingredients
Scientific Pedagogy, Part I: a summary in 100 words
It's hard to talk about Scientific Pedagogy succinctly. This week, I put before myself the challenge of encapsulating my understanding of this discipline using only 100 words (… and a quote, whose words I don't feel obligated to count). In the two or so posts that will follow this one, I'll flesh out my summary … Continue reading Scientific Pedagogy, Part I: a summary in 100 words
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