STEM montessori

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STEM montessori calls for an integrated emphasis on STEM thinking and content within the montessori environment.

Background

Overview

What is STEM

In the United States, the acronym began to be used in education and immigration debates in initiatives to begin to address the perceived lack of qualified candidates for high-tech jobs. It also addresses concern that the subjects are often taught in isolation, instead of as an integrated curriculum.

— Wikipedia, STEM fields, Jan 2014

  • STEM as a buzzword, especially within the context of education, is all over the web
  • Yet there is not much agreement on what STEM actually means, though a general acceptance exists that it is something important - but mostly addressed to older students
  • It is likely that montessori preschool practitioners are actually doing more STEM, better, than most other educational environments for other ages

As with many other areas where Dr. Montessori was an innovative leader in Education, it is possible that her Casa dei Bambini was among the first to bring forth at least some minor level of relevant Science content to the Preschool environment. Yet, even today, Science and other STEM arts appear to be of lesser import when it comes to designing preschool education. It has been argued that "teachers’ personal and professional knowledge of math, science, and technology" influence this and set limitats to what can be achieved within the preschool, and also in other levels. Was it that Dr. Montessori's background as a medical doctor helped her see that Science belongs in preschool, when other educators didn't? Aren't activities like Land and Water powerful STEM activities already, in common use among Montessorians way before STEM was "invented"?[1]

STEM education is receiving much attention lately. The National Academy of Sciences, mentioned in the President's State of the Union Address two year running... Also, even though funding is still insufficient, preschool education, even including new montessori initiatives, is still a priority of the public and private education decision-makers and other initiatives. Yet, STEM+montessori is almost unheard of.

It could be said that montessori-type schools already do more than many when it comes to STEM-like content and practice, and also that they do integrate this within a more holistic curriculum, but it would not be hard to make a valid point that much more should be done, and that it could be done in ways that would fit within current frameworks, rely on the same educators with no extraordinary additional training, and be affordable.

Montessori STEM today

  • A web search in January 2014 came up with not a single provider of montessori STEM materials, and only one for preschool STEM. While it can be argued that STEM resources do not need to be labelled such to be effective, and the same goes for montessori, it is telling that STEM montessori is far, far away from being something that people are addressing in a practical, scalable manner[2].
  • That same web search came up with many, many pages talking about STEM. A much lesser number, but still quite a few, mentioned "STEM montessori" as a concept, or even as the name of several schools. A cursory look at what some of those schools are doing was rather discouraging - they seemed, at best, to be adding more Science content, but still isolated from other "subjects", or else offered montessori only for preschool levels, and STEM starting in 4th grade, apparently separate from each other.
  • Fox Valley Montessori School indicates they are the first Montessori STEM program in Illinois.
  • One outstanding "STEM montessori" mention comes from St. Catherine University, Minnesota, offering several programs for training teachers, being headquarters for the "National Center for STEM Elementary Education". There is specific indication that they are unique in the country, showcase hands-on activities, mention being inquiry-based, also team-teaching (pairing STEM and education specialists for developing curricula), but otherwise make available very little as to the specifics of their programs, which appear to be still separate-subject based, as there appears to be no access to actual content from their courses, materials, curricula. An extensive list of literature regarding STEM and why it is important is available in their site.

How to

  • STEM is about integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Math - and also other sciences and fields.
Contrast this with keeping them as separate, specialized subjects, disciplines or "courses"
  • Hands-on is seen as necessary for STEM success
Hands-on as the way to educational success is no news for montessori practitioners.

It is likely that most montessori educators are doing already some STEM, even though they were not aware of it by that name!

Maybe the easiest way to enhance STEM in usual montessori practice would be to

  • make an explicit emphasis on integrating those disciplines within normal, daily activities
  • adding activities and resources from disciplines not usually considered in montessori
such as Engineering, of course integrated to the others
  • one concept that will make the greatest difference is to see Science beyond mere data. The process, method of inquiry. Observation, inference, and experimentation.
again, this is likely to be already common in our montessori practice, while less common elsewhere. Actually, it is the very basis of the Montessori class dynamic, as the Director observes the child and provides the necessary venues for his development based on the scientific method. Yet, this method being part of the child's activity, and to which extent it becomes something ingrained probably has an enormous degree of variation from one montessori class and school to another.

Other Resources

See Also

External Links

Where to buy

Of course, many Science and Math materials are quite suitable for STEM activities. This section links only those that are specifically labelled as STEM, and seen as suitable for the montessori and Preschool environments.

Factors for considering a specific resource to be STEM montessori is that they incorporate an integral/holistic approach with the STEM fields, and be hands-on in the spirit of montessori practices

  1. ↑ yet note that Land and Water is Geography, which is within "Social Sciences", which is not really the best general label for an activity that has some fundamentals of Engineering as a by-product...
  2. ↑ Moomaw's Teaching STEM in the Early Years requires teachers to make most of their materials - which in a sense is "the montessori way", but obviously does complicate its application by those who do not feel able to
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