Kayla Matkowski

EDUC 3505- E (Seminar)

Due: October 13, 2015
Montessori (Case Study #3)
I had never heard of a Montessori classroom until I entered the Education program
and so watching this video made me think of how the students learning was very
different compared to the way I learned when I was a student in grade school. The
Montessori system is similar to a traditional classroom in the sense that it covers the
same curriculum and the students are learning the same material but is different in
the sense of how the students learn the curriculum. The Montessori classroom is self
and student-directed as the program builds on the students natural curiosity and they
are responsible for their own learning by creating their own goals and can only move
onto another activity once one of their goals are achieved.
Although the Montessori and traditional classroom differ in various ways, they both
include important aspects taken from our PSI modules such as technology, curriculum,
language and assessment. Curriculum is an interesting aspect when it comes to the
Montessori classroom because the classroom is more learner-centered. This means
that the students are given a choice in how they complete a goal and how they can
expand their learning in whichever way they want, with some constriction from the
Montessori teacher. This concept also relates to language because since the teacher is
less involved, the students are essentially put into a classroom where they learn off of
each other and work together collaboratively, therefore making both verbal and nonverbal communication crucial in a setting like this. As the students collaboratively
work together, observation and conversation are used, two concepts taken from the
process of triangulation, as described by Davies. The teacher mostly uses observation
in order to see where the students are in relation to formative assessment, whereas
conversation can be used as the students are not only talking to each other but also
staying connected with their teacher.

Kayla Matkowski
EDUC 3505- E (Seminar)
Due: October 13, 2015
Formatively assessing students in the Montessori classroom is key because since
the teacher is less involved in the actual teaching process, monitoring the students
progress in a form of ongoing assessment is crucial in order to know where their
students are in correspondence to the curriculum. The students usually learn at
different paces because once they are done their individual goal, they move on to the
next until they have reached their overall outcome, therefore a good way for the
teacher to grasp an understanding of their classrooms learning would be to
formatively assess each individual constantly. The teacher can then take notes and
observations and based off those, the Montessori teacher will know when to present
new material and when to modify previously presented material as described by
Gareis & Grant. Within the video, it was mentioned that the students use technology
through activities such as using math websites and watching power points. Math
websites could encourage the students to strengthen their math skills, yet it could
also provide an outlet for the teacher to assess the student on their math skills by
either using formative or summative assessment. The teacher could potentially use
formative assessment to see where they are at in terms of the math curriculum or
they could use a math website as an end of year test or mid-term, in which they could
apply a summative assessment to see what the students have learned through the
class relating to the Math unit.
The concept of triangulation becomes very evident in the Montessori classroom as
it includes observation, conversation and product. This is crucial as it causes the
classroom to be more valid and reliable. For example, within the Montessori
classroom, there is a lack of structure in the classroom, forcing the teacher to be
observational of the students learning, which links it back to formative assessment.
The teacher may observe the students presentations, partner activities or even just
the way they communicate with others. According to Davies, the teacher then has the

Kayla Matkowski
EDUC 3505- E (Seminar)
Due: October 13, 2015
opportunity to listen to the students as they collaborate; inviting the students to think
about their individual learning. The process of conversation is very important to the
Montessori teacher in order to formatively assess the students because this way, they
are allowed to hear the students thinking out loud, therefore tracking their learning
progress. The last concept of triangulation is the collection of product. In the video, we
werent able to see how the teachers collected evidence but Davies suggests multiple
ways of collecting evidence such as projects, assignments, notebooks and tests. The
collection of evidence allows the teacher to assess the students work in terms of
criteria, creating a summative assessment. After talking to Kailee about her ED2500
experience in the same Montessori classroom as the video, I found out that most
Montessori classrooms do not find summative assessment important, yet for this
specific class, it was required.
The process of triangulation is crucial in any classroom because it allows for the
assessment of the students to be both more reliable and valid. As a teacher, they can
see if the students are providing the same results (reliable) and if what they are doing
match up to the specific outcome the teacher is teaching (validity), as discussed by
Davies. Triangulation is just as evident in the Montessori classroom as it is in the
traditional classroom. The Montessori teacher is still observing the students and
conversing with them in order to gain insight of where theyre at in their learning
(formative assessment) and with that, can collect evidence, whether it be assessed in
a formative or summative way, in order to see the final product of what the students
have learned all in all.