How is discipline handled at Montessori schools?

Question

Does it depend on the schools and vary?

Answer 1

The Directress creates the environment for the children to work through their free choice and satisfy their inner need. As the children find satisfaction in work, they RESPECT each other and get disciplined. The Directress is observant and only if needed interferes to handle the situation and lead any disruptive student to the work that he may find interest in. Or she may take the child out for a short walk to calm him down.

The discipline does depend on the Directress' experience, interaction with children and ability to handle children. The understanding of discipline may vary in different schools.

Answer 2

When diagnosing these things, it is important to start with

basic Montessori philosophy. You might have already run through this, but let's begin there anyway. We can also look at how Montessori deals with difficult children.

Lillard's Book "The Science Behind the Genius" outlines 8

principles of Montessori Education. These all carry over into

classroom management. It may be that this child is lacking one of them, which will take observation and expirimenting to find out. (All these are found on page 29 of her book, with a

discussion that follows it)

"1) That movement and cognition are closely entwined, and

movement can enhance thinking and learning."

When we think about movement in the Montessori environment, we are also thinking about getting rid of unnecessary movement in the classroom activities. Watch how this student works with the materials. See if he is sloppy in any way. If he is, help him fix that. Help him organize it in his mind. Often times, when control of the materials begins to happen, physical behaviors start to go away.

If he is doing the red rods, is he carrying them with 2 hands?

Is he lining them up in the right spot then adjusting them?

When doing a US Map, is he quickly taking the pieces out and putting them back in sloppily, or is he taking his time and

really focusing on the material? At 6, he might not take much

interest in a lot of the practical life activities to build

concentration (he might not want to seriously do bead

transferring), so be sure to have activities that can build a

Kindergartener's concentration as well - such as washing dishes or tables. Observe him in these and help him to organize everything in its proper sequence.

The painting area is fantastic for this too, as he will need to

clean up the easle when he is done.

Walking on the line with a bell (that he should try not to ring)

or a glass of full water (that he should try not to spill) will

help him focus more as well.

"2) that learning and well-being are improved when people have a sense of control over their lives."

It may be that this child does not have a sense of control in

his life. Is there some outside factor you are aware of? You

said there were some changes, but they were not that big. Never underestimate how much a change can effect a child. He might not have an outlet for it and he's using school as that outlet.

Does he have a sense of control in the classroom? Is he able to teach younger students something? Ask him to show a 3 year old how to do an activity.

"3) That people learn better when they are interested in what

they are learning."

What are his interests? Can you delve even into some of the 6-9 lessons to help him understand a material on a different level?

I taught some Kindergarteners, who were really good with math, square roots with the stamp game. They loved it. See if there are new things that can be learned with the materials.

"4) That trying extrinsic rewards to an activity, like money for

reading or high grades for tests, negatively impacts motivation to engage in that activity when the reward is withdrawn."

I will not comment any further.

"5) That collaborative arrangements can be very conductive to learning."

I touched on this with the control thing. However, does he have someone else he can work with on things? Who are his friends?

Try to give two of them a presentation at the same time on a

material and see if they do it together. See if his behavior is

different during that time than other times.

"6) That learning situation in meaningful contexts is often

deeper and richer than learning in abstract contexts."

My big comment here, as related to this situation, is how well

he understands the concepts it appears he knows. Does he have a concrete understanding of, say, the number 3952?

Chances are, this isn't the main issue since he has been in

Montessori for 3 years and has gone from abstract to concrete.

"7) That particular forms of adult interaction are associated

with more optimal child outcomes"

I don't have a lot to add to this right now. I will when I

write about how Montessori handles these things.

"8) that order in the environment is beneficial to children."

Make sure you have things in their correct order. Make sure

your routine is the same every day. Make sure they have the 3

hour uninterrupted work cycle. Make sure you rotate some new materials about once a month to keep things fresh.

Once you are sure that the environment is within those

guidelines, my next suggestion would be to see how Montessori handled children that were not behaving with respect.

"We placed a little table in the corner of a room and there,

isolating the child, we made him sit in an armchair where he

could see all his companions and gave him all the objects he

desired. This isolation always succeeded in calming the child.

From his position, he could see all his companions and their way of acting was an object lesson in behavior more effective than words of his teacher could have been. Little by little, he came to realize the advantages of being with the others and to desire to act as they did....

"...whenever I came into the room, I would first go straight to

him and address him as if he were an infant. Then I would turn

to others and interest myself in their work as if they were

men. I do not know what happened within the souls of the

isolated children, but certainly their conversations were always true and lasting. They became proud of their work and behavior, and they generally retained a tender affection for their teacher and for me." (Discovery of the Child, page 60-61)

What happens in a free environment when you take away freedom of choice? (Not as a punitive system, but just as a natural consequence for children that cannot make good choices in their freedom?) The answer is the child wants that choice again. The child wants to be able to move through the room, work with others, and choose for themselves. They do not like being dependent on you to get the work for them...they want to get the work themselves.

The key to this is consistency. If you see him poking others

again, you step in right away and move him back to that table.

He must at least complete one work before he can join again.

He won't like being watched and he won't like the limit of his

freedom. He will make adjustments in time, but Spring of his

final year, it may be difficult to see a lasting change.

My mom gave a talk at a school I was working at last year. She said that you can have (in theory, of course...and just to prove her point) 50 years of teaching where there were no children that caused problems. Everyone comes in, they all hang up their coat on their first day...essentially, it looks like the "Leave it to Beaver" version of Montessori. On your 50th year, you will have that child that is out of control. He doesn't listen

to you, he doesn't want to put his work away, he disrupts others while they are working, and you pull your hair out. Remember this, though. That one child is what makes you a good teacher.

For more information on dealing with difficult children in a

Montessori classroom, take a look at this book:

http://astore.amazon.com/monteblog-20/de...

1674808-0433226

It's called "Children Who Are Not Yet Peaceful" by Donna Goertz, an AMI teacher out of Texas. It takes a different stance at viewing children who are behaving how we would normally expect.

Let me know if I can help in any other way.

Matt