Comprehensive writing program with Montessori education and philosophy
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Authors
Jones, Cheryl R.
Issue Date
2003
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Teaching
Alternative Title
Abstract
In my action research project I demonstrate the importance of integrating a comprehensive writing program with Montessori Philosophy and Education. While teaching in a First Grade Montessori classroom and taking courses towards my State Credential, I quite naturally compared the two schools of thought looking for the strengths and weaknesses in both. In time, I made an informal observation about student writing in my Montessori classroom. My students were writing only when they were instructed to copy facts from various Montessori materials. Over time, I could see the importance of implementing a defined Writing Program in a Montessori classroom. I decided to build a comprehensive Writing Program into my curriculum. I collected my data from the Language/Reading Content Frameworks for Public School Teachers, and the required readings in my language courses for my credential. I also reviewed the literature of writing models from the past and the present to determine which models would teach students to become good writers. My data shows how a comprehensive writing program can be integrated with Montessori Education to build a balanced Writing program that fosters growth and development. I have found that, when teachers exclusively teach the traditional model (grammar focused model), writing development is stifled. In the following pages, you will find a balanced writing program that promotes writing development and growth. In order to promote writing development it is important to provide an abundance of opportunities for students to develop their writing skills. In today's classrooms, this means students need to not only study English Grammar, but they also need direct instruction in formal and informal Writing.