Expanded Learning Concepts
INSPIRING ENRICHING SUPPORTING
Ask a Trainer
I am a first year elementary teacher, first elementary class in the school and I spend countless hours searching for resources. My classroom is relocated from one location to another and our budget it tight. All the things I planned on doing at the beginning of the school year with reviewing the materials, setting up a peace corner and presenting the Great Lessons has all been lost. I am in desperate need of a reading program and the individual needs of the children does not allow me to present small group and one-on-one lessons.
Montessori at Heart
As a first year elementary teacher you are filled with enthusiasm and excitement surrounding the Montessori Method. You must remember that it takes many years to fully integrate all the Montessori theory into the way you teach and work with the materials. One of the most difficult things about being an elementary teacher is that fact that you are usually in a school filled with Casa teachers and you can sometimes feel isolated and overwhelmed with the fact that no one else seems to be going through the same things you are. One of the reasons we started our first year teacher mentoring program was to provide support and mentoring to teachers as they embark on their new careers. We offer advice, resources and online support to help teachers navigate their way through the first year. If you would like to become part of our mentoring program please contact us for more details.
Some immediate solutions we can offer to you are some additional websites and ideas for a reading program. www.montessorimaterials.org is a link that provides downloads of many free materials. An inexpensive reading program is available at www.epsbooks.com and all the readers come with workbooks. You can purchase a set and make a supply for your students to use in class in a reading duotang. The cost would be approximately $20.00 plus shipping.
Making and finding resources can sometimes be an overwhelming task for teachers. Try to focus on one area of your classroom at a time. Trying to make materials for every area at the same time will exhaust you and also leave you feeling that you always need more for the shelves. Enlist a parent volunteer to do some cutting of pictures for you and collecting items for your classroom. You may also be able to get a parent volunteer to help with reading with the children. Ask the Casa teachers in your school if they have any advanced reading materials in their classrooms you can borrow. Go to the library and borrow books from reading series for your advanced readers and encourage the children to go to the library and bring in their own books.
The concrete materials in the arithmetic area are sometimes hard to make and supply on a budget but try to use as many resources that are in your school as possible. Start making a wish list of the essentials and gradually acquire the items your school can afford.
The peace table and the charts are essentials you must not give up on. They are the building blocks of your classroom community and the sparks that fire the children’s imaginations. They require simple storytelling techniques and can always be presented to the children in small groups or to the whole class. Creative writing and artistic expression will fill your classroom and walls. Use the children’s work to enrich the environment.
Above all, remember to nurture your spirit. The preparation of the teacher is paramount and even the simple environment that Maria Montessori used in San Lorenzo captured the children. The children will share your enthusiasm and excitement if you take the time to just sit back and enjoy the children and the moments that surround you.
Together in Montessori,
Charlene Abrahams
Teacher Trainer
ASK A TRAINER
How do I know when to present the teens and tens and addition with the short bead stair?
This question is an interesting one that may have more than one answer based on where you received your training. I will provide you with my answer and explain why I present it the way I do. After a child has consolidated the 1-10 materials and can complete work independently with identifying , counting and sequencing 1-10, it is time to move on to the teens and tens. The introduction to the golden beads or decimal system work coincides with the presentations with the teens and tens. The work with the teens and tens prepares the child for the operation work that will be completed with the golden beads and exploration and memorization of tables work that begins soon after the child starts addition. In some trainings and schools the short bead stair is introduced to the child before they are presented addition with the golden beads. Simple addition exercises are completed as long the child does not encounter a teen or ten numbers they are unfamiliar with.
I caution the use of the short bead stair before presenting addition with the golden beads. The short bead stair should be introduced with the Snake Game after the child starts addition. This is the reason for my caution, the golden bead material teaches process and the exploration work teaches memorization. If you start with memorization before you teach process than you may restrict the child from gaining a true understanding of the process of addition. The short bead stair presentation can be used at any time after the golden bead presentation of static addition and can be used with children that require additional practice or are not ready for the Snake Game presentation.
Charlene Abrahams
Training Consultant
I am a first year teacher and I am anxious about the beginning of the school year. Where do I find materials and what should I focus on when building my collection of cultural materials for my classroom?
First of all, rest your mind. All first year teachers, as well as seasoned veterans, are anxious at the beginning of the school year. It can be very overwhelming to look at an empty or partially equipped room at the beginning of the year. If you are one of the lucky ones, your school has provided all the essential materials and supplies for you. For the majority of schools, on-going material making is a necessity for tight budgets and small communities. There are many suppliers of high quality materials for your classroom and one that I recommend that is very reasonably priced is Montessori for Everyone. If purchased materials are not an option, find free downloadable materials from various free websites and clipart programs. I would also suggest you write to all the provincial and national Ministries of the Environment and Natural Resources and they will supply you with an abundance of free posters and literature you can use to make cultural materials. UNICEF makes a beautiful calendar each year and you can write to them request a copy of an outdated copy to use the beautiful photos in your geography folders. Remember, that is takes many years to fully equip a classroom and you will constantly need to update and renew your materials. I would suggest that you focus on one area of a time rather than trying to build all the areas of your classroom at once. Good luck and happy material hunting!
Charlene Abrahams
