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 unecessary 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."
You already mentioned that, so 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
differnet 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
cosequence 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
dependant 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.
I want to point out one thing you said, and I hope this was just
poorly worded.
"He never was a wonderful child,"
Even if it was poorly worded, be sure to really think about your
frustration level with this child. Remember that all the
children you have are wonderful children.
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.
I promise if you help this child improve, you will think back as
this being one of those students you absolutely adored.
For more information on dealing with difficult children in a
Montessori classroom, take a look at this book:
http://astore.amazon.com/monteblog-20/detail/1583940324/105-
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
On 12/03/07, Anne wrote:
> A few things:
>
> In a Montessori classroom, children do not have desks and the
> freedom to work where ever. I can change that for him
though.
>
> I have had this boy in my class since he was 3. (A montessori
> class had 3 to 6 year olds that stay with the same teacher)
He
> never was a wonderful child, but this spring his behavior
> escalated. He became more of a bully instead of just
difficult
> to work with. I know he has had some changes in his life this
> year. Not huge, but still they have affected him.
>
> At the private school I am at, we don't have access to
> counselors and such. And I was told I needed to do something
> about this child, so my class could be more peaceful. The
> answer to that, I am not sure of.
>
> Thank you for your help!
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