The Montessori Mafia?

In case you missed it, I wanted to pass on a link to this article which came out last week in the Wall Street Journal about Montessori education.

The article is entitled The Montessori Mafia; it discusses the results of a new study conducted by professors from Brigham Young University, which found that a disproportionate number of entrepreneurs who start new businesses or invent new products are Montessori alumni. The article also describes the role Montessori education played in contributing to the life long success and love of learning of many famous Montessori alumni (including Julia Child, Anne Frank, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Google founders Larry Page, and Sergei Brin) and the evidence from Milwaukee cohort studies which demonstrates that Montessori students often have better executive function, problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, better reading and math skills, and are more prepared for elementary school than non-Montessori students. The Milwaukee study is one of the most conclusive studies of the Montessori educational method, because the children in the experiment were randomly assigned to Montessori and non-Montessori schools; as a result, socio-economic status, parenting philosophy, parent education, and other common variables were controlled.

Over the years, Montessori has enjoyed a number of famous teachers and advocates (Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Mister Rogers, Woodrow Wilson, Alice Waters, Erik Erikson, and Jean Piaget among others). Although most classroom guides like to think that the proof our of method comes in the calm, joyful expressions on the faces of children who are concentrating deeply and developing a life long love of learning right in front of us, it is certainly nice to get a little positive press and the support of an increasing body of scientific research as well!

To read the article, please click on this link: http://blogs.wsj.com//ideas-market/2011/04/05/the-montessori-mafia

The author of the WSJ article will be hosting a webinar to discuss the research and answer questions about Montessori education today at 3pm (click on the link which appears in the article to participate).

For more information about studies which document the benefits of Montessori education, please see:

-Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius by Angeline Stoll Lillard (2005: Oxford University Press)

-Montessori Madness: A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education by Trevor Eissler (2009: Sevenoff Press)

Visit from the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program

This morning, as part of our current unit on birds, the children received a visit from the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program. The Rocky Mountain Raptor Program rescues, rehabilitates, and (when possible) releases injured birds of prey. They also offer a comprehensive educational outreach program which teaches young children about the importance of preserving wildlife and wild spaces for future generations. With great anticipation, our little ornithologists convened on the lawn to have their first up close peek at these amazing birds.

Carin Avila, the Educational Director of the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, began by asking the children about their favorite animals. In what would prove to be a harbinger of the day to come, many of the expectant children told her that owls and Peregrine Falcons were their favorite!

Carin also asked the children what they liked to eat and explained that raptors like to eat snakes, rodents, and small birds. The children learned the difference between "predators" and "prey," and were visibly amused to find that animals could be both! For the rest of the afternoon, they inquired about what different animals ate and what animals ate them!

The children were introduced to two native Colorado raptors, beginning with a beautiful Red Tailed Hawk. The children learned about the basic characteristics of raptors (their sharp hooked beak, sharp talons, and excellent eye sight). They got to examine hawk feathers, see how owls use camouflage to blend into their surroundings, and heard about how birds' hollow bone structure enables them to fly. The children watched with rapt attention, and a surprising amount of amusement, as the voracious hawk used it's sharp beak to devour a large piece of a jack rabbit (fur and all!).

Then, the children were introduced to an exquisite Great Horned Owl. They learned about the difference between nocturnal and diurnal raptors and about the special adaptations the owl has which enable it to see in the dark and to fly quietly so that is can use its stealth to sneak up upon unsuspecting prey.

Our knowledgeable hosts also explained that they care for hurt raptors; both birds had arrived at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program because they had been injured by automobiles. The children learned that the owl had injured it's wing severely and the hawk had one eye which no longer worked.

After viewing the birds, our hosts led the children in some fun role playing games to help them process the information they had learned. The children practiced walking around like birds,

learned a fun song about raptors,

and experimented with how many children could fit in an eagle's nest.

As always, the children were the model of grace and courtesy. At the end of the program, the inquisitive children inundated our guests with questions ("Why do short eared owls come out during the day?" "Why didn't you bring a Bald Eagle?" "Can we see the raptors fly?").

and politely thanked them for coming to visit.

For the rest of the afternoon, the children pretended to be raptors catching prey and many chose to write and illustrate raptor books during the independent work time.

We would like to sincerely thank Carin Avila and the Rocky Mountain Raptor Society for coming to share their expertise with us. They provided an unforgettable experience, that I know inspired many of our children's interest and curiosity about these amazing animals.

For more information about the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, please visit their website at www.rmrp.org.

Additionally, as you can see on their website, that they are having a special Mother's Day Celebration on Mother's Day, May 8th from 11-3, where they will be celebrating baby raptors. The public is invited to bring baby shower gifts and visit the orphaned raptor chicks who got bumped from their nests or tried to fly too soon.