“It’s What We Use as a Community”: Exploring Students’ STEM Characterizations In Two Montessori Elementary Classrooms
2017-06
Loading...
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
“It’s What We Use as a Community”: Exploring Students’ STEM Characterizations In Two Montessori Elementary Classrooms
Authors
Published Date
2017-06
Publisher
Type
Thesis or Dissertation
Abstract
Integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education promises to enhance elementary students’ engagement in science and related fields and to cultivate their problem-solving abilities. While STEM has become an increasingly popular reform initiative, it is still developing within the Montessori education community. There is limited research on STEM teaching and learning in Montessori classrooms, particularly from student perspectives. Previous studies suggest productive connections between reform-based pedagogies in mainstream science education and the Montessori method. Greater knowledge of this complementarity, and student perspectives on STEM, may benefit both Montessori and non-Montessori educators. This instrumental case study of two elementary classrooms documented student characterizations of aspects of STEM in the context of integrated STEM instruction over three months in the 2016-2017 school year. Findings show that the Montessori environment played an important role, and that students characterized STEM in inclusive, agentive, connected, helpful, creative, and increasingly critical ways. Implications for teaching and future research offer avenues to envision STEM education more holistically by leveraging the moral and humanistic aspects of Montessori philosophy.
Keywords
Description
University of Minnesota M.A. thesis. June 2017. Major: Education, Curriculum and Instruction. Advisor: Julie Brown. 1 computer file (PDF); ix, 255 pages.
Related to
Replaces
License
Series/Report Number
Funding information
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
Previously Published Citation
Suggested citation
Szostkowski, Alaina. (2017). “It’s What We Use as a Community”: Exploring Students’ STEM Characterizations In Two Montessori Elementary Classrooms. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/190621.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.