Literature Review

  1. Context
  2. Designing Montessori
  3. Influences
  4. Educational Software
  5. Arguments Against
  6. Answers to Objections
  7. A Good Quote
  8. Bibliography
  9. Resources

Research

  1. Design Problem
  2. Literature Review
  3. Work Models
  4. Design Patterns
  5. Design Experiments
  6. Lesson Ideas
  7. Montessori Computes
  8. Thinking About Circles

Related Links

Patterns and Design

Montessori

Literature Review

I've done quite a bit of reading on Montessori and educational software, but I really need to write up a decent literature review.

Issues I might want to cover in the review:

  1. General background on designing artifacts to support or improve work practice with an outline of approaches currently taken.  Focus will be (maybe exclusively) on software design, with discussion (maybe exclusively) on the use of ethnography in software design.
  2. Design work that Montessori did in developing the environment and practice of the Montessori classroom, with emphasis on the application of ethnography to design.
  3. An outline of approaches that have been taken to the design of educational software.
  4. Use of design patterns in software development.
  5. Mining design patterns, especially as it would apply to mining patterns in the Montessori environment.
  6. Arguments against computers in the Montessori classroom.
  7. Arguments against a Montessori approach to educational software development.
  8. Answers to arguments.

Leone Learning Systems, Inc. (LLS) is a North Shore company that provides online courses for kids anywhere and local teaching and tutoring services for students in Chicago and the Northern Suburbs of Chicagoland. LLS also provides a free geometry software package for children age 6 and up, and free resources for teachers and parents. This site includes information about classes taught, availability for tutoring, learning activities for kids, lesson plans, and an ongoing software and curriculum research and development effort.