Research

  1. Design Problem
  2. Literature Review
  3. Work Models
  4. Design Patterns
  5. Design Experiments
  6. Lessons
  7. Montessori Computes

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Patterns and Design

Montessori

*The operation of this site is partly funded by commissions I make from Amazon.com on books purchased through these links. I only recommend books I have personally read and found useful. I only post book recommendations on pages intended for adults.

Research

The pages in this section describe my ongoing research into the Montessori method and interaction design, and their application to the development and implementation of self-directed learning environments.

Maria Montessori was a prolific designer of learning materials, activities and learning environments that support guided discovery.  Observation and experimentation were important components of her design process.  The materials, environments and practices that she designed have been implemented and researched all over the world for nearly a century.

As a former Montessori teacher, I am currently re-examining Montessori theory and practice to inform my software and curriculum designs.  The Montessori Design Project has three goals:

  1. To characterize the environment and activities in the Montessori classroom in ways that are useful to educational software developers.
  2. To apply this characterization to the design of educational software and Montessori exercises that employ software in order to show how the characterization can be used.
  3. To perform design experiments to illustrate how designs can be tested in ways that are appropriate to the Montessori classroom.

There is dispute in the Montessori community about whether or not computers even belong in a Montessori classroom, and the appropriate age at which children should start using computers.  I won't be arguing appropriateness of computers or age appropriateness here.  These pages are for people who believe that children can benefit from the use of computers and that designers of educational software solutions can benefit from an understanding of the Montessori method.

The latest Montessori-based software that I've developed is called Circular Reasoning.  I used it to teach a class called Thinking About Circles.

Here's a talk I prepared for the NCTM Southern Regional Conference.

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.