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mooreboyz
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| Posted: Aug 04 2008 at 7:53pm | IP Logged
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I just finished reading Montessori Today and in it they mention that kids over 6 learn best when they have a 3 hour uninterrupted block of time to work. Time where the kids know that from 9 - 12 they are expected to work and they can trust that they will not be pulled away for recess/phy ed/music/any other distraction or diversion. Has anyone held to this and if so, does it work???? I've always thought in the past that boys worked best if they could work a bit and then go off and blow off some steam and then come back to it. However, I can say that with this belief the house is always crazy during school because someone is always blowing off their steam. So, I'm considering this method. Perhaps if they know what is expected and know that they are free to work on numerous learning activities a lot of learning will go on and they will gain from being able to pick what they feel like learning and know that they have until such and such time to become engrossed in it. Hmmmm just not sure though.
Any thoughts????
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Jackie
7 boys - 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17 years
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Erin
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| Posted: Aug 04 2008 at 11:10pm | IP Logged
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Jackie
My dh has really been stressing to the dc this year that they are to work from 9-12, this includes read alouds as well as seatwork. (This is due to my asking for help as the dc's work ethic is all over the place) Are we being faithful? Sort of, mostly  It really helps that I know dh is backing me up on this so I feel honour bound to respect his backing. KWIM?
But we play it loose too, I don't think I ever stick to the rules even my own If after an intense session I may tell a ds to jump up and do 20 star jumps or 100 bounces on the trampoline and then come straight back.
However we do take recess (but I am trying to stick to the short break) or if things are going well work through and finish early instead. So I guess we haven't quite got up to 3hrs.
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Erin
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Mackfam
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Now, this is just what works in my family, Jackie - 'cause I have seen other families with boys and this definitely wouldn't work for them...but...I can't offer breaks between learning here. I know, please don't throw digital tomatoes everyone. I know it goes against all the conventional wisdom to offer frequent breaks and opportunities for movement (esp for boys), but it's a disaster here if I do that. I tried. It turned into uber-chaos with me trying to reign hyped up little people back into a calm state for focus - even a very short period of focus.
We start our day with "together-things" like family prayer, devotional reading, picture book reading. It usually sets a quiet tone in the house - everyone comes together. My children love read alouds though - again, it's what works well here. My boys love being read to, and they are quite attentive, and usually quiet, BUT for some strange reason they are almost always hanging upside down off a table, or over the edge of the couch. I don't know why?
Anyway, we have learning blocks of time from 9 to noon. They're short lessons with Montessori choice time thrown in there. That may not work out through the year - I'm trying it out on a probational period right now. Then, there's another 3 hour block after lunch - more short lessons with more Montessori choice time interspersed. It sounds overwhelming - 6 hours of work time, but its because of the number of children I have (and I'm teaching 3 of them in some capacity right now) and allows for disruption - laundry, snacks, prayer time throughout the day, nursing, diapers, etc. Please don't think I make my children do 6 hours of rigorous lessons a day!
Don't get me wrong - there's up and down and movement, but I really try to encourage quiet movements out of respect for others working.
Now, I'll also mention that I don't do a purely Montessori environment - there's a fair amount of blending. Thus, the experiment in choice time tagging along with short lessons. I'll have to get back to you on that one. It was working for the latter part of last year though. It offered the children time to sit and be cerebral for a lesson, then some time to use their hands and be purposeful with Montessori materials. This worked beautifully with the boys - it filled their need to be active, yet the materials kept the work purposeful and active. So, for example, in a math block, I might offer a lesson, but then back it up with choice time - their choice of any montessori math material that had already been presented. Does that make sense?
As usual, I have offered my tweaked  version of how we do things. Don't know if it answered your question at all?
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Jen Mackintosh
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Milehimama
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| Posted: Aug 05 2008 at 12:38pm | IP Logged
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Montessori is famous for her "three hour work period".
It does seem to work, here, IF the boys choose their own work, and IF I actually don't interfere.
But sometimes what looks like play is actually work and I interfere too much. Also it takes a little bit of character training before it "takes".
If they have never had that time before, they will not know how to use it/manage it. It takes a little while to get settled if they are new to long blocks of uninterrupted learning time.
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mooreboyz
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| Posted: Aug 05 2008 at 3:20pm | IP Logged
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Actually, what you described Jennifer is about exactly what was thinking. I'm going to be blending Montessori-independent work along with other lessons like math, LA, spelling, etc. I too have an 18mo old who will need lots of attention and who I am starting early with Montessori, a will be 4 year old who did montessori stuff all last year and will do even more this year, and a 7, 9, and 11 year old that will be in full school mode. I'm hoping that between their montessori work and reading/artwork/other learning activities they will keep themselves busy. I really want to have a go at this. I think it is what we need.
The hard part is getting the older 3 actually to stop asking what to do next as this is new to them...having their own choice. Any helpful advice on this?
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Jackie
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Mackfam
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I write out my plans on iCal (a calendar program for a mac, but you can do pretty much the same thing with google calendar or outlook on a p.c.) Each hour is a lesson block. This helps me manage my time best. So, if I need to be teaching a math lesson to M., I know that S. needs something she can do independently. I indicate the lesson we're working on and then I write Montessori Choice time below that so that their hour contains one short lesson and then the rest of the time they are to work on Montessori work in that subject. So for example, if it was a language block, S. might have a lesson in Winston Grammar, or an assignment in Lingua Mater, then if she had time left over (some days she might, some days not) she would choose something from the language section of the Montessori shelves - probably a Metal Inset for her, or some grammar symbol work. M. might have a short lesson in Primary Language Lessons, then he'll have choice time for the remainder of the hour - again, probably an inset, or perhaps vocab words spelled on the movable alphabet or something else. He's also allowed to choose some handwork here.
I have one child who really *needs* some structure and he needs to know what that structure is. So, I let him see my lesson plans. My older daughter is fine seeing the plans - she is able to be very flexible when I tell her the times are just a rhythm. But, they both know when a lesson block is coming up, and what each will be doing. This works very well for my little guy that needs the reassurance of a predictable daily rhythm. Then, when it comes to choice time, it is just that, their choice. I don't make it unless they are indecisive and wandering about. Then, I assign.
You can post a list of choices if they are unable to look at the shelves and choose, but I have not needed to do that.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Erin
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mooreboyz wrote:
| The hard part is getting the older 3 actually to stop asking what to do next as this is new to them...having their own choice. Any helpful advice on this? |
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Jackie
This is the area in which I have had big insight into this year, finally,  too me long enough to get there. I wanted/desperately needed my older three to be more independent but it wasn't working. I had a routine posted in plan view for the dc to see (colour coded and all) but they STILL asked me what to do next.
Then I came up with our Weekly Expectation Sheets the BEST thing that I have EVER done for my dc. It puts the onus back on the children and takes the burden off me. BTW if you look at 'Koala's' you will see that hers is in a different format. The three older dc have recently taken Mercy Academy's Learning Style Test and dd is a sequential learner and likes it all broken down into smaller bits, it was her choice to have a daily timetable. Whereas the boys who are global learners have a broader overview of their week and have a weekly plan.
So the children no longer ask me what to do, plus they have choices within guidelines, very important for my dc to have control over their work. It was dh's idea to have tick boxes (he said it was Montessori to have 'control points') Tick boxes have been wonderful, very important, Dd is to colour in her grids as she goes.
You could easily adapt this idea on a daily format if that was something you wanted. Or another idea that a friend did is 'cards'. For that free choice time she wrote up a number of cards that had specific directions written on and her boys could pull out and choose what activity they would like to do.
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mooreboyz
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I wasn't able to view your files for some reason, but I think I get the idea. I actually read that they use something like this in montessori classrooms and so I was considering making up a checklist and sliding it in a plastic page protector that the could use dry erase markers on to save on the copier. Thanks for letting me know of your success. For some reason the older boys are always thinking that when they are finished with their assignment that they are DONE and can then goof off. I want to instill in them that the day is for learning and there just isn't a such thing as being DONE.
The cards you mentioned remind me of the montessori command cards and I did make up something similar for our geometry, geography, and other montessori areas tgo help guide them. Does anyone know if these are meant to be used as an assignment or merely to guide? I don't want to make them feel that they just have one more thing to get done, but I do want them to see all the different things they can learn about various topics.
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Jackie
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Erin
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arrgh, so sorry, I've just emailed the links to a friend to see if she has the same trouble. They're opening here.
mooreboyz wrote:
| I want to instill in them that the day is for learning and there just isn't a such thing as being DONE. |
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I know precisely what you mean  I've been trying this one with varying success for years, I want them to be learning all the time (which they do) but its their attitude I'm trying to have success with.
When you had the Montessori command cards how did it go?
Jennifer,
One day when you have time I'd love to know in detail, what your Montessori choice time consists of. 
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Erin
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mooreboyz
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 2:39pm | IP Logged
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Erin,
I just made up the cards for use this year. So, I don't know yet. I'm trying to build up an arsenal of things that can be used over and again in the coming years with the other kids.
I'm also going to let my oldest try planning his own history this year. He is on the 3rd edition of Story of the World and I am going to let him plan out which activities/extra reading/research he wants to do to follow his interests. We'll see how the 1st month goes. I will give him an expectation like one chapter a week, but let him know that if he is particularly interested in something he is free to spend as much time as he wants on it. This should help me out and help him gain confidence in choosing his own work while using materials we've used for years.
For my 9 & 7 year olds who will be doing science together I will be leading them in a lesson once a week and they will then be expected to explore the topic on their own the rest of the week with books and other little assignments to peek their interest and hopefully get them into researching/learning on their own.
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Jackie
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 7:11pm | IP Logged
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One important aspect about the 3-hour work cycle to consider is that while it is "expected" to be work time (and this work can be more or less guided by the parent as the individual child's needs dictate - for example, a day or week contract of work to be accomplished), the child can take breaks as he sees fit for that moment, as long as he's being responsible in getting the work done appropriately. That means a child could take a recess break as needed, or keep plugging away until it's all done then take a break, or only focus on one subject on a given day or doing a little in everything.
I suggest starting with some sort of checklist as noted in above posts or whatever works for each individual child, but not as something to be accomplished every day (or have a separate short list for the daily tasks). At first it takes a lot more guidance on the part of the adult, but the children usually eventually get it.
I'm in the elementary Montessori training right now and as we go through everything, I'm trying to create separate albums for homeschooling purposes, versus what I have to create for 'classroom' purposes. It is tedious at times, but it will be so worth it when I'm done!
:)
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Topic: 3 hour blocks of learning
