Dr. Lindsey Pollock, Principal

Houston Independent School District

Garden Oaks Montessori with an emphasis on

Environmental Sciences

Thanks to Donda Slaydon for encouraging this project and topic for today’s presentation!

Video Clip

Public neighborhood school - 1942 69% free and reduced lunch 65% Hispanic, 10% African-American, 22%

White and 3% Asian 98% average daily attendance 696 students – (PK3 – 7th, adding 8th grade) 27 Montessori (9 Children’s House, 11

Lower Elementary, 6 Upper Elementary and 1 MS)

2 Traditional classrooms + PALS/PSI Parents send their very best!

Provides daily challenges Opportunities to work independently Subject and grade-based acceleration Differentiation

Content, process, product, learning environment

Advanced level work Flexible grouping No grades – emphasis on personal best

ItalianOnly child (1870 – 1952)Engineer first, then studied medicineSingle mother (son, Mario)Physician – first woman to qualify“… they know intuitively when someone really cares about them.… It is only the upper classes that have a prejudice against women leading a useful existence.” [1]

Who was Maria Montessori?

Casa de Bambini - 1907Nomad – Advocate for childrenNobel Peace Prize 3 time nomineeDied in the Netherlands

“The subject of our study is humanity; our purpose is to become teachers. Now, what really makes a teacher is love for the human child; for it is love that transforms the social duty of the educator into the higher consciousness of a mission”[2].

System of education and a philosophy of life Found worldwide – 100+ years old Focus on emotional, intellectual and

developmental mind/body connections Profound respect for individual child Belief that learning is innate Internal locus of control Environments in which children are self-

directed learners and collaborate with others

Hands-on, inquiry-based Multi-age classrooms

Children’s houseLower ElementaryUpper ElementaryMiddle School

Individual Work Plans – personalized, differentiatedPeace Education – personal, community, globalCosmic Education

1. God with No Hands – Laws of Nature2. Coming of Life – Progression and

adaptation of life on Earth3. Coming of the Human Being – Power to

reason and think and the power of the will to choose the good of others and serve

4. Story of Communication in signs – Power of Language of communication

5. Story of Numbers – Language of Invention ----Miller, 2006

Cosmic Education – perceptions and choices Service to others – community in classroom,

at school and away from school Academic language – language of the

disciplines Cosmic potential – who am I? what is my

purpose to self and others? Interdisciplinary – multi-cultural Perseverance (grit) No grades – emphasis on personal best

Sensitive period 3yr – 6yr (PK3 – Kinder)

Constructivist – the hand is the chief teacher of the child

Students work independently on individualized tasks and with other students

Normalized classrooms are buzzing with activity

Development of concentration, coordination and working habits

1st, 2nd, and 3rd gradeSocial RelationshipsSense of wonder in how the world works – growing awareness of roles and responsibilitiesUse of tools and machines – purpose Instruction is a living thing as children explore real-life application of learningInterdisciplinary connectionsReading and math

4th, 5th and 6th gradeJustice and moralityHuman culture and membership in the human familySense of how the world works and where they belong in the world

7th and 8th grade

Data-driven accountability PK Assessment TPRI/Tejas Lee Stanford/Aprenda State of Texas Assessment of Academic

Readiness Naglieri Non-verbal Abilities Test (NNAT) Grades Competition

Brain-based – whole-child Interdisciplinary Connections Creativity – igniting a child’s sense of

discovery and imagination 21st Century Learning skills Cultural connections – values all people Differentiated, individualized

Follow the childFollow natureListen to the universe through you

advocate for equity and justice

Montessori TeachersAdministrationRecruitment/Parent EducationCurriculum and EnvironmentAssessmentProfessional DevelopmentThis document was drafted and endorsed in the late 1990s by several

Montessoriorganizations* wishing to help guide the growth of public school Montessori.*The American Montessori Society, the Association Montessori Internationale,

the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association, Montessori Educational Programs International, and the Southwestern Montessori Training Center

Garden Oaks Montessori www.houstonisd.org

American Montessori Society http://www.public-montessori.org/resources-library

Bangel, N. Moon, S. & Capobianco, B. (2010, Summer). Preservice teacher’s perceptions and experiences in a gifted training model. The Gifted Child Quarterly, 54(3), 209-221.

Gordon, C. (2007). Together with Montessori: The guide to help Montessori teachers, assistant teachers, resource teachers, administrators & parents work in harmony to create great schools. Minneapolis, MN: Jola Publications.

Haines, A., Baker, K. & Kahn, D. (2006). Optimal developmental outcomes: The social, moral, cognitive and emotional dimensions of a Montessori education. Retrieved from: http://http://amshq.org/

Hertberg-Davis, H. (2009, Fall). Myth 7: Differentiation in the regular classroom is equivalent to gifted programs and is sufficient. The Gifted Child Quarterly, 53(4), 251-253

Kaplan, S. (2007, Summer). Differentiation: Asset or liability for gifted education? Gifted Child Today, 30 (3), 23

Lillard, A. (2007). The Science Behind the Genius. New York, NY: Oxford Press

Lillard, A. & Else-Quest, N. (2006). Evaluating Montessori education. Science, 31, 1893-94

Mendoza, C. (2006, Fall). Inside today’s classrooms: Teacher voices on No Child Left Behind and the education of gifted children. Roeper Review, 29(1), 28-31

Lindsey Pollock, LMSW, Ed.D.Garden Oaks Montessori – Houston ISD

901 Sue BarnettHouston, TX 77018

(713) 696-2930 office(713) 822-2274 cellular

lpollock@houstonisd.org

Private and public school background Educational perspectives

LMSW –Licensed Master’s in Social Work M.Ed. – Educational Leadership M.Ed – Montessori Integrative Learning Ed. D. – Educational Leadership

Montessori found me (again) - GO Federal grant application - MSAP Transition to an all-campus Montessori

Magnet Fidelity to Montessori in a public setting