Interaction of Environmental Education and Montessori Pedagogy
File(s)
Date
2019Author
Rothmeyer, Jennifer
Advisor(s)
Carver, Kateri
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Research shows that environmental education and time outdoors increase social emotional,
cognitive, and physical health. We know it’s important to start early and to use a holistic
systems-based lens. While research is underway in traditional early childhood programs,
research is lacking on how environmental education is implemented and practiced in Montessori
early childhood programs. The purpose of the study is to integrate information on the
philosophical underpinnings of environmental education with Montessori philosophy and
pedagogy, create a questionnaire to examine the implementation of environmental education in
Montessori early childhood programming, and pilot the questionnaire to gather information
through educators’ responses to systems-based environmental education-framed questions on
teacher’s understanding of environmental education, program and pedagogical practices, health
promotion, social systems education, natural systems education, and barriers to implementation.
Special attention was paid to constructivism, realism mixed with wonder, interdisciplinary
practices, biophilia versus ecophobia, critical pedagogy of place, local versus global awareness,
and the use of play. A pilot questionnaire was created and sent out via the Internet; 43
questionnaires were returned with sufficient information and analyzed using descriptive statistics
and qualitative methods. The results are included in full to support continuing conversation
about the interaction between environmental education and Montessori pedagogy. Final
discussion highlights discrepancies between the philosophical foundations of Montessori
pedagogy and environmental education and the reported practices.
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/81350Description
M.S.E. Montessori Education