Design children's independent follow-up tasks so they describe what distinguishes each shape, making their reasoning visible to the teacher¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article recommends that independent work tasks be designed so the relation between children's knowledge and the intended learning object becomes visible to the teacher. Drawing and naming shapes alone "did not create conditions for the teacher to notice whether the children knew what defined each shape"; instead, children should write or describe what they discovered and what distinguishes each shape, so their reasoning becomes visible and the teacher can identify what further work each child needs.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Tasks must elicit children's descriptions or written reasoning about the distinguishing features of the learning object, not only reproduction of drawings and names.

Constraints¶

• The article frames this as presupposing that documented workbook tasks are designed to make the relation between children's knowledge and the intended learning object visible.

Target Learners¶

• 7- and 8-year-old children working independently with Montessori geometry material

Target Learning Goals¶

• Making children's understanding of defining features of geometric shapes and solids visible for formative follow-up

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Ahlquist, E.-M. T., & Gynther, P. (2020). Teaching in the Montessori Classroom: Investigating Variation Theory and Embodiment as a Foundation of Teachers' Development. Journal of Montessori Research, 6(1). https://journals.ku.dk/jmr. doi:10.17161/jomr.v6i1.12051