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| https://www.pinterest.com/rmetka/montessori-lower-elementary-6-9/ |
A Montessori Classroom offers the opportunities for both
throughout every single day. Here is an example of collaboration from my
classroom. One boy had the idea to create a timeline of the history of the
Titanic. Several other boys joined in on the idea. They helped each other do
research, draw, write and color on the timeline. As the guide, I had very
little to no part in it, and my assistance was not necessary. One boy got the
idea from a book to contact someone from the book. He asked an adult for help
in contacting him to get some more or unique information. He emailed a
historian who helped with the movie “Titanic.” The man responded and they were
able to exchange and get new information for their work. This great work had
many other benefits besides completing a project together. Everyone had a
shared work to do to accomplish a goal, and they all played active roles, while
there was no dictating. This is what a Montessori classroom makes room for.
Below is an interesting diagram of cooperative and collaborative learning.
Public and traditional schools mostly offer cooperative
learning opportunities and very rarely if at all offer collaborative learning.
When a Montessori guide gives a lesson, there is cooperative learning between
him/her and the student(s) to understand new information. A follow-up lesson
gives way to more cooperation to reach the goal of understanding, remembering
and/or applying. Yet, if students get an idea to do something different
together, which leads them to learn something new (a different goal), those
students are collaborating. Now, both cooperative and collaborative learning
styles are happening in the classroom.
What about looking at the school as a unit? A school has a
mission that is usually developed by one person, the founder. Cooperation is
where the parents agree to follow the policies, pay tuition, get their children
to school in hopes that the guides and other students will cooperate to help
their children learn and be better than when they are dropped off. Some parents
do not even think that much about it, they do not even play much of an active
role, other than getting their children to school. However, here is a different
outlook on collaboration for the school as a unit.
A Montessori school wants to play an active role in
children’s education. Families want to play an active role in their children’s
education. The basics of cooperation are met. Payment is made, children’s needs
are cared for, and parents drop students off on time and come to conferences.
Before the children are accepted or start, there is an agreement of goals that
are to be attained for their children through a collaborative conversation
between head of school, guide and parents. The school provides information that
the parents can do at home to facilitate their child’s growth and development.
There is also a monthly night of engagement between school and parents to
nurture the parents’ understanding of happenings in the classroom and to share
information or ask questions about experiences that are happening at home. Then
the school takes an active role in creating solutions if necessary. Sometimes,
even just the act of sharing helps others with what they are going through, or
may go through, in the future. There is not so much lecturing as there is the
sharing of information to come to new knowledge, expressing it and being able
to apply it for another’s benefit. It is a group work and not a facilitator
structured work. By default, it can be argued that there is a facilitator or
leader, but beyond that there is a group agreement for group work based on a
common goal where everyone plays an active role.
In conclusion, there are many similarities, even with the
etymology. Yet, collaboration requires active and group oriented work. By work,
I mean the actual meaning of the word, a sustained physical and mental effort
to achieve goal(s) or overcome obstacles. While there can be cooperation
(working together) during collaboration there cannot be true collaboration
during cooperation. When the facilitation to achieve a goal is led by someone, and there is at least one person taking an inactive role, by simply complying,
the work is cooperative.
With that said, our goals should include to understand
collaboration and cooperation. Have or create more opportunities to allow for
collaboration. Get parents involved to collaborate and not just cooperate. Heads
of schools and schools would benefit by collaborating with each other to help
make the school and school policies better. This is assuming that the head of
school is creating a space with staff who want the same thing as the head of
school and are willing to work together to get there. This takes humility and
good communication skills on the part of at least the head of school. If
schools, or even guides, can start with this understanding and applying it at
least to their classroom and parents, it would be amazing to see what the
reported difference would be before having this awareness.
Please share your thoughts comments and experiences so
others can benefit from your insights!
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