國立臺北護理健康大學人類發展與健康學院 嬰幼兒保育系-國際蒙特梭利碩士專班
International Montessori Master Degree Program Department of Infant and Child Care
College of Human Development and Health
National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences
碩士技術報告
Technical Report
指導教授：張孝筠
Adviser：Hsiao Yun Chang, Ed. D.
蒙特梭利學前教材的設計與運用-以蜜蜂和蜂房為例
Montessori Materials Design and Implementation for Three to Six Years old Children- Honeybee and
Beehive
研究生： 霍綺敏 撰
Name： Fok, Yee Man
May 2019
1
ABSTRACT
This is an educational study based on the Montessori approach. The researcher developed and executed three Montessori activities. Those activities are mainly fit with 3-6 children. Those activities involved fine motor skills, basic mathematics abilities and cognitive abilities. The purposes of those activities are to raise the child interest on honeybee, to help the child naturally developed and to build the ability to initiative learning. The participants are the children from a mix-age (3-6) class where the researcher was having her internship. In this study, the researcher used Pre-test and Post-test for the research. In order to collect data and analyses the results, the participants had individual one-to-one interview in the Pre-test and the Post-test.
Children were required to tell the researcher the name/shape of the objects/picture. At the beginning of the research, the researcher had asked 30 out of 30 children the pre- test questions with the materials. In the end, there were 13 out of 30 children who willed and participated two out of three activities. In the research, children are volunteer to work with those activities. The researcher invited each child individually to those activities. For those children who were willing to work with new materials, the researcher presented the work and observed the work the child presented. The researcher also kept observing those children in the flowing days to see how frequent they back to the works and how they work with the activities along. As the result of this study. Most of them were unable to tell at least one of the name in the per-test. However, All the participants can name at least two object names after accomplished those activities.
Key words: Montessori Materials, Honeybee, Beehive, Three to Six Years old
2
Contents
Abstract--- 1
Contents--- 2
Second cover--- 3
Introduction--- 4 -5 Method--- 6 -7 Three activities--- 8
Clipping pollen into wooden beehive--- 9 -11 Building beehive with wooden sticks and clay--- 12 -15 Matching the objects with name cards and pictures--- 16 -18 Results--- 19 -21 Four Extension Exercises--- 22
Dropping honey--- 23 -24 3-part cards of honeybees--- 25 -26 Observing the honeycomb--- 27
Puzzles of bee’s body with names--- 28 -29 Conclusion--- 30 -31 References--- 32
Appendix 1--- 33
Appendix 2--- 34
Appendix 3--- 35
3
Honeybee and Beehive
4
Introduction
The researcher had decided the theme of my project by the interest of my cause study. I had spent about two months in doing observations and interaction with the child. I finally found out he loves/ interest in insects and explosions. Even though the classroom has four insect specimens, they are not common to see in the environment. Therefore, the researcher decided to go with honeybee as the theme of my intern project.
The purposes of these activities are to exercise the fine motor skills, to understand the life cycle of honeybee, to recognize the shape of beehive, to understand the main function of honeybees. Before the researcher start the project, the researcher was worrying the activities may hard for the children since they normally do not really need to name the objects, they sensory materials the most. Even in the 3-part-card activity, they always cannot remember the names of each part. Therefore, the researcher tried to start form hands on activities, emphasized different sensory experience, not totally relay on the vision and hearing. Hoping the designs can help they to make the relationship within the objects with the names, and finally able to tell me “hexagon”, “beehives”, “egg, larva, pupa, adult” after doing the project.
As mentioned before, “hands on” is the core which the researcher would like to stick for. The researcher had presented“matching the objects with name cards and pictures”, “clipping pollen into wooden beehive” and
“building beehive with wooden sticks and clay” as the activities.
The matching activity is about the honeybee’s life cycle. The child will touch and learn the name of each bee’s models first. Then match with name
5
cards and match the objects with the confrontation chat. The clipping activity is about to transparent the pollen from the follow to the hives. The child can divide the pollen evenly or randomly. The building activity is about to make hexagon with wooden sticks and clay by following the guidance from the confrontation chat.
6
Method
I. Sample and procedure
Pre-test and Post-test was the research method of this this study. The participants are the children from a mix-age (3-6) class that the researcher was having her internship. at the end, there were 13 out of 30 children who willed and participated 2 out of three activities.
The project had continuous about a month, 30 days. Therefore, the post-test held in May 14 to May 18. In the research, children are volunteer to work with those activities. The researcher invited each child individually to those activities. Before the activities was introduced to anyone, the researcher had asked 30 out of 30 children the pre-test questions with the materials (Appendix 1) and recorded their answer with the form (Appendix 2). Then the researcher placed the 3 activities on the shelfs at the same time.
After that, the researcher started to invited children to have the lessons . The researcher also welcomed the Initiative child to ask for lessons. For those children who were willing to work with new materials, the researcher presented the work and observed the work the child presented. The researcher also kept observing those children in the flowing days to see how frequent they back to the works and how they work with the activities along.
The post-test data were collected in every afternoon. The researcher invited the children to answer the questions individually if the child was given the lesson/lessons in the previous days. As the same time, the researcher also recorded children’s answers with the form (Appendix 3) during the interview.
7
II. Measures
The pre-test had started at the beginning of March, around March 1 to March 9. In the Pre-test and the Post-test, the researcher had introduced the pictures of hive, the pre cutted hexagon and the models of honeybee’s life cycle. The researcher had shown each child the picture of hives as the first and asked “What is the name of this?” Then the researcher showed the pre cutted hexagon to the child and asked “What is the name of this shape? You can touch it.” Lastly, the researcher arranged the models of honeybees and pointed to each model from birth to adult and asked “What is the name of this?”
After collected all the pre-test and post-test data, the researcher picked up the participants who had worked with the activities. Then the researcher compared their answers from the pre-test and the post-test. For those children who are unable to name the objects’ name. If they were able to give the correct names of the objects after work with the activities. Then the result shows the activity/ activities can help the children to learn.
8
Three activities
⚫
Clipping pollen into wooden beehive
⚫
Building beehive with wooden sticks and clay
⚫
Matching the objects with name cards and pictures
9
⚫
Clipping pollen
Materials: a tray, a bunch of yellow balls, a containers, tongs, a frame which styles as honeycomb.
Subjects: Children 3 years and older
Prerequisite: None
Presentation:
1. Take the tray out from the shelf.
2. Place the tray on a table.
3. Pick up the tong.
4. Show to the child how to hold tongs.
5. Tong a yellow ball from the container to the honeycomb.
6. Keep tonging yellow balls to the honeycomb.
7. Each honeycomb can hold different numbers of yellow balls.
8. The teacher may ask the child to tongs the remaining yellow balls.
9. When all the yellow balls go to the honeycomb, the teacher would like to demonstrate tonging the yellow balls back to the container.
10. Place the material back to the shelf.
Controls of errors:
1. Seeing the yellow balls remain on the container.
Points of interest:
1. The color of the balls 2. The styles of the frame
10
3. A different tone.
Goals:
1. Order – from left to right
2. Coordination – transferring yellow balls 3. Concentration – tongs the balls one by one 4. Independence – complete the work by own self
Variations:
1. Change the size of yellow balls.
2. Change the frame into different shape/size.
3. Open shorting - prepare different size and color of balls, ask the child to distribute them into different honeycomb.
11
Photos of doing the activity
12
⚫ Creating beehive
Materials: a tray, a bow of yellow balls, 12 pieces of wood sticks, a ball of stick-tack, a confrontation chart.
Subjects: Children 3.5 years and older
Prerequisite: Paper stick work, clay work
Presentation:
1. Take the tray out from the shelf.
2. Place the tray on a table.
3. Point to the confrontation chart and say “we are going to make two hexagons as
same as the chart.”
4. Pick two wood sticks from the bow which placed on the left-hand side.
5. Place the wood sticks on the confrontation chart.
6. Tear a piece of the stick-tack.
7. Stick the wood sticks by using the stick-tack.
8. Stick and shape the remaining wood sticks as same as the confrontation chart.
9. Grab the yellow balls and distribute them into the two hives.
10. The child can distribute those yellow balls according to different features.
11. Place all the yellow balls back into the bow.
12. Separate the wood sticks and the stick-tack.
13. Put all the wood sticks back into the bow.
13
14. Stick all the stick-tack pieces into a ball.
15. Place the stick-tack ball into the bow.
16. Place the material back to the shelf.
Controls of errors:
1. The confrontation chart.
Points of interest:
1. Tear the stick-tack.
2. Stick and shape the wood sticks.
Goals:
1. Order – from left to right
2. Coordination – stick and shape the wood sticks 3. Concentration – creating own honeycomb.
4. Independence – complete the work by own self
Variations:
1. Change the material which can replace the wood sticks, like tree branches
14
Photos of doing the activity
15
16
⚫ The life cycle of honeybee
Materials: a tray, bee’ models, name cards, a confrontation chart, a container for putting the models
Subjects: Children 3.5 years and older
Prerequisite: matching experience (geometric cabinet with cards, knobbed cylinders)
Presentation:
1. Take the tray out from the shelf.
2. Place the tray on a table.
3. Take out the objects from the basket and place them on the table below the tray.
4. Introduce to the child “These are the models of Bee’s life cycle.”
5. Pick up the “egg” and say “this is egg of honeybee.”
6. Pick up the “larva” and say “this is the larva of honeybee.”
7. Pick up the “pupa” and say “this is the pupa of honeybee.”
8. Pick up the “adult” and say “this is the adult of honeybee.”
9. Give the three period lessons.
*If the child cannot go through the three period lessons, is fine. He still can do the models, names and pictures matching
10. Take the name cards out.
11. Pick up the first name card and name it.
12. Invite the child to match with the corresponded model.
17
13. Finish the matching of the name cards with the models.
14. Point to the confrontation chart and say “This is Bee’s life cycle.”
15. Point to the “egg” picture and say “this is the egg of honeybee.”
16. Point to the “larva” picture and say “this is the larva of honeybee.”
17. Point to the “pupa” picture and say “this is the pupa of honeybee.”
18. Point to the “adult” picture and say “this is the adult of honeybee.”
19. Invite the child to do the matching of the objects and the confrontation chart.
20. Invite the child to match the name cards with the confrontation chart 21. Place all the materials back to their own place.
22. Place the material back to the shelf.
Controls of errors:
1. Seeing the object/word do not match with the confrontation chart.
Points of interest:
1. The objects.
Goals:
1. Understand there are different stages of honeybee 2. Recognize the faces of honeybee in different stages.
Variations:
1. Take away the confrontation chart.
2. For older child – replace the name cards by Chinese alphabet, encoding the name
by the child oneself.
18
Photos of doing the activity
19
Results
I. Pre-test
According to the pre-test table (Table1.), the children could not tell the name “hive”, they usually said “honey” and “honeybee’s house”. There was a child who could give me the name of “hexagon”. The rest of the children mainly gave me “rhombus” and “quadrangular”. Also, all the children could recognize the model of adult bee is “the bee”, they could not defund the model neither is baby nor adult. However, this model is the only one answer which the children told to the researcher with most confident. For the egg and larva models, the children usually recognize them as a caterpillar. The pupa model is the one they usually gave up to guess.
II. Post-test
According to the post-test table (Table 2.), 100% of the children has learned at least three names from the activities. The highest percentage of the names which the children able to name out are “hexagon” and “egg”.
Both of they have 92.3% (12 of 13). There are 84.6% of children (11 of 13) who able to name out “larva”, this also is the second high percentage of name. “Pupa” and “adult” are third high of names that the children able to name out, both of them have 69.2% (9 of 13). “Hives” has the lowest percentage which the children able to name out, only 61.5% (8 of 13).
Children are impressed by the outlook of the adult bee. When the researcher was doing the post-test, they always could not wait to tell to the researcher it is a bee. Therefore, the researcher had to guide them to think
20
back the life cycle, trying to let them to tell me the stage of the bee model is.
For those children who had not joined the project. Some of them told the researcher that they do not like the models, do not like insects and some of them just do not want to do my works. the researcher respects the interest of each of the child, this id fine to happen.
Table 1. Pre-test table
Reorganization of names
Hives Hexagon Egg Larva Pupa Adult
Age6 X
Age5 Age5 Age5 Age5 Age5 Age5 Age5 Age4 Age4 Age4 Age4 Age4
21
Table 2. Post-test table
Reorganization of names
Hives Hexagon Egg Larva Pupa Adult
Age6 X X X X X X
Age5 X X X X X
Age5 X X X
Age5 X X X X X
Age5 X X X X X X
Age5 X X X X X X
Age5 X X X X
Age5 X X X X X
Age4 X X X X X
Age4 X X X
Age4 X X X X X
Age4 X X
Age4 X X X X X X
22
Four Extension Exercises
⚫
Dropping honey
⚫
3-part cards of honeybee
⚫
Observing the honeycomb
⚫
Puzzles of bee’s body with names
23
⚫ Dropping honey
Materials: a tray, a bottle of yellow water, a dropper, a sponge, a bucket, a plastic frame which styles as honeycomb.
Subjects: Children 3.5 years and older
Prerequisite: None
Presentation:
1. Take the tray out from the shelf.
2. Place the tray on a table.
3. Pick up the bottle of yellow water.
4. Twist the cover of the bottle.
5. Squeeze the dropper and let go.
6. Take the dropper out.
7. Drop one drop of yellow water in one honeycomb each time. The
teacher may demonstrate a row and invite the child to complete the rest of the honeycombs.
8. Keep dropping until all the honeycomb have filled up.
9. If the dropper has no more yellow water, put the dropper back to the bottle and squeeze once, then continuous.
10. After all the honeycombs have filled up, put the dropper back to the bottle and twist the bottle tight.
11. Pick the sponge.
12. Cover the honeycomb frame with the sponge.
13. Press the sponge.
14. Take the sponge off.
24
15. Twist the sponge above the bucket, then place the sponge back.
16. Place the material back to the shelf.
Controls of errors:
1. Seeing the honeycomb is empty/ full.
Points of interest:
1. The color of the water.
2. The water drop in the honeycomb is attractive.
3. The bucket.
Goals:
1. Order – from left to right
2. Coordination – transferring yellow water 3. Concentration – drop a drop each time
4. Independence – complete the work by own self
Variations:
1. Change the size/shape/color of the honeycomb.
2. Making pattern – it can created by children or the teacher.
25
⚫ 3-part cards of honeybee
Materials: 3 parts card of three kinds of honeybees
Subjects: Children 3.5 years and older
Prerequisite: matching experience (geometric cabinet with cards, knobbed cylinders)
Presentation:
1. Take the tray out from the shelf.
2. Place the tray on a table.
3. Take out the cards which are containing the words and the pictures and lay on the table.
4. Point to the card and say “This is Apis cerana.”
5. Invite the child follows after you.
6. Point to the card and say “This is Bombus.”
7. Invite the child follows after you.
8. Point to the card and say “This is Apis mellifera ligustica.”
9. Invite the child follows after you.
10. Give the three period lessons.
11. Invite the child to match the name cards with the picture cards.
12. Say out the names of those honeybees.
10. Place all the materials back to their own place.
11. Place the material back to the shelf.
Controls of errors:
1. Seeing the matching do not match with the card which contains the word and the picture.
26
Points of interest:
1. Different kinds of honeybees.
Goals:
1. Recognize the common honeybees in Taiwan.
Variations:
1. Shorting game – increase the picture of those three kinds of honeybees.
27
⚫ Observing the honeycomb
Materials: a tray, a magnifier, color pens, paper, a jar of honey with honeycomb.
Subjects: Children 3 years and older
Prerequisite: None
Presentation:
1. Take the tray out from the shelf.
2. Place the tray on a table.
3. Hold the magnifier, and observe the honeycomb.
4. Record the observation by picture/word.
Points of interest:
1. The real honeycomb.
Goals:
1. Practice to be concentrate.
2. Encourage to write. (Record the detail of the jar)
28
⚫ Puzzles of bee’s body with names
Materials: a tray, a confrontation chart, a container with picture puzzles pieces, a container with name puzzles pieces.
Subjects: Children 3.5 years and older
Prerequisite: Matching experience
Presentation:
1. Take the tray out from the shelf.
2. Place the tray on a table.
3. Introduce the confrontation chart, “This is the bee’s body.”
4. Point to container which contains the picture pieces, “I am going to match these puzzles with the confrontation chart.”
5. Pick one piece of the picture puzzle and match it.
6. Point to the corresponded name and said “Eyes, this is the eyes of the bee.”
7. Go to the container which contains name puzzles and find the same piece that fits with the word “Eyes”.
8. Keep matching the picture pieces and the name pieces until all puzzles are matched.
9. Read aloud the names from the top to the bottom. (Encourage the child repeats the name after you said a name)
10. If the child is ready, the teacher may do the 3 period lesson with the child.
29
11. Place the picture pieces and the name pieces back to the container.
12. Place the material back to the shelf.
Controls of errors:
1. Seeing the picture/name does not match with the confrontation chart.
2. The curve of the puzzle pieces do not match.
Points of interest:
1. The curve of the puzzle pieces
2. The picture that shows the details of the bee’s body.
Goals:
1. Learn the parts of bee.
2. Practice to observe details.
Variations:
1. Take away the confrontation chart.
2. Change the puzzles into different species of bee.
30
Conclusion
Personally believe my project was success to execute. All children who involved in this project are able to tell me several names. Most of them did at least twice within two out of three activities. The child who I mainly designed for was interested in those activities. He keeps going back to work with those works. Once, he was doing a clay work. He asked me to have a look to his work pieces after he finished shaping the clay dough. He told me that he had made the bee models which I use in the work of “bee’s life cycle”. He made a tiny place as the egg of bee, a curved piece as the larva of bee, a hard piece like a rubber as the pupa and a piece with wings, antennas as the adult of bee. This boy impressed me so much!
Even though I think my project was executed successfully, this does not mean the activities are perfect. I think I was not design the materials appropriately. In the “Clipping pollen” work, I placed a clay blow on the left-hand side of the tray, a wooden frame on the right-hand side. Therefore, the weight of the tray always not balanced. Also, I had picked a tray which is not deep enough. There was always happened a situation that a child holding the tray but not so steady, so the clay blow always shake on the tray. Both questions could make the work more difficult, especially for the child who does not have steady small muscles. This makes me re-think the concept of isolating difficulties.
Remaining me that a teacher should put herself into the child’s shoes, really considers what elements will become the part of difficulties to bother the child on doing the work.
31
Also, next time “the life cycle of honeybee/bee” maybe could be presented in a small group work. Many children have not observed honeybee before, so when I introduce each model of honeybee, they could not tell a lot of experience on it. If I do it in a group, children may discuss a little bit of how honeybee works, where/how he lives, I believe this would be better than only me keep talking all the time.
32
References
Carol Garhart Mooney. (2000). Theories of Childhood. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Constance Kamii. (1995). Number in Preschool and Kindergarten:
Education Implications of Piaget’s Theory. Washington, DC:
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Judy R. Jablon., Amy Laura Dombro., & Margo L. Dichtelmiller. (2013).
The Power of Observation: Birth to age 8. Washington, DC:
Teaching Strategies, Inc.
Paula Polk Lillard. (1972). Montessori: A Modern Approach. New York:
Schocken Book Inc.
Paula Polk Lillard. (1997). Montessori: In The Classroom. New York:
Schocken Book Inc.
William Crain. (2011). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall
33
Appendix 1 Materials that used in pre-test and post-test
Beehive:
Hexagon:
Modles of Bee’s life cycle:
34
Appendix 2 Form for recording the answers
(Pre-test)
35
Appendix 3 Form for recording the answers and the works the children did
(Post-test)
