Montessori Workshop

Teacher Workshop: “Management, Motivation, and Mathematics”

On Saturday, September 19^th, the weekend before the teachers of Cape Verde began their school year, twelve teachers arrived at Fundação Amilcar Cabral for a workshop they had been selected to attend by Dra. Graça Sanches from the Ministry of Education. The teachers represented 12 of the 30 schools in the capital city. The workshop was put on as a collaborative project by Language Link and Karen Molina, an American educator and former Peace Corps volunteer. The topic of the workshop was “Management, Motivation, and Mathematics.”

The event began with a period of discovery with the participants sharing their knowledge of the Montessori Method. The Montessori Method has been in place for over 100 years and was developed by an Italian doctor who approached education by building concepts from the concrete to the abstract. The approach is a sensory hands-on method that helps children build concepts by giving them the opportunity for discovery and practice. Once children build a strong understanding of the foundational concepts underlying, for example, the decimal system; they are able to construct higher levels of learning and move into abstract concepts such as algebra and higher level mathematics that solely use representation and symbols. Each teacher picked up his/her bag filled with wooden materials and was asked to check out what was inside. The room was quiet with contemplation as the teachers placed a large wooden cube, 10 wooden squares, 10 small bars, and a hundred tiny cubes around their work space. They created designs and began the process that their students would soon be experiencing.

Teachers learned how to match mathematical vocabulary with the materials and while all of them had a clear understanding of their new resources, they walked away thoroughly pleased with their new skills to apply them to children’s understanding all the way through multiplication and division. They practiced games and patterns and went into great discussions about the value and the concrete conceptual learning that would be taking place in their classrooms through the use of the materials. By the end of the workshop teachers left refreshed with ideas on management, new ways of motivating students through a hands-on approach, and with the supplies necessary to make that possible. There were smiles and laughter around the room as each participant received his/her certificate. The dedicated group of professionals descended the stairs of Fundação Amilcar Cabral with an advanced understanding of mathematical lesson plans and hopes for good year of school ahead.

For more information about the printed materials and lesson plans click here