[BCFD]

Is Montessori math modeled after an actual program (i.e. Singapore, MathUSee, Miquon, Right Start, Saxon, etc.). I'm just wondering what math program/curriculum would be easiest to transfer to after learning the basic math concepts in a Montessori 3-6 program. I'm considering leaving my dd in her current private Montessori school for her kindy year, looking into a Montessori charter K-8, and if all else fails possibly an Open school. It looks like most of the Open schools use Saxon math (or California Math), but the Montessori charter says it uses Harcourt (which I believe is Saxon?? Maybe Harcourt is the publisher? I'm so confused about this). I've never heard Montessori math referred to as anything but that.

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[babybeemama]

I am a Montessori teacher. I am AMI trained in both the primary (ages 3-6) and elementary levels (6-12).

In short, there is no workbook/textbook math program that goes with the Montessori math curriculum.

I am not sure why the Montessori charter school, you mentioned, is using any math program other than the Montessori math.

Montessori math lessons are so thorough and go well beyond anything offered in a workbook or textbook.

You have to do what you think is best for your daughter. There so much more to Montessori than just the math. What are you looking for or wanting for her?

A little more info: If your daughter started at around age 3 here is a brief list of some math lessons she should have in her last year and a half in primary:

Golden Bead Work and Decimal Cards- to get a good understanding of the Decimal System (units, tens, hundreds, thousands)

Introduction to all 4 operations using the above materials.

Linear Counting and Skip Counting with the chains

Stamp Game: solving equations using all 4 operations.

Memorization work. (Only when children have a good understanding the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division should they begin memorizing math facts. The sooner math facts are memorized, the better.)

 

[BCFD]

Thank you so much for responding! So, an AMI school just calls it "Montessori Math" even for the 6-12 elementary classes?

I am not sure why the Montessori charter uses Harcourt Math.

: I am going to ask them about that when I tour the school. I am assuming because they are funded by the public school district they have to? Hmm...this is a very interesting question that I need to ask them.

What I'm looking for and wanting for her is a Montessori education, but I am not sure if we can afford an AMI school for her. Plus, the closest AMI school is waaayyyy too far of a commute. She started a school that has AMS trained teachers in Feb. '08 when she was 3 years 3 months and we *LOVE*

: it there. She just turned 4 in mid-November and will be at her school until at least Aug. '09. That means she will have been in the 3-6 program there for 1 year 5 months. If we keep her at her current private school for kindergarten, she will have spent a total of 2 years 6 months there. Then she would start 1st grade at the Montessori charter or Open school. Of course, we may opt to enroll her into a private Montessori school, but that just means higher tuition for our family and she has 2 younger sibs (currently a 3 y.o. and 2 y.o.) that I want to attend the private AMS Montessori school for their pre-school years, as well. Right her 3 y.o. sib attends the same school 3 half days per week.

Since she just turned 4, she hasn't started any of those math lessons you have mentioned that I am aware of. I am assuming that she will start on those between now and the summer. Actually, I think most of those are taught in their kindy program. Her classroom still has works like the teen and ten board, the hundred board, the short bead stairs, sandpaper numbers, red and number rods, spindle box, the intro to decimal quantity box, binomial and trinomial cubes, etc. They may have some of the more advanced math jobs in her class (I'll have to take notice on that) because they do have some 5 and 5 1/2 year old kids in her class. I think their kindy students are 4-6 year olds.

She will be a young kindergarten student since the age cutoff here is Dec. 2. She will be starting kindy at 4 (they start in August) and turning 5 in November. The other alternative would be to wait until she is 5 turning 6 to put her in kindy, but I honestly think that she will be so far advanced for public or charter kindy at 6 that doing that would be a horrible idea.

 

[Lillianna]

Well, I checked out the website for Harcourt Math, it is not very similar to Montessori Math.
Montessori did indeed design a very comprehensive and thorough Math progression. The materials begin with very concrete representations of the quantity (number rods and sandpaper numbers) and flows through numbers from 0 to 10 first. Once the child is ready, we begin lessons with teens and tens as well as work with the Gold Beads. All this while the child is working with a physical representation of the number. Montessori called this whole process is the "Passage to Abstraction" which begins with the first materials around the age of 4 and continues through a series of increasingly more abstract representation of quantity. The stamp game, snake game, finger charts and bead frames are all Montessori Math materials as well as the fraction circles. This is for Primary.
BCFD - you would be surprised how much a child can get out of having the 5/6 year in the Children's House, especially with the math materials. There are actually quite a few advanced lessons that few children ever get to.
Hey Babybeemama! I wonder if you could expound on how the passage to abstraction occurs in the elementary classsroom? Also, did Montessori have a term for the elem. as she did for "Casa dei Bambini"? I also have AMI Primary (OMTI) and live in Ohio! My dd told me that at her class, she works with finger charts or that she uses her fingers (to count)- I know sometimes she used stamp game but I don't think she uses the bead frame. I thought she would be mostly using bead frame at this point. They also do time tests for memorization of math facts. Thanks for your input!

 

[BCFD]

Lillianna, thank you for the explanation as well! I am going to ask the Montessori charter school all of this and take a look around their classroom. One of the teachers at dd's school has her own dd in the charter school (she started in kindy and now is in 1st). I am going to ask her about what she knows, as well. I am wondering if they teach Montessori methods and supplement with Harcourt just to appease their district requirements? I am antsy to tour their school now.

I know how important it is for dd to finish out her 5/6 year in Montessori, so at this point I might keep her in her school (that is highly dedicated to the Montessori method).

 

[babybeemama]

From Lillianna: "There are actually quite a few advanced lessons that few children ever get to.

This isn't totally true. The Absorbent Mind" is a wonderful thing and a lot of math can be done in the primary classroom. Most of the Kindergarten students I had did do all 4 operations with the Stamp Game and were well on their way to memorizing + and - facts.

"Hey Babybeemama! I wonder if you could expound on how the passage to abstraction occurs in the elementary classsroom?"

(Very brief but incomplete answer) Just like in primary there are many concrete/sensorial lessons and it is important to give the children many opportunities to explore with the materials before going on to written work. (Some trainers will even go as far as to say written work should not be required.) I'll write in more detail with an example when I have time...

Also, did Montessori have a term for the elem. as she did for "Casa dei Bambini"?

I believe it is just elementary. In fact as far as a know there is no mention of Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary which is why some believe the classroom should be all 6 grades together!

I also have AMI Primary (OMTI) and live in Ohio!

I am an OMTI graduate as well! I was also lucky enough to take my elementary training in Bergamo.

 

[Lillianna]

Yes, most of the children get through Stamp Game and into memorizing add and sub. I was referring to the later materials such as multiplication with bead bars, bead boards and division board as well as fractions (operations) and bead frames. What I'm wondering is where does this pick up in elementary? How long is Stamp Game used? Do you have finger charts?
I have heard that the elementary is a wonderful experience with the full 6 year age span!

 

[tbone]

What do you all think of Shiller Math?

http://www.shillermath.com/sm/home.php?src=index.htm

 

[BCFD]

There is a great post here on MDC re Math programs. You might enjoy reading that (I did!

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[MattBronsil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lillianna Yes, most of the children get through Stamp Game and into memorizing add and sub. I was referring to the later materials such as multiplication with bead bars, bead boards and division board as well as fractions (operations) and bead frames. What I'm wondering is where does this pick up in elementary? How long is Stamp Game used? Do you have finger charts? I have heard that the elementary is a wonderful experience with the full 6 year age span!

I'm not 6-9 and DEFINITELY not 9-12. I am thinking back.

I remember using the stamp game to figure out square roots of 4 digit numbers. I think that was about 3rd grade??

I used many of the materials in the 3-6 classroom and used them to teach elementary concepts on the rare occasion that a child is ready for it in his or her kindergarten year. Square roots of smaller numbers has been a favorite activity (then matching seeing the connection to the bead cabinet).

In 9-12, I remember getting into negative numbers and algebra type problems. Maybe I got into it earlier, but I remember some of the materials in the 9-12 classroom for it. I remember a lot of my math being done in the science expiriments we did.

I'll look around this school for the elementary math albums and see what they're like sometime when I have more time.

 

[tbone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCFD There is a great post here on MDC re Math programs. You might enjoy reading that (I did! )

Thanks! It seems like most people like it.

Matt or Lilliana, or babybeemama, do you think that it is accurate in teaching math in the M way? If I do end up homeschooling ds after K, this would be a great option if it is. (Although reading about all the other options out there has left my head spinning a little!

 

[BCFD]

I just read in an old issue of Tomorrow's Child (Fall 2002) that the Montessori math curriculum is "based on the European tradition of 'Unified Math,' which has only recently been recognized by leading American educators. Unified Math introduces Elementary students to the study of the fundamentals of algebra, geometry, logic, and statistics along with the principles of arithmetic. This study continues over the years, weaving together subjects that traditional schools normally ignore until the Secondary grades."

I can't seem to find anything about "Unified Math". I'd really love to find a comparison chart or something that really spells out the difference between public school system math (Saxon, Singapore, etc.)

 

[tbone]

Wow, that's really great to know! I tried googling it and couldn't come up with anything either. I'd like some sort of comparison chart too.

Have you gone on the tour of the M Charter school yet? I'm curious to find out their explanations for using Harcourt Math as opposed to (or maybe in conjuction with) "montessori math".

 

[MattBronsil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCFD I just read in an old issue of Tomorrow's Child (Fall 2002) that the Montessori math curriculum is "based on the European tradition of 'Unified Math,' which has only recently been recognized by leading American educators. Unified Math introduces Elementary students to the study of the fundamentals of algebra, geometry, logic, and statistics along with the principles of arithmetic. This study continues over the years, weaving together subjects that traditional schools normally ignore until the Secondary grades." I can't seem to find anything about "Unified Math". I'd really love to find a comparison chart or something that really spells out the difference between public school system math (Saxon, Singapore, etc.)

I think Tim Seldin wrote that. I have tried to find information since I last heard it and have come up empty. I'll send an e-mail and ask him.

 

[MattBronsil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbone What do you all think of Shiller Math? http://www.shillermath.com/sm/home.php?src=index.htm

It's hard to say. I looked at one of their lesson plans and it bugged me right away to see a rhombus called a diamond. At least he did the 3 period lesson.

It's certainly not Montessori, but might be a decent program if you're looking to homeschool. I've seen a lot worse.

 

[BCFD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattBronsil I think Tim Seldin wrote that. I have tried to find information since I last heard it and have come up empty. I'll send an e-mail and ask him.

That would be great, Matt. I'm really, really curious about this.

 

[MattBronsil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCFD That would be great, Matt. I'm really, really curious about this.

Posted it on another forum and got the answer. I'm just going to copy and paste that response.

"Dear Matt, Instead of separating out the three areas of math,(
arithmetic, algebra and geometry), and teaching them at different ages
because "math is so difficult" , children are exposed to the basic elements
of a single discipline,( mathematics) all along the way. The tremendous
role of the sensorial work is very apparent in teaching math as a whole
discipline. While the child is learning to put quantity and symbols
together, the child is examining the geometric cabinet, constructive
triangles, or the pink tower, or the binomial cube, etc. Math is treated
as a language to explain/explore math events, so just as language and
writing are a unified discipline to explain/explore imagination and
abstraction, so is math. Does that make sense? It is 4:45 am here in
Virginia, and I may be thinking well, but not writing well.."

 

[BCFD]

Matt, that makes TOTAL sense!! Thank you so much for asking him to explain.

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[tbone]

Wonderful explanation! Thank you!!!!