Treaty 2 Territory – My name is Cayleen Mathews, I started working with First Nations in Treaty 2 Territory in September 2019. I am the Life Long Learning Research Helper. For the last two years I have been assisting the Life Long Learning Circle Keeper with gathering research articles to help with curriculum development for the kindergarten to grade 12 booklets, develop a rough cost structure for programs and other research that may be needed for my keeper.
So far, my favorite topic of research was a learning method named after Maria Montessori. She believed that children in the western classrooms were too restricted and limited by the education that the teachers imposed on them. She seen the curiosity and motivation in children to learn and soak in their environments.
The Montessori method allows children to move through the classroom picking activities that interests them. When children are interested in what they are learning they will have an easier time remembering it. The teacher offers guidance and will assist be giving suggestions where the children are struggling to solve the activities. This method is child centered and allows the children to become independent from adults in the classroom. Montessori classrooms are grouped together in age groups which allows the older children to assist the younger children. This helps the children become more social as well as giving them a chance to sharpen their problem-solving skills. This method of learning is very fascinating to me as it allows the child to take control over their learning and instead of having children try memorizing things they read, it allows them to take in the knowledge and process it so they will remember it for a long time.
Submitted By: Cayleen Mathews, LLL Research Helper
Last modified: October 5, 2021
