I grew up outside of Chicago where, back in the day, they put cinders on slick roads in the winter. By February, the sidewalks and gutters would be full of ash-infused slush or soot-coated ice blocks. About this time of year, my mother would begin wishing for “one good gully-washer” of a rainstorm to sweep away the soot and the grime of winter. I think that is why, for me, the longest month of the year is February. I am ready to wash away the grime of winter, but February does not often oblige. Thankfully, the end of the month is upon us. Outside my window this morning, there was a Rufus-sided Towhee singing what has to have been a mating call – he warbled and chirruped for the better part of 20 minutes before he flew off, unfulfilled. The daffodils by my front door have poked up about 2” and for the first time since December about half of the yard has emerged from piles of snow. Ah, Spring, when a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of … standardized testing. (Apologies to Alfred Lord Tennyson).
This is an incongruous time of year for Montessorians. Our entire system of education rests on the principle of fostering intrinsic motivation in children. Spring brings a season of extrinsically driven activity into our classrooms. This causes us to step outside of our personal and institutional paradigm, which makes us cranky! I am sure that at some point in time we have all taken part in railing against standardized testing and test prep. While righteous condemnation can sometimes be cathartic, the hard reality is that as long as Montessori is viewed as “alternative”, and as long as the public paradigm is that all humans do the minimum to get by unless held to a higher standard, there will be an authentic need for public accountability in education. Parents have been taught that they need to be their children’s educational advocates; without an extensive background in human development, they rely on data to tell them how their child is progressing relative to others or to a standard. Administrators at all levels and in all schools need to be able to show that they are being fiscally responsible with the education dollars with which they have been entrusted. Rightly or wrongly, standardized testing fills those needs; it is with us until such time as a better way to measure growth is developed
Capitalizing on the best of testing
• Studying the way that standardized tests pose questions can open our eyes to creative approaches to problem-solving that we might not otherwise teach – techniques that might serve our children well in life. For example, the format of multiple choice testing affords us the opportunity to teach children to determine what type of answer is suitable in a given situation. Armed with this information, they can not only eliminate answers that are clearly incorrect but also avoid the lock-step approach of answering each question fully and then checking for a matching response – a life skill that may save them untold unnecessary effort in a variety of situations. For example, in mathematics, there are circumstances when precise calculations are required and others when answers need only be estimated. In test-taking, merely estimating an answer can sometimes identify which of the offered alternatives is the correct answer. Knowing this provides context and relevance to lessons on estimation (and will help children be better test-takers).
• Test-prep materials afford us the opportunity to study how test designers do their jobs, which can teach children to critically consider the questions themselves. For example, I remember a section of questions on vocabulary where the directions were to choose the best antonym. For each question, at least one possible answer listed
• Some testing has more relevant metrics than others. If we are lucky enough to get better feedback than a solitary number telling us the percent of our students that have achieved proficiency in a given area, a lot can be gleaned from metrics to suggest needed lessons for individuals or for the class as a whole. The detail in the metrics harbors the most value for educators like us who strive to meet the needs of each child.
Minimizing unintended negative consequences of testing
When extrinsically-driven activities are brought into the classroom, it can adversely affect normalization. Teachers often comment that testing and test-prep throws the children off; unexpected attitudes and behaviors seem to appear out of nowhere. We can offset some of this by intentionally promoting intrinsic motivation during this time
There is no better framework for fostering intrinsic motivation than that provided in Michael and D’Neil Duffy’s book, Love of Learning. The Duffys, in comparing research of a number of prominent educational theorists, have defined four components to intrinsic motivation: choice, content, collaboration, and challenge. They call these components “The 4 Cs”. Using this model to think about how testing and test prep affects Montessori children, it becomes self-evident why normalization is disturbed by testing and test prep.
• Choice – children’s choice of what work to do and when to do it, while never limitless, it is largely precluded when everyone must sit down to a given practice piece or test module at the same time.
• Content – children must engage with a narrow breadth and depth of content put before them. There is no opportunity to “wonder and
• Collaboration – test-taking and prep is always one-person work, with an implicit or explicit message that engaging with others about the material is cheating.
• Challenge – if the content is within the student’s Zone of Proximal Development it is entirely serendipitous. Most typically the content is well behind or ahead of a student’s true ability
When our children spend large portions of many consecutive days engaged in extrinsically driven activities, if we wish to preserve normalization, we need to do what we can to offset the hours of restriction and restore focus to processes. It is to this idea that the reflection is dedicated. There are many prompts below. Some will resonate more with you than others. They are offered in the hope that you will be drawn to a few (not a dozen), and that among those that attract you, there will be one or two that you can implement during times when the children are not engaged in testing or test prep
Reflection for Adults:
Increase choice: In testing, children are told to sit in a specific place and do specific work for a specific time on a specific subject. When practice or testing is not in session, can I offer increased movement choices? Can children have the option to spend more time outdoors or to be physically active more often through the rest of the day? Can I increase their cognitive or intellectual options through personal interest work or by giving lessons with open-ended follow-ups and encouraging children to creatively design their own response to lessons?
Focus on context and relevance: How can I foster big thinking right now? Are there opportunities to encourage cross-curricular applications of skills that we have been building? How can I fan the flames of interest to inspire children to take a “deep dive”? Can I help children see themselves as part of something bigger than themselves through an activity that promotes gratitude and/or an opportunity to be of service to others?
Actively encourage collaboration: How can I engage children in something that requires sharing ideas, discussion, and decision-making? In what areas can I encourage partner work? (This might include something highly academic, such as partnering to build square roots on the pegboard or creating a skit that is relevant to some aspect of the curriculum being studied, or it could be a Practical Life activity such as cooking.)
Encourage children to feed their need for appropriate levels of challenge: If children are tested at a level that is well below their typical academic work, what content is planned for this interval that will stretch them to new ideas? How can I help them lean in to the challenge and relish the stretch? If children are tested at a level that is above their typical academic work, what content is planned for this interval that provides for consolidation of skills/knowledge? Are there Practical Life activities that can provide time and space for recentering? If Spring is also the time of year when the class is to provide a product for the ever-popular auction fund-raiser, can it be a project that makes extensive use of the work of the hand
How do you know when things are in balance for you?
How do you know when there is something that needs correction?
If you feel as though your life is pretty well balanced right now, what do you do to keep it there?
If you feel as though your life is out of balance right now, what would restore better balance? What is within your Circle of Control or Circle of Influence that could encourage that change?
Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony. -Thomas Merton