Teaching to Care
A study at Tawa Montessori Preschool
Tawa Montessori Preschool took part in a study investigating interactions between teachers and children. The study was aimed at exploring what aspects of teacher child interactions influence preschool children's emotional competence in everyday situations. The study was undertaken by the Cherubs lab from Massey University.
In the study our Tawa Montessori Preschool (centre 1) teachers are identified as more attentive at acknowledging specific personality and cultural features in the children. They are more often engaged in interactions that encourages modeling, attainment, and expressiveness.
The study also confirms that our preschool promotes interactions which are more considerate of children’s emotions and which uses more responsive strategies such as emotion coaching, encouraging of mastery, expressiveness and emotion talk. Our children’s behaviour is observed to be orderly and cooperative. No aggressive conflicts are identified and there is an overall sense of calmness. The study confirms that our teachers create an emotional climate that is conducive to learning and support the emotional experience that promotes positive emotional competence in young children.
At Tawa Montessori Preschool our teachers truly teach from the heart in a culture of love and respect.
- Download research information (pdf)