An Alternative Way of Education

“And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being.” ‒ Maria Montessori (1870-1952), Italian physician and educator.

About a century ago these words sounded pretty revolutionary. And Montessori education method was criticized through and through. Right now Montessori education is pretty wide spread all over the world. Maybe it is because we became more liberal and more open to alternative ways of educating our children. Or maybe because we realized that this system does produce better results than the conventional way .

So anyway, what is Montessori method? And what makes it so different and so revolutionary?

First of all, the Method based on Maria Montessori’s belief that every child was born with a natural ability to learn and that teacher’s job is to create favorable environment for their students and observe the act of exploration. Children in a Montessori classroom do not have to stay at their desks during the lessons and devote their time to just one academic discipline. They have 3-hour periods when they are free to explore and experiment with any materials specifically designed to meet their developmental needs.

Maria Montessori also discovered Sensitive periods in the child’s development. She called them the Planes of Development. She realized that at certain ages children are more sensitive to certain stimuli which allows them to master certain skills at the expense of the others. And it is a teacher’s job to recognize those Planes of Development and provide the right environment for the children. That is a reason why in Montessori schools children are grouped into 3-year age instead of the same age groups.

Another difference from the conventional school is that every child is studying at his or her own pace. And the grading is not used in a Montessori school as it is. The teachers do keep record of every child’s success though along with the notes of the skills that still need working on.

As I already mentioned earlier, in the long run the study shown that Montessori children showed better results in language and math skills as well as overall academic success. And just to think about it, those children were more emotionally involved in the learning process. They had more positive attitude towards learning and figuring out new skills on their own. I am considering Montessori method as an option for my child. What about you?