Montessori education draws its name from the work of Maria Montessori, an Italian educator. Montessori education advocates a systematic, scientific approach to teaching combined with a loving, maternal relationship with the students. This system allows tailor-made programs of education to the specific needs of students. Montessori education focuses on personal development rather than continuous assessment of knowledge through exams. Recently, interest has been focused on Montessori education after a study by psychologists in the US found that children given Montessori education outperformed their peers who were given a traditional education. Variables of the study included mental performance, academic abilities, and social and behavioral skills. Below are some of the significant differences highlighted in this study:
- In terms of social skills and behavior, children under Montessori education displayed a greater understanding of the concepts of justice and fairness, interacted in an emotionally positive way, and were less likely to engage in rough play during break times. Older children undergoing Montessori education were found to be mre likely to choose positive assertive responses when faced with unpleasant social situations.
- With respect to academic performance, five-year-old Montessori children were found to be better prepared for reading and maths than their counterparts schooled in the traditional way. In addition, twelve-year-old Montessori pupils also wrote “significantly more creative” essays with more sophisticated sentence structures.
Montessori education credits its success to its unique method of discouraging traditional ways of measuring achievement through competition between students. Instead of giving exams and evaluating the child's performance based on a grading system, Montessori education focuses more on the individual progress and development of a student. In contrast with traditional education where children are segregated by age groups, in Montessori education children of different ages can be in the same class. They are also encouraged to collaborate and help each other finish tasks.
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