Montessori Education

There are a variety of ways for parents to choose their toddlers’ school.  They may pick it up from their experience or lack of it.  They may listen to word-of-mouth, or conduct for themselves a brief school-background check.

What does this decision-making implicate?  --That before the young students’ voice could be properly taken into account; parents/guardians do the selection first.  Suppose students were given the voice, which institution would appeal to them -- traditional, or Montessori education?

Of course, it’s possible to communicate such choice to a kid; however, there is no denying the fact that it could be very challenging.  But for parents to aid their young ones ability to decide and free-think, then, maybe they can opt for the following recourse:

• Young ones could be encouraged to explicitly come up with expectations of their prospective schools.  Say, if one wants a lot of play, then parents will have to cite instances by which they can play inside a traditional, or Montessori education.  Take note that this guardian-supplementation is not possible unless parents did their own research.

• If parents/guardians have the time to conduct a learning diagnosis (at home), then they might try it.  This way, they are able to obtain initial but, nevertheless, profound information as to how their young students learn, as well as their level of absorption.

• Parents/guardians must check on their little toddlers’ ability to focus.  Each type of institution, be it the traditional or Montessori education, has its own way of handling or managing its students’ attention span.  However, knowing how their students fare at home may provide tangible clues as to how it might work at (which) school. 

Montessori education is a formal learning approach developed in 1907 by educator and physician Dr. Maria Montessori. Montessori opened her first classroom in 1907, the Casa dei Bambini, or Children’s House, paving the way for the introduction of a method of education that concentrates on individual progress and development of each student. Montessori believed that children could learn better if they discover knowledge by themselves rather than direct instructions. But is this unconventional type of schooling better than traditional education?

In 2006, psychologists in the United States co-led by Angeline Lillard of University of Virginia conducted a study aimed at finding out whether Montessori education is better than the traditional way of schooling. For the study, researchers compared pupils aged three to 12 at a Montessori school in Milwaukee with students of the same age bracket studying at traditional schools in the same location. Researchers tested the children for mental performance, academic abilities, and social and behavioural skills. What did they found out?

According to Lillard, the study found out significant advantages for the Montessori students in these tests for both age groups. Lillard noted remarkable positive social effects of Montessori education on the children. Researchers observed that five-year-old Montessori pupils were better prepared for reading and maths than their counterparts, while 12-year-old Montessori students wrote "significantly more creative" essays than their traditional opposites. Researchers also observed big differences in social skills and behaviour.

In short, researchers found that on a certain range of abilities, children studying at Montessori schools essentially outperformed their traditional counterparts. Researchers also found out that Montessori schools produce more mature and socially adept children than traditional education institutions.

With these observations and findings, the researchers concluded that Montessori schooling nurtures academic and social skills that are equal or superior to those nurtured by traditional education.

The term “education” is derived from Latin word “educatio” which could mean “a bringing up” or “a breeding.” The modern-day meaning of the word education could seem well relate to its origin. The simplest meaning of education nowadays is that is it the process of imparting knowledge, skills and values from one person to another. If connected to the origin of the term, education could mean the process of breeding or bringing up an individual into a person that he ought to be.

There are currently two educational stages -- compulsory and non-compulsory education. Compulsory education is a period of formal learning wherein young individuals are required to undergo. In the United Kingdom, this period usually starts from age four and a half and ends at age 16. However, UK’s Education and Skills Act of 2008 raised the compulsory education age to 17 effective in 2013, and 18 effective in 2015. Traditional and Montessori education both belong to this stage.

The non-compulsory education, meanwhile, refers to a period of formal learning not necessarily required. Individuals are given the choice whether to proceed to this education stage. After finishing formal traditional and Montessori education, a person could proceed to study a vocational course or choose to pursue an undergraduate degree. Vocational courses offer students to learn and specialize in a certain practical skill, without much concern with theories. In contrast, college courses offer students to concentrate on a certain field of knowledge, and embroil them with theories.

The process of imparting knowledge and skills is not an easy one. Approaches differ, from traditional to Montessori education. It takes time, effort and resources before the academe could mould students into persons they ought to be. Education, however, has always been successful in bringing up individuals who could contribute to the society development.

        The Montessori education method is a particular educational approach or philosophy of education that emphasize on the independence, freedom within limits, and respect for the child's natural psychological development and technological advancements within society in general. The Montessori educational approach was developed by Italian educator and physician Maria Montessori. The Montessori educational approach and its practices are applicable for the age levels of: zero to three years old covering infant and toddler, and preschool and kindergarten; six to 12 years old covering the primary or elementary school age children; and 12 to 18 years old covering the middle and proper secondary school levels.

        However, the Montessori education is commonly used for the educational levels of preschool, kindergarten, and primary school levels. If you are a parent who is considering in getting the Montessori educational approach as the primary method for educating your child, and planning to enroll him in a Montessori school, you should first read and study about the advantages or benefits of the method. Information and materials about the Montessori educational approach is available in the local library, in various Internet websites that provide free information about the Montessori method, and in the printed materials distributed by the various non-profit organisations that are dedicated to promoting the Montessori approach.

        Reading and studying about the benefits of the Montessori education would help you in making an informed and wise choice of determining and deciding if the Montessori method is the best approach for educating your child. The main benefits of the Montessori approach includes letting children on learning on their own because a Montessori classroom is equipped with self-correcting materials that would help a child to learn through the trial and error, which would result in the child in learning to make correct decisions. Moreover, the Montessori classroom has an environment that provides a natural sense of discipline for the child.

• classrooms where students from different ages converge
• a special set of educational materials
• students can choose their own work given in long time blocks
• student mentors that foster a collaborative environment
• no grading and testing system
• instruction of individuals and small groups alike
• instruction of both academic and social skills

• Montessori students are significantly better prepared for elementary school by having more knowledge in reading and maths than their non-Montessori counterparts.
• Montessori educated children also performed better on social and behavioral tests, in particular demonstrating a better sense of justice and fairness.
• Outside of the classroom Montessori children were also more likely to engage in emotionally positive play with other kids and have a lesser tendency to engage in rough play.
• Montessori education also tends to increase the children's executive function, or their ability to adapt to changing and more complex problems.

• A bachelor's degree in education majoring in primary or high school education, English, mathematics, science, and communication arts. Then, you should select the age group of the children that you want to teach. The age groups of the students are: infant to toddler class (from zero to two years old); primary class (from three to six years old); lower elementary class (ages six to nine years old); upper elementary class (nine to 12 years old); and secondary level class (from 12 to 15 years old and 15 to 18 years old).

• Obtaining training and certification to become a certified Montessori education teacher is the most important part. Just like what I did, I searched the Internet for training centers or professional organizations that offered accredited teacher training programs. It is important that you select a program that is accredited by a recognized accreditation body or organization to ensure that the certification and training you obtained would be recognized by educational institutions. In the United States, the three leading accreditation bodies are the American Montessori Society, the Association Montessori Internationale, and the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teach Education Commission.

• Availing of distance learning training programs offered by various training centers if you are currently working as a non-Montessori teacher and your work schedule would not allow you to attend formal classes. Just make sure that their programs are accredited by any of the three accreditation bodies.

• Practices – The Montessori education emphases mentioned are practice using the essential elements of mixed age classrooms, student choice of activity, uninterrupted work time, learning theory of constructivism and specialised educational materials. The most common mixed age classroom involve children aged 2 ½ or 3 to 6 years old. As far as the activity choice is concerned, the choices come within a prescribe range. Uninterrupted work time comes in blocked times. In constructivism, students learn concepts by working with materials as opposed to listening to lectures. The Montessori approach also uses specialised educational materials which was developed by Montessori herself and her collaborators. Lots of Montessori schools design their own programs basing on Montessori model of human development which is found in her published works. These schools also use lessons, pedagogy and materials based on materials introduced in teaching courses conducted by Montessori.

• Model – Montessori education is basically based on the model of human development; it is also a model of human development itself. Two basic elements is featured in the model. They are (1) children and developing adults are involved in psychological self-construction through interaction within their environments and (2) children, especially under six years old, have an innate path of psychological development. Montessori believed, based on her observations, that children can act spontaneously towards best development if they have the freedom to choose and act freely within an environment which is prepared for them using the development model developed by her.

• 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.