Teacher and students using flower shapes at Montessori school
Many parents have heard of the Montessori method and probably even know a Montessori school in their neighborhood. The famous form of education has existed since Maria Montessori founded it in 1907 in Italy and continually gained popularity during the last century. Today there is more than 3,000 public and private schools Montessori Only in the United States.
But many people do not realize that, with some of the most famous practical advantages associated with Montessori education, there are also a multitude of mental advantages. These include better emotional stability, increased confidence, better cognitive function and a reduction in stress and anxiety in children who frequent Montessori schools.
Here is what the Montessori method is and how it is able to provide these advantages and others.
What is the Montessori method and why is it popular?
The Montessori method is an educational approach centered on the child taught in public or private schools Montessori. “The simplest way to describe it is that Montessori schools do not provide a unique approach to learning,” explains Lauren Franchek, a Certified Montessori educator and the school chief at Mountain Shadows International Montessori School in Colorado. “Instead, we allow each child to follow their own learning pace.”
One of the ways in which children are able to define this rhythm is to have multi-aging classrooms where young children are able to learn older peers while older students are able to Demonstrate control of concepts when they teach them young students.
“Our classrooms are broken down into three quality groups working together,” said Angie Johnson, a certified Montessori educator and the director of Mountain West Montessori Academy In Utah. In his school, these groups include the first in the third year, the fourth to the sixth and the seventh in the ninth in the same class. “The oldest year of each group is known as the” leadership year “of the child, the year when they should appropriate the things they have learned,” said Johnson.
She explains that the additional responsibilities for older students also go beyond academics. “In our school, it is children who plan the class parties, not parents or teachers,” she explains. “No matter the task, we believe that children develop better when they have responsibilities on their shoulders; and on many occasions, we see them getting up on the occasion.”
What do Montessori schools teach?
Montessori education covers the basics of mathematics, reading, writing and science; But goes beyond many forms of traditional education by also including sensory learning and teachers to look at each other and understand the world in which they live – a philosophy known in the learning of Montessori as a “cosmic education ยป.
“By introducing cultural conscience and teaching children in human history and their place, they learn to grow with a feeling of gratitude, empathy and deeper understanding,” explains Ally Altuna, educator and school director of Montessori certified at Montess Bell Canyon Montessori In Utah for 7 years. She adds that philosophy also allows you to learn practical life subjects. “Some examples include the importance of having good manners, conflict resolution and how to lend a hand when a mess should be cleaned or a work addressed,” she said.
Class sizes and teachers’ roles can also be a little different in Montessori schools. Even with several notes in the same room, the American Montessori Society recommends that Montessori classrooms not exceed 20 to 30 children, but it is not uncommon that there are as little as 10 to 15 children in some classrooms. “Small classrooms facilitate knowledge of each student and provide head-to-head advice,” said Altuna.
In addition, instead of standing at the front of the class and teaching to all students the same lesson, Montessori trained teachers act more as guides and learning facilitators, explains Susan Locke, director of the ‘School at the Bellevue Montessori School In Washington and a Montessori certified educator with 21 years of experience. “One of the reasons why Montessori classrooms can be directed by the child is that the same teachers generally work with the same students for 2 to 4 years, so that they know who they are and what approach to Learning works best for them, “she said.
Do Montessori schools have tests?
LOCKE points to another standard element of traditional education that is missing in Montessori schools: rigorous tests. With the exception of higher levels where certain state tests are necessary, Montessori schools are not strongly based on tests as a means of measuring the progress of a child. Instead, “children have the opportunity to explore subjects at their own pace and prove control of more reliable performance assessment tools,” said Altuna.
This helps not only each child to learn better, but also to reduce stress levels and promotes collaboration between peers. “Tests can be very stressful for young children, and we want to avoid this while keeping positive learning,” said Locke. “Montessori schools provide cooperative education, not competitive education.”
This approach does not mean that children are late their peers in more traditional schools, but allows children flexibility to learn many subjects in the order they wish and at their own pace. “State standards tell you what you need to learn but don’t say how you have to learn,” says Johnson.
The National Association of Education recommended Traditional classrooms follow a less conventional approach than that currently used, because “standardized tests are an inaccurate and unfair measure of students’ progress”.
Angeline Lillard, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and director of the Montessori Sciences program, says that the Montessori approach to performance assessment is not only better for the child, but has sense for the way in which Humans have evolved to learn.
“Many believe that part of the reason why children today have so much stress and anxiety are an evolutionary gap between the way they are raised and how humans have evolved,” she explains. For example, in indigenous crops which are most similar to the conditions of our old ancestors, “children are quite free and have relatively little surveillance of adults,” she says.
In such cultures, “children choose what they want to do, and they do things with their hands, their bodies and their objects.” She notes that these children also spend their days in groups of mixed age peers where “adults do not give them tests or grades. “”
Lillard says that the modern gap today in a large part of the country is one of the reasons why children are often unhappy to go to school. “Montessori education is a much narrower correspondence with the conditions for which we have evolved, with research showing that Montessori children learn reading, writing and mathematics as or better as children in conventional schools”, she explains.
What are the advantages of the mental health of Montessori education?
Beyond the improvement in academic performance, the less rigid educational environment of Montessori education means “there is much less stress, anxiety and pressure to perform”, explains Franchek.
“A guided MONTESSORI philosophy is” freedom within “” limits, echoes Johnson. “Our children know that if something does not work exactly as expected the first time, it is a good lesson learned to rely for the next attempt.” This approach strengthens confidence and improves skills in executive function, explains Lillard.
There is also an element of growth that occurs when children are taught in an environment where ways, mutual respect and consideration for others are taught and illustrated. “Montessori really emphasizes psychological security,” explains Franchek. “The environment is very predictable, so children have a space where they feel supported and respected.”
The approach seems to work. “In one of our studies, we have taken student hair samples from Montessori public schools and compared them to those of the students of conventional public schools to test cortisol – a stress indicator for both to Three previous months of a person’s life, “said Lillard. “We have learned that stress levels were lower among students in Montessori schools.”
Even more convincing, the health benefits of education Montessori seem to have power. “The adults who attended Montessori schools were children have higher well-being than those who frequented only conventional schools,” explains Lillard, “and we have seen that the longer, the more well-being is high. “