Now that our daughter is nearly turning 4 and is showing great interests in learning, we are ready to have her go to a formal institution that will enhance her mental and physical development. And as proud parents to a little girl as she now claims herself to be and not a baby (smiling big at this) I'd like to share an article on why the Montessori is my highly preferred kind of approach for her formal education. ;-)
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Here are some of the key conceptual differences between a Montessori school and a traditional school
Primary goal: A Montessori school is an environment of learning and discovery; not an environment of teaching as is seen in traditional schools. Evoking curiosity is the primary goal. Not filling in facts and knowledge.
Prime-mover: A Montessori school is where education and learning is student-led; not teacher driven. The student has to provide the spark and initiative.
Focus: A Montessori school is not reformative; it is developmental. The Montessori approach seeks to maximize a child's potential. It does not seek to 'correct' deficiencies as defined by the average performance of a particular age group.
Emphasis: A Montessori school is not just a place where a person learns skills and knowledge and the ways of the world; it is a preparation for living out a personal destiny. A Montessori education is considered a success if it helps a person discover his personal destiny. It is not a place where a child learns do's and don'ts; it is a place where the child learns 'cans'. Montessori education places emphasis on individual potential and how best to leverage it. Do's and Don'ts of the world are a part of the larger message.
Grading: A Montessori school is not a 'bell curve' into which all students are sought to be fitted. It is reaching for the exceptional. It recognizes the uniqueness of each individual and acknowledges that there are different routes to the top. It is not a place where you learn the formula for success as defined by the world; It is a place where a person learns to define success according to one's individuality. The focus is on the person's absolute potential. Not on relative performances.
Role of parents: A Montessori school is not a place where a child's learning can be outsourced. It is a school is a catalyst for a child's curiosity to be evoked. Thus a Montessori approach also envisages a big role for the parents and the home environment in the overall scheme of the education.
Role of Discipline: A Montessori school is not a place for a child to be disciplined; it is place where the child discovers his innate sense of inner and outer discipline. Montessori believes that discipline is a natural yearning of a human soul. Education should help a person define and refine this yearning. A traditional school looks at discipline as a tool for reformation.
A Montessori school does not teach boundaries; it is a place where the child learns how to extend those boundaries. The focus is on helping the child discover the concepts and the "whys' of various subjects. As against the hows and whats that are taught in traditional schools. Scientific education defines a Montessori approach. Not science education. Learning the 'whys' is the only way to challenge and improve on the present.
There are rules in a Montessori school. But these are not rules that help control a child's personality; it is where a child's personality is unleashed. The Montessori approach places emphasis on laying the foundation to building the total character of the person. It seeks to address even the moral and ethical dimensions along with the individual and social dimensions of personality building.
{This article was borrowed from www.voices.yahoo.com}
