A recently published research article found that, telative to traditional education, Montessori education has modest but meaningful positive effects on children’s academic and non-academic (executive function, creativity and social-emotional) outcomes. This is indicated by a meta-analysis of 32 studies in which it was possible to compare traditional business-as-usual education to Montessori education.
Our education vehicle is on the blink. Despite decades of well-intentioned declarations and reforms, increased funding, and the everyday professionalism of our educators, Australian education is unequal, underperforming and unwell.
In a Montessori classroom all children work at their own pace and rhythm, taking into account their interests, strengths and weaknesses. This means a child with learning difficulties or a “gifted” child can be in the same class as they are able to work at a level that meets their particular needs.
One of the key characteristics of Montessori education is that it supports individualised learning. Each child has a tailored programme allowing children to work at their own ability level at a pace that is suitable for each of them as they experience their own learning pathway.
Practical Life activities in a Montessori classroom assist the child to control and coordinate their moments, and one of the earliest activities introduced in a 3-6 classroom is called “Walking on the Line”. Montessori saw this as a natural extension of something children liked to do (walking on curbs or tracks) and developed the activity not only to help them control their body, develop balance and perfect equilibrium, but to strengthen the mind’s control of its body’s movements.
In Montessori Education, the specially designed place that children come to work in is called a ‘prepared learning environment’. The first ‘work’ your child will do in the program is to orientate themselves to the new space in which they find themselves, which may take a couple of sessions.
The space will be arranged in exactly the same way each week in order to assist this orientation process. Each area in the ‘environment’ has a specific order and contains activities or ‘materials’ which serve different purposes for your child’s development.
The preparation of each Montessori environment includes the careful preparation of the Montessori developmental materials appropriate to that environment. The Montessori materials are sets of objects, each set designed to exacting specifications. In general the materials are designed to:
