What Makes Montessori Special?
Montessori schools begin with a deep respect for children as unique individuals, recognising their emotional and social development to be an essential part of their education. Emphasis is not on what is to be learnt, but on how. The child selects what to learn, and is helped to find the most effective way of learning. The focus in on developing understanding, not on mere memorisation or mechanical imitation. The Montessori approach recognises and addresses different learning styles, and follows each individual’s pace of learning.
Children learn through hands on experience, investigation and questioning. They are encouraged to be actively involved in their learning, not to be passively fed information. The teacher aims to facilitate a child’s independent discovery, rather than giving instruction.
Children in Montessori schools are not afraid of making mistakes. They are encouraged to see them as natural steps in the learning process. The culture of self-correction leads to a healthy enjoyment of challenges and a sense of perseverance.
The focus is on enjoyment in learning, and on satisfaction through personal endeavour. Rewards become obsolete when the satisfaction of the task itself is so high. Punishments become unnecessary since the quickest and best way to restore good behaviour is through satisfying activity. Bad behaviour is always stopped, but the focus then shifts to positive opportunities.
Children work at self-chosen tasks as well as collaborating on major projects. The emphasis is on striving for one’s personal best, or for the good of all, rather than on competing against each other.
The curriculum is carefully structured and integrated to demonstrate the connections between different subject areas. Learning in one area thus always has relevance to other areas.
The value of learning is in its application. When children recognise the usefulness of what they learn, they come to enjoy learning!
