Highlights the importance of Montessori education in child�s life, as it improves early intellect development leading to better academic performance in later life, while also promoting social cognitive skills development.
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| Dr. Maria Montessori emphasized the need for early education. She wrote, "The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to age six. For that is the time when man's intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed.’ Montessori is not a system for training children in academic studies, but is a method of observing and supporting the natural development of children. The Montessori Method believes that children develop and think differently from adults, and that they are not merely `adults in small bodies’. Montessori system has proved that a child is self taught. This method supports the natural development of children. It helps children develop creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and time-management skills. The children are considered as respectable individuals who are allowed to teach themselves under the guidance of a teacher, who is merely an observer whose task is to present the material. A child is therefore not spoon fed. This permits a child to grow up with confidence and learn to make decisions early in life. It is based on every child’s desire and need to learn through experience. Angeline Stoll Lillard's 2005 book ‘Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius’ (Oxford University Press) presents the first real comprehensive overview of research done on the comparison of Montessori educated children to those educated in a more traditional manner. Lillard cites research indicating that children do better in later schooling than non-Montessori children. A 2006 study published in the journal "Science" concluded that Montessori students performed better than their standard public school counterparts in a variety of arenas, including not only traditional academic areas such as language and mathematical reasoning, but in social cognition skills as well. The authors concluded that, "when strictly implemented, Montessori education fosters social and academic skills that are equal or superior to those fostered by a pool of other types of schools." Montessori is a highly hands-on approach to learning through which children are encouraged to develop their observation skills via various activities. These activities encourage the use of the five senses, motor skill coordination and development of knowledge that leads to abstract thinking in later life. A Montessori is designed to help all children reach their full potential at their own pace. Children with varying abilities and disabilities are a community in which everyone learns from one another and learns to respect each other. Multiage groups allows a child to work at his/her own pace and not feel ahead or behind in comparison with their peers. As the Montessori Method does not have a testing or grading system, a child is able to develop themselves to their potential, without any inferiority or superiority complexes. Montessori schools have proven successful all over the world, with children of various caliber (wealthy or poor, blind or disabled, gifted or not) in many different locations such as refugee camps, elegant schools and even slums and shanties. |
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