What is a Montessori school and what are the benefits of choosing this style of program versus a regular program? Are you hesitating between a regular school and a Montessori school for your child? There are many good reasons to send your child to a Montessori school, here are ten reasons our parents prefer a Montessori school over a regular school.
1. Independence
At a Montessori school, children are allowed to set their own curriculum. From the day children are born, they are working towards gaining more and more independence. Instead of fostering a false sense of dependence on adults, Montessori schools teach children to venture out on their own and explore their world, instilling independence and self-confidence.
picture by weinelt
2. Homework
Children at a Montessori school don’t have homework! This is a benefit for parents and children alike. There has been a push in many schools for more and more homework, but there is very little to suggest that all this homework does anything besides overwork the children, quash creativity, stress out parents, and take up a lot of time.
3. Creativity
Montessori schools usually do not have stations devoted solely to creativity, because this type of division is unnecessary. The child’s imagination and creativity is so sparked by self-directed learning that creativity comes out organically through play and self-teaching. Within the loose structure of Montessori, absolute freedom is able to flourish, and the child is able to be far more original than a situation where creativity is artificially separated from learning time.
4. Individuality
Traditional lesson driven classrooms are based on what is best for the group, or even the teacher. In Montessori education, respect for the individual child’s needs and interests is paramount. There are no overarching benchmarks that each child has to reach by the end of a given year, and children thrive on this style of tailored learning. A child can set their own pace, rather than teaching to a test, but even so, testing shows that Montessori education is more effective.
5. Holistic method
Everything a child learns at a Montessori school ties together. Learning practical life skills, the child learns math and reading. Montessori is a holistic method, just like real life. Subjects are not divorced from their applications. This approach helps children develop more advanced skills like logical deduction and problem-solving naturally.
6. Self-Discipline
The focus on a student’s independence and individuality coalesces in self-reliance. A student is expected to self-assess and self-correct. Likewise, students learn to cook, wash clothes, and keep their workspace clean. They control their own environment! This development of active skills is known as Practical Life, and is one of the keystones of the Montessori method.
7. Hands on Learning
Children learn through more than simply listening. It’s important for a student to hold, manipulate, and understand how an object interacts in the world. Montessori teaching engages all five senses, and also movement and coordination. This encourages students to interact with the world around them, rather than passively react to change.
8. Richer Curriculum
A Montessori school does not use artificial limits imposed on learning. Students are encouraged to explore subjects that are of personal interest, instead of being forced into a rote routine of flat subjects without larger context. A Montessori education is not restricted to the limits of a textbook or even the teacher’s knowledge. Children actually learn much more when they are allowed to inquire more deeply into their interests.
9. Sense of Community
A Montessori school is set up more like a household than a classroom. As such, students are able to be more engaged in the process of learning, because their social unit is close-knit and. Students can learn together in groups, and learn apart from the group. This fluid community structure sets a happy contrast to the traditional classroom, where students are corralled into a space, but then expected to not interact with each other.
10. Love of learning
Children are little sponges, soaking up all the information they can learn. When left to their own devices, they naturally love to learn! It’s sad to see so many children hate school, when school should be an exciting, fascinating place for them to be. The security of having control, a learning environment tailored to their needs and interests, and the ability to work at their own pace preserves this natural love of learning.
Sources:
http://www.montessori-ami.org/research/research.htm
http://www.montessori.edu/
