For close to one hundred years, all over the world Montessori Education had been quietly at work producing such success as the “Google Guys” to Helen Keller herself. Research is beginning to show how and why the Montessori system approach produces positive results and is a solution to the woes we are seeing in education today.
From birth the Montessori “young person’s community” educates parents as well as their new babies. This approach lays the foundation for the success of the child and the parent.
Parents are made to feel important and welcomed in a genuine way.
The child then moves into the preprimary class (3-6) where his abilities, both cognitive and physical, are developed. Children are reading, doing the four basic mathematical operations, have a good grasp of ideas through Montessori’s didactic materialized abstractions. The young students have learned the skills to be problem solvers and can make good judgments based on facts. At this same time, parents receive further on parenting, the philosophy of education.
During the “elementary years” students receive more in depth education in the subjects already learned. Their base knowledge is expanded to include student research on areas of particular interest. They are also exposed to their connection and responsibility in the world through service projects. Students “learn how to learn”.
In Montessori’s final or Erdkinder phase, students learn to apply the knowledge that they have acquired in ways that they find meaningful. In traditional education, when the students needs to move and implement, there is an increasing drop out rate. In Montessori, they move. This may be in building a bridge, running a small business or working to produce food on a farm. Because the system has helped them learn who they are and their place in a larger society, they now have an idea of how they want to use their knowledge and skills.
In any of these multi age levels the knowledge level meets or exceeds the standards in any state. Children learn respect, because they are respected. Because of this, Montessori Education requires a second look to help solve the challenges we face today.