Written by Tim Seldin
Because of the
internationally recognized name 'Montessori, many people worldwide assume that
our schools are part of a franchise, chain, or are centrally licensed. In
reality, each school is independent. There is no central authority that
licenses a school as a Montessori program, although there are several
professional association to which a school might voluntarily belong, and from
which accreditation can be sought.
Because accreditation has traditionally
applied to high schools and colleges, very few Montessori schools are
accredited. More recently, parents have begun to hear about accreditation at
the childcare level by an organization known as the National Association for
the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), which represents a less comprehensive
standard than traditional school accreditation. Again, while some Montessori
schools might hold that recognition, it is not as applicable to schools as to
childcare programs, and only a small percentage of Montessori schools have
sought that recognition.
Normally, this is not a
concern with Montessori schools. The term actually refers to the preparation of
the teachers, and the specific Montessori designed school program that they
implement. Most Montessori schools are excellent.
Dr.
Montessori was a brilliant student of child development, and the approach that
has evolved out of her research has stood the test of almost ninety years in
tens of thousands of Montessori schools around the world.
The
Montessori approach has two great qualities: it is replicable and can be
translated successfully into all sorts of new situations, and it is sustainable
- Montessori programs don't tend to lose their identity and become something
else after a few years, as have many other educational reforms. However, the
only truly authentic Montessorian was Dr. Maria Montessori herself. The rest of
us have been forced to interpret her ideas and methods through the filter of
our personalities and experience.
While some Montessori schools try their
best to remain faithful to what they perceive to be her method, in reality,
even the most staunchly conservative has gradually been influenced by the
evolution of our culture and technology. One would think that any two
“Montessori” schools would be relatively similar in every respect. In reality,
they can differ dramatically in size, facilities, programs, and emotional
climate.
Saying that a school is “Montessori” can
be like saying that they are Christian or Jewish. There is tremendous
variation. Without getting into the question of those schools whose operations
are so extraordinarily poor that they would be disavowed by liberal and
conservative Montessorians alike, there is a great deal of variation within the
name "Montessori."
I know that the concept of the Montessori
approach implies something like a brand-name (McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Campbell’s
soup), but the truth is that Montessori schools and Montessori teachers may
share common values, but can also be significant variation. It is a shame that
instead of accepting and celebrating that diversity, Montessori educations
sometimes get caught up in judgmental behavior. It is no wonder that some
people think Montessori might be a cult.
The selection of a Montessori school in
the end comes down to a matter of personal style and preference. If you visit a
school and find yourself in harmony with its ambiance and practice, it will
represent at least one example of what you define to be a good school. I can
only urge you to trust you eyes, ears, and gut instincts.
How
can a parent know if she’s found a "real" Montessori school?
Although
most schools try to remain faithful to their understanding of Dr. Montessori's
insights and research, they have all too some degree been influenced by the
evolution of our culture and technology.
Perhaps the a more relevant question in
selecting a Montessori school is to consider how well it matches your sense of
what you want for your child.
Before coming to the Montessori
Foundation, I served for twenty-two years as the Headmaster of the Barrie School
outside of Washington, DC. In that role, every year I met with hundreds of
families who were interested in enrollment. I always began each open house by
reminding these bright, eager, and sometimes overly anxious parents that no one
educational approach can be right for every child. The wisest goal is to seek
out the best fit, not only between the child and the school, but also between
parents' values and goals for their child's education, and what a given school
can realistically deliver. I believe that finding the right school for mom and
dad is as important as finding the right school for the child.
In
the end, the selection of a Montessori school comes down to a matter of
personal style and preference. If you visit a school and find yourself in harmony
with its ambiance and practice, it will represent at least one example of what
you define to be a good school.
In determining which school is best,
parents have to trust their eyes, ears, and gut instincts. Nothing beats
personal observation. The school that one parent raves about, may be completely
wrong for another's child. Conversely, another parent may have decided that
"Montessori doesn't work", while it clearly is working very, very
well for your family. I suggest that parents rely on their own experience, not
hearsay from other families.
There is probably no clear-cut answer.
Often one sign of a school’s commitment to professional excellence is their
membership in one of the professional Montessori societies, such as the
Association Montessori Internationale, the American Montessori Society, and the
International Montessori Council, which is affiliated with the Montessori
Foundation. All three also offer schools the opportunity to become accredited
as well. There are several dozen other smaller organizations, and many
excellent schools choose not to affiliate with any national organization.
Characteristics
of an Authentic Montessori School
Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambush, founder of
the American Montessori Society and co-founder of the Montessori Foundation,
identified the following characteristics of an “authentic” Montessori school:*
*
The following ideas are excerpted from The Authentic American Montessori
School: A Guide to the Self-Study, Evaluation, and Accreditation of American
Schools Committed to Montessori Education, by Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambush and
Dr. John Stoops, published in1992 by the Commission on Elementary Schools of
the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the American
Montessori Society.
The Prepared Environment
The
Montessori Learning Environment:
The furniture in the classroom is the
right size for the students. The learning materials match the development
capabilities, interests, and needs of the children enrolled in each class. The
materials allow for multiple modalities of learning and discovery, offering a
wide range of intellectual challenges.
Learning activities in the Montessori
environment involve inquiry, discovery, multiple perspectives, and differing
viewpoints providing continuous feedback on progress. The focus is
on children’s learning, not on teachers’ teaching. Generally students will work
individually or in small, self-selected groups. There will be very few whole
group lessons.
A Responsive Prepared Environment: The
environment should be designed to meet the needs, interests, abilities, and
development of the children in the class. The teachers should design and adapt
the environment with this community of children in mind, rapidly modifying the
selection of educational materials available, the physical layout, and the tone
of the class to best fit the ever-changing needs of the children.
A
Focus on Individual Progress and Development: Within a Montessori program,
children progress at their own pace, moving on to the next step in each area of
learning as they are ready. While the child lives within a larger community of
children, each student is viewed as a universe of one.
Montessori
Learning Activities
Hands On Learning: In Montessori,
students rarely learn from texts or workbooks. In all cases, direct personal
hands-on contact with either real things under study or with concrete models
that bring abstract concepts to life allow children to learn with much deeper
understanding.
Spontaneous Activity: It is natural for
children to wiggle, touch things, and explore the world around them. Any true
Montessori environment encourages children to move about freely, within
reasonable limits of appropriate behavior. Much of the time they select work
that captures their interest and attention, although teachers also strive to
draw their attention and capture their interest in new challenges and areas of
inquiry. And even within this atmosphere of spontaneous activity, students do
eventually have to master the basic skills of their culture, even if they would
prefer to avoid them.
Active Learning: In Montessori
classrooms, children not only select their own work most of the time, but also
continue to work with tasks, returning to continue their work over many weeks
or months, until finally the work is “so easy for them” that they can teach it
to younger children. This is one of many ways that Montessori educators use to
confirm that students have reached mastery of each skill.
Self-directed
Activity: One of Montessori’s key concepts is the idea that children are driven
by their desire to become independent and competent beings in the world to
learn new things and master new skills. For this reason, outside rewards to
create external motivation are both unnecessary and potentially can lead to passive
adults who are dependent on others for everything from their self-image to
permission to follow their dreams. In the process of making independent choices
and exploring concepts largely on their own, Montessori children construct
their own sense of individual identity and right and wrong.
Freedom
Within Limits: Montessori children enjoy considerable freedom of movement and
choice, however their freedom always exists within carefully defined limits on
the range of their behavior. They are free to do anything appropriate to the
ground rules of the community, but redirected promptly and firmly if they cross
over the line.
Intrinsic motivation to learn: In
Montessori programs, children do not work for grades or external rewards, nor
do they simply complete assignments given them by their teachers. Children
learn because they are interested in things, and because all children share a
desire to become competent and independent human beings.
Montessori’s
Communities of Learners
Mixed age groups: Montessori classrooms
gather together children of two, three, or more age levels into a family group.
Children remain together for several years, with only the older students who
are developmentally ready moving on to the next class.
A
Family Setting: Montessori classrooms are communities of children and adults.
As children grow older and more capable, they assume a great role in helping to
care for the environment and meet the needs of younger children in the class.
The focus is less on the teachers, and more on the entire community of children
and adults, much like one finds in a real family.
Cooperation
and Collaboration, Rather Than Competition: Montessori children are encouraged
to treat one another with kindness and respect. Insults and shunning behavior
tends to be much more rare. Instead we normally find children who have a great
fondness for one another, and who a free from the one-up-manship and needless
interpersonal competition for attention and prestige. Because children learn at
their own pace, teachers refrain from comparing students against one another.
To
Awaken and Nurture the Human Spirit
The Child As A Spiritual Being:
Montessori saw children as far more than simply scholars. In her view, each
child is a full and complete human being, the mother or father of the adult man
or woman she will become. Even when very young, the child shares with the rest
of humanity hopes, dreams, and fears, emotions, and longing. From her
perspective, this goes beyond mental health to the very core of one’s inner spiritual
life. Montessori consciously designs social communities and educational
experiences that cultivate the child’s sense of independence, self-respect,
love of peace, passion for self-chosen work done well, and ability to respect
and celebrate the individual spirit within people of all ages and the value of
all life.
Stewardship for the Earth: We seek
to instill in our students, parents, and staff not only a reverence for the
earth, its waters, and all living things, but also a sense of stewardship for
the environment based on a conviction of our individual responsibility for the
beauty of the land and the health of our ecosystems.
Universal
Values: Montessori deliberately teaches children not only appropriate patterns
of polite behavior, but seeks to instill basic universal values within the core
of the child’s personality. These values include self-respect, acceptance of
the uniqueness and dignity of each person we meet, kindness, peacefulness,
compassion, empathy, honor, individual responsibility, and courage to speak
from our hearts.
Global Understanding: All Montessori
schools are, to a large degree, international schools. They not only tend to
attract a diverse student body representing many ethnic backgrounds, religions,
and international backgrounds, but they actively celebrate their diversity. The
curriculum is international in its heritage and focus, and consciously seeks to
promote a global perspective.
Social Responsibility: Montessori’s
spiritual perspective leads Montessori schools to consciously organize programs
of community service ranging from daily contributions to others within the
class or school setting, to community outreach programs that allow children and
adults to make a difference in the lives of others. The fundamental idea is one
of stewardship.
The Montessori Teacher
Authoritative:
The teacher is firm at the edges and empathetic at the center, the kind of
adult who responds empathetically to children’s feelings, while setting clear
and consistent limits.
Observer: The Montessori teacher is
a trainer observer of children’s learning and behavior. These careful
observation are recorded and used to infer where each student is in terms of
his or her development, and leads the teacher to know when to intervene in the
child’s learning with a new lesson, a fresh challenge, or a reinforcement of
basic ground rules.
An Educational Resource: Montessori
teachers facilitate the learning process by serving as a resource to whom the
children can turn as they pull together information, impressions, and
experiences.
Role Model: Like all great teachers, the
Montessori educator deliberately models the behaviors and attitudes that she is
working to instill in her students. Because of Montessori’s emphasis on
character development, the Montessori teacher normally is exceptionally calm,
kind, warm, and polite to each child.
What Montessori Teachers Do
Respectfully
Engaged With The Learner: The Montessori teacher recognizes that her role is
not so much to teach as to inspire, mentor, and facilitate the learning
process. The real work of learning belongs to the individual child. Because of
this, the Montessori educator remains conscious of her role in helping each
child to fulfill his potential as a human being and of creating an environment
for learning within which children will feel safe, cherished, and empowered.
Facilitates
The “Match” Between The Learner And Knowledge: Montessori teachers are trained
to identify the best response to the changing interests and needs of each child
as a unique individual. Because they truly accept that children learn in many
different ways and at their own pace, Montessori educators understand that they
must “follow the child,” adjusting their strategies and timetable to fit the
development of each of their pupils.
Environmental Engineer: Montessori
teachers organize appropriate social settings and academic programs
for children at their own level of development. They do this to a large degree
through the design of the classroom, selection and organization of learning
activities, and structure of the day.
There are many articles in the online
library on our website that might be useful to you in evaluating schools and
better understanding Montessori. I particularly recommend 'Finding The Right
School for your Child.
We also offer many books and Tomorrow’s
Child, a parents’ magazine that may be of interest. Two of my books may be
particularly useful: How To Raise An Amazing Child and The Montessori Way. Both
are available from our online bookstore.
To find the most complete information
about Montessori schools in your area, I would consult the local Yellow Pages
phone book under schools. You can also try a Google search for the word
Montessori and your city and state.
http://www.montessori.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=265:finding-an-authentic-montessori-school&catid=52:choosing&Itemid=41
