[nlp1976]

Hi,

My kids go to a Montessori preschool and love it there. The group activities and sense of independence really works for them. My theory has always been if they're happy then all is well.

However, we are constantly being told how bad Montessori is for their development and the people telling me seem to have a very strong hatred - yet, will never elaborate when I ask except to say that it is bad for speech development.

Is there something I'm missing on the philosophies?
Does anyone understand why some people have such a strong reaction?

I have looked into the preschools that they recommend and they seem to be very heavily based on the Montessori philosophies, which has just made me more confused.

So anyway, if you hate Montessori please try to explain to me why.
And if anyone knows how it can be bad for language development, please enlighten me!

Thanks!

[Madnesscraves]

I don't hate Montessori, but have a number of people who do.


They seem under the impression it's 'kook kook philosophy' Other words like a cult.

Which is ridiculous. It's just a different method of learning/ teaching.

[amabanana]

My kids go to Montessori too. The thing I have found is that most people who don't agree with the philosophy don't know much (or anything!) about it at all. It is also confused a lot with Steiner when the only thing they have in common is that they are 'alternative.' Never mind that quite a lot of Montessori materials can be found in 'regular' pre schools and encouraging independence is now the norm rather than the exception.
*meh* If you and your kids like it and they are learning then who cares what other people think?
On another note, just tell them that the founder of Amazon Jeff Bezos and Sergey Brin and Larry Page the founders of Google credit their success to their early Montessori education. Alice Waters, Friedrich Hundertwasser, Julia Child, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Helen Keller, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Mahatma Gandhi, Sigmund Freud, Buckminster Fuller, Leo Tolstoy, Bertrand Russell, Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, John Holt, Ann Frank, the Dalai Lama, Jacqueline Kennedy, Prince William and Prince Harry of the English royal family, Cher Bono, Yul Brynner, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Yo Yo Ma have all gone to Montessori schools, sent their children to Montessori schools, or supported this method of education in one way or another. Not that it really matters or proves anything....

Re the speech development. That is bizarre! Never heard of that one before. Usually the comments I get are that it stifles creativity and doesn't encourage socialisation. IME that is a load of poppy c*ck!

This post has been edited by amabanana: 07/08/2012, 12:24 PM

[nlp1976]

Thanks for that.

I just don't get it. I have looked at other preschools and cant see how they are better for language development - unless it's the running around in circles screaming that some preschools recommend...

Maybe I'll just keep on ignoring them...

[0zeKid]

As PP have said, they 'hate' it because they don't know it.

It is, in fact based on the many of the same principals that IB schools now use today (independent learning, learning based on module and interest, teaching HOW to learn and not by memory or repetition) and Montessori was using phonics to teach reading long before it became the norm (our National Curriculum now employs phonics over 100 years later).

If the primary and high school were closer to where we lived then DD would attend it but they are an hour and a half away so we settle with IB instead.

I did have a friend though that had their DD in pre-school and then sent her to public school for year 1. She struggled in the start because it is a different approach so recommend sticking with it throughout school life (as the Google boys did), or supplementing it with traditional methods to ensure no gap.

[unicycle]

I need to agree, that this is usually out of confusion, misunderstanding or thinking it is Steiner. I need to add, though, that any methodology needs to move with the times. Also cultural context, eg. It can be hard in Australia to have the outings for the real-life experiences. . Also sight words for a non- phonetical language would be a natural addition. My Montessori bugbear: i am thinking of the idea that younger children should not be exposed to literature based on fantasy... .. creatures that don't exist in story books etc. there has been enough research since the '20s to indicate this isn't the case. But most of the rest... it stands up all these years later.

this sounds like i don't like Montessori. I adore it and it was sensational for my children, the effects last long after the experience. I just thought of the issues i had. The benefits... well, i could go on for ages.

[~~turtle~~]

I think that some of the negativity has been created by the Montessori parents themselves. Unfortunately some of the parents I have met that are involved in Montessori believe it is far superior to other learning methods and constantly tell you why it is better and best.

[Missmarymack]

When researching Montessori for our DD1, I was unsure (and still am) about their dislike of fairytales and fables - I think the guidelines said that these ahold not be introduced until around 5 years so that children don't believe that things like the big bad wolf exist. Instead, they believe everything should be based in fact in the early years. However I think a good imagination is a woderful thing for a child to have - and any schooling (especially mainstream), will unfortunately beat it out of them pretty quickly anyway, so why not let them enjoy it while they are young?

I also like but dislike the focus on independent learning - I want my children to be able to work well in group situations which I felt were missing.

I don't think the Montessori method is bad, I think it has many fantastic points, but these stuck out to me as things that didn't suit us

[0zeKid]

It is not that Montessori doesn't "believe" in imagination -- children are children and their imaginations will shine, no matter what. Montessori learning is based on the concrete and developed toward the abstract. This is the same for imaginative play, and for real life when you think about it. You don't tell your 2 year old a load of untruths do you??? So why incorporate it into Kindy?? Furthermore, what you do at home is up to you - if you play princesses and the child refers to that in school, they will not be punished for it (at least not where I was trained).

As PP has said, people who make sweeping statements about Montessori learning and then can't elaborate don't understand what it is about.

I have a friend who put her daughter through Montessori and then into public school. She loved the program but her only comment was that her daughter did struggle for a while in public school because she was taught to articulate her thoughts and ideas (and the primary school put her in an adanved year as a result). She was advanced in some areas but immature in others (within a few weeks she was placed with those kids her own age and she flourished).

Another factor you need to consider is the school itself - what Montessori method do they employ? Depending of the "school of thought" of that institution (where were the teachers or principal trained? AMS, MACTE, MMI, AMI). Some institutions are more "strict and literal" with their interpretation of Montessori's methods, and some take into account modern society and the philosophy, rather than the 'by the letter' approach. This will have a large impact on the type of school that your child attends and how they are taught.

I think you know the answer - stick to your gut feel and ignore those that are ignorant to the method of learning.

[MakeLoveNotBacon]

ds attends Montessori. There are a few things the school addressed in our School Open Day that people misunderstood about Montessori; like lack of competition, child led learning. Like pp said, the people who dislike it usually have no idea. There is no competition against other students, but rather you are encouraged to 'compete' against yourself. A lot of people can't grasp that idea - I remember one woman at the Open Day who just didn't understand how a child would improve without competing against little Johnny. The other thing is the Child led learning - people are under the impression if given the choice, kids won't want to learn, they'll just muck about. All kids want to learn given the right environment, they are curious little creatures. Another myth is lack of discipline and order in the classroom, which is simply not true. I find the classrooms very orderly and discipline is respectful to both the child and the whole class, so no traditional disciplines like time out.

The other negative I've heard about Montessori was they become a 'dumping ground' for troubled/problem kids. That certainly hasn't been our experience but I would have no problem with that any way. All kids deserve an education and I think Montessori would benefit many kids who may not respond to traditional schooling.