Is Montessori Good or Bad?
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- Опубліковано 7 сер 2024
- Is Montessori good or bad? How can I know if it's a good fit for my child? I'm an Early Childhood Educator from Sweden and also a former Montessori student & teacher, here to answer this question for you.
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TRANSCRIPT
What is Montessori education?
The Montessori approach was created by Maria Montessori in the early 1900s. It started as a way to teach those who were considered to be ‘unteachable’ at the time - mainly poor, disadvantaged or special needs children.
A quote you continuously hear in a Montessori school is “help me to help myself”. This is the core belief of Montessori - independent learning.
Today, a Montessori classroom is an open space with different play corners and learning material that is easily accessible to children (like puzzles, world maps and books). Children learn through exploring at their own pace.
The standard Montessori classroom has 5 areas:
The language area
The sensorial area
The mathematics area
The cultural studies area
The practical life area
Montessori teachers respect their students as their own individuals and promote a calm, quiet and adult-like way of communicating in the classroom.
Is Montessori good or bad?
We’ve arrived at the big question. What are the positives of Montessori, and what are the negatives?
I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not going to give you a bulleted list of what’s good or bad with this approach. Why? Because each child is different. There is no universal way of learning, so I can’t tell you what’s good or bad.
There’s only ‘more suitable’, and ‘less suitable’, so what I will do though is give you a list of which children thrive in Montessori and which children might not.
Signs that your child will thrive in a Montessori setting:
Your ideology, home environment & way of communicating resembles the Montessori way (calm, adult-like & self-led).
Your child is showing signs of independence & auto-education. For example, they’re starting to be okay playing by themselves, or rarely come to you for help when playing (or might even want you to leave them alone!).
You can tell they’re more on the structured side and can focus easily. For example, your child likes sorting (or maybe even cleaning up) their toys and they can easily spend time focused on one activity.
If this is your child, then Montessori is a great option to explore.
Many parents also ask me, “Is Montessori good for ADHD?”. It can be! The structure, quiet and self-learning can be amazing for children with ADHD. Also, the peaceful and organised environment also generally prevents children from getting overstimulated and feeling controlled.
However, I can’t stress this enough - each child is different. If your little one has ADHD and is more of an active and interactive learner, Montessori might not be the way to go. The structure, quiet, and independence can be overwhelming for some kids - I’ve seen this in practice many times. I recommend you investigating this by visiting an open house and seeing how your child responds.
When is this approach a bad fit?
Here are some signs that your child won’t thrive in a Montessori setting:
The Montessori approach doesn’t align with your family’s lifestyle or your child’s preferences.
They’re not really interested in independence just yet. They prefer relying on people to play and learn because they think it’s more fun. They want to talk and touch, and enjoy a highly communicative and warm environment.
Structure and focus aren’t your child’s favourites. They prefer rotating between activities, or doing several activities at once.
What happens when Montessori is a bad fit?
Absolutely nothing. There are so many amazing learning approaches out there, so there are always other options. I know Montessori is very trendy right now, but guess what’s more trendy? Aligning a child’s education with their true selves. That will never go out of style!
Montessori or not? Here is my personal & professional opinion
I think the Montessori approach can suit certain children wonderfully. But it can also be a nightmare for others. Try it first, and if it doesn’t suit your little one, it’s no big deal. Just try something else!
Also, a final (but very important) note - the teachers of your daycare, preschool or school can make or break the entire experience. Montessori or not, the teachers make all the difference. So make sure you speak to them (and ideally observe them) and see if they interact & teach in a way that aligns with your values and your child's personality!
Hopefully this article helped you gain insight on the Montessori approach and specifically helped you understand whether or not it’s right for your child.
Drop your questions in the comments!
It's actually a very fresh idea for me that the method I've chosen could not be suitable for the particular child. I never thought about it from this point of view, it's always about what I as a mother will be comfortable with, what is resonating with ME more. Thank you, that's a lot to think about and maybe to reconsider my plans and try to make a peace with other approaches if Montessori fails (which I am dreading of, I like it too much😅).
Oh wow, you cannot imagine how happy it makes me to hear how I may have impacted your point of view. That's so cool! Thank you for telling me.
I totally get it, for Montessori lovers it can be hard to accept that Montessori might not suit their child. However, there are definitely options out there - especially if you like Montessori.
You can book a free 15 minute consultation with me if you'd like to chat!!
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Also, have a look at my Sensory Play Guide in case you like sensory play (I can imagine you do, loving Montessori) 🧡
learnlikebamboo.ck.page/sensory-play-guide
This was helpful for me- thank you 🙏
I’m so happy to hear, Cameron! Welcome to Learn Like Bamboo 🤍 if you have any questions, just shoot. I’m on IG, too ☺️
very useful
Glad to hear it was useful for you!
Hi it is super helpful. I agree that Montessori is not for everyone. My little one (3 years old) likes to be independent but he likes to make noise. Can I send him to Montessori school?
Hi! I'm so happy it was helpful 🥰
I would have to know a bit more about him, but I think you can try an open house and see how he works. Kids make noise in general - and there are certainly some Montessori schools that are more open to noise and life. Perhaps check out some Montessori Inspired schools.
Email me if you want to know more - info@learnlikebamboo.com
Thank you so much for this video, very insightful! Do you think Montessori would be a good fit (or not a good fit) for a young child who is very shy and has trouble speaking up for themself?
So happy you found it helpful!
Yes, I think it can be a good fit. One of the perks of Montessori is how quiet and peaceful the classroom is, which can be really comforting and good for shy little ones!
Regarding standing up for themselves - this is something that needs to be actively worked on. You can start by singing the boundary song together and encouraging boundaries daily!
Here is the song: www.tiktok.com/@peanut/video/7187444017376824582?lang=en
If you have any more questions, let me know. I hope this helped! 🧡
P.S. Don't forget to download my Sensory Play Guide: learnlikebamboo.lpages.co/sensory-play-guide/
@@learnlikebamboo Awesome! Thank you so much!
@@lightgoldenlight Absolutely! Happy to help.
Thankyou, I got a lot out of this video! I can also see from the shape of your face and that you're naturally lean, so its easy to identify that you are an ectomorph. Ectomorph children are very sensitive to sound and light and are incredibly independent learners, and typically very intelligent also, and I can see how you would thrive. Mesomorph children would die (exaggeration, obviously) in this kind of environment, as they need stimulus and movement to learn, and do not think in linear, logical ways, but learn best in a hands on embodied way with lots of movement, and the more sights and sounds the better. I'm so glad to hear you promoting a personalised approach to education! I believe it too... I am fiercely independent (I'm a blend of ecto/endomorph) and I can see where the lack of freedom and autonomy in my childhood was very damaging, and as I think about raising my own child, the focus most definitely will be on what is best for them, their nature, and their preferences. Thanks for a great video, I really enjoyed it!
I’m really glad you enjoyed that video. I’ve never heard about these identities before but it’s interesting. Thanks again for the appreciation 😊
@@learnlikebamboo Its our genetic makeup, it's called somatotype and it depends on whether our ectoderm, mesoderm or endoderm develops first in utero, and then the body manifests in all the beautiful different sizes and shapes that we have in humanity! I used to teach these concepts, and I know they are developing a personalised education model based on exactly what you've shared, but it also helps to be able to profile humans on their body size and shape and other characteristics and then modify our communication with each type, or the way we teach them, or manage them etc etc