Montessori Doula

How does Montessori differ from traditional schooling?

• While a traditional preschool or Kindergarten room has busy, brightly colored walls, a teacher’s desk, and often an interactive panel or TV screen, Montessori classrooms are calm, beautiful and orderly spaces with natural wood, a home-like setting, small child-sized tools, and plenty of open space for movement and working on the floor.
• In traditional schools, students spend most of their time sitting in a chair at a desk or table, so movement is limited.  They also are not free to speak unless they raise their hand and are called on by the teacher.  In Montessori classrooms the students have freedom within limits—freedom to speak to peers and to work together, freedom to choose what activities they will pursue, and freedom to choose where they will work.  Movement is great for kids who hate to sit still—it helps them focus—and the freedom to talk is helpful for chatterboxes!  (For more info, go to https://montessoritraining.blogspot.com/2015/12/recognizing-boys-learning-differences.html?m=1)
• In traditional schools students are grouped solely by age, while in Montessori classrooms you’ll see 2½- through 6-year-olds in the same room, 6- through 9-year-olds in the same room, and so on. These children are in roughly the same developmental stage.
• In traditional schools the teacher is the only one in the room expected to give lessons, while in the Montessori room a child who has mastered an activity can teach a child who is new to it.
• In traditional schools you’ll see a teacher lecturing in the front of the classroom, while in Montessori schools the children enjoy hands-on learning with specially-made materials in the areas of math, language, practical life skills, etc., that the students use to practice and refine new skills.
• Related to the previous point, Montessori students are active learners who can collaborate with peers or work alone. You may not find any two children working on the same material at all, and each works at his or her own pace.
• Traditional schools tend to focus only on academic areas of learning, while Montessori schools include lessons in practical skills–such as polishing shoes, pouring water, folding napkins–along with common courtesy, poise and grace.
• In traditional schools students may receive homework, but that is rare in Montessori schools, at least until Middle School and above. Tests and grades are also rare—instead, Montessori students are assessed on their progress in mastering material, which is presented in a sequence of increasing difficulty.
• Montessori students tend to work in long, uninterrupted blocks of time, learning at their own pace, unlike students in traditional schools.

Dr. Maria Montessori’s approach is based on the belief that children have a natural desire to learn.  As a careful observer and trained physician, she noticed distinct stages of development from birth through age 24.  What’s amazing is that her theories were based upon her knowledge of human growth and change (100 years ago) and her diligent focus on watching.  In modern times, through the magic of fMRI and EEG studies, researchers have confirmed the science behind her genius!