My fieldwork was performed in a Montessori Toddler
Program in Suburban Northwest, Illinois. What I learned in the Montessori Toddler
program is that professionals who work in Montessori Programs, tend to be life-
long advocates for this concept of education.
They even call themselves Montessorians which typifies a conversion to
the philosophy that emanates from Montessori Schools. My teacher colleagues indicated that most public and private schools make their
State Standards a guiding light to educational ideas and concepts. Montessori makes State standards secondary to
the child’s interest and pace of learning. The Montessori Philosophy advocates
that all children can learn well, and that the standards for education should
automatically be met, if not exceeded, if the Montessori educational concept is
administered properly.
One insight that I gained concerning this
philosophy is that any standardized assessment comparing a child with norms
would not be applicable. Montessori
relies on daily observations of each child to make determinations on how
children are progressing, and what direction they should be taken – particularly for the 0- 3 age group. Assessments at this age do not seem to be a
priority as with those who primarily follow State Standards.
Early assessments which are a crucial part of
the documentation for early intervention then do not align philosophically with
the Montessori educational theory. This
raises the question of how then is the development of a child viewed if the
child does not adapt to developmental benchmarks and milestones within a time
that may be considered medically normal development? How does this
philosophy that considers child pace and interest primary, over developmental
standards, impact the window for a child who would otherwise be eligible for
early intervention services before age 3?
Are both positions valid to a certain degree? Some children do experience development for
certain areas later what is considered normal, and should not be compared to
another child (It is said that Einstein didn’t talk until he was 5). However, I
do not think we would want any child to miss out on such an important service,
albeit a diversity in educational theories.
Would the solution be to extend the cutoff for early intervention
services from 0 – 3 to 0 – 5, to ensure children have the greatest opportunity
to receive services designed to help them succeed?
Hi Sherrell,
ReplyDeleteMy friend's daughter attended a Montessori school. She stated to me that Montessori schools believe that children gain knowledge, concepts, and skills by engaging with age appropriate materials as oppose to direct instructions from teachers. The teachers at Montessori schools create an environment that encourages children to explore and develop independence by supplying materials that supports a child's development. My concern is are early intervention services available to children and families if needed?
What does Montessori do in regards to literacy? Is it just reading or is there language/math skills development too? Even though Montessori relies on observations if a child has developmental delays in order to get assessed and receive services the child would still need to go through a 'standardized' assessment or evaluation. Developmental Milestones are just that 'norms' on what the average child does at a specific age.
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