Who are the Montessorians?

Jeff Bezos is in good company, as a former Montessori students, together with few others, such as Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google), Julia Child (Masterchef), Prince Harry and Prince Willam, to name a few.  All attended private schools. There are thousands of private schools around the nation. In the recent 20 years, we have seen hundreds of public Montessori schools in the US.

What does the research say?

There is a substantial body of research about graduates of Montessori education. For example, Dohrmann, K. R., Nishida, T. K., Gartner, A., Lipsky, D. K., & Grimm, K.  found out in a study of Milwaukee high school graduates showed that students who had attended Montessori preschool and elementary programs significantly outperformed a peer control group on math/science scores. “In essence,” the study found, “attending a Montessori program from the approximate ages of three to 11 predicts significantly higher mathematics and science standardized test scores in high school. Source: Outcomes (2003) Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 22 (2), 205–217

Another famous researcher, Dr. Angeline Lylard has completed a comprehensive review of the scientific literature that demonstrates how current research validates Dr. Montessori’s observations about how children learn, particularly with regard to movement and cognition, the detrimental effect on motivation of extrinsic rewards, the

beneficial effect of order in the environment, and the academic and emotional benefits of freedom of choice. See https://www.montessori-science.org/ Book: Montessori, The Science Behind the Genious. New York, NY, Oxford University Press.

It seems that the Science affirms what Dr. Maria Montessori knew then.

Montessori education was meant for the public

Jessica Winter writes at the New Yorker, about The Miseducation of Maria Montessori -

Her method was meant for the public. Then it became a privilege. To read more, click here.  I find it fascinating that writers informed by Wikipedia, allow their pen scribble so much inaccuracies about Montessori education.

The premise of the article is well founded. Dr. Maria Montessori wanted to share her methodology with the world. Actually, she was nominated for 5 Nobel prizes at her lifetime. She helped establish schools all over the world, and founded AMI, the Association Montessori International.  The local branch of AMI is AMI - USA. These website can help find out truth about Dr. Maria Montessori, her passion, her vision and what does Montessori Education means.

Education as an aid to life

Imagine a school…(whether private or public).....

"where education is viewed not just as a means to an end, but as an aid to life; where the method for learning comes not from a curriculum, but from the natural development of your child; a place where creativity, innovation, and individuality are valued as much as concentration, motivation, and persistence; where your child is not just a student, but also a teacher." AMI USA. In other words, imagine your child learning in a Discovery Zone.

In that zone, he can touch everything he or she learns, test it, fail, and try again and again.