The Advantages Of Montessori Education

Traditional education has long been accused of being a factory for students, focused on rote memorization & standardized testing. While this may have seemed appropriate during the industrial era, parents are now waking up to the fact that the modern world requires mentally agile self-starters to become successful. Thus, while the Montessori method has been growing for over a century, it is now experiencing a modern renaissance as parents & educators embrace its philosophy of freedom & self-direction for children.

The renewed appeal of Montessori education is the results of new educational goals that today’s parents have for their children, which include educating highly capable people with a strong sense of self-determination and the potential to be productive in both traditional and non-traditional work settings. Montessori education provides children with a structure and framework for success, but encourages them to take action, explore, and master learning without having it forced on them.

Choosing Montessori education for your child has many benefits, and leads to more capable, knowledgeable adults who are more successful – which is explains why so many of today’s top innovators originally came from Montessori schools. In short, Montessori education produces lifelong learners who take joy in exploring and understanding the world around them.

Here are a few of many advantages of Montessori Education:

• Every child is unique: Children all learn in different ways, and that’s something that Montessori education embraces. This is embodied in the self-directed nature of the Montessori environment, which provides the flexibility for children to engage thoroughly at their own pace with material before moving on through the curriculum.
• Montessori education is structured: The design of the Montessori classroom, individual learning stations, and even children’s daily routine is all part of a structured environment that children have the freedom to learn within at their own pace. Rather than forcing your child’s mind to fit a mold, structure is ingrained into the environment.
• Children are part of a community: The mixed ages & diversity in the Montessori classroom environment is similar to a family structure, complete with teachers serving in a guiding capacity as role-models & guides. The Montessori community is built on warmth, kindness, acceptance and tolerance.
• Montessori learning is self-directed: The self-directed environment in a Montessori classroom gives children the freedom to focus on areas they’re most engaged with while they work within parameters set by their teachers and staff.
• Self-correction is part of Montessori education: The design of Montessori learning materials and curriculum naturally supports critical thinking skills and teaches children to review and correct errors in their work.
• Montessori fosters social skills: The friendly, communicative and close-knit environment in Montessori education fosters better social skills than traditional education, and provides children with better skills for creative problem solving and peaceful conflict resolution as well.

Over one hundred years ago, Dr. Maria Montessori pioneered a new model for education focused on encouraging the natural curiosity and creativity in children. A century later, her legacy lives on – and in the fast-paced, complex and unpredictable world of the 21st century, the skills her educational techniques promote are more valuable to children than ever. Montessori students are confident, enthusiastic, and self-directed – and they become highly successful adults with strong collaborative abilities and critical thinking skills.