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Montessori is too structured. It doesn't
allow for the child's freedom and creativity.
The Montessori environment is one in which the child has the freedom
to work with materials of his or her own choosing. The materials
are to be used in respectful ways, not to be played with carelessly.
The children have far less problem with this than adults do.
The Montessori Method isn't structured
enough for my child.
Parents are sometimes told that their LD or otherwise labelled
child shouldn't be in a Montessori program because it is too open
and the child needs direct teaching. The Montessori Method does
not negate direct teaching when required by the child. The entire
method is focused on the child and his or her capacities. A director
or directress properly following the method will direct a child
as much as is necessary. Another aspect which seems advantageous
to a child who needs direction is that a Montessori classroom is
a multi-age group. There are plenty of little teachers available
when the teacher may not be.
Montessori lets kids do whatever they want.
Not at all. The children have freedom within a prepared environment.
While there are a wealth of activities available, the child eventually
has to choose among what is available. Also, the child is only given
as much freedom as he or she can handle. The directress is there
to guide the children as needed, be it in directing towards work
or in stopping disturbing behaviour. This sort of freedom allows
them to follow their needs and interests, as well as being self-reliant
and confident, which encourages a healthy self-concept. However,
this can also cause problems for the non-Montessori teacher later
on who's used to having children follow her interests and needs
(as well as the student who is used to being really involved in
learning and exploration instead of sitting and being forced to
"learn".)
Maria Montessori was against fantasy; she
didn't believe in letting kids be creative.
Maria Montessori was not against fantasy and creativity for young
children. What she did observe was that young children were at a
stage in life of huge development and to be participating in the
here and now was what they needed most. Some fantasy time was not
necessarily harmful, just as for adults, some sort of diversion
isn't harmful. But she was concerned about children who spent considerable
time fantasizing, especially those who were unable to NOT fantasize.
She also found time and time again in her classes that the children
would leave toys and fantasy aside, of their own volition, when
provided with suitable real-life activities that fulfilled their
inner needs. This concurs with Paula Polk Lillard's experience as
described in her book "Montessori in the Classroom: A Teacher's
Account of How Children Really Learn". Every year, she started
her class with one box of toys the children could choose from, plus
the prepared Montessori environment. Within a matter of weeks, the
toybox became untouched.
As for creativity, children at the 0-6 level (meaning,
ages 0-6) do best being creative with real things. They may not
be allowed to use the materials in any way they see fit, just as
an adult is not allowed to use a car in any way he or she sees fit,
but there is opportunity for creativity and more importantly, there
is the development of the senses at the 3-6 level that will be the
foundations of higher creativity later on. At the 6-12 level, the
children are simply at a different stage of development and creativity
and fantasy are non-issues.
Montessori doesn't allow the children to
play; they spend all their time working.
The children at the 3-6 level do not really distinguish between
work and play. Their work in the Montessori classroom is their play--they
are enjoying themselves and interacting with others.
Montessori discourages children from working
together.
At the 3-6 level, children will often want to work alone. As long
as they are not disruptive, they are allowed to work together. (This
may vary depending on the preschool, but Maria Montessori certainly
did not intend for the children to isolate themselves from everybody
when working.) At the 6-9 and 9-12 level, they often work together
in small groups. There is nothing about the 3-6 level that would
discourage working together later on. The children at the 3-6 level
simply are not the same!
Montessori pushes academics on children
before they are really ready.
Anyone truly adhering to the Montessori method would NEVER push
a child towards something. Children at the 3-6 level do begin reading
and writing and doing mathematics with concrete materials. They
do so not because the teacher forces them, but because there are
materials in the environment that interest them and allow them to
learn these things. It is worth nothing that Maria Montessori was
originally very against teaching young children to read. She believed
they simply couldn't do it and it was detrimental to them to attempt
it. It was the children, after some time, who began asking her to
teach them to read. She soon discovered that using specifically-made
materials, the children were both reading and writing usually by
age 5. The children proved her wrong.
Maria Montessori was an occultist and the
Montessori method is based on evil teachings.
This is so far from the truth, one could laugh, but it isn't funny.
Anything you might come across along these lines is FALSE and from
misinformed people or those whose views in general are extremely
distorted. (Please see my rebuttal "Ignorance
Isn't Always Bliss" of an article online for more information.)
The Montessori method is an educational philosophy and model adaptable
to a wide range of belief systems; it doesn't mean that the method
itself promotes those beliefs. Many fundamentalist-type Christians
will warn you of the dangers of Montessori or lump it together with
New Age teachings, but none of these people, from what I can tell,
have ever thoroughly informed themselves about the method and Maria
Montessori's religious views. Regardless, whatever beliefs Maria
Montessori may have had that contradict various Christians' beliefs
have no bearing on the usefulness of a prepared environment for
learning, on recognising the developmental level of the child, nor
on using materials for learning to read or do algebra, for example.
Which is really what the method is about.
If you have any concerns whatsoever in this regard, read everything
Maria Montessori wrote about the method. You will see that her method,
far from being a means of indoctrinating religious beliefs, is really
an educational philosophy for EVERY child with practical application
included. It is not like Waldorf where teachers must adopt some
pretty unique spiritual beliefs. In fact, much of modern educational
understanding is based on or confirms her earlier observations of
children.
Children in early Montessori schools were taught to sweep
and clean as training for becoming servant girls when they got older.
This one is just too funny. There are a lot of misconceptions concerning
the Practical Life activities. That the children are being FORCED
to do these activities which in a proper Montessori school, would
never be done. Children have actually been pulled from Montessori
schools after parents observed them participating in activities
such as making lunch, scrubbing steps and so on. Children participate
in these activities because they want to and often because they
love them.
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