Montessori kids and technology?

Question

I'm highly considering enrolling my son in the Montessori program this coming fall. It is a gift from his aunt and uncle:) I'm excited about the program but I'd like to get some feedback from other parents/teachers about how Montesorri kids eventually transition into a regular classroom. The program here only goes up to 3rd grade so eventually he's probably gonna be in a more traditional classroom. I'm not worried about fantasy play because we do a lot of that at home. What about the lack of technology? Please feel free to share any of your pros and cons.

Answer 1

Wow!  That’s a new one on me.  I’ve heard the misconception that Montessorians forbid fantasy play before, but that they forbid technology also? Well, color me surprised.

Either you have somehow gotten the wrong information about Montessori Education, or the school you are considering isn’t a true Montessori school. (There are plenty of them, contact me personally as to what to look for to ensure that a school really is Montessori, or post that in another question.)

I think that you need to have a long talk with the director and teachers at the school. If you have already, and what you state here is what they tell you is Montessori, then look for another Montessori School in your area and have a long talk with them.  A true Montessori school will have a very strong technology component.

But for some basic information:

FANTASY PLAY- To begin with, you need to read Chapter 12 of The Montessori Controversy, by John Chattin-McNicholas.  The Chapter discusses Montessori’s beliefs on fantasy and how fantasy play actually takes place in Montessori classrooms, and why some non-Montessorians sadly have the misconceptions that all forms of fantasy do not take place in the Montessori environment.

Montessori had no problem with fantasy play and imagination.  She believed that they were an important part of the human experience. What she did believe was that creativity and imagination needed to be based in truth. That is was wrong to give children false information presented as fact because it set the foundation for confusion and false

For example, the other day my 2nd grade public Montessori students were forced to read a paper on “starfishes” for a district wide reading test. The correct term is sea star and the information imparted in the piece was scientifically inaccurate. The paper said things like “a “starfish” is a fish and that it has gills on its stomach.” Later that afternoon I went out on the playground and saw my students playing “starfish”. They crawled around on their stomachs and pretended to breath.  I was upset, not because they were engaging in fantasy play, but because they had incorporated all the inaccurate information in the passage into their play thereby solidifying the misinformation in their brains further. (sea stars don’t have gills since they aren’t fish, they do have breathing organs, but they are on their backs.)

TECHNOLOGY - someone somewhere in your circle might be mixing up Montessori and Waldorf philosophies.  Waldorf proponents believe in restricting most access to technology in the pre-school and elementary years. Montessori, on the other hand, believed on being on the cutting edge of scientific research. She didn’t have computers in her classrooms, not because she didn’t believe in them, but because they didn’t exist when she developing her educational philosophy. Any good Montessori program will have a technology program.  Not that the classroom will be computer based, but access to computers and how to use them as a research tool should be fully integrated into the program, especially at the elementary level.

TRANSITION -The most comprehensive longitude research on Montessori Education in comparison to traditional education was published last year by a psychology professor at the University of Virginia, Dr. Angeline Lillard.. Her recent article was so well researched and documented, that it is the only educational article ever to be published in a scientific magazine. Using her findings she has written a wonderful book called Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius where she relates all of her findings. In it she addresses your worries about children transitioning to more traditional forms of education and your question on the pros and cons of Montessori education

I do think that is is very important for you to read her book, but here is a quick overview. Her findings and other studies’ report that Montessori students have:

*more interest in learning,

*more self disciplined

* have a greater understanding of truth and fairness

*more creativity, especially in their writing

*are more independence

*a better understanding of concepts from grammar and story structure to mathematical operations, algebra and geometry

*have a deep understanding of and how geography, history, social studies, and science are all related.

Answer 2

The technology that elementary kids need to know is really pretty simple and is learned quite easily.  I would be more interested in the learning environment at this school and whether or not it fits the needs of my child, than whether or not they have advanced technology.  You can easily teach your child everything he needs to know about computers at home.  

Montessori schools are great for children.  I believe true Montessori environments are better than a traditional classroom setting.

Here is some information on the Montessori method:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...