Montessori Method

Rating:
Summary: a classic work on child pedagogy
Review: Here, Maria Montessori introduces a scientific approach to pedagogy. The Montessori schools which she established and developed are intended for children three to seven years of age. The children are allowed as much freedom as possible and are provided with "didactic materials" which are various artifacts which they can use to educate themselves. They are supervised by a single directress whose primary task is to observe the children and direct their efforts by explaining to them how various didactic materials are used (it's very simple, but nothing is obvious to a young child). This book offers some valuable concete advice, but its primary use to me was as an introduction to the approach of scientific pedagogy. The basic premises as I understand them are that (1) children have a natural desire to learn and (2) one can learn how to live in freedom only by being free. These premises are fully supported and fleshed out in the book. The Montessori method achieved startling results, with four year old children (on average) learning to be masters of themselves, disciplined, benevolent, self-confident, and capable of reading and writing. Every educator should be familiar with Maria Montessori's work.

Rating:
Summary: was what i wanted
Review: wha s excelent revew about the book and was prity impresed about i

Rating:
Summary: A useful classic, but very dated
Review: While there is much to commend this book, especially for parents of children in Montessori programs (which is why I read it), there is also much about it that is a problem. First, there is a gushiness in Montessori's utopian descriptions of how her program will create a "new man"--it's almost Leninist in its cadence, and it made me wonder whether Mussolini liked her Children's Houses. The disrespect for what children learn at home is palpable. Second, the section on the diet for children is hopelessly out of date. I'm sure her views, circa 1900, were the best science could offer, but we've gone way beyond advocating a diet rich in fats and sugar and prohibiting all milk products except butter. Third, there is too much detail for the general reader (i.e. most parents) about linguistic theory--and I really like linguistics. Her strengths, of course, are her emphases on the liberty and independence of the child (tempered by concern for society), stimulation and development of the senses, and the importance of writing. This inexpensive edition is worth having, but expect to skim a lot.

Rating:
Summary: A useful classic, but very dated
Review: While there is much to commend this book, especially for parents of children in Montessori programs (which is why I read it), there is also much about it that is a problem. First, there is a gushiness in Montessori's utopian descriptions of how her program will create a "new man"--it's almost Leninist in its cadence, and it made me wonder whether Mussolini liked her Children's Houses. The disrespect for what children learn at home is palpable. Second, the section on the diet for children is hopelessly out of date. I'm sure her views, circa 1900, were the best science could offer, but we've gone way beyond advocating a diet rich in fats and sugar and prohibiting all milk products except butter. Third, there is too much detail for the general reader (i.e. most parents) about linguistic theory--and I really like linguistics. Her strengths, of course, are her emphases on the liberty and independence of the child (tempered by concern for society), stimulation and development of the senses, and the importance of writing. This inexpensive edition is worth having, but expect to skim a lot.