Google honors educator and humanitarian Maria Montessori with a doodle depicting kindergarten gifts reminiscent of Friedrich Fröbel. Google also did a doodle for Fröbel in April, his ideas along with Montessori’s pedagogy are the basis of kindergartens in Austria. Montessori gave a lecture in Vienna in 1950 and since, pedagogues have followed what is called Montessori education.
It is defined by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological development, as well as technological advancements in society.
The essential elements in Montessori education is as follows:
- Mixed age classrooms, with classrooms for children aged 2½ or 3 to 9 years old by far the most common
- Student choice of activity from within a prescribed range of options
- Uninterrupted blocks of work time
- A Constructivist or “discovery” model, where students learn concepts from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction
- Specialized educational materials developed by Montessori and her collaborators
My kids were able to experience Montessori’s pedagogy for 4 years at most. I’ve seen how they were able to develop individually and how they were able to interact with other while there. They were allowed to play what they like, learn things on their own with a little help and taught basic responsibility and routines. It’s a fun learning process that I know benefited them and would be beneficial in the long run.