4 How Children Learn

I am often surprised and annoyed by the absence of mention of the work of Maria Montessori in educational material. Studies are referenced that were conducted in the 1980s and 1990s that do little more than parrot some small aspect of what Montessori was saying in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I wish I understood the reason for this glaring omission, particularly in light of the growing popularity of her methods.

The ideas that children are smarter than we expect, or that there are "sensitive periods" to certain types of learning were noted by Montessori nearly a century ago. Children in Montessori classrooms are encouraged to learn from their older peers, and to teach those younger. The various senses are considered in the design of all the learning materials, and the development of a variety of problem solving strategies is encouraged.

My three year old son attends a Montessori school. I am encouraged by the fact that Montessori's methods are validated by modern research, but I don't understand the reason for the complete omission of her name from the literature. The largest problem facing the implementation of educational research today is a general lack of respect of pedagogy as a scientific discipline. This exists to the extent that even the highest educational positions in government are granted to nurses over those of us actually trained in education, and no one outside the educational community sees a problem with this. I don't think we can afford to disregard one of the earliest contributors to educational theory, particularly in light of the respect afforded her by the public at large.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_method accessed 11/23/2oo9