What is Montessori Anyway?

Montessori Mom linked to this site this weekend and I am linking to it also in case you missed it. The Montessori Discovery School has an excellent, concise overview of the method, terminology, and goals for elementary level students.

If the next question is "Why do I care?" you might like to read the results of this study which showed Montessori trained children were head and shoulders ahead of their age-mates in both academic and social/emotional areas as compared to children in non-Montessori schools. Particularly noteworthy to relaxed homeschoolers was the comment that althought they were  "not regularly tested or graded, they did just as well in spelling, punctuation and grammar exams as those given conventional lessons."  This doesn't have to be painful folks. ; )

Comments

[Jennifer]

Thanks for the link. I know next to nothing about Montessori.

[Jennifer]

Kim, OK, now I am really curious. I know I must seem ignorant, but we never intended to homeschool, so I am learning the different methods as we go. What is your favorite Montessori book for beginners? It seems so overwhelming.

[mich]

Thanks for linking the study--I had a tour just the other day ask about how Montessori students perform compared to the typically educated!

[Angel]

Kim, I'm catching up on your blog and am reminded about why I like Montessori. I just have one question. Do you have any tips on how to implement a Montessori approach with a bunch of kids of different ages running around? I'm still trying to figure out how to set up a room, with my 12 month old twins running around, destroying everything within their reach. It's the "prepared environment" thing that always trips me up.