Montessori & 21st Century Learning

When little kids are concentrating hard on some complicated task, you’ve likely noticed that they tend to stick their tongues out. (And some adults do this, too, though it’s markedly less endearing.) But why? A new study published in an August issue of the journal Cognition offers one theory. 

The Montessori method is an educational practice that focuses on how children learn naturally. It has been used all over the world to help children learn for more than 100 years.

VideoAmy compiled this moving playlist of videos to explore the importance of human relationships and the power of being kind, generous, and compassionate.

The footage presented in this collection of subject-specific videos was filmed in 2013 at Montessori Magnet School at Annie Fisher, one of three comprehensive Montessori magnet schools in Hartford, Connecticut.  All three schools have highly diverse student bodies with high percentages of English Language Learners and students receiving free or reduced lunch. 

GOOD is a global community of, by, and for pragmatic idealists working towards individual and collective progress. They have created a great documentary on the views of key educators on what they think the future of learning is. There are some positive examples of using educational technology and how it can be a powerful pedagogical tool.

At first glance, the intersections between Montessori education and high-quality digital learning are not immediately apparent. To those of us with some knowledge about Montessori methods, its natural materials and deep traditions seem to stand in opposition to the vision of a futuristic, technology-rich digital or blended learning environment. Here are five intersections between Montessori education and digital learning that this author has observed as a parent to a Montessori preschooler, online educator and an education policy researcher.

The role of play in learning is a complex thing, in part because it is easily misunderstood as “playing is learning.”While that’s certainly true, there is also a role for play in formal learning experiences as well. As self-directed learning becomes more possible and more potent in the 21st century, the idea of one learner riffing casually off another is increasingly accessible.

Allowing kids to deeply engage with a project they are passionate about also helps produce more positive memories of school, Stager said.

The 2013 International Montessori Congress will allow us to look closer at how Montessori education is guided by children’s natural development and how that growth fosters a respectful relationship with the environment. The Congress theme, “Montessori: Guided By Nature”, takes root in that dynamic relationship and celebrates that we are all uniquely tied to the physical and ecological makeup of our surroundings.