Rock your New Year Resolutions to improve your Montessori practice by going back to the ABCs! The ABCs of Learning, that is!
The newest evidence regarding research based learning strategies demonstrate what many in the Montessori community already know: the Montessori Method is a highly effective way to teach children. What is overwhelming, is knowing where to start. That’s where we come in: The ABCs of Learning is a new blog series designed to rock your resolutions. Read on . . .
Montessori Practitioners Utilize Evidence Based Learning Strategies Every Day
In our continued search for the latest science about learning, our team at ClassrooMechanics read the book The ABCs of How We Learn: 26 Scientifically Proven Approaches, How They Work, and When to Use which was reviewed on our Great Titles for Educators web page. The authors, Daniel L. Schwartz, Jessica Tsang and Kristen Blair, are Professors of Education at Stanford University, and they sifted through a great many studies to create this treasure trove of instructional wisdom.
The book works its way through the alphabet offering 26 scientifically proven learning and teaching strategies that improve learning outcomes. What was most interesting about them, however, was how many of them are already part of the Montessori method.
How do you use this important information in your work with children? Each week we’ll be releasing a principle of learning and a teaching tool that supports this principle. We’ll review them briefly and connect each to an element of Dr. Montessori’s pedagogical system.
This begs the question, “How did Maria Montessori create this teaching system over 100 years ago that gets so many things right?”
Being a trained scientist and physician, Dr. Montessori started with the scientific observation of children as they learned. Her ability to set aside any preconceived ideas about teaching allowed her to formulate her ideas about learning based on how children learn naturally.
It is no wonder then that the elements she included in her pedagogy have been confirmed by research from a variety of disciplines including psychology, biology, neuroscience, etc. In other words, she grounded her ideas in empirical evidence, and today’s science continues to support her research.
“The basis of the reform of education and society, which is a necessity of our times, must be built upon the scientific study of Man the unknown.” – Dr. Maria Montessori
How to Make these ABCs Work for You
Here’s my Free Quick Tip #1 as to how to put these strategies to use:
Today’s Montessori practitioners are adept at observing children, following their interests, and preparing and maintaining beautiful learning environments. What is not so easy, is to sift through the vast amount of available information about learning and synthesize what is most important, let alone figure out how to apply a principle.
You’re in luck! We do the heavy lifting for you and are thrilled to share our findings through our new blog series The ABCs of Learning: Montessori Edition.
Your job? To implement the principle and let us know how it’s going! We’ll publish ongoing insights gained in the field from our readers on social media so colleagues can learn from each other. Be the first to share your insights here!
We’ll start our journey next week with A is for . . .
