Is Montessori education all it, ’s cracked up to be?
Montessori education, founded in the early 20th century, is based on principles that emphasize children’s freedom, discovery, and multi-age group learning. It uses multi-sensory and self-correcting materials, such as physical letters made of rough materials and tangible numbers, to aid learning. Montessori classrooms operate under a set of rules without rewards or punishments, fostering cooperation and intrinsic motivation. Recent research, including a meta-analysis, indicates that Montessori methods have significant positive impacts on children’s social skills and academic results, particularly in maths, reading, and writing. However, the effects on cognitive skills and creativity are less pronounced, and the impact on sensorimotor learning is mild. The effectiveness of Montessori education may vary based on the extent of its implementation and other factors such as socio-economic background.