Why the Montessori philosophy could be the best method preparing students for 21st century?

"One-size-fits-all" has been in use for over five decades to describe clothing expected to fit people of a wide range of sizes. Then, the term has been extended to the field of education. It defines a method or procedure created to apply to every single student in school. However, it is not always effective to use only one method for every child since each child has their own pace of learning, interests, development and learning style. Thus, a lot of educators have been attempting to find an alternative learning method. One of the most successful alternatives is the Montessori discovered by Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and educator. Celebrating Maria Montessori's 150th Birthday is on August 31, 2020.

Montessori is a child-centered method which approaches education based on the scientific observations of children. It is designed to accommodate educational and behavioral needs of each individual child that cannot be adequately addressed in a traditional school setting.  The pedagogy also provides an educational experience tailored to each stage of a child's development. Montessori teachers will use specially designed tools and techniques to help children learn through hands on experience and working with objects, not only from memorization and direct instruction. Rather than memorizing math facts, for example, children will start by counting and adding using a set of color-coded beads. This method provides a more involved and exciting learning environment for children. 

In the same way, all these Montessori concepts are complied with the 21st century skill set which does not only focus on 3Rs (writing, reading and arithmetic) as in traditional schools, but they also focus on 4Cs (collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking). Thus, educators, early childhood development experts, and parents need to work cooperatively to develop a child’s important skills set at their early age. It is crucial to develop these skills early because infancy is the most flexible time to accommodate a large range of environments, interactions, and experiences. Similarly, play is the heart of how children learn. While playing, they can show what they are learning, what they care about, and what they are interested in. If teachers understand and spend more time with children, they will be able to identify what skills that children need to practice more and will guide each child to the next level when he or she is ready. 

According to Helping Young Children Build 21st-Century Skills article by David Ross, a global education consultant and former CEO of the Partnership for 21st Century Learning, there are ten essential strategies to help children build their 21st century skills set; 

1. A child-centered focus that explores their interests 

2. Providing opportunities to develop skills beyond basic language, math, and reading

3. A play-based learning environment

4. Provide a cooperative learning environment where children are encouraged to work together in creative ways to solve problems. 

5. Blending online play with hands on play. Online play creates a personalized environment where the child to learn at their own pace and test the skills they have developed. The learned skills are then reinforced during hands on play with group activities.  

6. A flexible attitude and learning environment that allows children to follow their interested even in a structured environment.  

7. Differentiated instruction which adds variety to the learning environment and can account for each child’s different learning styles.

8. Observe the children while at play to help determine a lesson plan based on the skills they display.

9. Create consistent routines and expectations to help children feel secure in their learning.

10. A focus on developing the 4C’s: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication.

Combining all these methods can provide a perfect environment for children to develop the skills they need. Once they enter the higher level school, they will be ready to learn new lessons effectively since they have all important basic skills. That is why the Montessori concept focuses on these key areas to help prepare young children for the future. 

By Fern Janrana B.Ed