The Montessori philosophy offers a myriad of advantages over traditional education methods.
From creativity to independence, Montessori students develop the skills and values that will help them succeed later in school and life. Studies have shown that Montessori students consistently outperform their peers in high school.
Today we are going to look at seven of those advantages.
Montessori Teaches Adaptability
Traditional settings greet students with the same environment every day, which fails to prepare them for the future that they will face—a future that will constantly present them with new and diverse problems.
Contrast this with a Montessori classroom that offers students a variety of situations, which helps them develop adaptability. What’s more, these situations present options for individual and group work.
Improved Language Learning
Research has shown that Montessori students consistently score higher in reading and writing assessments.
This is because Montessori classrooms incorporate spoken and written language into the classroom environment to enrich early learning, and they are appealing to students.
This encourages them to engage with the material.
What’s more, writing is introduced to Montessori students earlier than in traditional settings.
Using alternatives to paper and pencil, such as letter blocks, the students get the opportunity to spell as they learn letter sounds. All the while, they are not held to conventional expectations to permit them to explore inventive spelling.
Better Executive Functions and Stronger Independence
Success takes discipline and concentration. It is no secret. That is why Montessori students learn in a way that improves their executive functions and self-regulatory skills.
With a looser structure than traditional education, Montessori students operate in a less controlled environment. Through this autonomy, students learn a greater degree of self-control and discipline than those who learn in traditional environments.
This gives them an advantage over traditionally taught students who rely on more direct guidance.
Community and Social Development
With the liberty to work in different settings, whether they be in groups or individual, students are empowered to approach social situations on their terms. This increases both their independence, as we’ve previously discussed, and their social development.
Learning in this way teaches the students how their actions benefit others—and how to value the company of others over dolls or toys. These pro-social behaviors not only instill a sense of community in the classroom, but also the values of positive social interaction.
This is just another way that the Montessori method meets children where they are in their development.
Montessori Creativity
How Montessori methods encourage creativity can appear counterintuitive to those unfamiliar with the practice. Montessori herself believed that children already possess tremendous creativity that naturally develops over time. However, she found that the skill stemmed from the knowledge of the real.
The Montessori method teaches children to first master their environment so that they learn to understand how things work. Through this, Montessori creates foundations for the cognitive processes that they need for truly creative endeavors.
Thus, not only does the students’ creativity improve, but so do their skills of observation and critical analysis.
Confidence and Self-Esteem
As we’ve established, Montessori students develop a stronger sense of individuality. This, of course, comes with the added benefit of building confidence. But there’s more to it.
By encouraging students to pursue their interests rather than forcing them into a set curriculum, they are empowered to develop a strong sense of who they are as people. This includes finding their strengths and passions.
In terms of confidence, this often puts them ahead of their same-age peers that have yet to develop that sense of individuality.
A Life-Long Love of Learning
The arguably most important advantage of the Montessori method is that it teaches children to love learning.
Many students grow up to resent learning. Everyone with a traditional education knows this. This hinders not only their education but their entire lives.
That is why Montessori teachers encourage students to follow their interests and passions, to learn what they want to learn. By doing so, we nurture the innate desire to learn which exists in every child from birth.
With these strong foundations, they grow to become curious, engaged, and successful students.
The Austin Children’s Academy
These advantages are the reason our schools continue to teach according to the principles set by Dr. Montessori. Our mission is to encourage creativity, independence, and individuality in our students.
If you’re considering Montessori education and would like to learn more about the program, contact us today.
