education
montessori way The Montessori system was developed by Maria Montessori, an Italian medical doctor, anthropologist and educationalist. She observed that children learn through their own actions, and she developed learning materials where children could learn through doing developmentally appropriate tasks. Montessori’s approach is based on “following the child”; recognising and responding to the individual child’s developmental needs. In the Montessori classroom children learn at their own pace and are given increasingly stimulating and challenging intellectual tasks as they are ready. Children work predominantly individually and in small groups. There is no “boardand-chalk” teaching and very little teacher talking time, as the teacher works more as a facilitator. Montessori teachers believe that children have an inherent ability to do their own learning and so the Montessori classroom focuses on developing independence, selfconfidence, self-discipline, concentration and orderly work habits. The Montessori method develops the child’s internal sense of self and connectedness to the world. Classes are not divided by age but by learning stages. Both the Waldorf and Montessori systems have their critics. Some parents and educators feel that the Waldorf system is not academically rigorous enough, and that graduates can be academically disadvantaged compared to their mainstream peers. Some mainstream primary school teachers feel if children in Montessori schools are not carefully monitored, there can be big gaps in their knowledge. But Sharon Caldwell, CEO of the South African Montessori Association (SAMA), says “that if the Montessori curriculum is followed correctly, there won’t be gaps in the child’s knowledge. The problem is that the name Montessori is not copyrighted. A school can use the name ‘Montessori’ even if they follow the Montessori curriculum very loosely.”
Traditional education which places emphasis on conformity, learning by memorising and adherence to authority offers outdated values for a world that is going to need highly creative, innovative and technologically advanced problem solvers. filling the gap Many children who feel disconnected, uninspired, have difficulty learning in a mainstream environment or are gifted often thrive in Waldorf or Montessori schools. Austyn Cohen, 11, is one such child. “From the age of three I knew he was in the wrong system,” says his mother Sherilyn. “He just didn’t fit. In mainstream schooling he was unmotivated, disinterested, and tried to avoid all schoolwork.” In the middle of his Grade 3 year, Austyn went for a trial day at a Waldorf School. After one day there, he refused to go back to mainstream. Sherilyn says it was “like someone waved a magic wand”. At Gaia, he became a completely different child. He became self-motivated, curious to learn and regained “the authentic Austyn”. Many children start off their schooling in Montessori preschools and then move into mainstream schooling. Even if parents would like to keep their children in the Montessori system, it usually isn’t possible because there are so few Montessori primary schools in South Africa. Caldwell says, “Children who have attended a Montessori preschool have a high level of independence. Parents need to choose a primary school that values this independence in their learners. A good Montessori preschool will advise parents which local primary school would be a good transition for their child.”
learn at home Unable to find a school that suits their specific educational needs, some parents opt for home-schooling; taking responsibility for their children’s education, rather than handing the task over to a school. Home-schooled children learn through tailor-made lessons delivered by their parents or tutors, online resources, and specially designed homeschooling learning resources. Parents are free to structure their child’s learning depending on their child’s abilities, interests and natural rhythms. Home-schooling is popular in very religious communities who feel that schools expose their children to negative secular values; also those living in isolated communities, children who have learning difficulties or who are gifted, and with parents who feel that school is having a negative impact on their child’s self-esteem and self-worth. Tantan Alexander, eight, has difficulty concentrating in the classroom, and was constantly being reprimanded in his traditional school. His parents, frustrated with the school system, decided to home-school him. “I do not want him to be hurt all the time by demands and reprimands, detentions and labelling in a system that expects him to mould and squash himself in a way which would cause him to lose his personality, talents and peace of mind,” says his mother, Andi. Home-schooling means Tantan is free to play
24
May 2013
magazine cape town