Discussion #4: Montessori

I think that Montessori’s theories are the best to relay to parents. Her theories describe sensitive periods when children are interested in learning. Montessori described these sensitive periods as windows of learning when a child is interested in one topic and mastering that topic. For example, when a child first begins to learn to walk, it will be the only thing they are focused on and they will work until they have mastered it. In this case, to be able to walk. These sensitive periods will continue as a child ages and continues to learn. Montessori designed a school where children were allowed to focus on their sensitive areas of learning. They were allowed to move freely and study whatever they were interested with at the time. Teachers were only there as an aid if the child needed help or had any questions. Montessori believed the best way for children to learn was allowing them to work at their own pace on topics that interested them at the time. Although this method may have flaws, its general principle can be related to parents. When their children become interested in a topic, they should be allowed the freedom to study it. They will learn more when they are genuinely interested in learning. This can be applied when children are very young also. As infants, children will study tiny details to learn about their surroundings. Parents should allow their children to study the things they find. Montessori’s theories can be very insightful to parents about how their children learn and what they can do to ensure that their children are learning to the best of their abilities.