Shouldn’t We Do What Is Best For The Students?

While there are many examples of traditional schools ignoring what is best for students to accommodate the adults (or the bus schedule), and some could argue that it is circumstances beyond the adults’ control that dictates their choices, let’s look at the very essence of teaching and the one thing every teacher/school/district has control over–how the lesson is presented. Child development research shows that children do not move to abstraction until around age 10. Research also tells us that only about 20% of the population are auditory learners. So why is it that traditional schools’ main teaching strategy is lecture (auditory) with practice dittos (abstract) for assignments? In Montessori, every lesson has an auditory, visual and kinesthetic component all the way through Upper Elementary (age 12) to make sure that every student’s learning style is addressed. Our follow-up assignments then include practice with a material that demonstrates the how and why of a concept and gives the student hands-on experience applying the knowledge, leaving the student with a clear, concrete picture and thorough understanding. That’s one of the reasons why Montessori is the proven best choice of education for students and why we can maximize each child’s potential. Doesn’t every child deserve an education system that works as hard as we ask them to work?