(Photo from istockphoto.com)
One hundred years ago, Maria Montessori tested her then-revolutionary educational theories by opening her first school in Rome (there are 5,000 just in the U.S. now). Forty years ago, the Montessori School opened in Pullman. And 20 years ago, Tanya Carper became the director of that school (online @ www.pullmanmontessori.com).
The Pullman Montessori school, which annually enrolls about 85 children aged 3 through 6, is strongly linked to WSU, Carper noted. About 90 percent of the students are from families with parents who work or study at WSU. Every year, approximately 10 WSU students volunteer at the school to learn more about the Montessori educational methods. And every year, Mary Wandschneider brings her students to observe those Montessori methods in action.
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Montessori School
13th Annual Auction
Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Gladish Community Center in Pullman. For information call 334-4114 |
“We study the different models of teaching preschoolers for my course in early childhood education (HD 449),” explained Wandschneider, senior instructor in the Department of Human Development. “Like Head Start, or our WSU Child Development Laboratory, Montessori has a distinct method of educating young children. We study all those programs, including the Montessori method, so our students can assess the strengths of each.”
“In addition to that course, many of our classes require service learning which includes direct experience with children,” she continued. “One of those choices is volunteering at the Montessori school.”
The Montessori program, Wandschneider explained, is child-focused and aims to foster self-confidence and love of learning. Through appropriate educational materials presented sequentially and designed for use by children, Montessori teachers try to encourage interdisciplinary learning and the student’s ability to direct their own learning.
Is the Montessori method the most effective way to educate young children?
Wandschneider says that, with all the variables involved, the answer is perhaps impossible to find. Real data is limited. The few quality studies do indicate that Montessori-trained children are better prepared in some areas, like creativity in writing, than children from other schools.
Effectiveness of preschool preparation is very difficult to measure, she summarized, though Montessori is a good option. Corinne Mantle-Bromley, chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning, echoed that summation. “Montessori is an wonderful program. Montessori prepares children to learn how to learn,” Mantle-Bromley explained.
“However, there is no formal overlap with our teacher preparation programs here at the College of Education.”
The goal of the College of Education program is to prepare students to teach in the public K-12 school system, not in the Montessori schools. The K-12 teacher preparation program needs to focus on the state standards, which are not the same as those used in Montessori schools.
“Some of the Montessori philosophy and ideas are part of our program, but we serve very different purposes,” Mantle-Bromley said.
