Before writing third principle of Montessori, i would like to respond to one of my friend's response to this blog. He felt that these are pretty basic elements of learning. Isn't it surprising that companies do not follow them, he asked. I think Montessori method is really built on pretty basic principles. Montessori method is unique because it has tied together these basic principles tightly in actual practice, not just design. And i think the same is true with companies. A company may follow one principle completely, but do not practice the rigor to integrate all the principles tightly.
Third principle of Montessori learning is ' Learning happens when you offer choice to the child'. At the outset, it should be mentioned that Principle 2 of ' Give lessons to child only when interested' and this principle go hand-in-hand. Psychologists today agree that having choice is critical for learning/development to occur. Many studies can be cited to substantiate this.
It is amazing to watch how Montessori follows this principle rigorously. Traditional schools and Montessori schools offer choice to the child at two different levels. Traditional schools offer no choice at macro level ( you have to sit in the Language lesson at 10 am?) but offer lot of choice at micro level ( you can learn the language lesson the way you wish, because every teacher teaches the lesson in her/his style!).
Montessori method reverses this principle. It offers lot of choice at macro level ( you can engage in a lesson at the time you wish. As there are no group lessons in Montessori,a child can actually exercise this choice!) but very little choice at micro level ( you can engage in a lesson only in a specific steps and sequence. Every Montessori teacher is thoroughly grilled to impart lessons in a structured sequence)
This unique configuration of macro and micro choice in Montessori makes the environment of a child very conducive to learning. Macro choice enables child to engage in a lesson when he is sufficiently interested ( part of principle 2). It is often observed in Montessori that some children will immediately engage in lessons after they are introduced to a lesson, while some take a very very long time. A child is never pushed into learning the lesson. Further, as every lesson in Montessori is individualistic ( unlike blackboard method in Montessori), a child in Montessori can work at it's own pace. This not only ensures that child engages when he or she is ready, but also engages in the lesson at it's speed. A child is not pressurised to learn at the speed of class.
On the other hand, restricted micro choice ensures that every child engages in a lesson in a fixed and structured manner. Structured lessons compels child to engage with the lesson in specific steps only. Although Montessori method is often criticised for its rigid structure, the effort taken in designing lessons ( and even to sequence them appropriately) is indeed commendable. Montessori uses a unique innovation - control of error - which is similar to TQM method. Every lesson has an inbuilt design of error-control. Due to this 'control of error', a child understands that it is making a mistake in completing a lesson and self-corrects. This self-correcting structure of lesson therefore goes a long way in ensuring deep learning! (Another unintended consequence of this method: Unlike traditional school, Montessori method is less dependent on the soft qualities of a teacher.)
How can companies gain from this principle? Generally, end purpose of training program is not fully shared with employees. As employee knows very little about the benefit of a training program, he/she cannot exercise his/her macro choice deliberately. On the other hand, like traditional schools, companies offer too much of micro choice to the employees. A training session is typically structured in a very loose manner. Loose structure causes unpredictable delivery which in turn leads to uncertain outcome in learning. Quality of learning heavily depends on the quality, style and mood of trainer ( or facilitator).
Good companies do a lot in offering macro choice to their employees. However, as far as micro choice is concerned, I have seen very few companies exert rigour and discipline in structuring a session. Although benefits of structuring are numerous, due to the huge effort required in structuring a training program, very few companies walk the extra mile. If companies visit Montessori school to watch the benefit of structuring, they may change their minds, i guess.
Third principle of Montessori learning is ' Learning happens when you offer choice to the child'. At the outset, it should be mentioned that Principle 2 of ' Give lessons to child only when interested' and this principle go hand-in-hand. Psychologists today agree that having choice is critical for learning/development to occur. Many studies can be cited to substantiate this.
It is amazing to watch how Montessori follows this principle rigorously. Traditional schools and Montessori schools offer choice to the child at two different levels. Traditional schools offer no choice at macro level ( you have to sit in the Language lesson at 10 am?) but offer lot of choice at micro level ( you can learn the language lesson the way you wish, because every teacher teaches the lesson in her/his style!).
Montessori method reverses this principle. It offers lot of choice at macro level ( you can engage in a lesson at the time you wish. As there are no group lessons in Montessori,a child can actually exercise this choice!) but very little choice at micro level ( you can engage in a lesson only in a specific steps and sequence. Every Montessori teacher is thoroughly grilled to impart lessons in a structured sequence)
This unique configuration of macro and micro choice in Montessori makes the environment of a child very conducive to learning. Macro choice enables child to engage in a lesson when he is sufficiently interested ( part of principle 2). It is often observed in Montessori that some children will immediately engage in lessons after they are introduced to a lesson, while some take a very very long time. A child is never pushed into learning the lesson. Further, as every lesson in Montessori is individualistic ( unlike blackboard method in Montessori), a child in Montessori can work at it's own pace. This not only ensures that child engages when he or she is ready, but also engages in the lesson at it's speed. A child is not pressurised to learn at the speed of class.
On the other hand, restricted micro choice ensures that every child engages in a lesson in a fixed and structured manner. Structured lessons compels child to engage with the lesson in specific steps only. Although Montessori method is often criticised for its rigid structure, the effort taken in designing lessons ( and even to sequence them appropriately) is indeed commendable. Montessori uses a unique innovation - control of error - which is similar to TQM method. Every lesson has an inbuilt design of error-control. Due to this 'control of error', a child understands that it is making a mistake in completing a lesson and self-corrects. This self-correcting structure of lesson therefore goes a long way in ensuring deep learning! (Another unintended consequence of this method: Unlike traditional school, Montessori method is less dependent on the soft qualities of a teacher.)
How can companies gain from this principle? Generally, end purpose of training program is not fully shared with employees. As employee knows very little about the benefit of a training program, he/she cannot exercise his/her macro choice deliberately. On the other hand, like traditional schools, companies offer too much of micro choice to the employees. A training session is typically structured in a very loose manner. Loose structure causes unpredictable delivery which in turn leads to uncertain outcome in learning. Quality of learning heavily depends on the quality, style and mood of trainer ( or facilitator).
Good companies do a lot in offering macro choice to their employees. However, as far as micro choice is concerned, I have seen very few companies exert rigour and discipline in structuring a session. Although benefits of structuring are numerous, due to the huge effort required in structuring a training program, very few companies walk the extra mile. If companies visit Montessori school to watch the benefit of structuring, they may change their minds, i guess.
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