Montessori's century-old methods still popular today

ON THIS DAY IN 1907, an Italian woman named Maria Montessori opened a school in the slums of Rome. The Casa dei Bambini, or 'children's house', was Dr Montessori's brainchild, employing a revolutionary teaching method that would eventually spread across the globe. Her philosophy turned the traditional approach to education on its head and has attracted its fair share of criticism, but a century later, 22,000 schools are keeping her legacy alive. Dr Montessori's methods are now followed in more than 100 countries. In Hong Kong, a new school will next week open its doors to children, from newborns to 12-year-olds. In 1978, Lorraine Hughes, founder of the Woodlands Group, opened Hong Kong's first Montessori pre-school in Repulse Bay, followed by schools in Mid-Levels and Tai Tam. After opening with just 36 children in Repulse Bay, the Woodlands Group now has about 500 students attending its three bilingual Montessori pre-schools. Ms Hughes said the Montessori method was more 'child-based' than mainstream education. 'As opposed to going into a class where the teacher says today we're going to do X, Y and Z ... the child has the freedom to choose,' she said, adding that the teacher acts as more of a guide. The International Montessori School, which caters for children from three to 12, opened in 2002 with 58 students. The bilingual school in Wan Chai now has 170 children from 25 countries. School supervisor Anne Sawyer said the school appealed to parents looking for creative, individualised learning for their children in a bilingual environment. Joanna Godbolt, principal of the Casa dei Bambini school that officially opens today, said the philosophy was based on the premise that 'children learn by doing, not by hearing'. She said the children worked in three-hour blocks, where they could choose various tasks but must complete a curriculum by the end of the three pre-school years. Ms Godbolt, who has also worked in two Montessori schools in Beijing, said children were encouraged to become independent and confident problem-solvers. 'The kids in a Montessori school have freedom within boundaries. They become self-disciplined and self-motivated,' she said. 'The children do not have to sit still in rows. They can talk, they can experiment. Montessori has specialised materials so that children learn by doing, not by hearing.' Dr Montessori also bucked the trend of educating children in age groups. At Montessori schools, children of different ages are taught together. While some parents are concerned that younger toddlers will hold their older children back, Ms Hughes said grouping different ages together had a positive effect on all parties and allowed children to learn from each other. It was the combination of these unconventional teaching methods that secured Dr Montessori a place in education history books. Born in 1870, Dr Montessori was the first Italian woman to receive a medical degree but it was her pioneering research with children that really put her work on the international stage. After achieving success in her work with children with special needs, she was asked to establish day care centres for children in one of Rome's worst neighbourhoods. When she held the first training course in the Montessori approach in 1909, she expected to attract only Italian teachers but people came from around the world. She spent time teaching in London and India, and her book, The Montessori Method, has been translated into 20 languages. While Montessori schools in some countries cater for children from birth to the age of 18, Ms Godbolt said the most popular schools in Asia were those for children aged three to six. During these years, children's primary motor co-ordination, independence and language are developed through doing everyday tasks such as folding, washing or sweeping, painting, singing and other artistic activities. Ms Hughes said the Montessori method was becoming increasingly popular. 'More and more parents are seeing for themselves how the Montessori philosophy works, how the children relate to it, the great love of learning that they achieve, which is all part of the Montessori philosophy.' Dr Margaret Wong Ngai-chun, associate professor at the Hong Kong Institute of Education's Department of Early Childhood Education, described Montessori as an alternative form of early childhood education. 'They have very specific learning materials, very specific procedures,' she said. While mainstream schools may use some Montessori methods, Dr Wong said mainstream schools encouraged children to interact more with their peers and teachers. 'Nowadays we advocate children learning in groups to interact but in Montessori they stress on children working with materials on an individual basis,' she said. However, Dr Wong said if the learning outcomes achieved at Montessori schools matched parents' expectations, she did not see any problems with the method. 'Maybe for some children their parents feel that they want their children to learn through the quiet, concentrated way but for most parents they feel that their children learn in a mainstream school,' she said. While schools bearing the Montessori name have sprung up around the world, from Angola and Columbia, to Slovakia and Sweden, its practitioners readily admit that not all of the schools are '100 per cent' Montessori. They acknowledge the name is open to abuse because the Montessori method is not trademarked. 'Schools can open up anywhere, use the name, have a few pieces of their equipment and call themselves Montessori, which is why we've taken the step of accrediting to London Montessori,' Ms Hughes said. Ms Godbolt said not all schools using the Montessori name employed properly trained teachers. She hopes Casa dei Bambini will eventually offer accredited teacher training courses. For more information visit http://montessoricentenary.org/