Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of their materials can only be used the “ right way@ which stifles creativity.

This always comes up in Montessori threads, and it's totally bogus. The Montessori work cycle comprises only a portion of the child's day, and during that cycle a child will perform various works. Some works offer more opportunity for creativity than others. The creativity usually only comes after you know some stuff about the basic elements of something.

To take a non-Montessori example, my 5 year old's ballet teacher recently let the kids compose their own dances for part of a class. But that was only after they had learned some basic moves. None of their choreography was very impressive, but they were getting to be creative by combining things they learned at ballet in new ways. Not by running around the room pretending to be track stars, by singing, or by drawing. They understood that ballet class is a time to learn ballet related things, and that being creative at ballet class means making new and original ballet related things. Montessori is similar. You learn the basic building block skills first, then you get to be creative with them later.

It's not at all bogus. I watched a Montessori teacher correct a kid who was using a tool in the "wrong way."

I'm all for kids learning to follow direction, but Montessori classrooms seem to leave little to no room for kids to act outside of a proscribed framework.

I also find it a little creepy to call what 3 and 4 year olds are doing "work."

+1, not bogus. We went to a Montessori open house and my then-2 year old was literally told she was playing with blocks wrong. "Oh no, that's wrong. These blocks are for lining up by size, not stacking." Maybe this particular school wasn't 'doing Montessori right', but we prefer the creativity-first approach of our play-based school.

But then parents want it both ways: they want their kid to just ‘play’ but they also want to tell their friends that their child is a genius and doing math problems at 4. Kids in Montessori do the latter, and play when it’s time to play outside. For long stretches of time!!! Kids can play at home. Send them to Montessori if you want the curriculum and want to reinforce it at home.

Kids actually develop stronger STEM skills when they are allowed to explore and works things out for themselves. They should be given blocks and be allowed to stack them, line them up, knock them down, balance other things on them... whatever they want (with the exception of hitting, or throwing obviously). They figure out so many concepts by themselves this way. Sure, you can scaffold through play or set up a station where you specifically suggest they line the blocks by size if you really want to. But “correcting” a small child and telling them “these blocks are only for lining up” is so strange, particularly when the child is stacking which is a very appropriate use of blocks. What is the purpose of having blocks that can only be lined up by size and nothing else? It is so restrictive!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of their materials can only be used the “ right way@ which stifles creativity.

This always comes up in Montessori threads, and it's totally bogus. The Montessori work cycle comprises only a portion of the child's day, and during that cycle a child will perform various works. Some works offer more opportunity for creativity than others. The creativity usually only comes after you know some stuff about the basic elements of something.

To take a non-Montessori example, my 5 year old's ballet teacher recently let the kids compose their own dances for part of a class. But that was only after they had learned some basic moves. None of their choreography was very impressive, but they were getting to be creative by combining things they learned at ballet in new ways. Not by running around the room pretending to be track stars, by singing, or by drawing. They understood that ballet class is a time to learn ballet related things, and that being creative at ballet class means making new and original ballet related things. Montessori is similar. You learn the basic building block skills first, then you get to be creative with them later.

It's not at all bogus. I watched a Montessori teacher correct a kid who was using a tool in the "wrong way."

I'm all for kids learning to follow direction, but Montessori classrooms seem to leave little to no room for kids to act outside of a proscribed framework.

I also find it a little creepy to call what 3 and 4 year olds are doing "work."

+1, not bogus. We went to a Montessori open house and my then-2 year old was literally told she was playing with blocks wrong. "Oh no, that's wrong. These blocks are for lining up by size, not stacking." Maybe this particular school wasn't 'doing Montessori right', but we prefer the creativity-first approach of our play-based school.

But then parents want it both ways: they want their kid to just ‘play’ but they also want to tell their friends that their child is a genius and doing math problems at 4. Kids in Montessori do the latter, and play when it’s time to play outside. For long stretches of time!!! Kids can play at home. Send them to Montessori if you want the curriculum and want to reinforce it at home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of their materials can only be used the “ right way@ which stifles creativity.

This always comes up in Montessori threads, and it's totally bogus. The Montessori work cycle comprises only a portion of the child's day, and during that cycle a child will perform various works. Some works offer more opportunity for creativity than others. The creativity usually only comes after you know some stuff about the basic elements of something.

To take a non-Montessori example, my 5 year old's ballet teacher recently let the kids compose their own dances for part of a class. But that was only after they had learned some basic moves. None of their choreography was very impressive, but they were getting to be creative by combining things they learned at ballet in new ways. Not by running around the room pretending to be track stars, by singing, or by drawing. They understood that ballet class is a time to learn ballet related things, and that being creative at ballet class means making new and original ballet related things. Montessori is similar. You learn the basic building block skills first, then you get to be creative with them later.

It's not at all bogus. I watched a Montessori teacher correct a kid who was using a tool in the "wrong way."

I'm all for kids learning to follow direction, but Montessori classrooms seem to leave little to no room for kids to act outside of a proscribed framework.

I also find it a little creepy to call what 3 and 4 year olds are doing "work."

+1, not bogus. We went to a Montessori open house and my then-2 year old was literally told she was playing with blocks wrong. "Oh no, that's wrong. These blocks are for lining up by size, not stacking." Maybe this particular school wasn't 'doing Montessori right', but we prefer the creativity-first approach of our play-based school.

But then parents want it both ways: they want their kid to just ‘play’ but they also want to tell their friends that their child is a genius and doing math problems at 4. Kids in Montessori do the latter, and play when it’s time to play outside. For long stretches of time!!! Kids can play at home. Send them to Montessori if you want the curriculum and want to reinforce it at home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of their materials can only be used the “ right way@ which stifles creativity.

This always comes up in Montessori threads, and it's totally bogus. The Montessori work cycle comprises only a portion of the child's day, and during that cycle a child will perform various works. Some works offer more opportunity for creativity than others. The creativity usually only comes after you know some stuff about the basic elements of something.

To take a non-Montessori example, my 5 year old's ballet teacher recently let the kids compose their own dances for part of a class. But that was only after they had learned some basic moves. None of their choreography was very impressive, but they were getting to be creative by combining things they learned at ballet in new ways. Not by running around the room pretending to be track stars, by singing, or by drawing. They understood that ballet class is a time to learn ballet related things, and that being creative at ballet class means making new and original ballet related things. Montessori is similar. You learn the basic building block skills first, then you get to be creative with them later.

It's not at all bogus. I watched a Montessori teacher correct a kid who was using a tool in the "wrong way."

I'm all for kids learning to follow direction, but Montessori classrooms seem to leave little to no room for kids to act outside of a proscribed framework.

I also find it a little creepy to call what 3 and 4 year olds are doing "work."

+1, not bogus. We went to a Montessori open house and my then-2 year old was literally told she was playing with blocks wrong. "Oh no, that's wrong. These blocks are for lining up by size, not stacking." Maybe this particular school wasn't 'doing Montessori right', but we prefer the creativity-first approach of our play-based school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of their materials can only be used the “ right way@ which stifles creativity.

This always comes up in Montessori threads, and it's totally bogus. The Montessori work cycle comprises only a portion of the child's day, and during that cycle a child will perform various works. Some works offer more opportunity for creativity than others. The creativity usually only comes after you know some stuff about the basic elements of something.

To take a non-Montessori example, my 5 year old's ballet teacher recently let the kids compose their own dances for part of a class. But that was only after they had learned some basic moves. None of their choreography was very impressive, but they were getting to be creative by combining things they learned at ballet in new ways. Not by running around the room pretending to be track stars, by singing, or by drawing. They understood that ballet class is a time to learn ballet related things, and that being creative at ballet class means making new and original ballet related things. Montessori is similar. You learn the basic building block skills first, then you get to be creative with them later.

It's not at all bogus. I watched a Montessori teacher correct a kid who was using a tool in the "wrong way."

I'm all for kids learning to follow direction, but Montessori classrooms seem to leave little to no room for kids to act outside of a proscribed framework.

I also find it a little creepy to call what 3 and 4 year olds are doing "work."

+1, not bogus. We went to a Montessori open house and my then-2 year old was literally told she was playing with blocks wrong. "Oh no, that's wrong. These blocks are for lining up by size, not stacking." Maybe this particular school wasn't 'doing Montessori right', but we prefer the creativity-first approach of our play-based school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of their materials can only be used the “ right way@ which stifles creativity.

This always comes up in Montessori threads, and it's totally bogus. The Montessori work cycle comprises only a portion of the child's day, and during that cycle a child will perform various works. Some works offer more opportunity for creativity than others. The creativity usually only comes after you know some stuff about the basic elements of something.

To take a non-Montessori example, my 5 year old's ballet teacher recently let the kids compose their own dances for part of a class. But that was only after they had learned some basic moves. None of their choreography was very impressive, but they were getting to be creative by combining things they learned at ballet in new ways. Not by running around the room pretending to be track stars, by singing, or by drawing. They understood that ballet class is a time to learn ballet related things, and that being creative at ballet class means making new and original ballet related things. Montessori is similar. You learn the basic building block skills first, then you get to be creative with them later.

It's not at all bogus. I watched a Montessori teacher correct a kid who was using a tool in the "wrong way."

I'm all for kids learning to follow direction, but Montessori classrooms seem to leave little to no room for kids to act outside of a proscribed framework.

I also find it a little creepy to call what 3 and 4 year olds are doing "work."