So it’s almost midnight and I would greatly like to be asleep because it’s been a very long week. But I just realized that I’m not even set up with our AP Lang class on turnitin.com, and I don’t even remember if we were supposed to turn it in online or when, so I’m posting my essay here just to be safe.
I don’t expect anyone to read this except Mrs. Scow, but it doesn’t matter.
Montessori and Inquiry-Based Learning
Molly Maguire
Mrs. Scow
AP Language and Composition
Junior-Level Research Paper
February 20, 2009
To many students, school means seven to eight hours of boredom and drudgery, followed by homework that they have absolutely no desire to do. It is a rare student that truly enjoys school, and often that student still does not like all of his or her classes. Because of the setup of the public education system, most students will spend a lot of time listening to lectures or lessons, beginning in grade school and through high school. Teaching purely through lecture practically guarantees that students will not learn; most of what is heard in a lecture is forgotten after a mere two weeks, and nearly all is gone after two years (Wilhelm). Teaching methods are often ineffective and students are apathetic; public education must change somehow.
To change student’s mindsets, the mindsets of teachers must first change. It cannot be expected that education will change until the teachers change how they think about and practice teaching (Montessori 28). Rather than teaching facts, teachers should be guiding students to discover ideas on their own, as knowledge is better retained when experienced first-hand (Wilhelm). One method of doing this is Inquiry-Based Learning. Inquiry-Based Learning is a teaching style that should be implemented in public school because it places the focus on the student, rather than the facts the student is supposed to be learning. In this way, Inquiry-Based Learning instills curiosity, resulting in students who care about what they are learning, and thus learn more- and more effectively.
Inquiry-Based Learning is very closely related to the methods implemented in Montessori schools. Montessori schools are run based on the observations and ideas of Maria Montessori, an Italian physician who founded the first Montessori school in 1907. Her observations of children led her to the conclusion that children teach themselves, and that they learn best when they are allowed to explore and discover. A child in a Montessori school learns at his or her own pace through activities that are monitored—though not controlled—by a teacher (Montessori FAQ’s). In this way, students who are learning about the same topic may be learning in ways more suited to each of his or her interests or talents. Additionally, this environment prevents students from becoming overly competitive with each other and are instead allowed to work at their own pace; and, because the activities the children are doing are activities chosen by the students themselves, they are motivated to finish projects because they are interested in them (Kurtz).
Students at Montessori schools nearly always have a sense of intrinsic motivation which stems from the fact that they learn because they wish to, not because of grades or assessments (Kurtz). There are no grades in Montessori schools; in fact, teachers are not even supposed to correct students when they make mistakes (Montessori 109). Instead, teachers are supposed to guide students to the right answers by planning activities that will help the student reach a certain conclusion. Because the students are learning at their own pace, on their own time, and through means that are interesting to them, they retain the information much better than they would if it was simply told to them. When students learn this way from the time they are young, they are accustomed to teaching themselves and do not rely on grades, lectures, or parental bribes to do well in school. In contrast, when students enter the Montessori school after years of public schooling, they often do not do well. Many students that go to public schools develop a need for extrinsic motivation in the form of grades or approval. If they transition into Montessori, they often find no reason to do the work, as there are no grades, markers, or specific expectations (Kurtz).
For this reason, if the school systems were to be changed, the change would have to begin with children who have not yet entered the public school systems at any level. If the school system were to change, it would have to change with pre-school children and grow as they age.
Montessori schools are generally for elementary-or-younger aged students, and the activities that students participate in go along with that curriculum. Inquiry-Based Learning, if it were to be applied to public schools, would extend to the middle-school and high-school age groups. Additionally, there would have to be at least some structure; Montessori is very free-form. To apply such a method to the general public, much would have to change. For example, the projects or activities that students choose to do would need to be more extensively discussed with a teacher in order to ensure that the students learn all of what they need to learn. Additionally, there may have to be some markers to show how far a student has progressed; if there is a list of things a student must learn before reaching the age of eighteen, perhaps a general list could be kept, edited to the students needs. For example, if American history is a requirement, and a student chooses to extensively study the Prohibition, perhaps he or she will be required to spend less time on the first World War, provided that he or she understands it. Additionally, no specific timetable would be set. In this way, a student might study American History while in middle school, rather than in High School when many students learn it, and instead research something else while in High School that many students learned in Middle School.
The idea behind Inquiry-Based Learning is that it would eliminate apathy, as students would be learning about what they are interested in. However, if certain subjects are required at the middle-school and high school level, then the students would not always be able to research things that are the most interesting to them. In this situation, an apathetic student might slack off, resulting in lower productivity and less learning. In these situations, students might be required to collaborate with other students who are at a similar level. This would help students learn to work with others they may not know very well; additionally, when others are relying on them, students may be more willing to work.
Some criticisms of Montessori and Inquiry-Based Learning are that it does not allow for proper socialization or creativity (Montessori Method). Since Montessori is designed with long, uninterrupted work sessions, some parents and critics say that this discourages social networking among students (Schwarzbeck). Additionally, since there are no pretend play things in most Montessori schools—such as a plastic pan with fake food so children might pretend to cook—some feel as though Montessori discourages creativity (Montessori Method). The answer to this is that Montessori encourages students to learn to cook rather than pretending to cook, for example. Montessori stresses respect of others’ time, which creates a sense of self-discipline and respect for others (Montessori FAQ’s). It has also been observed that Montessori children are often much less violent in their play, and that they still engage in pretend play even though pretend play things have been removed (Montessori FAQ’s, Schwarzbeck).
It has been suggested that Montessori schools, which often feature work sessions of two to three hours, might not work well for disabled children or students with Attention Deficit Disorder (Schwarzbeck). These work periods are monitored by a teacher and talking is kept to a minimum, except where students have chosen to work together (Montessori FAQ’s). However, it seems that the opposite of what is assumed is actually true; Montessori schools tend to work quite well for nearly all learning types, and since children have the option to choose what to do during the work sessions, even students with ADD or ADHD can often focus (Montessor FAQ’s). This is because the students are allowed to work at their own paces and need not feel pressured to keep up with their peers (Kurtz). Additionally, since Montessori schools discourage lectures and long discourses and instead encourage the teacher to teach each individual student, students do not have to sit for long periods of time listening to something they are not interested in, and students with learning disabilities have the opportunity to work with a teacher when needed (Montessori 108, 111).
If schools were to change to a method more like that of Montessori, it is unlikely that it could be exactly like Montessori schools; however, the basic techniques, such as Inquiry-Based Learning, could more easily be adopted if teachers were willing to try it. Changing to an Inquiry-Based Learning system would greatly affect several things that have little to do with actual learning. Grades would be almost impossible with younger students; however, with older students, it might be possible to continue using grades—but the system would have to change. For each project, a student and teacher could determine a rubric by which the student is judged; at the end of the project, if the student did not meet his or her own standards, a lower grade might be given. Standardized tests, too, would be very difficult to use to assess students, since students would move at their own paces and learn in different orders. The change in standardized tests would also change how colleges look at admissions.
Inquiry-Based Learning would change how teachers teach and interact with students. It would change how students view school and learning, and could even shift the students’ mindsets from “boring” to “enjoyable”, if done correctly. Montessori schools engage students and make them interested in what they are learning. Inquiry-Based Learning would do this same thing. As students lose interest in school and the United States falls further and further behind, change must occur. Inquiry-Based Learning, or some derivative of it, must be implemented in public schools in order to motivate students and create more productive, exciting learning environments.
Works Cited:
Kurtz, Judy. Personal interview. 13 Feb. 2009.
“Montessori FAQ’s.” Montessori Philosophy & Practice, Montessori Method, Montessori materials, Montessori schools, Montessori equipment, Dr. Montessori, Maria Montessori, Montessori teachers, homeschool, montessori services, 0-3, infant, toddler, Waldorf, small hands and feet, free. Michael Olaf Montessori Company. 19 Feb. 2009 <http://michaelolaf.net/FAQMontessori.html>.
Montessori, Maria. The Montessori Method. Dover Edition ed. Minneapolis: Dover Publications, Incorporated, 2002.
“Montessori Method: Criticisms – K12 Academics.” K12 Academics – Everything Education! 19 Feb. 2009 <http://www.k12academics.com/montessori_criticisms.htm>.
Wilhelm, Jeff. ”Inquiry starts here: with project-based lessons, you’ll deepen kids’ learning experience and have more fun teaching.(expert opinion).” Instructor (1990) 116.7 (May-June 2007): 43(3). Student Resource Center – Silver. Gale. LEGACY HIGH SCHOOL – CO. 17 Feb. 2009
<http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>.
Schwarzbeck, Charles. “Montessori Schools– Good or Bad?” SimplyFamily. Scripps Howard News Service. 19 Feb. 2009 <http://www.simplyfamily.com/display.cfm?articleID=001102_montessori.cfm>.
) But I will get used to it. (sigh)