Knowledge Through Experience: Montesorri's Legacy

We say there is nothing new under the sun, but sometimes we forget and something is lost. In children, their need for hands-on experiences has been lost many times. Historical knowledge proves that ancient children didn’t learn like children of the modern age, but we needed someone to ‘discover’ that method again and remind us that “Children acquire knowledge through experience in the environment.” This is a quote by Marie Montessori who was born in 1870 and worked with young children at the turn of the 20th century. Marie was raised in privilege with an intelligent brain and lots of rich experiences. She used those advantages to make a difference for the world around her.

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Marie was different for her time. She was a woman’s rights advocate before it was popular. She became a doctor when women didn’t do that. She worked with the neediest of patients and children, when those individuals were often not deemed worthy of such attention. She opened schools and bridged the gap from Europe into new schools in America. She stood her ground in what she knew was best for young children, even during the war. She didn’t do it just for the children, but for the future those children would create. Her influence stands strong even 100 years later.

Montessori’s educational philosophy is grounded in the idea that children need time to concentrate, to figure things out on their own, and to express their independence early in life. She expressed that the whole child is important; social, physical, emotional, as well as cognitive. Her belief that children are naturally eager to learn is something that is often missed in our current education systems. She believed that if the child was allowed to study and learn whole-child things through the ideas that interested them, they would be highly motivated and more successful.

I find this all intriguing because her influence of allowing children to learn through experience and self-motivation, was impactful then as it is now! It seems that children keep getting caught up in adults’ desire for more and faster learning until someone reminds them, again and again, that children need time, experience and hands-on living to thrive. Children (like adults) learn the most when they are interested in the topic. As I teach young children, I hope that I can focus more and more on their interests and on giving them the time to investigate to learn. I hope to be more of a guide and coach who creates a natural learning environment for my students to learn as whole children.