By Pilar Bewley<\/p>\n
Margaret, a veteran elementary Montessori teacher, overheard a conversation between Steven and Paula, two children who were conducting a science experiment.<\/p>\n
Steven lifted up a half-full test tube. \u201cHey, the solution isn\u2019t turning blue the way it\u2019s supposed to!\u201d<\/p>\n
Paula scratched her head. \u201cWhat do you think we did wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
Steven sighed and said, \u201cI don\u2019t know, let\u2019s ask Ms. Margaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a dismissive gesture of the hand, Paula replied, \u201cNah, don\u2019t ask her. She doesn\u2019t know anything! I saw a chemistry book in the library; let\u2019s look there.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Margaret, this was a moment of triumph, an indication that she was doing her job right. She obviously knows the answers to many of her students\u2019 questions: why leaves turn red, why ice melts, and why fish have gills. She even knows why the children\u2019s science experiment flopped. However, her standard response whenever a student asks a \u201cwhy\u201d question is: \u201cI don\u2019t know, but wouldn\u2019t it be interesting to find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Montessori guide knows that she\u2019s not serving her students\u2019 best interests by providing the answers they seek. In the real world, we rarely have someone by our side answering all our questions. And even if we did, it wouldn\u2019t do us much good in the long run; research shows that the most effective learning takes place through active participation, not passive absorption.<\/p>\n
Think about what happens when you\u2019re driving in an unfamiliar area of town. If the GPS is telling you what to do, you\u2019ll probably arrive at your destination with little hassle, but you won\u2019t remember how you got there! If instead you use a map and other hands-on navigation tools, you might feel a little lost at first, but you\u2019ll eventually find your way. More importantly, you\u2019ll feel quite confident navigating the neighborhood the next time you visit.<\/p>\n
The hands-on navigation tools that Montessori elementary teachers offer include Montessori materials, books, stories, diagrams, experiments, Going Out trips, and access to experts in all fields of study. The teacher provides an initial lesson using materials and storytelling. But the lesson is only a jumping-off point and is designed to generate more questions than answers.<\/p>\n
Once the lesson ends, the \u201cwhy\u2019s\u201d begin, and this is where the teacher happily replies: \u201cI don\u2019t know, but wouldn\u2019t it be interesting to find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
Pilar Bewley holds AMI Primary and Elementary (Bergamo, Italy) diplomas, as well as a M.Ed. in Montessori Education from Loyola College. She lives with her husband and baby boy in San Diego and writes about motherhood and Montessori on her blog, The Full Montessori.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Pilar Bewley Margaret, a veteran elementary Montessori teacher, overheard a conversation between Steven and Paula, two children who were conducting a science experiment. Steven lifted up a half-full test tube. \u201cHey, the solution isn\u2019t turning blue the way it\u2019s supposed to!\u201d Paula scratched her head. \u201cWhat do you think we did wrong?\u201d Steven sighed and said, \u201cI don\u2019t know, let\u2019s ask Ms. Margaret.\u201d With a dismissive gesture of the hand, Paula replied, \u201cNah, don\u2019t ask her. She doesn\u2019t know anything! I saw a chemistry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[70,43],"class_list":["post-13191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-montessori","tag-brain-development","tag-montessori"],"yoast_head":"\n