Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

One hundred years ago, Maria Montessori, the first female physician in Italy, devised a very different method of educating children, based on her observations of how they naturally learn. In Montessori, Angeline Stoll Lillard shows that science has finally caught up with Maria Montessori. Lillard presents the research behind eight insights that are foundations of Montessori education, describing how each of these insights is applied in the Montessori classroom. In reading this book, parents and teachers alike will develop a clear understanding of what happens in a Montessori classroom and, more important, why it happens and why it works. Lillard, however, does much more than explain the scientific basis for Montessori's system: Amid the clamor for evidence-based education, she presents the studies that show how children learn best, makes clear why many traditional practices come up short, and describes an ingenious alternative that works. Now with a foreword by Renilde Montessori, the youngest grandchild of Maria Montessori, Montessori offers a wealth of insights for anyone interested in education.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Foreword (p. vii)
• 1 An Answer to the Crisis in Education (p. 3)
• 2 The Impact of Movement on Learning and Cognition (p. 38)
• 3 Choice and Perceived Control (p. 80)
• 4 Interest in Human Learning (p. 114)
• 5 Extrinsic Rewards and Motivation (p. 152)
• 6 Learning from Peers (p. 192)
• 7 Meaningful Contexts for Learning (p. 224)
• 8 Adult Interaction Styles and Child Outcomes (p. 257)
• 9 Order in Environment and Mind (p. 289)
• 10 Education for Children (p. 325)
• Works Cited (p. 347)
• Name Index (p. 379)
• Subject Index (p. 389)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Lillard (Univ. of Virginia) has written about Montessori's theories and practices within the context of modern-day developmental psychology. The author asserts that current scientific research has finally caught up with Montessori's major insights. In addition, she believes that Montessori's theories and practices are an answer to the constant crisis in traditional American schooling. The author believes traditional American schooling is based on two ineffective models for children's learning: the school as a factory and the child as a blank slate. While this reviewer found the chapters that compared Montessori's theories to those within modern-day developmental psychology very well written and researched, the first chapter, in which Montessori is upheld as the answer to the crisis in education, appears somewhat shallow, since current research states that most schools have moved beyond these concepts already. Currently, evidenced-based teaching and learning are very much a part of the conversation in the field of education. These concepts do align with Montessori's idea of reforming education by starting with scientific study. This book is most useful for its discussion of Montessori's theories and practices within the context of modern-day developmental psychology. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. General readers through practitioners. J. C. Agnew Truman State University