5 ms·

Maria Montessori

hulitu 2y ago
> Scientific studies regarding the Montessori method are mostly positive, ... whatever that means. Letting children choose their own way is good. It is, however, very difficult in the age of global surveillance, when every toy is only used to collect data about its user.
- ericd 2y ago
  The Montessori toys are mostly wood in different shapes...
  - mirekrusin 2y ago
    Strainer yes, Montessori less so.
    - EricWithakay 2y ago
      Did you mean Steiner?
      - mirekrusin 2y ago
        Yes iPhone autocomplete fail, ty.
        ericd 2y ago
        Well, I guess there’s also sandpaper, cards, glass, beads, other types of boxes/latches, but certainly nothing “collecting data”. At least not in the AMS accredited Montessori school we helped run.
- s17tnet 2y ago
  Families who choose Montessori school for their children usually avoid them have access smartphone, TV or internet in general. Also, they are often in the wealthy, upper class so can enforce that kind on environment.
  - sigmonsays 2y ago
    curious why wealth plays into enforcing smart phone usage.
    - sanswork 2y ago
      Wealthier parents can pay to have more free time to spend on activities with their children to the exclusion of screens.
    - yieldcrv 2y ago
      It plays into the whole package of keeping children occupied after the au pair has driven them to and from expensive montessori private schools
    - GuardianCaveman 2y ago
      I think low income family parents have to work more, sometimes multiple jobs to pay the bills so the kids end up with more screen time because maybe they have someone else watching them or they're alone depending on the age. If someone else is watching them it's easy to just give the kid a screen and they're not as concerned as the parents about the long term effects. Also if you're a kid in a low income area where maybe it's not safe to go play outside or you need constant supervision to be safe you don't go out much and therefore screens become the default indoor play. My kids have a big backyard they can go out and ride bikes around and swingset and spaces to dig and play and get dirty in the backyard because I make enough to buy a house like that.
    - l3x4ur1n 2y ago
      It's hard not to give a smartphone to a kid if you have to work or just can't spend a lot of time with the kid. Kids are demanding of time and attention. So either you have enough time or you pay someone to play with your kid or you have to endure a lot of chaos a kid without a smartphone and a lot of time without attention can do (from screaming and crying to wreaking havoc in your household). Or you give them smartphone and they keep quiet and still and you can do what you need to do.
Waterluvian 2y ago
I feel that the Montessori method is a lot like the Ten Commandments. You really don’t need a label or specific books or memberships to cathedrals of education to practice those principles. I have kids in grade 1 and 2 so I’m getting to experience public school by proxy 30 years later and see what’s changed. I’m delighted to see that they employ a lot of the Montessori philosophy without once feeling the need to label it as such. Not that the label is bad. It’s just unnecessary.
- yieldcrv 2y ago
  Sure, I just want a way to find schools using that method I’m a fan of the sudbury model myself
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
mediumsmart 2y ago
Schools and education systems are like Mail clients some suck less
justushamalaine 2y ago
Maria Montessori is one of the few people that seemed to understand intuitively how science works. For me she is in there with likes of Ludvig Von Mises and Richard Feynman. For her there is no question how to develop things and every moment is a possibility to observe and try to understand. Montessori's main contribution is applying scientific methods for education. She is first and foremost and empiricist that led over 50 years of field study on education. The Montessori method is just an outcome of that study. So one thing that we should take away from her is that it is our responsibility to see and observe the kids and adjust our behavior and environment so that the kids can fulfill their potential. "The first Right of Man, the Fundamental Right, should recognise the right of the child to be helped to overcome those obstacles which may hinder, repress or deflect his constructive energies thereby denying him the certainty of becoming an efficient, well-balanced adult." - Maria Montessori
- pyrale 2y ago
  > Ludvig Von Mises Not sure I would conflate praxeology and science, considering that praxeology is built on the rejection on empirical studies.
  - MichaelZuo 2y ago
    Since when does rejecting poorly founded empirical studies equate to rejecting all possible empirical studies?
    - pyrale 2y ago
      Praxeology goes far beyond rejecting specific empirical studies, it rejects the very concept of learning human behaviour from past data. Or, to quote Mises himself [1]: > The subject matter of all historical sciences is the past. They cannot teach us anything which would be valid for all human actions, that is, for the future too. The study of history makes a man wise and judicious. But it does not by itself provide any knowledge and skill which could be utilized for handling concrete tasks. He does make a difference between natural science and history, claiming that natural science carefully isolates elements in order to enable inference. That point would be thoroughly debunked by current AI systems, considering that by his definition these systems would be in the field of history. Mises makes this distinction between natural science and history, because he can then claim that: > The experience with which the sciences of human action have to deal is always an experience of complex phenomena. No laboratory experiments can be performed with regard to human action. And since praxeology isn't simple enough to be criticized by natural science and that historical sciences have no say about current affairs, he rejects criticism from either field. This line of reasoning may have been tricky to attack in 1920, but it's completely obsolete in 2025. [1]: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/greaves-human-action-a-treatise-on-economics-vol-1-lf-ed https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/greaves-human-action-a-tr...
ta12653421 2y ago
Let me add some additional context here (source: twins in a private Montessori in a central EU country) a) Montessori Schools vary usually - not only from country to country, also not only from state to state, but also within Cities b) There are networks per each conutry, but you may join as school if you do offer different things than other schools in the same network c) Within Montessori, there are a lot of "custom" approaches which are, at least in this country, usually discussed with the local government/educational gov d) the comments with selection according to higher socio economical levels is a hard fact, at least in this country, since Montessori schools always demand some type of payment, depending on the income of the parents (on top of that they get usually partial funding from the local municipal/gov per school-people). At my kids school, 98% of parents are in a "good six digit range" (while the average salary in this country is mid. five figures, like ~49000) e) my kids school is great, so i can only speak for this locatoin with their specific Montessori implementation: It is a school i wished i could have attended when i was young. Its great: Their building is quite fresh (note: there are some "parental hours" per year where YOU have to take care of the building for YOUR kids on YOUR OWN with the OTHER parents, this is 40h per parent-person in this location), they have a "everything-is-working-facility", not only rest rooms but also working IT equipment etc. (for which i have a special eye as HN user ;-) ), last years the built an additonal level on top of the building to install a free-range-roof-top and tennis area Maybe this helps (-:
- ta12653421 2y ago
  Also i want to add to digg a little bit deeper about the myth about the person herself: While her teaching & educational approach is (in my opinion) superior to others, she for herself was also highly critized for some "specific behaviours/traits": the German Wikipedia article is telling more about these: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori#Kritik https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori#Kritik (interesting, that the english version does not mention any of these, or did i miss it when skimming the EN-version of the article?) Nontheless: My kids like it and i perceive them as very happy, esp. there is no homework and they also have very good kitchen/cantine for the kids.
  - em-bee 2y ago

> Scientific studies regarding the Montessori method are mostly positive, ... whatever that means. Letting children choose their own way is good. It is, however, very difficult in the age of global surveillance, when every toy is only used to collect data about its user.

ericd 2y ago
The Montessori toys are mostly wood in different shapes...
- mirekrusin 2y ago
  Strainer yes, Montessori less so.
  - EricWithakay 2y ago
    Did you mean Steiner?
    - mirekrusin 2y ago
      Yes iPhone autocomplete fail, ty.
      - ericd 2y ago
        Well, I guess there’s also sandpaper, cards, glass, beads, other types of boxes/latches, but certainly nothing “collecting data”. At least not in the AMS accredited Montessori school we helped run.
s17tnet 2y ago
Families who choose Montessori school for their children usually avoid them have access smartphone, TV or internet in general. Also, they are often in the wealthy, upper class so can enforce that kind on environment.
- sigmonsays 2y ago
  curious why wealth plays into enforcing smart phone usage.
  - sanswork 2y ago
    Wealthier parents can pay to have more free time to spend on activities with their children to the exclusion of screens.
  - yieldcrv 2y ago
    It plays into the whole package of keeping children occupied after the au pair has driven them to and from expensive montessori private schools
  - GuardianCaveman 2y ago
    I think low income family parents have to work more, sometimes multiple jobs to pay the bills so the kids end up with more screen time because maybe they have someone else watching them or they're alone depending on the age. If someone else is watching them it's easy to just give the kid a screen and they're not as concerned as the parents about the long term effects. Also if you're a kid in a low income area where maybe it's not safe to go play outside or you need constant supervision to be safe you don't go out much and therefore screens become the default indoor play. My kids have a big backyard they can go out and ride bikes around and swingset and spaces to dig and play and get dirty in the backyard because I make enough to buy a house like that.
  - l3x4ur1n 2y ago
    It's hard not to give a smartphone to a kid if you have to work or just can't spend a lot of time with the kid. Kids are demanding of time and attention. So either you have enough time or you pay someone to play with your kid or you have to endure a lot of chaos a kid without a smartphone and a lot of time without attention can do (from screaming and crying to wreaking havoc in your household). Or you give them smartphone and they keep quiet and still and you can do what you need to do.

Waterluvian 2y ago

I feel that the Montessori method is a lot like the Ten Commandments. You really don’t need a label or specific books or memberships to cathedrals of education to practice those principles. I have kids in grade 1 and 2 so I’m getting to experience public school by proxy 30 years later and see what’s changed. I’m delighted to see that they employ a lot of the Montessori philosophy without once feeling the need to label it as such. Not that the label is bad. It’s just unnecessary.

yieldcrv 2y ago
Sure, I just want a way to find schools using that method I’m a fan of the sudbury model myself

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

mediumsmart 2y ago

Schools and education systems are like Mail clients some suck less

justushamalaine 2y ago

Maria Montessori is one of the few people that seemed to understand intuitively how science works. For me she is in there with likes of Ludvig Von Mises and Richard Feynman. For her there is no question how to develop things and every moment is a possibility to observe and try to understand. Montessori's main contribution is applying scientific methods for education. She is first and foremost and empiricist that led over 50 years of field study on education. The Montessori method is just an outcome of that study. So one thing that we should take away from her is that it is our responsibility to see and observe the kids and adjust our behavior and environment so that the kids can fulfill their potential. "The first Right of Man, the Fundamental Right, should recognise the right of the child to be helped to overcome those obstacles which may hinder, repress or deflect his constructive energies thereby denying him the certainty of becoming an efficient, well-balanced adult." - Maria Montessori

pyrale 2y ago
> Ludvig Von Mises Not sure I would conflate praxeology and science, considering that praxeology is built on the rejection on empirical studies.
- MichaelZuo 2y ago
  Since when does rejecting poorly founded empirical studies equate to rejecting all possible empirical studies?
  - pyrale 2y ago
    Praxeology goes far beyond rejecting specific empirical studies, it rejects the very concept of learning human behaviour from past data. Or, to quote Mises himself [1]: > The subject matter of all historical sciences is the past. They cannot teach us anything which would be valid for all human actions, that is, for the future too. The study of history makes a man wise and judicious. But it does not by itself provide any knowledge and skill which could be utilized for handling concrete tasks. He does make a difference between natural science and history, claiming that natural science carefully isolates elements in order to enable inference. That point would be thoroughly debunked by current AI systems, considering that by his definition these systems would be in the field of history. Mises makes this distinction between natural science and history, because he can then claim that: > The experience with which the sciences of human action have to deal is always an experience of complex phenomena. No laboratory experiments can be performed with regard to human action. And since praxeology isn't simple enough to be criticized by natural science and that historical sciences have no say about current affairs, he rejects criticism from either field. This line of reasoning may have been tricky to attack in 1920, but it's completely obsolete in 2025. [1]: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/greaves-human-action-a-treatise-on-economics-vol-1-lf-ed https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/greaves-human-action-a-tr...

ta12653421 2y ago

Let me add some additional context here (source: twins in a private Montessori in a central EU country) a) Montessori Schools vary usually - not only from country to country, also not only from state to state, but also within Cities b) There are networks per each conutry, but you may join as school if you do offer different things than other schools in the same network c) Within Montessori, there are a lot of "custom" approaches which are, at least in this country, usually discussed with the local government/educational gov d) the comments with selection according to higher socio economical levels is a hard fact, at least in this country, since Montessori schools always demand some type of payment, depending on the income of the parents (on top of that they get usually partial funding from the local municipal/gov per school-people). At my kids school, 98% of parents are in a "good six digit range" (while the average salary in this country is mid. five figures, like ~49000) e) my kids school is great, so i can only speak for this locatoin with their specific Montessori implementation: It is a school i wished i could have attended when i was young. Its great: Their building is quite fresh (note: there are some "parental hours" per year where YOU have to take care of the building for YOUR kids on YOUR OWN with the OTHER parents, this is 40h per parent-person in this location), they have a "everything-is-working-facility", not only rest rooms but also working IT equipment etc. (for which i have a special eye as HN user ;-) ), last years the built an additonal level on top of the building to install a free-range-roof-top and tennis area Maybe this helps (-:

ta12653421 2y ago
Also i want to add to digg a little bit deeper about the myth about the person herself: While her teaching & educational approach is (in my opinion) superior to others, she for herself was also highly critized for some "specific behaviours/traits": the German Wikipedia article is telling more about these: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori#Kritik https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori#Kritik (interesting, that the english version does not mention any of these, or did i miss it when skimming the EN-version of the article?) Nontheless: My kids like it and i perceive them as very happy, esp. there is no homework and they also have very good kitchen/cantine for the kids.
- em-bee 2y ago