Customer Reviews

The Montessori Controversy

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3 star:		(1)
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I want to thank the author for writing such a clear and eye opening book about the Montessori schools and methods, it really helped answer all of my questions about the Montessori world. As a parent my soon is now getting closer to his 2nd birthday. And unfortunately I see that the traditional Day Cares are not the best answer for his personal and academic growth. (trust me, he used to go to one of the best in the country) and we had checked with several others just to make sure.

I always heard about the Montessori schools and " how different " their teaching is and how more secure, self-confident, smart, aware their kids usually come out. But I also always heard the bad rumors about it. So I decided to investigate before changing my son current school to a Montessori one.

This book is written very clear to answer all those questions and the analysis that the author does regarding the "myths" that other people create about the Montessori methods, makes it very clear to anyone who is just starting from ground zero to understand more about the Montessori world.

After reading the book, I finally found a great Montessori school here in GA after looking at more then 8. The author also gives you some "hints" in what to look for when visiting a school. (that really helped alot).

My 2 CENTS for anyone who is starting to think about moving your kid to a Montessori school are the following:

1) Even though you will be paying a little bit more (according to the state that you are in it could have some exceptions regarding price, there are few states that have Montessori method teaching in a public school ) then a good day care, it will be worth it in the long run.

From 0 to 6 years old are the crucial ages to plant a good foundation in your kid. This maybe the most important investment that you will ever do in your life.

From 2 months to 3 years old:

Is what Montessori called: A second embryonic period occurs after birth during the first three years of life when the child's intelligence is formed, when the child acquires the culture and language into which he or she is born. It is a period when the core of personality, social being and the essence of spiritual life are developed.

From 3 to 6 years old:

Children of this age possess what Dr. Montessori called the Absorbent Mind. This type of mind has the unique and transitory ability to absorb all aspects physical, mental, spiritual of the environment, without effort or fatigue. As an aid to the child's self-construction, individual work is encouraged. The following areas of activity cultivate the children's ability to express themselves and think with clarity.

Note: There are Montessori schools that will go up to High School.

2) Also check if the school is AMI (Association Montessori International) certified. AMI was founded by M. Montessori and they go to every school that is affiliated every few years to ensure that the Montessori standards are being held or check if the school is AMS (American Montessori Society) certified.

Unfortunately now a days you will find a lot of schools that will say they are Montessori and some can really have a good Montessori teaching curriculum (even though they are not affiliated) but if the school have the AMI or AMS is away to ensure that you should have in that school good quality in the Montessori methods.

3) Also look in several Montessori schools (not just one) and ask the teacher to show you the classroom and some of their teaching methodology. ( You need to get a good gut feeling that this is the right school for your kid, no matter if they are AMI or AMS certified). Make sure that you visit a school during a school session and see if the kids are happy and busy with their work and the environment is a peaceful and harmonic one .

4) Lastly check out this book and do a search in your favorite search engines for the names below under AMI or AMS web sites they have list of all the schools that are certified in your state.

Association Montessori Internationale

American Montessori Society

Good luck and I'm sure you will be seeing the results in your kid very soon.

The Montessori Controversy serves as a valuable introduction to both the Montessori method and the issues surrounding it, historically and to the present day. The author, himself a Montessori educator, gives a balanced account of Montessori's detractors and supporters and provides reasoned and enlightening answers to many common questions regarding the method. These questions, left unanswered by Montessori advocates and educators, have led to many misconceptions and myths about Montessori. While attempting to dispell these misconceptions, the author calls on Montessori advocates and educators to create a fair and common dialogue with education researchers and non-Montessori educators to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the Montessori method. The author writes, "it is time for Montessori's ideas to be given their first real test. That will come about only as Montessorians realize that they must do more than teach their own classrooms, that they must docu! ment what they do and show whether or not it is effective. It will also require the mainstream of education to be willing to give Montessori a fair test. And both sides must approach this with open minds, a desire to communicate across different orientations and jargons, and an understanding that both groups have the best interests of the child at heart" (p.31). This book is valuable to both prospective and current Montessori parents, Montessori educators, and anyone else interested in exploring these important issues. The book is well written, insightful,and accessible to anyone, whatever their background or level of expertise in the field of education.

First, the author is not a disinterested and objective party --- he is a strong advocate for the Montessori method.

That said, there is a place and a need for Montessori advocacy. Montessori was a mystery to me before I read this book, and the author did his job of advocating and demystifying Montessori well.

Chattin-McNichols does not go into too much detail about the method itself, but rather surveys the scant studies of the effects, describes the history, and explores the state of Montessori in the United States today. In this way, he gives the reader more of a gut understanding of what Montessori is all about and what they can expect from it.

The goal of Montessori is not, nor was it ever, to produce super-geniuses. Instead, children who go through Montessori are supposed to become self-assured and well-adjusted individuals who know how to learn on their own, enjoy learning for their whole lives, and who learn at their own pace. This, I think, is a more admirable goal.

The prose-style of the book was clear enough. Due to all the references, footnotes and citations, however, this book has a very academic feel to it. It was almost as if I were reading someone's thesis for their Master's of Education degree. This doesn't detract from the book's quality --- it just gives it a different feel. And it certainly supplied me with a lot of other sources from which I can learn more.

If you are debating whether to put your child in a Montessori school or keep them there this a great book to purchase. Our daughter is now entering 2nd grade at a Montessori school, and I wish I had read this book sooner! It takes away the veil of educator mystque from around the method. Answer questions I hear from people who criticize the method, and gives a basis and a history for the Montessori method. It also talks about the whys and the where-fors that I never really got answered by the teachers. Well worth the investment.

I ordered this book for a research paper and it helped me tremendously. I believe it is the most up-to-date book I have read yet. The book is a very descriptive account of both the pros and the cons of Montessori.

I want to thank the author for writing such a clear and eye opening
book about the Montessori schools and methods it really helped answer
all of my questions about the Montessori world. As a parent my soon is
now getting closer to his 2nd birthday and I see that unfortunately
the traditional Day Cares are not the best answer for his personal and
academic growth. (trust me, he used to go to one of the best in the
country) and we checked several others just to make sure.

I always
heard about the Montessori schools and " how different "
their teaching is and how more secure, self-confident, smart, aware
their kids usually come out. But I also always heard the bad rumors
about it. So I decided to investigate before changing my son current
school to a Montessori one.

This book is written very clear to
answer all those questions and the analysis that the author does
regarding the "myths" that other people create about the
Montessori methods, makes it very clear to anyone who is starting from
ground zero to understand more about the Montessori world.

After
reading the book, I finally found a great Montessori school here in GA
after looking at more then 8, the author also gives you some
"hints" in what to look for when visiting a school. (that
really helped alot).

My 2 CENTS for anyone who is starting to think
about moving your kid to a Montessori school are the following:

1)
Even though you will be paying a little bit more (according to the
state that you are in it could have some exceptions regarding price,
there are few states that have Montessori method teaching in a public
school ) then a good day care, it will be worth it in the long
run.

From 0 to 6 years old are the crucial ages to plant a good
foundation in your kid. This maybe the most important investment that
you will ever do in your life.

From 2 months to 3 years old:

Is
what Montessori called: A second embryonic period occurs after birth
during the first three years of life when the child's intelligence is
formed, when the child acquires the culture and language into which he
or she is born. It is a period when the core of personality, social
being and the essence of spiritual life are developed.

From 3 to 6
years old:

Children of this age possess what Dr. Montessori called
the Absorbent Mind. This type of mind has the unique and transitory
ability to absorb all aspects physical, mental, spiritual of the
environment, without effort or fatigue. As an aid to the child's
self-construction, individual work is encouraged. The following areas
of activity cultivate the children's ability to express themselves and
think with clarity.

Note: There are Montessori schools that will go
up to High School.

2) Also check if the school is AMI (Association
Montessori International) founded my M. Montessori and they go to
every school that is affiliated every few years to ensure that the
Montessori standards are being held or AMS (American Montessori
Society). Unfortunately now a days you will find a lot of schools
that will say they are Montessori and some can really have a good
Montessori teaching curriculum (even though they are not affiliated)
but if the school have the AMI or AMS is away to ensure that you
should have on that school good quality in the Montessori
methods.

3) Also look in several Montessori schools (not just one)
and ask the teacher to show you the classroom and some of their
teaching methodology. ( You need to get a good gut feeling that this
is the right school for your kid, no matter if they are AMI or AMS
certified). Make sure that you visit a school during a school session
and see if the kids are happy and busy with their work and the
environment is a peaceful and harmonic one .

4) lastly check out
this book....

I'm thinking this is a college textbook or something -- I'm betting folks in Early Childhood Education courses are reading this one. If they're not, they should be. While it is a wonderful book, it is incredibly pricey. My local library carried it, and I'd recommend checking it out there first.

That said, I can see this is the kind of book one would refer to over and over again. It is meaty in its content, and cites actual studies about Montessori education. Its a winner, and a great (albeit somewhat dry) read about the method and how it works in young children.

If you have a background, or some knowledge in other educational theories and practices, I'd bet you'd find this even more compelling and far more interesting than the very basic books out there by Lillard.

Happy reading!

The Montessori Controversy is a very informative and helpful book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I learned alot from it, but there were some things, unfortunately, that I didn't like about the book that I thought I would share with everyone.

My first problem with the book is with its appearance and construction. I was a bit bothered by the fact that the pages looked a bit like they were photocopied. The photographs of the children inside the book were black and white, very blurry and poor quality. I don't understand why such an expensive book wouldn't include colored photos...I thought the binding was terrible too. You have to be gentle with the book, don't fold the pages over like I did or you'll weaken the binding and the pages will come out (it happened to me).

My second problem was with the content. Although it was very informative, I thought it was a bit unbalanced. I would have appreciated it if the author had included more information on the 0-3 infant classroom. He kind of ignores it and focuses primarily on the preschool students and the preschool classroom (the 3-6 age group). It was a bit disappointing since I'm pretty much interested in learning more about all age groups.

Last, but not least, my third problem is with the price. I think the book is a bit overpriced...it's not worth the $67.00 that it's priced at, not with those flaws.

My advice to you would be to check to see if your library has a copy of the book before you decide to purchase it. The Montessori Controversy is a book that's definitely worth reading...whether or not it's worth buying...I'm not so sure. Anyhow, good luck.

I've given the book three stars.

This book explains things in a way that students, teachers, professionals, parents and opponents can benefit equally. It explains many controversial issues in an easy to understand fashion.

This books provides a great insight about the Montessori method. I was new to the concept and it answered all the questions I had about it. The books explains in great detail the whole Montessori approach (definition, model, the curriculum, how to identify true Montessori schools/teachers, etc. I just wish they had Montessori schools where I live! Great book!