Montessori: The Science behind the Genius [Hardcover]

Angeline Stoll Lillard (Author), An Vu (Photographer), Renilde Montessori (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

Traditional schooling is in constant crisis because it is based on two poor models for children's learning: the school as a factory and the child as a blank slate. School reforms repeatedly fail by not learning from the shortcomings of these models. 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. Does Montessori education provide a viable alternative to traditional schooling? Do Dr Montessori's theories and practices stand up to the scrutiny of modern-day developmental psychology? Can developmental pscyhology tell us anything about how and why Montessori methods work? In Montessori, now with a foreword by Renilde Montessori, Angeline Stoll Lillard shows that science has finally caught up with Maria Montessori. Lillard presents the research supporting eight insights that are foundational to Montessori education and describes how each 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 importantly, why it happens and why it works. Lillard, however, does much more than explain the scientific basis for Montessori's system: amid the clamour 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. Everyone interested in education, at all levels and in all forms, will take from this book a wealth of insights. Montessori is indispensable reading for anyone interested in what psychologists know about human learning and development, and how to use it to improve teaching effectiveness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you want to understand Montessori education in light of current developmental research, you should seize upon this authoritative, interesting book. I highly recommend it for parents, educators, students of education--anyone, in fact, who would like a close-up look at the real needs of the developing child." --Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., Educational Psychologist; author of Your Child's Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning from Birth to Adolescence

"Inspired educational thinkers such as Dewey or Vygotsky only sketched out ways that we might teach young children. Over more than 50 years, Maria Montessori successfully created a radically new teaching system - a system that endures and inspires to this day. Angeline Lillard shows how many of Montessori's practices anticipated some of the latest and best findings in developmental psychology while still others call out for future empirical analysis. Lillard's comprehensive and fascinating assessment gives Montessori the place that she deserves in contemporary debate about how we should best teach children." --Paul L. Harris, Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

"Lillard has masterfully explored the basic tenets of Montessori education and how they are validated with today's scientific findings. The result is a long-awaited and important contribution that contrasts with traditional education and offers evidence in support of a method that works. A stunning achievement!" --Virginia McHugh Goodwin, Executive Director, Association Montessori Internationale, USA

"This is a really excellent book. The author is unusually well qualified to write it. Angeline Lillard is an internationally renowned researcher in the area of cognitive-developmental psychology, who also has extensive experience and deep knowledge regarding Montessori. The book is not only authoritative and scholarly, it is also very well organized and very clearly written, easily communicable to anyone with an interest in the area. I enjoyed reading it."--John Flavell, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor, Emeritus, School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University

"This is a great book. It is beautifully written, and expertly uses the psychological research literature to evaluate Montessori theory and practice. What an original and important contribution." --Carol Dweck, Professor of Psychology, Stanford University

"...a stimulating evaluation of Montessori philosophy and practice, exploring some of the basic principles in relation to modern scientific research...an interesting resource that encourages teachers (from all methods) to reflect on their educational practices. In particular, anyone wanting to take a detailed and critical look at Montessori education would surely benefit from reading this book."--Montessori International

"I was impressed by this book, enjoyed reading it, and learned a lot about Montessori's method...Lillard's book has convinced me to pay a visit to our local Montessori school and to seriously consider it as an option for my own child."--R. Keith Sawyer, PsycCRITIQUES

"Angeline Lillard may have changed the rules of engagement for debates on educational reform. " --Dennis Schapiro, Editor, The Public Montessorian

"This book makes a wonderful case for the genius and enduring contributions of Montessori education and its visionary founder. It can informreaders search to understand Montessori education today." --Applied Developmental Psychology

"Angeline Lillard's compelling review of research literature reminds us that Dr. Maria Montessori was a scientist, that Montessori pedagogy is based in empirical fact, and that modern educational research is echoing the developmental principles fundamental to Montessori education. Parents, teachers, and educational researchers are reading this book because it is simply the most sophisticated Montessori commentary of our time." --David Kahn, Executive Director, North American Montessori Teachers' Association

"Dr. Angeline Stoll Lillard has clearly summarized the research that explains why, after 100 years, the Montessori approach to education continues to be a phenomenal worldwide success." --Tim Seldin, President, The Montessori Foundation, and Chair, The International Montessori Council

"Lillard provides a visionary framework for those currently working to advance Montessori education and those committed to furthering school reform initiatives. This is an illuminating, thoughtful, and extremely important book." --Richard A. Ungerer, Executive Director, American Montessori Society

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Angelina Stoll Lillard is an Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 424 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195325265
• ISBN-13: 978-0195325263
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #819,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Angeline Stoll Lillard is Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. An authority on learning and development, she was awarded the Developmental Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association's Outstanding Dissertation Award in 1992 and its Boyd McCandless Award for Distinguished Early Career Contribution in 1999.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best and most scientific introduction to Montessori., April 16, 2005

By 

Susan Stephenson "www.montessori.edu" (Trinidad, California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Montessori: The Science behind the Genius (Hardcover)

Since Montessori is the fastest growing method of education today, young people going into the field of education want to learn about Montessori in their university classes. Until now there has never been a book well suited to this purpose; professors will relate to the perspective of another professor, especially one who is knowledgeable in all kinds of education of children. Students will come to understand more about how we educate children in traditional education, and why Montessori is so sought after as an alternative, in both private and public school settings.

Angeline Lillard, the author of "Montessori, the Science behind the Genius" is a parent, and her book is invaluable for anyone thinking of having children, or getting ready to send a child to preschool or school. It will help parents differentiate between true Montessori schools and those that use the name "Montessori" without knowing what they are doing, which is quite common since there is no copyright on use of the name.

I cannot speak highly enough of this book and I have been in the Montessori field in one way or another since 1968 when my first child entered her first Montessori class.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-read for Parents and Educators, March 7, 2005

By 

J. Cossentino (Williamsburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Montessori: The Science behind the Genius (Hardcover)

Lillard's thorough and readable treatment of Montessori brings together 100 years of practical wisdom with the most recent psychological research findings. It is not easy to find clear, accurate descriptions of Montessori teaching and learning; and even harder to find accessible explanations for the complex theory that underlies Montessori practice. This book does both. For those of us who have always wondered what was going on at the Montessori school in our neighborhood, Lillard's lucid prose provides a window into the classroom. And for those parents as well as as educators who wonder whether the method really "works," Lillard not only explains how, but produces evidence for why.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Fascinating, March 7, 2005

By 

PHP (Annapolis, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Montessori: The Science behind the Genius (Hardcover)

You can read other Montessori books and be inspired, but if you read Lillard's Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, you will be persuaded by the sheer weight of the evidence in support of the eight foundational principles of Montessori Education. The Montessori community will love this book but I think that anyone who is interested in understanding what is wrong with traditional education should read this book. It is a scholarly work that any parent can understand. I absolutely loved the book and highly recommend it.