How Creative do you think Montessori schools allow children to be?

[jaidymama]

We were at a Montessori in my town where we are considering sending our ds. One thing I noticed is that the children were only allowed to use objects in specific ways, and not deviate from the way the activity was presented. I think in some ways that can be beneficial for children to learn to do things a certain way. However, I also think it's a positive element for kids to be able to explore other ways of using something.... Not something I saw the kids were able to do.

What's your experience with this?

[mamalemon]

My (limited) experience with DS's Montessori school has been that once the proper use of a tool has been taught, they allow him to manipulate it in his own way. For example, after a lesson in lining up rods from smallest to largest, they allowed DS to built a "castle" with them and then make some of the rods "talk" to each other like he wanted. He did his own imaginative thing with the blocks for a while, and then went back and used them as he was taught in his lesson before putting them away.

[freistms]

Maria Montessori herself discussed children using the manipulatives in ways other than the "intended" use. In one of her books, she specifically discusses the reason that the pink tower is so appealing to kids is because they love to knock it down.

I think this is a big misconception about Montessori, and there are quite a few posts about it. Of course, it is very dependent on the way the school and director interpret it, as well, so you can't beat a nice open conversation AND classroom observation. My imaginitive DD isn't stifled by Montessori - she likes to have tea parties with her pouring work.

[jaidymama]

Thanks for the input. I have always been intrigued by Montessori, yet keep finding I don't know as much about it as I thought. So when we were there, and my ds was able to participate... the director was trying to emphasize that the activities that she was demonstrating were to be done exactly like she indicated. And some children were gently guided toward the "correct" use of the item. So whatever, I wanted to check in with others who have had more experience with Montessori. I also should ask more questions of the school...

[eepster]

When I toured the school we would like to send DS to there was a picture of one of the kids inside a huge castle he had built out of several different manipulatives, and I asked about it, since I kept hearing about using things in specific ways. The directress explained that the child had already had instruction on how each and every one of the manipulatives worked and understood, so he was now aloud to use them in way that went beyond their basic function, but that it was important to master the fundamental purpose first.



This reminded me of something I had come to believe back in college as an art major. Too many artist (and art students) these days do abstract, cubist, assemblage, minimalist, etc work b/c they don't know the basic and fundamental skills for drawing.

You have to realize that the great artist of just a little bit back all could do realism if they wanted to, and moved beyond it by choice. A while back I saw a DeKooning (master of abstract expressionism) painting of a perfectly realistic bowl of fruit. DeKooning painted abstract wild red haired women by choice not b/c he didn't know how to paint correctly. I strongly believe that had DeKooning skipped formal training in drawing that his abstract expressionism peices would not be nearly as great as they are.

[Lillianna]

Montessori allows children to be as creative as they want to be. There should be no stipulation for the correct use of a material, just for the care of each material. The child is free to explore and manipulate the materials as long as they are being cared for. Destructive behavior is always redirected and the proper care of materials is presented in the lesson.
The lesson break skills down into component parts. Skills needed for visual discrimination (ability to distinguish variations in color, shape and form) are practiced by the child. The child is given a palette of skills from which to choose.
The art and music materials lend especially well to creative and imaginative work. All lessons are presented by showing the process inherent in each media (painting, charcoal, watercolors, clay, etc.) then the child is left free to express her own individuality rather than reproducing a cookie cutter craft project.
I have seen so many unbelievable works of art accomplished by children of 5 and 6. Creativity is encouraged by decorating language and math work as well.

[kags]

Way back when I had to study Montessori for my ECE degree I was never thrilled with it because true Montessori only allowed for the toys to be played/used one way and not to deviate from that. SOme schools allow the Montessori equipment/toys and state that they are Montessori enriched which allows the openendedness of the equipment. That I don't mind because I love it when a child can turn something so simple into something so creative. Ultimately you will choose what is best for your child because no one knows them better than you.

[GuildJenn]

At my son's Montessori the kids do have to wait to have a work presented to them, so that they know the "right way" to use it.

Then, as long as they are not wrecking anything, they can use it however they want.

What kind of surprised me (and kind of didn't, since he had demonstrated this at home when he was helping me or watching me or using any grown up things) was how naturally my son wanted to use the material right, to feel that mastery of it, and take pride in it.

Of course this did not prevent him from playing trains with some of the materials as well, nor would I want it to. But it looked (and still looks) to me from the outside like he gets a lot of, well, joy out of having BOTH options.