About education differently

In recent years there has been a lot of interest in alternative streams of education in Poland. Could it be that universal education in the form established for more than 100 years is about to experience a serious crisis? Or is modern society entering a phase of development in which there is a serious reevaluation of what is important in life? Higher education, which 20 years ago provided a guarantee of a stable life, is significantly losing its value and today is no longer a goal young people want to pursue. They increasingly value a job that is consistent with their talents, interests, and ultimately one that gives them a sense of happiness and fulfillment. Generation M, Y, or Z no longer want to "go to work," and remote work, which seemed like a curse during the Covid-19 pandemic, is increasingly the form of choice that gives freedom and flexibility. With it, one can travel, so-called "Workation," change residence and earn and grow at the same time. Today it is difficult to distinguish between work time and leisure time. These two realities naturally intermingle. Young people are better able than older generations to create their professional reality, adjusting it to their own needs. They are aware of their strengths and the balance between life and work is important to them. But these are adults. And how to prepare children and young people for a changing world?

So what works? In what system can children develop for the 21st century without losing their passions, talents and interest in the world, while developing social-emotional skills? It is worth looking at Montessori pedagogy, which is one of the better researched and very widely used pedagogical concepts around the world. It is often perceived as niche and exclusive, reserved for the elite. Such an opinion is probably related to the fact that such schools are attended by, among others, Prince William's children, and well-known Montessori school graduates are the founders of Google - Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Facebook founder- Marc Zuccerberg, or Amazon owner - Jeff Bezos. Many times one can encounter the view that children in Montessori institutions "do what they want," because this is sometimes understood to be the specific concept of freedom created by Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and educator who discovered the extraordinary powers inherent in the child at the turn of the 20th century. The thinking that students "do what they want" is primarily due to a lack of sound knowledge and misunderstanding. And what's more, also from our patterns and ideas about school other than in the "Prussian rigor."

Dr. Montessori's approach is based primarily on respect for the natural laws that guide a child's development and consideration of the child's needs. Education takes place without division into artificial, competing age groups, but is implemented in three-year groups: 3-6, 6-12, 12-15, 15-18 years. School classrooms and kindergarten classrooms are equipped with special developmental materials that allow children to work individually or in a group, at their own pace, at the level that is available to the child. The child's choice and the teacher's attitude are guided by the principle: "freedom and discipline are two sides of the same coin."

The axis of education at the elementary school level is the five Great Lessons, which in a beautiful, pictorial way introduce students to an understanding of " How does the world work?".

It still amazes us that this pedagogy has still not been applied to the common elementary school curriculum. The reason? It is an approach that requires a paradigm shift in the role of the teacher, widely recognized as the center of education. In Dr. Maria Montessori's approach, the teacher is the child's guide, who is supposed to step back, allowing the student to move toward independence and take responsibility for the learning process. It is not the teacher who is at the center, and it is not the teacher who encourages through punishments and rewards learning. The desire to learn flows from the young person's willingness to explore and understand the world.

This is quite different today in the Polish education system, where the teacher constantly orders, holds the student accountable and evaluates. Thus extinguishing the enthusiasm and desire of the young person to explore the nooks and crannies of knowledge that interest him. Specific tasks are delineated, specific answers marked on the test and the obligatory scope of material from a specific textbook for all identical.

Montessori teacher training is arduous, lengthy and requires embarking on a path of inner transformation. If you would like to feel the Montessori atmosphere, created by an environment of people who curiously seek answers to the important questions of modern education, it is worth taking part in the upcoming next All-Poland Conference CHILD OF THE FUTURE in Wroclaw. This is the fourth time it has been organized by the Lower Silesia Montessori Education Center Foundation, which has been promoting Montessori pedagogy in Lower Silesia for years, running a school, kindergarten and training for teachers and parents, including postgraduate studies in Montessori pedagogy.

"About education differently"