The education system makes water, has already been in crisis. It is one of the recurring themes of the press and many radio programs. The population is scandalized. Many blame their failure for lack of authority, respect has been lost, they cry. The recipe to fix the problem would be for this option to recover the values of a lifetime . Other positions advocate other types of global changes in society and educational measures where you really bet on respect for the individual processes of children and encourage their creativity, the qualitative aspect above the outcome. In this sense in FamiliasenRuta we already present this great video by Ken Robinson where he says provocatively that the current school kills the creativity of our children .
So much is said about alternative education lately, projects are constantly being initiated everywhere and more and more parents want to know about them. Many times we hear about the Montessori method or toys or a Waldorf school, but what does each thing mean? What are their differences and strengths and weaknesses? . This great article that follows gives a rather clarifying answer, we bring it to FamiliasenRuta from the great blog of entribu. The original article can be seen here.
Montessori vs. Waldorf, two methods face to face.
Have you heard of these two pedagogical methods and do not know what the differences are and why one or the other?
Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner were two characters who have left an important mark in the field of pedagogy. Their methods, considered "alternative", are often compared and people wonder which one is better, which one is best for their family.
Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was a doctor and educator. He was assigned the task of educating children considered “deficient” and, thanks to his enormous capacity for observation and listening, he developed the educational methods to which he gave his name, based, mainly, on accompanying the child in his learning.
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was a philosopher and pedagogue. The owner of the Waldorf-Astoria factory commissioned him to run a school for the workers' children. Hence the origin of the name of the pedagogy he developed.
So, practically, they were contemporaries ... Let's see the points in common between their methods:
- Above all seeking respect for children. They consider that they have enormous potential and that they are the basis of a better future.
- To respect the child, he must enjoy great freedom.
- Artistic activities have an important weight in their schools.
- Criticize grades, see them as useless and harmful to the child's development.
- They propose that the school environment be made for the dimensions of the students, tailored to their needs.
- Importance is given to domestic life, trying to reproduce it in school.
And let's analyze the differences.
Montessori brings letters and numbers closer to three years. Around four or five, you learn to read and write. Motivation itself is the trigger for this learning. The teacher is more a guide, which provides the material to the child according to their interests. The material designed by it is intended to acquire a skill, practice and move to another activity with complete autonomy. In addition, they allow self-correction, not being necessary for this the qualifications. Of course, each material has a determinated finality, defined. The student decides what activity he performs at each moment, it is not imposed. They are free to get up when they wish and can move the furniture. It aims for the child to learn, to be free, but, at the same time, to keep his feet on the ground. That is why they are not encouraged to use their imagination in a way that confuses reality, but clearly separates them.
Waldorf has a more global conception of the human being, so learning is secondary to global training, to nurturing the spirit. For this reason there is sometimes a certain suspicion towards these schools, as if they were a sect. Aunq Waldorf privileges the imagination. The learning of reading and writing does not take place before the age of seven, since before it is thought that the child is in another dimension. The materials are rudimentary, it is about playing and working with them in different ways, to stimulate creativity. The furniture is made to the scale of the students, being possible to move them, but also to get on them. Great importance is attached to the establishment of rhythms, both daily and weekly as well as annual. The goal is to provide security . The teacher is not a simple guide, it must be a model, an inspiration. Manual activities are very important, which provides a number of different skills not indifferent. They are contrary to the use of technology, such as televisions, computers, etc. imagination favored over technology. It is considered important to spend time outdoors, trying that, properly dressed, they play outside every day.
Weak points.
What are considered the weaknesses of these methods? In the case of Waldorf, the aforementioned, the suspicion that children can be indoctrinated in religious or spiritual matters. Well, it is not impossible to happen, but I think it can be avoided if parents try to keep up with school life. Another criticism that is made is that when living so much in the world of imagination, they have trouble accepting reality and adapting to it, especially as they grow. Here the old students should speak. But how many people hate their routine work and do not adapt to it, but rather resign themselves? And not all come from "alternative" schools.
About Montessorian pedagogy, there are those who do not like the rigid use of materials, although, obviously, this helps their conservation since chaos does not reign in the classroom . And that most of the activities are developed individually, not insisting on socialization. This is compensated, at least in part, by forming classes with children of different ages, as opposed to the limitation of a single age in the classroom of conventional schools. Also the concept of freedom of the child, in some cases, causes fear, thinking of children without any limit. In fact, self-discipline is taught.
The worst of these two types of schools is their shortage in many areas and, above all, their high price. This makes access to many families interested in educating their children with greater freedom for them and following a much more respectful process difficult. The economic limitation also makes these children come from a certain social class, which could lead to other conflicts in a potential student who came to a school of this type for a lucky carambola (the unexpected inheritance of the aunt, or something like that).
Education. Montessori vs Waldorf, two face-to-face methods
