Samizdata

As a good libertarian, I feel I ought to like the emphasis that the Montessori method of education places on giving children maximum freedom. On the other hand, what I said on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 was – what is that word they used to use? – that’s it, right.

It’s been called discovery learning, experiential learning, problem-based learning, inquiry learning and now (heaven help us) “constructivist instructional techniques”.

Whatever you call it, it gives worse results for most people most of the time than just telling them.

It would save you time to take my word for it, but, if you are so inclined, you can click on the link to my old blog to discover my reasons #1, #2, #3a, #3b and #0 for saying that teachers consistently overestimate the effectiveness of discovery learning. The individual links no longer work; you’ll have to scroll down. The process will be good for your soul.

So why am I sitting here wincing as I think about the Montessori method for the first time in decades?

Because of these three tweets that form part of a long thread by Samantha Joy, an advocate of the Montessori system. She writes,

How should we help young children develop positive social skills? The typical answer:

>put children in groups
>enforce norms like sharing
>encourage collaborative play

But this approach *backfires*… often tragically. Montessori saw this, and developed a new approach:

Most people think the focus for ages 0-6 should be socializing.

Learning can wait, they say.

This is the time to meet other children and do things together: play outside, pretend, build things.

There’s just one problem with this strategy …

young children, by and large, aren’t all that interested in one another.

They *prefer* to work and play alone.

True? Or just true for the sort of anti-social little freaks who were destined to still own the set of felt tip pens* they got at the age of ten half a century later?

*Most of which still write. That’s because I put the lids on properly.