Montessori - Opportunity to shape education of the future

In an era of globalization and individualized learning, Taiwan’s existing education system has reached a bottleneck. The outlook for future education remains uncertain. For many years, Professor Cheng Tung-Liao, principal investigator of the Taiwan Experimental Education Center, has been searching for the solution to this challenge. Professor Cheng is a pioneer in Taiwan’s experimental education and has founded eight experimental schools. When his path crosses Montessori education in 2016, he believes he has finally found the light at the end of the tunnel—the path towards education of the future.

In fact, before understanding Montessori education in depth, Professor Cheng had heard that its training method was rather rigid, but being a researcher himself, he delved deeper into the Montessori Method and found that it has been widely misunderstood. One cause of the misconception is that the Montessori Method is typically used in Taiwan’s preschools, which emphasize the use of teaching aids, while proper training and quality of implementation may be inconsistent.

An opportunity to see for himself what Montessori theory is all about completely changes Professor Cheng’s mind. His eyes sparkle and his voice is animated, as he recounts his experience attending the 2018 AMI/NAMTA Orientation to Adolescent Studies course at Hershey Montessori School in Ohio. He remembers his surprise upon learning that the meals for all 40 adult training participants were prepared by a couple of middle-school students. “The food was delicious and beautifully presented. It was simply amazing,” recalls Professor Cheng. What impressed him most was the students’ confidence and their way of thinking. When Professor Cheng asked the adolescents about what they wanted to do in the future, they responded, “Whatever we decide to do, as long as we choose to do it, we will be successful.” When asked why, the middle-schoolers replied, without hesitation, “Because we know how to learn.” This is the kind of self-confidence even many university graduates in Taiwan are lacking. After this experience, Professor Cheng vows to find a suitable way to apply Montessori Method in Taiwanese context so that more children can benefit from Montessori education.

Secondary education—Preparation to enter society

 Professor Cheng is particularly fascinated by Montessori’s idea of the Erdkinder (“children of the land”) program for adolescents. Dr. Maria Montessori proposed that secondary school students live on a farm to develop the essential characteristics needed to enter society. In other words, the role of secondary education is not only to practice life in adult society but also to prepare adolescents with all kinds of necessary capabilities. In addition to academic studies, the students also have to learn practical life skills and financial literacy. Through “farm school” education, students also acquire problem-solving skills and the ability to learn on their own.

“The traditional approach to education in Taiwan only gives children a very limited range of knowledge, and they tend to have difficulty solving problems,” says Professor Cheng. “When you see with your own eyes, generation after generation of children wasting their lives away in this unchanging system, you would feel very strongly that things have to change!” After attending the Montessori orientation adolescent course, Professor Cheng sees opportunity for a paradigm shift.

Key to Success: Prepared teachers and environment

 
According to Professor Cheng, “Montessori stresses two features: prepared adults and prepared environment. Teachers need to do a lot of preparation.” For instance, Dr. Montessori herself once led a group of secondary school students to design a massive chicken coop covering almost 100 m2, with the planning, design, and construction all done by the students. In the process, students applied a variety of academic knowledge, including physics, mathematics, design, etc. Rather than being an one-way lecturer, the teacher’s role is to be a side-by-side partner, who motivates students to learn, observes their needs, and supports self-directed learning. “Montessori teachers are all great storytellers,” says Professor Cheng with a smile.

 
Montessori education echoes goals of Taiwan’s 12-year curriculum

 
“Motivation, self-directed learning, and sharing” emphasized in the Montessori Method correspond perfectly to the core objectives of Taiwan’s 12-year Basic Education Curriculum: self-initiative, interactive, and common good.” Professor Cheng believes that the three core objectives are, in fact, very progressive and show great promise, but their implementation in Taiwan has been slow. Professor Cheng is concerned about fierce global competition. “I think whoever is slow to change will be at a disadvantage. That’s what I’m worried about.” In his view, “Montessori education can be the solution for small schools in Taiwan looking to implement project-based and mixed-age learning. Montessori can bring people closer together, because it focuses on mutual cooperation and learning. That’s what Taiwan needs.”

 
How should we change education in Taiwan? Professor Cheng responds, “According to Montessori, you won’t know how to change the world until you’ve seen the world.” Many teachers in the current education system also want to bring about change, but administrative and bureaucratic work takes up time that could be used for teaching and research. While this is a systemic problem, Professor Cheng believes “the key is still the teachers’ mentality. Reform is ultimately dependent on mindset.” If teachers are willing to change, they will find a way to transform any classroom. Once teachers take this initial step, the next is to be proactive in locating resources to advance their teaching methods. The third step is to reach out. Doing things alone can often feel isolated and limiting. That’s why it’s important to connect with like-minded peers and synergize. Professor Cheng beams as he calls out to all teachers to take action, urging that “the fourth, and the bravest step of all, is to begin change!”

 
Professor Cheng notes from his observation that Montessori teachers are empathetic, patient, and passionate about education, regardless of their age. They have a near-religious faith in the unlimited possibilities of humanity. It’s the power stemming from this conviction that makes it possible for every child to become an unique and valued individual.

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This article is an excerpt from Y2 2019 Annual Report.

Every child is a genius

Adolescence is a time when the human body and mind undergo tremendous change. The million-dollar question for middle school teachers is how to balance high academic pressures and children’s developmental needs.

Fortunately, a group of children under the guidance of Montessori-trained educators are working to achieve that balance. These children have developed almost computer-like ability to sift through and synthesize information. Moreover, they have the opportunity to learn the art of socializing through the experience of boarding. According to Chen Hui-Chun (Chen), director of the Green Shepherd Montessori Elementary School in Taichung, “conventional education focuses on the assessment of teaching results through homework and exams. Montessori education works through teacher demonstration and group discussion of a concept. It doesn’t offer one correct answer to any question. On the contrary, students are encouraged to find their own answers through the process of preparing oral presentations, in which students can share their findings with others.”

Montessori is an aid for neurological development

 “Every child is a genius. It’s just that often times, different education methods may overshadow their brilliance,” describes Chen. When Chen’s son was in preschool, he questioned why Seran wrap clung to surfaces but not to hands. When a six year-old child asks a question, which requires high school physics to solve, Chen explains that as the adult, she cautiously & closely worked with her son to discover the answer together. In order to provide her son with room to learn more freely, Chen begins to explore Montessori elementary school education. Little did she know that this choice will later change the path of her career.

At the time, Chen was working as a medical technician specializing in cytopathology. When her son received Montessori education in early childhood, Chen recognized that this type of learning clearly aided neurological development. In 2013, she funded her own tuition and attended the AMI Montessori Elementary Teacher Training program, diving into the field of education.

“Initially, there weren’t any organizations like Y2 Foundation for Future Education. Most teachers took out loans to pay for their training,” expressed Chen. She decided to take the elementary Montessori course, because she was interested in its core concept of “cosmic education.” She wondered how the teacher can, at each stage of development, motivate the students to willingly learn through repeated practice—all the while engaging the children’s learning and interest to build a solid academic foundation. This way, the students can make a smooth transition to secondary school, where learning is much more abstract.

Different goals for different stages of education

 “Fortunately through the Foundation’s sponsorship, I am able to attend the AMI/NAMTA Orientation to Adolescent Studies program in 2018, which enabled me to have a more comprehensive and macro level understanding of the Montessori Method. Through discussions and working with teachers at the Green Shepherd Montessori Elementary School, we made adjustments to how to implement Montessori theories. Whereas in elementary school the goal is to inspire interest, in the middle school curriculum, we incorporate interdisciplinary and practical application of various subjects to project-based learning, where students can practice and participate in civil society.”

During her time training abroad, Chen saw that the children of Taiwan will face global competition. Both the challenges and opportunities awaiting them are unknown. According to Chen, “adults, therefore, should be guides rather than teachers.” Dr. Montessori believed that every child has an inner teacher, who guides the child to self-learn. Teachers are encouraged to spend more time to observe children and provide only the necessary guidance and resources.

Montessori education has been practiced around the world for over a century. Today, it offers the gift of enabling children to develop the ability to identify resources and acquire a macro perspective within their own surrounding environment. Through ”place-based learning,” the Montessori Method prepares children’s character and skillset so that they are ready for globalization in the future.

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This article is an excerpt from Y2 2019 Annual Report.

Child-centered education promotes independent thinking

The teacher of a child-centered approach to education attends to each child’s own skill level and pace of learning. An elementary school teacher must consider this aspiration in conjunction with preparing the students to transition to middle school. If you are an elementary school teacher, how would you manage a mixed-age classroom, while ensuring the curriculum truly matches the learning needs of every child?

Teaching & learning: for children to be proactive

“Going to school is so much fun, like going on holiday!” It is because of this declaration from his daughter that Lee Hsien-wei (Lee) decided to train as a Montessori teacher.  Lee is now a teacher at the Harvard Montessori Elementary School in Tainan. When Lee’s daughter first began kindergarten, she was often reluctant to go, but her resistance went away completely when she moved to a Montessori preschool a year later. Inspired by the change in his daughter, Lee accepted the invitation of Hsieh Fu-chue (then director of the Harvard Montessori Preschool) to co-found a Montessori elementary school.

Montessori elementary school teachers need to have many skills up their sleeve. “Thanks to the grant provided by Y2 Foundation, I was able to attend the 2017 AMI Montessori Elementary Teacher Training program in the US. When combined with my experience of working in the new elementary school project during its first two years, the training is extremely helpful to my teaching. I am truly convinced that if you give children freedom and respect, they will be proactive learners.”

As the AMI elementary training takes three summers to complete, Lee found that the training broadened his horizons even further each year. From the initial focus on teaching aids, the course gradually expanded to a deeper understanding of the Montessori philosophy.

 
“Teachers need to know how to make good use of the teaching aids and understand how these materials can help turn abstract concepts into something concrete,” Lee explained. “But more importantly, it’s about the balance between teaching and learning. Teachers need to give just enough information to stimulate students’ interest but not too much that they get bored. It’s about how to motivate the students to do more research and to dig deeper.”

During the history lesson, for instance, after Lee made a brief introduction to the history of Taiwan, some students became interested in and proactively began to study the names of roads in Tainan before turning their attention to the historical city walls and gates. The students discovered there were remains of old city walls within Tainan Park and about the relocation of the Lesser West Gate. “The children understood how hard our ancestors worked to build the city walls and the love and heritage that have been passed down from generation to generation. While they felt sad about tearing down the old city walls due to practical necessity, the children also had an opportunity to reflect on the trade-off between the preservation of history and culture versus economic development. This kind of appreciation and critical thinking can’t be learned from textbooks or lectures alone.”

Self-directed learning vs. rote memorization

In order to transition to the next level of education, Lee believes Montessori elementary school teachers have the responsibility to help children learn, at a minimum, all the skills conventional elementary schools deliver. To help ensure children can smoothly move from Montessori elementary to secondary school, Lee attended the AMI/NAMTA Orientation to Adolescent Studies program (for ages 12–18) in 2019.

For Lee, guiding children to think critically about What is the purpose of learning? What is meaning of life? is much more important than the mere transmission of knowledge. He has seen many children, whose smiles are stifled by exam pressures, even to the point that some say they no longer know what they’re living for. This is why Lee is more convinced than ever about the importance of Montessori education.

“Artificial intelligence is bound to replace many skills that we teach in traditional education. We have to go back to the basics and foster children’s self-driven interest and motivation for learning,” according to Lee. “More importantly, we have to enable children to appreciate all aspects of what they inherited from nature and all of the love and cultural heritage of our ancestors. This is so that children can begin to think about what it means to be human and the role they each can play. I believe this is the true purpose of education.”

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This article is an excerpt from Y2 2019 Annual Report.