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Article
Montessori as an Alternative Early Childhood Education
Available from: Taylor and Francis Online
Publication: Early Child Development and Care, vol. 191, no. 7/8 (Early Childhood Theorists and Pioneers)
Date: 2021
Pages: 1196-1206
Comparative education, Culturally responsive teaching, Early childhood education, Montessori method of education - Criticism, interpretation, etc.
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Abstract/Notes: Montessori education was developed over 100 years ago, and persists as a marginal ‘niche reform’ of the standard model. Here I discuss two unresolved dichotomies in early childhood education – the tension between work and play, and between structure and freedom. I explain how Montessori collapses and thereby resolves the dichotomies, and does so in a contemporary theoretical frame – one that is dynamical rather than linear. I next describe the origins and functioning of Montessori preschool environments, outcomes from the most methodologically sound studies to date, and impediments to Montessori’s more widespread adoption. I also show how Montessori is a culturally responsive pedagogy, and conclude by return to the dichotomies and how Montessori makes sense for the modern era.
Language: English
DOI: 10.1080/03004430.2020.1832998
ISSN: 0300-4430, 1476-8275