Child Centered Learning: Montessori Method

In many approaches to pedagogy, children are object of the learning process. The adult teacher or instructor is thought to be the source of knowledge, and the children are the empty vessels into which that knowledge is poured. The Montessori Method, however, takes a different approach. In the Montessori Method, children are seen as the directors of their learning, and the adult teachers as guides and supports. This shift puts children at the center of their education and allows teachers to meet them where they are. In order to foster child-centered learning, the Montessori Method outlines five principles that guide teachers in their primary, lower, and upper elementary Montessori programs: respect for the child, the absorbent mind, sensitive periods, the prepared environment, and self-education.