Harold Jarche’s recent posting on Story-centred Curricula got me thinking about The Great Lessons in Montessori education:
The Great Lessons are five key areas of interconnected study typically presented in Montessori Elementary classrooms. Through the use of story-telling, Montessori students learn about how the world came to be, the development of life on Earth, the story of humankind, the development of language and writing, and the development of mathematics. Called “impressionistic lessons,” these stories give children a cosmic perspective of our planet and their place within that bigger picture.
Not so much because the curricula is necessarily the same, rather because in Montessori we recognize that children learn by doing, by experiencing, by exploring, and by bringing the Great Lessons (stories) to life. We know that learning is totally interconnected and that there is great value for children in experiencing their education this way. In particular, I loved the reference to Roger Schank’s Student Bill of Rights. As someone (a Parent and a School Director of Development) who has been involved with and supporting Montessori education for the past 12 years, this seems to simply make such common sense to me. In fact, many of these “Rights” are something that I believe are practiced on a daily basis in “true Montessori” classrooms throughout the world.
Are these Great Lessons for all grade levels, or just elementary levels? My interest in K-12 learning schooling is more personal than professional, with our boys in Grades 7 & 9, as most of my work has been in the adult/corporate areas. We are considering homeschooling for one of our boys next year (long story behind this) and I’m looking at our options. The Montessori method is worth some further research on my part. Thanks for posting this information.
I have primarily seen these lessons applied in Preschool and Elementary classrooms, however I think that there are many ways that they could also be adapted to be used for older students as well. To me they are really a “stepping off point” for further learning, exploration, discussion, research etc. All of this can be made to suit the level the student is working at. Good luck with your research on homeschooling and other educational options for your son.