Montessori Mondays - The Subject of Praise

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. I apologize for not posting at all last week as we were just beginning summer school and I wanted to devote my time to that.

There is a huge amount of research and parenting resources on the subject of praise and punishment. Today, I want to share how the Montessori method approaches appropriate and inappropriate actions. If these ideas strike a cord with you, either positively or negatively, I encourage you to do some of your own research into the Montessori method as well as other approaches to education. Enjoy!

Very simply put, within the Montessori method external praise and punishment is kept to a minimum and wanted behaviors and actions are modeled and then acknowledged simply and quietly while unwanted behaviors and actions are quietly acknowledged and then redirected.

To delve into that idea more deeply take a look at these points.

• When Maria Montessori was initially forming her ideas through observation she noticed children learned best through an intrinsic reward system of being able to seek out training and time to work on activities that they choose themselves and were interested in. She believed external rewards should be minimal, taking the form of a nonverbal quiet cue such as a smile, to allow the intrinsic reward of meaningful work remain prominent. This is why many Montessori works are self corrective and allow children to discover solutions by themselves rather than receiving an external evaluation from an adult. This is also why adults in a Montessori environment often assume the role of a guide rather than a traditional teacher.
• It is important not to reward unsuitable behavior with direct attention, but any behavior that could cause harm or disruption to a child or other child should be addressed. If a child is being disruptive, you should gently and quietly try to distract and redirect the child to a more suitable activity. A vital part of this approach is to help the child identify the feelings that may have lead to him carrying out the unsuitable behavior. If distracting and redirecting do not work initially, then you can try gluing, or keeping the child close by, until the child calms down enough to talk and find a more suitable behavior.
• Lastly, our attitude should always be positive, patient, and supportive of independence, whether in looking for ways to redirect unsuitable behavior or letting a child make his own choice and solve the problems of that choice on his own. The tone in our body language and words should always be in quiet, calm support of this attitude and we should always model the behavior we want to see in a child. If we do make a mistake or become upset, it is also important to acknowledge our behavior and the reasons behind that behavior to a child just as we would help him work through unsuitable actions.