Is Montessori A Good Choice For A Special Child?

4th August 2021

Are you worried about the development of your special child?

As a parent to a gifted child, you must be worried about your child getting the best education and for that, you need to look for alternatives to public school. However, finding the right school can be quite a task. It is often found that public schools are not able to meet the needs of a gifted child. In such a case, parents can either opt for a home school or search for a private school. However, homeschooling is never the right choice or even must be for every family searching for alternatives to public school.

There is no doubt that a Montessori school can be a good choice for supporting the development of your child’s speciality, talent, and creativity but a Montessori educator can also crush the abilities and interests of a child. It depends on factors like age, temperament, interests, and abilities of your child as well as on the particular school your child has been admitted to.

What is a Montessori School?

Montessori schools have varied approaches just like any other educational institution. Maria Montessori was known for designing educational techniques that assisted children who had various learning difficulties. She introduced the first school in the early 20th century in Italy and after that, it became a global phenomenon, with thousands of schools using the Montessori name today. Some of the schools religiously follow the practices that Dr. Montessori originally introduced and others just follow them vaguely.

If someone has a passion to teach Montessori students, Dr. Maria Montessori’s thoughts on how children grow and learn can inspire them and they can make a meaningful contribution to the lives of children, their families, and to the community.

What does a special child need in School?

There are some typical characteristics practiced in Montessori schools that are usually beneficial for gifted students, but there are also other aspects that might not be that suitable for gifted children. A special child expects certain things from a school environment. It includes:
 

• enthusiastic & skilled teachers
• a flexible curriculum
• faith in the abilities of a student rather than age/grade for placement
• focus on hands-on learning rather than rote learning
• encourage participation from parents

These features appropriately describe a Montessori classroom, doesn’t it? Many Montessori schools include these attributes and much more. Keep in mind that the quality of Montessori schools can vary from school to school, parents of gifted children must keep a check on the school they’re thinking to admit their child before taking any decisions.

Are there any disadvantages to Montessori and Giftedness?

There are few characteristics of Montessori education that might obstruct the path of progress of a gifted child. For example, the curriculum used in Montessori has a clear progression of materials. Certain materials develop upon others and some teachers may feel that the child is being deprived of the benefits of Montessori education especially when they do material C and not A and B. It might also depend on the teachers as they might consider it ideal to skip presentations if the child is unable to process them.

Do Montessori Schools Support the Development of Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent?

Some schools do and some don’t. Decision-making in school is all about individual differences, both within schools, and children and families. But in general, parents should be interested in supporting the development of creativity, giftedness, and talent in their child and go through the Montessori options available to them, especially in the early years.

Thus, we can conclude that Montessori schools are built to make sure that the learning needs of children are well met so that every child experiences the constant challenge in his/her field of interest and it can be a great approach to supporting the giftedness, creativity, and talent of a child.

If you are someone who wants to try your hands in Montessori teaching, there are several Online Courses in Montessori Teacher Training available that you can enrol in. You can also develop your teaching career as a Montessori educator in Singapore as there are ample opportunities for Montessori teachers to grow ahead in their careers.