Neuroscientist: Why Montessori Can Help Executive Function Skills

On Dec. 1, 2011, Dr. Adele Diamond, Canada Research Chair Professor in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, gave a talk at Virginia Tech Why Tools of the Mind and Montessori Educational Approaches Can Help Executive Function Skills. "Tools of the Mind" and Montessori are two pedagogies that Dr. Diamond advocates because they both have the following properties:

School curricula empirically shown to improve EFs share several features in common. First, the classroom is not centered around the teacher, and the teacher is rarely expected to teach all children the same thing at the same time. Instead, children progress at their own individual rates. They work largely on their own and with one or a few other children. They help mentor other children and work cooperatively. Because other children are productively engaged when the teacher works with any individual child, individualized instruction can readily be provided and the teacher can spend time observing and assessing each child’s progress, seeing where assistance or new challenges might be needed for a particular child. Finally, children are required neither to sit still for long nor to learn primarily by listening rather than doing. These approaches minimize stress for both teachers and students. Rather than acting as primary enforcers of rules, teachers encourage internal self-discipline. Students are rarely embarrassed or shamed. Teachers provide supports that ensure that children are far more likely to succeed than to fail. Even young children plan what they are going to do. Extrinsic rewards, such as stickers, are absent; exploration, discovery, and mastery are seen as their own rewards. Character development—such as the fostering of a spirit of kindness and helpfulness—is a priority. Social inclusiveness and mutual support are cultivated among the students. The most effective way to improve EFs and academic achievement is to address the child’s full social, emotional, and physical development.

Of her 168-page PowerPoint, slides 88-100 specifically discuss Montessori, and specifically AMI Montessori.