My introduction to Montessori came decades ago, nearly four of them and counting. My introduction to Jewish Montessori schools came only in the last, as of this summer, when a small Montessori school in Baltimore asked for assistance in launching an Elementary level. Jewish Montessori schools? Who knew? Well, actually, my ignorance belied the number of schools that were thriving, and continue to grow, both in North America and around the world. It made me curious as to the how and why does Montessori integrate so well with the Haggadah, the classic Judaic guide to education. Disclaimer: I once gave a talk at an AMS conference entitled, “Zen and the Art of Montessori Teaching”. Prior to, I was dogged by the nightmare of seeing a half-dozen saffron-robed priests in the back, shaking their heads at my misconstruction of basic tenets of Buddhism. Gratefully they did not materialize. I say this now, because the image of a dozen rabbis and morahs, reading this and clucking their disapproval has entered my mind!
The Haggadah, literally “telling”, is an annual part of Pesach (Passover), the narrative of Exodus. It is timeless in that there is no sense of completion, no expectation that once it is learned, the student is done. Quite the opposite, as the child grows older, they understand more, as they become an adult, they approach the story with new eyes, when they start their own families, and take on new roles, the tale resonates deeper. In short, the Haggadah is life-long, and Judaism values life-long learners. As Montessorians we also understand how the pedagogy fosters life-long learners. The importance of a prepared environment as an instrument to foster curiosity, hands-on materials for experiential learning, and the development of intrinsic motivation that comes from long uninterrupted work cycles in multi-age classrooms. These are traits we hope get carried far beyond a graduation ceremony.
Further, the Haggadah, and one could argue much of Judaic studies is based less on the answers the child gives, but more the quality of the questions they ask. Specifically, there are steps of the Seder that are different during Passover. Why is it different? Exactly! That’s the point, to challenge the norm and the expected, to make an impression and elicit questions rather than provide an answer. If this sounds familiar to us as Montessori educators, we need look no further than our array of impressionistic lessons designed to provide not explanation, but to spark interest. We will even borrow from Socrates (more on him later), when we say that in Montessori education it is the lighting of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.
Aside from specific questions asked at this holiday, there are also identified four types of questions, and in some writings, four types of children that ask them. One child asks a question that reveals their understanding while another asks a question without regard to the answer. In both cases, we have an engaged child. A third child cannot phrase their question; we can’t discuss it, because they can’t articulate it. A fourth child asks no questions and has no interest. Think back to the last lesson you gave, whether it was geometry, language, or division of fractions. Did you have all four of these children around the rug? I feel like all I ever had were some combinations of that engagement over the years! It led to some lively discussions and should remind us that without questions to precede (and proceed), our students are not ready to learn.
As Montessorians, we use the term Socratic Method, to describe our lessons. We move our presentations along by asking questions. In fact, I often encourage my adult learners to see if they can give a lesson using only interrogative sentences (and their hands behind their back), or at least have the idea in mind as a discipline. In reality however, it’s not the teacher giving the question that should take precedence. Why? Because we know that if we give information, especially in a review, “Remember this is an adjective”, we can’t be confident that this is a piece of information the children knew (any self-respecting Elementary child will confidently nod their head regardless). We might perhaps ask, “What is this?” in classic Three-Period Lesson style. But let’s look a bit deeper. Really, if we ask a question and the child answers (THAT kid, most likely), what have we learned? Perhaps a more insightful method would be one that asks not for an answer, but for their questions. Could we garner engagement like, “Why is that an adjective?” or “Why are there only seven possible triangles in the universe?” “Why are all these civilizations by rivers”? And if we did, isn’t that a better gauge of a child’s development?
Follow the Child 