The neuroscience behind Montessori education

I wanted to share this wonderful talk by Dr. Steve Hughes a Neuropsychologist who has a wonderful talk about research comparing traditional education and the goals of educators all over with the Montessori education and the Montessori program.  He discusses the various neurological and developmental activity that goes on in a child's brain through the various activities and lessons.

I thought that it would be nice to share some current science and research that proves the impact and benefits of "brain-based" education that Dr. Montessori introduced over 100 years ago.

 "The hands are the prehensile organs of the mind" -Dr. Montessori.

"No child is left behind in a Montessori classroom"- Dr. Hughes

This first video is a bit lengthy but please consider watching it when you can.  It goes into detail about the research on "brain-based" education and various other functions of the brain and how we learn. He is wonderfully engaging and interesting to watch and listen to.

"Good at Doing Things" from Steve Hughes on Vimeo.

You can also read more and check out more videos by Dr. Steve Hughes at his website http://www.goodatdoingthings.com/GoodAtDoingThings/Welcome.html

Here's a quick video on youtube that gives you a glimpse of what his research and passion toward education, and the need for a change in how we educate children. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faYco1b-IJI&noredirect=1

Also, be sure to read the following article on this blog.

"Physical movements are not the only method of brain development supported by Montessori education. Maria Montessori spoke of the “absorbent mind” of a child being like a sponge literally soaking up what they see and do. Although at the time she had little actual neurological research to back up her claim, a new discovery in the area of neurology, called mirror neurons, goes hand in hand with her hypotheses."

"It is amazing to me that Dr. Montessori was able to develop her materials without the benefits of today’s technology. She could not view a child’s brain to see which areas lit up when they were using the Cylinder Blocks, and yet through observation she knew that a child’s fine motor skills, shape and size discrimination, and hand/eye coordination were being strengthened through this work."
http://www.blog.montessoriforeveryone.com/the-neurology-of-montessori.html

 Also, if you really want to get into it in depth check out Dr. Lillards book.  Here's a description of it and the link to the site.

"Dr. Angeline Lillard, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, has been studying Montessori's methods for more than two decades. In her best-selling book Montessori: The Science behind the Genius, articles, educational DVD, and speaking engagements Dr. Lillard presents Montessori’s theoretical principles, the science research that has followed them, and how they are implemented in a Montessori classroom.
http://www.montessori-science.org/