A Peek Inside: Choice Part 2

So why does choice make all the difference in a Montessori classroom?

One of the overall purposes of the Montessori method is to guide students to become confident and self motivated, giving them a chance to take ownership of their learning process.

That sounds really nice, but what the heck does it really mean.

Learning is one of the most amazing things we as humans get to do. Generally, we get more excited about things we want to learn, things we choose to learn, compared to something that someone is trying to force us to learn. As a matter of fact, I would argue, based on my experiences in my own life as a learner, and a teacher, when the subject matter is forced onto a student, the material usually doesn't get learned at all.

In the Montessori classroom, there are several layers of choice and it shows up in all kinds of ways. I've been thinking about choice lately and contemplating it's importance. The students helped me along today.

Another peek inside RM 146, shall we?

Several events in our school today led to students trickling back into the classroom after lunch at various times. We were all going to do a science lab together, but I wanted to wait until everyone was back in the classroom. The students who were already in the classroom continued working on things they had started before lunch and were really focused. It soon became apparent that it was going to take awhile before everyone returned. I was faced with a dilemma. If we didn't start the lab soon, we wouldn't get it finished before the end of the day. But there was such a great focus going on that I didn't want to interrupt. (That focus comes from students choosing work that they want to do, instead of me telling them what to do.)

I decided not to interrupt. All of the lab equipment was out on the science shelf. As students continued to return to the room, I told them they could keep working on something they started before lunch, or begin their science lab. They all made their choices and began working. Those who were already in the classroom figured out what was going on and as they finished what they were doing, they started their science labs too.

It was one of the best afternoons we have had in a long time. The noise of uninterested students was replaced by the buzz of focused learning. The students were more engaged in the science lab than they had been all year. They got to it on their terms, not mine. Some students never made it to the science lab because they were so focused on their other work. They are still responsible for completing the lab this week. But they didn't seem to mind because they were able to choose to finish an assignment they had already started.

Giving students the opportunity to choose is a very scary thing to do as a teacher. It requires you to relinquish some control and trust that they will take responsibility. Of course it never works flawlessly, but the beauty of the depth of learning that often happens is definitely worth the few times it doesn't quite work.