Sunday, October 12, 2008

Review of Educational Methods

Methods of Education
Trish Wymore

I looked briefly into five other popularly known educational methodologies: Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, Magda Gerber, High/Scope, Bank Street, and Quaker schools. Most share some similarities with Montessori, although in my opinion, none so eloquently provide a total framework for the development of the whole child. What I found interesting is that many of the methodologies cite the work of Jean Piaget as a basis for their work.
I was least impressed with the information I could find on High/Scope. Their foundation's website left me feeling like it was little more than an attempt to franchise a particular set of popular educational semantics. It is probably widely known because it is being marketed heavily and cleverly. But for all the hype, I found little substance.
I was most impressed with the works of Magda Gerber and her RIE approach (resources for infant education). She was an expert at following infants and coined the name educarer for adults working closely with infants. Gerber believed that infants have special attributes that need the proper environment in which to unfold. She said, “Children are not things to be molded but persons to be unfolded.” She advocated creating an environment for infants in which they would be less rushed and allowed to unfold at their own pace. She advised parents to, “Do less; observe more; enjoy most.”