A Comparison of Montessori, High/Scope and Reggio Emilia Approaches

Educators of early childhood have their philosophies and the way they approach education. Their teaching approach comes about as a result of exposure to many resources and comprises of knowledge acquired from theorists of early childhood, having knowledge of development of children and the experiences they have with toddlers in various environments for learning. It is important for both newbies in the childhood careers and experienced professionals to research on what other educators are doing in various kinds of programs (Pound 2017). Educators can take new teaching and learning approaches and adapt them to their environment. The research paper looks at the Montessori, High/Scope and Reggio Emilia approach, what they entail and what teachers can learn or borrow from them.

The Montessori Method was initiated by Maria Montessori who was the first female physician in Italy. In 1907, she established her first school. In America, the first school by Montessori was started in 1911. By 1916, the Montessori Method had spread across the world. Montessori viewed her method as scientific because it involved an objective educator using natural observation in an environment that was prepared (Pound 2017). The teacher is given the role to observe so that they connect the kids to the appropriate materials.

The social component of Montessori states that the connection between school and family is crucial. A lot of Montessori classrooms have various age groups so that kids can get to learn from one another. Montessori recommended that children be made to learn by doing as it is how they learn best. In this approach, the teacher makes a silent demonstration of how learning materials are used so that the students can focus (Pound 2017). Once the children have the lesson and the material, each of them is given a mat where they work independently. The mat serves to designate their space.

Montessori's curriculum component emphasizes learning by use of senses. Compared to listening, the use of taste, sight, touch, and smell along with exploring helps children to learn more. The child's work as one with purpose and order toward a determined end is given high value. In the classroom, the major materials are 'didactic' meaning they involve the use of the senses and are self-correcting (Pound 2017). Montessori materials have a design that pays attention to aesthetics, yet sturdy which Maria developed with children organization in mind.

Concerning the environmental set-up of Montessori, Maria had the belief that the surrounding need be prepared by putting the student and the appropriate material together. The material should be didactic. Children should feel at ease in the environment. For example, chairs for kids should be lightweight. Also, the surrounding should be set up as a home so children can grasp the practical issues of life. For instance, there should be a place in the environment where kids can learn how to go about self-help skills like the washing of hands (Pound 2017). Maria advocated that enhanced beauty concentration, the setting is easy on the eye. Also, children are provided with a place where they can keep their stuff.

High/Scope was started in 1970 as a result of the work done by some individuals on a project in preschool called Perry. The project had to with educators working with kids aged three and four years for a few hours daily at a kindergarten, going for staff meetings and visiting the kids' homes every week. The idea behind the development of the program was that education at an early stage could prevent students in high school from some of the poorest regions in Ypsilanti, MI from failing. The High/Scope Foundation has goals to ensure that kids in the world learn and develop from when they are infants to adolescents and to be supportive to educators and parents as they take kids through the learning process (Pound 2017). The approach was founded on constructivist theory where the belief is that learning is by mental and physical interaction with the surroundings and with other people. Errors may occur during the interactions, but that is considered part of the process of learning.

The social component of the approach encourages children to be active when learning through adult interactions that are supportive. Every day, there are periods specifically allotted for interactions of a few individuals, many individuals and for kids to work by themselves in centers for learning around the classroom. Teachers encourage children to talk about what they think with them and their classmates. The classroom is a community where social interactions are encouraged (Pound 2017). Educators also act as facilitators resolving problems with kids as conflicts come about. When a student speaks, the educator listens and asks questions that are open-ended with the intention to convey the message that expressing one's thoughts is okay as well as encourage creativity. Every day, the teacher makes observations on what the kids are up to and records it so that they compete for the record by the end of the year.

The curriculum has key experiences specific to the approach. For preschool students, the main experiences are a creative representation, classification, language and literacy, serration, initiative and social relation, number, movement, space, music and time. Plan-do-review is another main feature of the approach. Kids are persuaded to plan where they are going to work, the materials they will use and the methods they are going to employ, actually see their plan through and review, compare their work with the rest of the class'(Pound 2017). Reviewing helps them to finish their work and connect it to their plan. Time for cleanup is part and parcel of plan-do-review. Kids get a sense of responsibility by cleaning after themselves. The classroom has a routine that is consistent which results in predictability. Predictability helps students understand future events and encourage them to own the place where they learn.

The environmental set up is such that the classroom is a learning environment that is rich in materials. To aid children in the learning and acquirement of organizational skills, the place where learning materials are kept has labels (Pound 2017). To encourage children to be explorative, locations for materials are set-up so children can easily access them. Classrooms have areas that are well understood what activities they are for so children can look around and interact with their peers.

The Reggio Emilia approach has been rated among the ten best approaches in the world. The approach broadens the constructivist theory (Pound 2017). It is a reflection of constructivism as well as co-constructivism. The social approach of Reggio Emilia stresses on collaboration and cooperation. Cooperation is where kids become part of a community that is working as a unit(Pound 2017). Once there is the establishment of trust between the kids and grown-ups, a conflict that is constructive help in the acquirement of new insights-collaboration.

In the curriculum compartment, one special feature is documentation. Documentation purposefully uses the surrounding as a way of explaining the background of works done and the school community. It is the basic way in which connections are built. Co-construction leads to an increase in the degree of knowledge being acquired which happens when active learning is combined with working with other individuals. Projects should have tracking systems indicating what teachers and children have explored with the flowcharts showing records of curriculum planning and an assessment by continued collaboration (Pound 2017). Portfolios show the work a child has been doing and demonstrate their efforts, improvement and what they have achieved over time.

In Reggio Emilia, the environment is set up in a way that it is similar to Montessori schools except it is seen as a 'third teacher.' Like in Montessori, the setting emphasizes aesthetics and the environment are homelike. There is provision for every child to keep their belongings (Pound 2017). In the set-up, documentation is a crucial part that is an illustration of both the process and product.

As an educator, I will create activities that my students can engage in to enhance their learning. These activities will be carried out in groups to encourage social interaction. Children need to understand how to work as a team as well as individuals, so I will ensure they have time to work on their own as well. When assigning tasks to my students, I will make sure to engage my students by asking what they think. Concerning the environment, I will decorate the classroom, so it has beautiful pictures to look at that will make my students get interested in learning. Also, I will make it homelike. I will be confident implementing the High/Scope approach because it not only seems easy to implement but also teaches kids responsibility and the value of social interaction as opposed to the Montessori approach which focuses on children working alone. The Reggio Emilia approach, on the other hand, seems complex to implement, and kids may not find it fun.

Conclusion

In conclusion, all three of the approaches are worth giving respect. What theory recommends is always different from what is practiced. It is not beneficial for a school or classroom to label itself as one model. When identifying a program for kids, it is important to ensure it does not become over eclectic so that features in the classroom do not contradict each other.

Reference

Pound, L. (2017). How Children Learn-Book 1: From Montessori to Vygosky-Educational Theories and Approaches Made Easy (Vol. 1). Andrews UK Limited.