Montessori pedagogija u diskursu obrazovne neuroznanosti: dileme, mogućnosti i komparacija

U današnje vrijeme dosta se govori o tome kako su programi u školama preteški, djeca nezainteresirana, a u samom školstvu ništa se značajno ne mijenja. Djeca od malena imaju „glad za učenjem“, ali kako bi se ona aktivirala potrebno im je omogućiti i primjerenu okolinu u kojoj borave. Upravo je Maria Montessori to uvidjela i značajno pridonijela razvoju školstva. Njena pedagogija usredotočena je na dijete i njegove individualne potrebe. Zadaća odraslih je znati prepoznati i s razumijevanjem pratiti proces u kojem dijete samo sebe gradi. Maria je naglašavala važnost poštovanja djeteta, njegove slobode samoizražavanja te odgoja i obrazovanja putem osjetila i pokreta. Knjige koje je napisala, didaktički pribor i materijali koje je konstruirala te njezine spoznaje uvelike su utjecale na razvoj pedagogije u cijelom svijetu pa ne čudi što život i djelo Marije Montessori privlači pozornost roditelja, učitelja, pedagoga i svih stručnih suradnika diljem svijeta. Poznato nam je kako je uloga učitelja u tradicionalnom školstvu bitno drugačija od one u Montessori ustanovama. Brojna istraživanja pokazuju kako djeca iz Montessori škola, u usporedbi s djecom iz standardnih škola, pokazuju bolju motivaciju za učenje, samostalnost, zadovoljstvo s onime što uče te pozitivan odnos prema zajednici. Glavni moto Montessori pedagogije je „pomozi mi da to učinim sam.“ Djecu se ne hvali zbog postignutih rezultata, već je cilj potaknuti njihovo unutarnje zadovoljstvo onime što su postigli. Neuroznanstvena istraživanja potvrđuju postavke Montessori pedagogije u pogledu individualnosti svakog djeteta. Svako dijete je individua za sebe koje prolazi određene stupnjeve (senzibilna razdoblja i način učenja) s različitim sposobnostima i interesima. Danas se sve više pozornosti posvećuje proučavanju mozga i načinima na koje mozak uči. Učitelji bi trebali više pažnje posvetiti tome kako mozak funkcionira i u kojim uvjetima učenici bolje uče. Na taj će način moći osmisliti aktivnosti koje su zanimljive i primjerene djeci, ali i preko kojih će sa zadovoljstvom primati znanje. Rezultat je kvalitetnija nastava te lakše stjecanje znanja kod učenika.Nowadays, there is a lot of talk about programs being too difficult in schools, children not being interested, and nothing much changes in education itself. Since the youngest age children have adopted the „hunger for learning“, but in order to activate it, they need to be able to have a suitable environment in which they live. It was Maria Montessori who realized this and made a significant contribution to the development of education. Her pedagogy focuses on the child and his or her individual needs. The task of adults is to know how to recognize and how to follow the process of child development with understanding. Maria emphasized the importance of respect for the child, his freedom of self-expression, and upbringing through the senses and movement. The books she wrote, didactic accessories and materials she constructed as well as her insights greatly influenced the development of pedagogy throughout the world, so it is not surprising that the life and work of Maria Montessori attracts the attention of parents, teachers, educators and all professional associates around the world. It is well known that the role of teachers in traditional education is significantly different from that of Montessori institutions. Numerous studies have pointed out that children from Montessori schools, compared to children from standard schools, show better motivation for learning, independence, satisfaction with what they learn and a positive attitude towards the community. The main motto of Montessori pedagogy is "help me do it myself." Children are not praised for the results they have achieved, but the goal is rather to encourage the growth of their inner satisfaction with what they have achieved. Neuroscientific research confirms the Montessori pedagogy's preferences regarding the individuality of each child. Each child is an individual for himself or herself which goes through certain stages (sensitive periods and learning style) with different abilities and interests. Nowadays, more and more attention is being paid to the study of the brain and the ways in which the brain learns. Teachers should pay more attention to how the brain works and under what conditions students learn better. That way, they will be able to design activities that are interesting and appropriate for children, but also through which they will be pleased to receive knowledge. The result is better quality education and easier student acquisition of knowledge