Foundations for Teaching

As educators, it is essential for us to understand how children develop. Piaget's theory of cognitive development proposes that a child's development progresses in stages. It is very important for teachers to know the stages that their students are in because it helps them plan lessons that are developmentally appropriate to their needs. As a Montessori teacher, a child's stage impacts the kind of work that they are ready to do in the classroom and that is why the instruction is individualized. Not all students are at the same level therefore it is important to understand where they are when it comes to their cognitive development. Vygotsky's theory of development is interesting because the idea is that children learn from others. That makes a lot of sense because children learn language from their surroundings and students learn best from interactions with others and their environment. I have noticed that during lessons, I will explain something but my students would explain it even better to a peer. One of the things I love most about the Montessori environment is the mixed age groups. My older students help the younger ones with their work and they are happy to do so. As the directress, I love to sit back and observe how the students work with one another. I have a beautiful experience that I would love to share with you all. My nephew was visiting from New York City and had the opportunity to spend some time in my classroom. I loved observing him interact with the other students because they helped guide him throughout the day. He had the opportunity to read Malala Yousafzai's autobiography "I am Malala" and the book impacted him so much that he decided to do his Civil Rights project on Malala when he got back to New York City. Children learn and are easily influenced by their surroundings and that is why it is important that they have the opportunity to interact and learn from their peers.