Parental views of the Montessori approach in a public Greek Early years setting

Abstract

ABSTRACT According to Montessori, children learn more effectively when they discover knowledge on their own, through spontaneous exploratory learning and experiential approach to knowledge, focusing primarily on trusting the child and respecting his exceptional capabilities and skills. The Montessori educational approach was implemented in a public preschool setting in North Greece. Two years after the implementation of the Montessori approach, parents were invited to participate in focus groups interviews. According to parents’ views, children gained confidence in mathematics and reading stories by their own, cooperated more easily and resolved problems with maturity. The data indicates that in such an environment, the classroom becomes productive and the children individually give their personal interpretation of the information offered to them.