Montessori students break away from rote learning<\/p>\n
By Linawati Sudarto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): \"The secret of all nature is to be found in the
\nsoul of the child,\" wrote Maria Montessori, Italy's first medical
\ndoctor, in describing the journey of discovery of English poet
\nWilliam Wordsworth.<\/p>\n
Written in one of her many books, The Discovery of the Child,
\nit embodies this educator's passion in discovering the full
\npotential of children.<\/p>\n
Forty-five years after her death, schools bearing her name
\nworldwide still try to live up to her ideal of doing away with
\nmost of the rigid constraints presented in conventional
\nclassrooms.<\/p>\n
\"We don't want children to do rote learning, or burden them
\nwith excessive homework. We want them to do tangible research,
\nprovide them with the tools to do that, so they can understand
\nconcepts,\" said Genia Sonneville, principal of Jakarta's PSKD
\nMontessori Kindergarten and Elementary School, one of the schools
\nin Indonesia which implements the Montessori system.<\/p>\n
The school, in the heart of Jakarta's elite Menteng area, is
\nfar from ordinary.<\/p>\n
The building itself is an understated, elegant three-story
\nconstruction on 4,000 square meters.<\/p>\n
It is a preserved architectural monument from the turn of the
\ncentury, formerly a Dutch elementary school later taken over by
\nthe Protestant school foundation, PSKD.<\/p>\n
The first thing which strikes the visitor is the air of quiet
\nserenity and lack of buzz of children's voices, usually clearly
\naudible from the gates of most Jakarta schools.<\/p>\n
Indeed, a low teacher-student ratio is part of the backbone of
\nthe Montessori system.<\/p>\n
\"While conventional classrooms mostly have 40 to 50 pupils,
\nour maximum class size is 25, usually under the care of three
\nteachers,\" Sonneville said.<\/p>\n
Those not familiar with the Montessori system will do a double
\ntake when they realize they have stepped into an elementary
\nschool class locale, not a playroom.<\/p>\n
All classrooms are large and airy, the walls filled with
\ncolorful drawings and crafts the pupils have produced, instead of a
\nblackboard.<\/p>\n
While some chairs and long tables are present, that is about
\nthe extent of its vague similarity to a most Jakarta classrooms.<\/p>\n
There are carpets with pillows on the floor, computers and
\nliterature from picture books to reference texts.<\/p>\n
Also present were knickknacks like photographs, kites and an
\naquarium, and open cabinets full of a spectrum of games, from
\nword games to biology kits.<\/p>\n
At first glance, the classroom has very little structure to
\nit: some children play with word puzzles in one corner, others
\nsit on tables drawing and discussing coins, while one girl was
\nquietly reading in a corner.<\/p>\n
Planning<\/p>\n
Monica Zumpolle, one of the elementary school teachers, said
\nthe children's days were a mix of spontaneity and careful
\nplanning.<\/p>\n
\"We begin the day with me asking each student what they plan
\nto do that day,\" Zumpolle said.<\/p>\n
\"The most important thing is to teach the kids independence
\nand self-esteem, and this can only be reached when they are first
\nshown how to do things themselves.\"<\/p>\n
Yet Zumpolle assured that there was careful organization in
\nthe classroom.<\/p>\n
The children, she pointed out, were also expected to follow
\nthrough on their chosen activities, which always include math and
\nlinguistic endeavors on any given day.<\/p>\n
\"We want (them) to take their own initiative instead of just
\nsitting back and accepting what the teacher says,\" Zumpolle said.<\/p>\n
She added that the children were also responsible for cleaning
\nup after themselves.<\/p>\n
The most striking feature of the classroom is that there was
\nnone of the passive, stationary states found in many other
\nschools. These children were animated, free to speak and move
\naround the room throughout class sessions.<\/p>\n
\"Again, this doesn't meant that there are no limits,\" Zumpolle
\nsaid, after reminding one boy that he was not to run in the
\nclassroom, and warning some girls to keep their voices down.<\/p>\n
Sonneville said children were taught to take responsibility
\nfor their actions and respect their community and environment.<\/p>\n
\"They are taught to be patient and respect their peers. For
\nexample, if one child is using a tool, another child who wants to
\nuse the same tool has to wait her turn,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Sonneville, whose poise and elegance smacks more of a senior
\nbusiness executive than a teacher, started a Montessori
\nkindergarten in Jakarta 11 years ago.<\/p>\n
In 1995, Sonneville and her husband Jamieson Bryan, who is
\nEnglish, together with their friends including Ani and Hashim
\nDjojohadikusumo, Edwin and Jully Soeryadjaja, aspired to have an
\nelementary school ascribing to the Montessori philosophy.<\/p>\n
\"That's when we talked with (educator) Toenggoel Siagian, who
\nis on the board of the PSKD. He also shared some of our ideas,\"
\nSonneville said.<\/p>\n
PSKD then agreed to provide the building for the school, which
\nopened in July 1996. It currently has 85 students, both
\nIndonesians and foreign nationals, aged between three-and-a-half
\nto nine years old. It has four classes taught in both English and
\nIndonesian.<\/p>\n
Steep<\/p>\n
Then there is the subject of school fees: annual tuition is
\nUS$6,500 for kindergarten and $7,250 for elementary school,
\nunattainable for most people.<\/p>\n
Sonneville said that even parents who do have money often
\nconsidered the tuition too high.<\/p>\n
\"It's where your priorities lie. Many of the people
\ncomplaining about the high fees have very expensive cars, for
\nexample,\" she said.<\/p>\n
A senior economist at the Center for Strategic and
\nInternational Studies (CSIS), Mari Pangestu, who has enrolled her
\ntwo sons in the school, praised the school for spending the
\ntuition money on skilled teachers and first rate material, \"not
\non swimming pools or horse tracks...<\/p>\n
\"I want my children to like learning, and have fun while doing
\nit\".<\/p>\n
Sonneville said that despite the high tuition fee, \"it will
\ntake us at least eight to 10 years just to break even\", adding
\nmentioning that building renovation alone cost $1 million.<\/p>\n
She said that finding skilled teachers, especially local
\neducators, was the other main hurdle.<\/p>\n
Although Montessori children play a much more active role in
\nthe classroom, teachers are responsible for observing each child.<\/p>\n
\"They keep careful logbooks on everybody, so a child's
\nprogress is measured against his own skills, not merely as a
\ngroup,\" Sonneville said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian parents can rest assured that the school does
\nincorporate the national program in its education, which means
\nthe children also learn and get tested on subjects like
\nPancasila, the state ideology.<\/p>\n
Rubby Tan, one of the teachers who is a graduate of the IKIP
\nJakarta teacher's college, said he tried to present the national
\ncurriculum in a more exploratory way.<\/p>\n
\"We present and discuss the concepts and details with them,
\nand they are then asked to explain the information in their own
\nwords.\"<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Sonneville admitted that \"it has not been easy
\ndealing with two curricula\".<\/p>\n
She expressed hope that the national curriculum would \"ease up
\na bit\" on the heavy workload and concentrate more on the learning
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
\"The education level here is so far below standard, mainly
\nbecause of this rigid, orthodox approach,\" she warned.<\/p>\n
As circumstances stand now, only a handful of Indonesian
\nchildren have the privilege of exploring methods such as the
\nMontessori way. The millions of others have little choice but to
\ngo through the \"rigid, orthodox\" system of conventional
\nclassrooms.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/montessori-students-break-away-from-rote-learning-1447893297",
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