Fuelling the Flame Within: Montessori Education and the Development of the Self
Steven Hughes is a paediatric neuropsychologist who was so impressed at what he saw in his daughter’s Montessori school – so intrigued at how beautifully the Montessori system reinforces a child’s growth and natural brain development – that he joined the company: lending his considerable ability to the Association Montessori International Global Research Committee and travelling the world to talk about their work.
Last night he spoke to an Auckland audience of 300 about the way Montessori education “fuels the flame” of each child's unique identity, and how mainstream education helps snuff it out:
Beginning as a tiny spark, the light that shines within a child will, over time, grow to become a steady, strong flame if he or she experiences an environment that recognizes, respects, and fuels it. What are the requisite features of such an environment? What makes Montessori education so effective in "fuelling the flame" of each child's unique identity?
Part of Dr. Montessori's genius was her understanding that human development requires different experiences at different stages of development. In this lecture, Dr. Steve Hughes will explore how the environments provided at each plane of Montessori education support the formation of essential aspects of cognitive capabilities known as "executive functions." These capabilities are necessary for the creation of curious, creative, moral, inspired, and inspiring adults—people in whom the light of identity burns bright and warm.
This is a shorter version of the magical talk we heard last night. I highly recommend it.
- Download a PDF of the lecture slides from tinyurl.com/HughesAMS2013Keynote.
- More lectures and info at Steve’s websites www.GoodAtDoingThings.Com and www.BuildingBetterBrains.Com.
