3 Reasons Montessori Makes Sense

As many of you are aware, the creator of the Bonkers Beat programs, Galina Zenin, is an industry leader in early childhood education. She recently arrived back from the USA after presenting at the 2015 CAEYC Conference. Over the weekend of March 21 & 22, Galina was back into presenting, visiting Adelaide to speak at the Montessori ECEC Conference in Glenelg.

Many Montessori principles are incorporated within the Bonkers Beat program. With the Montessori ECEC Conference in mind, let’s explore three reasons that we believe Montessori makes sense as an educational approach in early childhood education.

INDEPENDENCE

Montessori is well-known for facilitating independence in children, not by leaving them to go it alone, but for providing children with practical learning experiences and the opportunity to learn to care for themselves, as well as the world around them. The Montessori approach differs from the traditional approach that usually involves the caretakers managing the care of the child and the environment. Montessori’s self-teaching principles give children the independence and self-motivation that comes from building confidence within.

You can read more research articles about Montessori at montessoriaustralia.org.au.

MEANINGFUL

Another aspect of Montessori that we love is that kids get to learn ‘why’. This addresses why children lose information, which is perhaps because it’s not meaningful to them. Montessori aims to show children a problem and solution – actively demonstrating cause and effect across various areas of learning. It is not surprising then that children who have learned from a Montessori perspective tend to be more responsible for their actions!

LEARNING BECOMES FUN

When children feel like they have a choice in how they learn, they are more responsive and more responsible for their own outcomes. They learn through their own actions and experiences and there’s nothing more special than seeing a child work something out for themselves – that sense of achievement can be spotted on a child’s face from a mile away!

Keep an eye on our Facebook page where we often share information about activities with a Montessori approach.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we incorporate Montessori into our programs, head to NQSRating.com.au. Galina has two exclusive events coming up, in Melbourne on April 23 and then in Sydney on May 4.

Demand for Early Childhood Programs Across the Globe

Across the globe the demand for quality early childhood programs is growing all the time, with research continuing to highlight their important role when it comes to providing educational value for children.

The National Quality Standard (NQS) is a key aspect of the NQF and sets a national benchmark for early childhood education and care, and outside school hours care services in Australia. To ensure children enjoy the best possible conditions in their early educational and developmental years, the NQS promotes continuous improvement in quality.

In many countries, including the United States, it is continually being highlighted that the early years of a child’s life are the building blocks for their future success in school and later in life: “Leading economists agree that high-quality early learning programs can help level the playing field for children from lower-income families on vocabulary, social and emotional development, while helping students to stay on track and stay engaged in the early elementary grades. Children who attend these programs are more likely to do well in school, find good jobs, and succeed in their careers than those who don’t. ” (White House) 

As such, it has been exciting that the interest in Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing programs has been experiencing its biggest boom yet. Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing is the most comprehensive educational program, covering all seven areas of the National Quality Standard and in addition to being incorporated into many centres across Australia, it is now receiving increasing interest from the USA, Japan and Singapore.

The interest has been so great that Galina was invited to speak at CAEYC’s annual conference. CAEYC stands for California Association for the Education of Young Children. This is an affiliate of the United States organisation, NAEYC – the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The 2015 Annual CAEYC Conference and Expo takes place in Sacramento, California from March 4 – 7, and draws nearly 3,000 attendees. It is the largest gathering of Early Care and Education professionals in California!

Needless to say, it’s a privilege for Bonkers Beat’s passionate creator Galina Zenin to have been invited to present at this event. If you happen to be attending the 2015 CAEYC Conference and Expo, Galina’s presentation ‘Learning Through Music’ is on Friday 6 March at 4.15pm and is incredibly valuable.

If you’d like to learn more about the CAEYC Conference, visit conference.caeyc.org.

Upon her return, Galina will be taking on Australia for another tour covering Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney and the subject of successfully implementing music and wellbeing programs. Equipped with a wealth of brand new insights from CAEYC as well as her own ongoing research and development in music and wellbeing programs, Galina’s 3.5 hour sessions can contribute to making positive change in your centre and staff right before your eyes. With small groups and a delicious lunch included, you’d be crazy to pass up these practical and informative sessions. Find dates, times and book online at nqsrating.com.au.

The need for quality developmental programs in the early years is only becoming more and more obvious. To quote the experts from the NAEYC, “Several decades of research clearly demonstrate that high-quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood programs produce short- and long-term positive effects on children’s cognitive and social development”.

If you are a passionate Owner or Director of a Childcare Centre and are interested in finding out more or booking in at the Adelaide, Melbourne or Sydney session, the up to date information about this upcoming tour can be found at nqsrating.com.au.

 

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