The Wonder of Learning

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You could say that in comparison to Montessori, Waldorf, and other systems, Goddard more closely resembles a traditional preschool. Montessori schools place a heavy emphasis on learning through play, imagination, and role-playing. The hallmark of Montessori schools, however, is the high level of independence children in these classes receive.

Overall, here’s the difference between Montessori vs Goddard: Expect a more traditional and well-balanced educational approach at Goddard schools, with a mixture of arts, sciences, reading, math, and some limited use of technology. Kids have to think deeply about fairness,” Marina Boni, the Boston Public Schools early childhood mentor, said as she described Our Boston, a project in which the mayor writes to children and asks them to design projects that would make Boston fairer and more interesting to children. This is the biggest thing to keep in mind, because it’s the primary hallmark of Montessori education. Kids in traditional preschools like Goddard will spent a lot more time in large and small groups, doing the same activities everyone else is doing. It’s necessary that we believe that the child is very intelligent, that the child is strong and beautiful and has very ambitious desires and requests,” Reggio Emilia’s founder, Loris Malaguzzi, said at a 1993 seminar. “This is the image of the child that we need to hold.” Bazhydai, M., & Westermann, G. (2020). From curiosity, to wonder, to creativity: a cognitive developmental psychology perspective. In A. Schinkel (Ed.), Wonder, education, and human flourishing . VU University Press.

One important thing to note is that, since Goddard is a franchise more than a philosophy, each individual school may differ slightly in its execution of the F.L.EX system. Schinkel, A., d’Agnese, V., Pedersen, J. B., Moore, J., Lloyd, G., Vasalou, S., ... & Frunză, M. (2020). Wonder, education, and human flourishing: Theoretical, empirical, and practical perspectives (p. 344). VU University Press. Open access book: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/41804 Your experience with Goddard will really depend heavily on which school you work with (similar to other chains like Primrose). While there are some guiding principles behind the Goddard curriculum, there’s far less consistency than there would be at a Montessori or Waldorf school.

The exhibition was conceived to adapt to various venues with different characteristics, to form a dialogue with the places it is housed, with a structure and layout that can take many forms, and be configured in different ways. It is a flexible and modular exhibition, with a narrative structure and way of communicating that reflects the contemporary nature, the complexity and plurality of Reggio Emilia’s infant-toddler centres and preschools. Children in Montessori have a lot of freedom to decide what they work on and when throughout the day, with the teacher acting more as a guide or consultant on the side as they go along. A retrospective exhibition of Alberto Burri’s work in Reggio Emilia was the occasion for teachers, children and families to reflect, to make the educational processes connecting Reggio Emilia’s pedagogy with art and artists more explicit, and activate research capable of putting the creative processe of children and of artists – rather than their finished products – side by side. Montessori has a lot of supporters and a lot of critics, as well. Here are a few major pros and cons of the approach.

We cannot assume we know what the workforce needs,” Tania Quezada of Ready to Learn Providence, said explaining that in the past, Spanish-speaking child care providers in Providence would attend English-only training sessions and nod their heads even though they didn’t understand what was being said. Today, training opportunities are more inclusive — and that’s crucial, Quezada says, because “all learning begins with adults.” No two Goddard schools are exactly alike, and neither are Montessori schools. You’ll have to look around at your local options carefully before you make a decision. Kindness: Kindness is an important quality to develop at a young age that stays with you for your entire life. This is why kindness must be a key theme in 'Wonder' by R.J. Palacio. This lovely story teaches our children that kindness goes a long way. At Montessori, child-independence is king, with a heavier emphasis on imagination, role-playing, and use of real-life objects.