I did not observe a class this week, but will next week. Therefore, I wanted to discuss the different learning environments, such as the montessori school and Reggio Emelio approaches, that can be found in South Carolina Schools.
Personally, I am a big fan of the Reggio Emilio approach. I like the way that students are enouraged to explore concepts they encounter in their environment on their own. I like how teachers conduct small group discussions with their students by probing the with questions about what they are exploring. The environement seems very nourishing for the childs. It gives the hild freedm to explre what they wish to, but by the teacher engaging them in discussion, it challeneges ham and expands their thinking.

The montessori approach is good I think for some children but not for all . From my perception of this approach, kids thrive in this environment if they like to explore things independently and are motivated by learning from their peers. This approach allows for kids to learn from one another, which is great, however what happens when one kid is not at the same learning level as the others? What happens when kids with learning disabilities are put into this environment? I think that this approach is great for kids on the same level of learning but it may be probalmatic for kids who are not.

I definitly see the need though for different teaching approaches to be used in different schools in order to cater to every kind of student. It is just a matter of finding the approach that fullfills the childs needs the best!