POTENTIAL AND ACTUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MONTESSORI LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
POTENTIAL AND ACTUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MONTESSORI LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Summary/Abstract: Introduction: It is important that people who want to perform their duties in a global anduncertain reality are prepared for changes. Therefore, education can play a significant role insupporting the development of active, competent citizens. The superior task of the contempo-rary school is to provide an educational environment which would be a source of various expe-riences with the material, social and cultural world. The model solution in this regard is offeredby the school environment organized according to Maria Montessori’s pedagogical principles.The guiding standard for such an environment is support of the individual’s potential. This isalso the key rule on which the lifelong learning paradigm is based.Research Aim: The aim of the paper is to evidence that the Montessori environment favorsthe development of skills necessary for lifelong learning and to verify empirically the affectivesignificances of the educational experiences of Montessori school graduates.Method: In order to discover the emotional significance of school experiences, the partly mod-ified Hermans’s Confrontation With Yourself method was applied.Results: The educational experiences of Montessori school graduates are characterized by onetype of emotional climate – strength and union (+HH) – in which the fulfilment of both basicmotives of human behavior (of self-enhancement and contact with others) evokes positivefeelings.Conclusions: Montessori school former pupils possess intra- and interpersonal skills, neces-sary in lifelong learning. The Montessori model of education supports the development of theability to harmonize one’s interests with the goals of other people as well as personal and socialresponsibility.

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