When Hank and I were first discussing the ideas behind Marion's Ledge, he told me that one of the sources of inspiration was an early childhood school classroom, especially a Montessori classroom, because of how the space is specifically designed for the enrichment of the students.

Well, this got me curious, so I went the Half-Priced Books and bought myself a book on Montessori education, specifically in the elementary level. The book was Montessori Today by Paula Polk Lillard, and in it she discusses fascets of the Montessori style of teaching of children ages 6-12. Hank was right about Marion's Ledge applying many of the same concepts geared towards adults. I can also see from this book why he believes this is important. I'll explain why in this blog entry.

On Montessori Education

One of the most important aspects of the elementary Montessori education is the classroom which is filled with what is called "Materials". Each Material that is placed in the classroom has a unique purpose and a unique place and is specifically made to give the children a hands on way to learn a concept. Another thing that these Materials are used for is to spark interest in the students to learn more. The kids in the Montessori classroom pursue studies based on their own questions. The teacher is there as a resource and a guide in the ways to find the information that they desire. The teacher is also there to make sure that the child doesn't miss something.

Unlike normal elementary classes, the teacher in Montessori classes don't lecture to the whole class, and they don't make the kids stay quite for large portions of the day. Instead, they will have discussions with small groups of students at a time and they teach the students to respect others by keeping their voices at a reasonable level and picking up after themselves. Conversation between students and collaborative work are encouraged.

Another very unique aspect of the Montessori education is the concept of "going out." This is where students get to leave the classroom and school in order to pursue a certain line of research. For example, if a group of students are studying ancient life, they can organize a trip to the local natural history museum. The materials in the classroom are limited on purpose to encourage the students to go out into society to find the answers that they are looking for. The students must organize these trips on their own, and, unlike a regular school field trip, the whole class doesn't go and the students who do go have a specific goal in mind. The teacher, as part of the materials of the classroom, keeps an up to date reference of the resources that the town offers so that the students can learn about different opportunities to learn.

What an awesome way to learn!! If/when I have kids, they are so totally going to a Montessori school!!!

On Marion's Ledge...

Ok, back on topic. So, how does all this relate to Marion's Ledge? Well, many of the features you see in the Montessori way translates very well into a place like Marion's Ledge even though Marion's Ledge is designed for adults. One of the ways is how methodically the classroom is designed. It is not made to be pretty, it is made so that everything serves a purpose, everything has a goal. Likewise, we are designing Marion's Ledge not for the aesthetics, but for the social interactions and engagement that can happen in such a designed space. For example, instead of small tables that only seat a couple people, we will probably have larger tables. That way people that don't know each other can sit at the same table without feeling like their space is invaded, but by sitting at the same table, there is more possibility for interaction. Now granted, we are not going as far as having "Materials" like in the Montessori classroom where every item is suppose to have a specific goal, but we are designing Marion's Ledge in ways that increase the opportunity for interaction and engagement with others and the place.

Also, Like such a Montessori classroom, Marion's Ledge not only wants to engage people that come in, but also to act as a resource that sends people out. We want to keep people up to date on things happening around Houston that they may not have heard about. We also want to have a resource book about Houston available to our guests. Along with the resource book, we want to have a bulletin board where posts can be made about things happening around Houston, thereby giving people the resources to engage in our city.

We will be keeping the ideas that form the Montessori classroom and educational experience in mind as we continue to design Marion's Ledge. We believe that this is a good place of inspiration for what we are planning to create, helping us add to the spirit and mission of Marion's Ledge.