What can we learn from Maria Montessori?

Maz Iqbal has written a series of posts on what it takes to generate employee engagement. He brings Maria Montessori into the picture since “she achieved extraordinary results by generating extraordinary engagement in the process of learning“. How was she able to achieve these extraordinary results? Maz gives three answers:

1. She had not been indoctrinated into the dominant educational concepts and practices.
2. She literally saw the world differently.
3. She used her heart as well her head.

What she discovered in her work with the children were their:

• Ability to concentrate
• Love of/for order
• Freedom of choice
• Intrinsic motivation
  (preferred work to play, no need for rewards or punishments)
• Sense of personal dignity
• Spontaneous self-discipline

For me this sums up to: Engaged people create engagement because they use their hearts! It’s that easy. It’s that difficult.