Overview
We are delighted to host an inspiring and thought-provoking event exploring one of the most important questions in education today: How do children really learn?
In Montessori and the Neuroscience of Learning, Louise Livingston, Educational Neuroscientist and Head of Training at the Maria Montessori Institute, will talk about how Montessori supports everything we know from Neuroscience about how we learn and develop.
Over the past several decades, neuroscience has transformed our understanding of childhood learning. We now know that the young brain is extraordinarily adaptable, forming millions of new neural connections every second. This process, known as neuroplasticity, is fuelled by active, meaningful engagement with the world rather than passive instruction. Louise will explain how Montessori environments naturally align with this science: children explore through movement and their senses, follow their interests, and repeat activities that strengthen the neural networks underlying concentration, problem-solving, self-regulation, and long-term learning.
This talk will cover:
- Executive function: the family of mental skills that enables children to reason, solve problems, choose wisely, regulate their behaviour, and adapt to new information
- Neuroscience of intrinsic motivation: a powerful driver of deep learning
- The growing field of sensorimotor neuroscience: which highlights the vital role of movement and the senses in cognitive development
Montessori works with the brain rather than against it. By providing the freedom, structure, and sensory-rich experiences that the developing brain expects, Montessori education enables children to become independent, resilient, empathetic, and intellectually adventurous.