Kilpatrick's critique of Montessori's method and theory

The Spread of Montessori Education in Mainland China

“…Another likely reason Montessori education experienced a decrease in acceptance in the early 1900s is in connection to educator William Kilpatrick's publicized criticism toward Montessori education (Kilpatrick, 1914). In 1914, Kilpatrick, a U.S. educator, wrote a critic of the Montessori method, questioning its claim as a scientific teaching method that negatively affected the method's acceptance throughout the world (AMS, 2020;Beck, 1961), including China (Shi, 2012(Shi, , 2015Wang, 2012). Adding to Kilpatrick's censure is the fact that influential Chinese educators of the early 1900s, namely Chen Heqin, Tao Xingzhi, and Jiang Mengxue, were all students of John Dewey at Columbia University in the United States (personal communication, former Zhejiang University professor of education, Liu Hua, October 22, 2020), as was Kilpatrick (Thayer-Bacon, 2012).…”

The Epistemology Behind the Educational Philosophy of Montessori: Senses, Concepts, and Choice

“…Since John Dewey and Montessori were contemporaries and began the proliferation of their ideas around the same time and half a world away from each other, it is likely they developed their philosophies independently. I am unaware of Montessori publishing discussion of Dewey's work, but certainly Dewey and his disciple,Kilpatrick (1914), published criticisms of Montessori (see alsoBeck, 1961;Thayer-Bacon, 2012). 3 This individualism will be an important theme later, and could be contrasted with Dewey's democratic pedagogy.…”

Montessori et la Casa dei Bambini : Dimensions idéologique, épistémologique et spirituelle de la méthode

“…Celui-ci, élève de Dewey, publie une monographie dont le but est d'examiner le système Montessori et de voir ce qu'il offre à l'éducation américaine. Sa critique a été, d'après Beck (1960), la plus respectueuse et la première à avoir eu une valeur scientifique.…”