Learning multiple languages is a necessity for many people and an opportunity for all. The European area encompasses many nationalities and cultures. The diversity has led to a desire to improve the learning of European languages, as this could positively contribute to the European economy and mobility. Thus, the European Commission in Brussels has drawn up a set of recommendations covering different aspects of learning and teaching, expressing their relevance for the European Union area. The primary school is an important educational space that can contribute to the objectives of the European Union through a stimulating environment. Already in the last century, the Italian doctor Maria Montessori, founder of the Montessori method of education, stressed the importance of lifelong learning and exposure to a foreign language. In this way, children unconsciously and effortlessly internalise the structure of a language that is part of their environment, whether it is their first or foreign language.
In the theoretical segment of my master’s thesis, I had presented the Montessori pedagogy and its key elements, explored the acquisition and teaching manners of first and foreign languages and described the European recommendations on an integrated approach to language teaching and learning. With the help of my research, I had determined whether the European recommendations are consistent with, or coincide with, the teaching of foreign languages by the Montessori method from the first to the fifth year of Montessori primary school. For this purpose, I used the method of a non-standardised questionnaire survey for pupils and teachers who teach a foreign language using the Montessori approach. The survey has been carried out on a sample of 145 children from two Slovenian Montessori primary schools, on average 6-11 years old. In addition, 12 foreign language teachers are included in the study. The aim of my work is to shed light on the alternative teaching approach, to bring it to the attention of a wider public and to find out to what extent the current teaching method already coincides with the European recommendations, and to foresee possible improvements.
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