I'm guest-blogging on my friend Paul Martin's blog “Being Ministry” today, talking about how learning and growth happen.

I think many educational and developmental institutions could learn a lot from Montessori schools, including churches, which is what the post is about.

I hope you'll take the time to go over to Paul's blog and comment on the post. Here's an excerpt:

I believe that churches should function more like Montessori schools.

At a Montessori school, the job of of a teacher is to provide a space for a self-directed learning activity.

In this vein of education, teachers believe that children have an inner natural guidance and need only opportunity, space, and freedom to learn and grow.

A lot of emphasis is placed on the child’s innate sense of what he needs for emotional and intellectual development.

Read more: Montessori Discipleship

Do you think learning and personal growth should be a self-guided process? Why or why not?