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What is the montessori method?
This system of education is both a philosophy of child development and a rationale for guiding such growth. It is based on two important developmental needs of children:
- The need for freedom within limits
- A carefully prepared environment that guarantees exposure to materials and experiences
The Montessori method of education is designed to take full advantage of the children's desire to learn and their unique ability to develop their own capabilities.
The main premises of Montessori education
- Children are to be respected as different from adults and as individuals who differ from each other.
- Children possess an unusual sensitivity and intellectual ability to absorb and learn from their environment that are unlike those of the adult both in quality and capacity.
- The most important years of a child's growth are the first six years of life when unconscious learning is gradually brought to the conscious level.
- Children have a deep love and need for purposeful work. They work, however, not as an adult for the completion of a job, but the sake of an activity itself. It is this activity which enables them to accomplish their most important goal: the development of their individual selves—their mental, physical and psychological powers.
What Makes Montessori Education Unique?
The whole child approach
The primary goal of a Montessori program is to help each child reach his or her full potential in all areas of life. Activities promote the development of social skills, emotional growth and physical coordination as well as cognitive preparation for future intellectual academic endeavors. The holistic curriculum, under the direction of a specifically prepared teacher, allows the child to experience the joy of learning, allots time to enjoy the process and ensures the development of self esteem. It provides the experiences from which children create their knowledge.
The Prepared environment
In order for self-directed learning to take place, the whole learning environment — classroom, materials and social setting/atmosphere — must be supportive of the child. The teacher provides the necessary resources, including opportunities for children to function in a safe and positive environment. Together, the teacher and child form a relationship based on trust and respect that fosters self-confidence and a willingness to try new things.
The Montessori materials
Dr. Montessori's observations of the kinds of things that children enjoy and go back to repeatedly led her to design a number of multi-sensory, sequential and self correcting materials to facilitate learning.
Goals of a Montessori School
The main purpose of a Montessori school is to provide a carefully planned, stimulating environment that will help the child develop an excellent foundation for creative learning.
Developing a positive attitude toward school
Most of the learning activities are individualized. Each child engages in a learning task that particularly appeals to him, because he finds the activities geared to his needs and level of readiness. Consequently, he works at his own rate, repeating the task as often as he likes, thus experiencing a series of successful achievements. In this manner, he build a positive attitude toward learning itself.
Helping each child develop self confidence
In the Montessori school, tasks are designed so that each new step is built upon what the child has already mastered, thus removing the negative experience of frequent failure. A carefully planned series of successes builds upon inner confidence in the child, assuring her that she can learn by herself. These confidence-building activities likewise contribute to the child's healthy emotional development.
Assisting each child in building a habit of concentration
Effective learning presupposes the ability to listen carefully and to attend to what is said or demonstrated. Through a series of absorbing experiences, the child forms habits of extended attention, thus increasing his ability to concentrate.
Fostering an abiding curiosity
In a rapidly changing society, we will all be students at some time in our lives. A deep, persistent and abiding curiosity is a prerequisite for creative learning. By providing the child with opportunities to discover qualities, dimensions and relationships amidst a rich variety of stimulating learning situations, curiosity is developed and an essential element in creative learning has been established.
Developing habits of initiative and persistence
By surrounding the child with appealing materials and learning activities geared to her inner needs, she becomes accustomed to engaging in activities on her own. Gradually, this results in a habit of initiative — an essential quality in leadership. "Ground rules" call for completing a task once begun and gradually result in a habit of persistence and perseverance for replacing materials after the task is accomplished. This "completion expectation" gradually results in a habit of persistence and perseverance.
Fostering inner security and sense of order in the child
Through a well ordered, enriched but simplified environment, the child's need for order and security is intensely satisfied. This is noticed in the calming effect the environment has on the child. Since every item in the Montessori classroom has a place and the ground rules call for everything in its place, the child's inner need for order is directly satisfied.
Excerpted from montessoriconnections.com |
Three year age span of children within the classroom — Older children teaching younger children, creates sense of community and builds self esteem.
Self correcting materials within the environment — Children learn through their own errors to make the correct decision versus having the teacher point it out to them.
Individual learning takes place within the environment — Montessori recognizes that each child learns at a different pace and allows that growth to take place.
Children are quiet by choice and out of respect for others within the environment — The Montessori classroom allows children to return to the "inner peace" that is a natural part of their personalities.
There is an emphasis on concrete learning rather than on abstract learning — Children need to experience concepts in concrete "hands-on" ways.
It is a child-centered environment — All the materials are easily within the child's reach and placed on shelves at their level. The tables and chairs are small enough for the children to sit comfortably while the pictures and decorations are placed at the children's eye level.
The children work for the joy of working and the sense of discovery — Children are natural leaders or "sponges" and delight in learning new tasks. Their interests lie in the work itself rather than in the end product.
The environment provides a natural sense of discipline — The "ground rules" or expectations of the child are clearly stated and are enforced by the children and the teachers.
The environment is "prepared" for the children — Everything in the room has a specific place on the shelf. Children are orderly by nature and the organized room allows them to grow in a very positive way.
The teacher plays a very unobtrusive role in the classroom — The children are not motivated by the teacher, but by the need for self development.
The items found on the shelves in the classroom are "materials" rather than "toys" — The children "work with the materials" rather than "play with the toys." This allows the children to gain the most benefit from the environment by giving them a sense of worth — the same sense of worth adults experience as they go to their jobs and do their "work." |
