MONTESSORI
MONTESSORI PRINCIPLES
Key Differences over Traditional Schooling Models
"The greatest development is achieved during the first years of life, and therefore it is then that the greatest care should be taken. If this is done, then the child does not become a burden; he will reveal himself as the greatest marvel of nature."
— Dr. Maria Montessori, MD
Montessori education is unique, based on the insights of Dr. Maria Montessori who observed natural child development and designed an educational method devoted to individual needs of the child. Maria Montessori was an Italian physician, educator, and innovator, acclaimed for her educational method that builds on the way children learn naturally. Children are curious about the world around them. They are seeing and experiencing new things every day. So naturally, they would want to touch, feel and explore these new things. The Montessori approach is focused on the child learning through hands-on experiences. Materials and activities are available for the children to use, explore, and learn with while being guided by the teacher. Below are the main principles used in the Montessori classroom.
Prepared Environment
Much time is spent in preparing the classroom for the children. In our classroom you will see objects in baskets, trays, or boxes arranged on a shelf attractively. Each work contains a purposeful work that is designed to teach a specific concept.
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Every activity has all the parts it needs to be completed so as not to distract from concentration and interrupt learning. You will notice that the classroom is not decorated with brightly painted desks and walls, but instead natural wood colors and plants are used to make the space inviting and peaceful. All of this is done to avoid distraction of the children and have all focus in the room be on work that is on the shelves.
Freedom of Movement – within limits
In a typical classroom you would expect to see a teacher standing in front of the class with all students sitting at attention in their desks. You will not see this in our classroom. Instead, you will see children having the freedom to move here and there, with option to sit in chair at table, on mat, or with small table on floor. Some might picture this as a chaotic classroom but in fact it is quite the opposite, children learn how to control themselves and their movements – and much time is spent teaching and modeling how to be peaceful in the space.
Freedom of Choice
We believe that giving the freedom of choice to a child is one of the greatest gifts we can give. This allows the child to plan his own destiny and be motived from within themselves rather than only being told what to do. Our children can choose which work they want to do to, whether they want to work alone or with a friend, how many times they want to do it etc. The teacher is trained to guide these choices when needed and make sure that the child has a well-rounded experience.
Absorbent Minds – Sensitive periods
Through her research Dr Maria Montessori discovered that children are always learning not matter what they are doing. They pick up information like a sponge. Every child has a “sensitive period” between the ages of 3-6 where their minds are especially in tuned to learning and storing information. In a Montessori classroom the teacher is trained to recognize these periods in their students and build an individual learning plan to maximize each student’s learning.
Observation of the teacher
Teachers are trained to observe each child and watch for areas of strength and interest. By watching closely, we can modify our lessons and materials to best suit the child’s interests and growth. For example, if I child is very interested in books, he will likely have an interest in letters and learning to read for himself. If the teacher takes more time to focus in this area for that child, it will optimize his learning.
Respect of the child
All of Montessori’s main principles are designed around the respect of the child. That all children have worth and the ability to learn within them. We can learn as much from them as we can teach them. This is why so much care is taken in each area – that way my train them well as they grow into young men and women setting them on the right path for life.
KEy DIFFERENCES OVER TRADITIONAL Schooling MODELS
