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Maria Montessori, who was born in 1870, was the first woman to qualify as a doctor in Italy. She developed a teaching programme that enabled apparently 'ineducable' children to read and write. She based her ideas on the principle that the senses should be educated first, and then the intellect. According to her skills should be learnt not by endless repetition but by providing exercises that prepare the children to discover things for themselves. For example, learning to look develops into reading, while touching leads to writing.
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| “The senses, being explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge. Our apparatus for educating the senses offers the child a key to guide his explorations of the world…” – Maria Montessori |
Maria Montessori’s approach to education respects and encourages a child’s natural desire to learn. Montessori observed that, when given the proper learning environment and encouragement, young children will essentially teach themselves important concepts such as counting, sorting and learning the alphabet.
Five basic principles fairly and accurately represent how Montessori educators implement the Montessori method in many kinds of programs across the United States. These principles include: 1. respect for the child, 2. the absorbent mind, 3. sensitive periods, 4. the prepared environment, and 5. auto-education.
Respect for the child
On a first principle Montessori said that as a rule, however, we do not respect children. We try to force them to follow us without regard to their special needs. We are overbearing with them, and above all, rude; and then we expect them to be submissive and well-behaved, knowing all the time how strong is their instinct of imitation and how touching their faith in and admiration of us. They will imitate us in any case. Let us treat them, therefore, with all the kindness which we would wish to help to develop in them (Montessori, 1965). The crucial thing is to respect everyones right to have a choice, because when children have choices, they are able to develop the skills and abilities necessary for effective learning autonomy, and positive self-esteem.
The Absorbent Mind
Montessori believed that children educate themselves and wanted us to understand that children can’t help learning. Simply by living, children learn from their environment. Children are born to learn, and they are remarkable learning systems. Children learn because they are thinking beings. But what they learn depends greatly on their teachers, experiences, and environments. Montessori called it the Absorbent Mind because the young child seems to just soak up everything in his environment without even thinking about it. The fact that the child has a mind like this means that much emphasis must be put on education in the first six years of life, while the child learns with total ease.
Sensitive Periods
Although all children experience the same sensitive periods (e.g., a sensitive period for writing), them sequence and timing vary for each child. One role of the teacher is to use observation to detect times of sensitivity and provide the setting for optimum fulfillment.
A prepared environment
Montessori education seeks to provide the child with an environment ideally suited to his stage of development which allows him to respond to the inner call of specific ‘sensitivities’,and the freedom to act in accordance with the natural behavioural tendencies.
Auto-education
Children who are actively involved in a prepared environment and who exercise freedom of choice literally educate themselves.
The results of the studies showed that the children in the Montessori schools had the highest rate of peer interactions. The Montessori children’s interactions with their peers and their teachers were longer. This result showed that the Montessori children had more advanced social skills because longer interactions require more verbal abilities and cooperation from the children.
Their ability to work in a group was also related to higher levels of both self-efficacy for academic achievement and self-efficacy for self-regulated learning.
They were able to concentrate and focus on tasks for long periods of time and to self-manage their own learning. The children were also found to be confident, responsible, and hard-working individuals.
The children also showed significant development in the areas of number concepts, visual-motor integration, psycho-motor skills, and classificatory skills within the first year. After two years, the curriculum was found to be extremely helpful in further supporting the children’s development in visual-motor integration, psycho-motor skills, and matching and sorting skills.
Montessori materials invite activity. There are bright arrays of solid geometric forms, knobbed puzzle maps, coloured beads, and various specialized rods and blocks. All the materials in a Montessori environment are designed for maximum independence in the child. Everything, including a dustpan and brush, is child sized. Activities are laid out in an orderly way on easily accessible open shelves and the design of the materials make it easy for the child to identify, and gradually correct, any error.
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| Photo credits montessory.blogspot.com |
One way to access Montessori is to incorporate it in the home, through introducing independence, freedom and grace into the family's routine.
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| Photo credit www.howwemontessori.com |
Summa summarum
Take care of practical life and sensorial activities in the preschool years. Practical life activities for care of self, care of the environment, control of movement, and grace and courtesy help your child develop order, concentration, coordination, and independence. Activities to refine the senses give indirect preparation for later academic learning.
Give your child the freedom to explore indoors and outdoors – as long as your child is safe and using the freedom in a positive manner.
Give freedom to the child to engage in his own development according to his own particular developmental timeline.
Respect children thrive on accomplishments when they are able to complete real work with real tools and materials.
Note that rewards and punishments do not encourage the learning process. Learning should be its own reward. Often the “reward” lies is the completion of the task: a puzzle completed, a glass of water poured, a table set or a plant potted.
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Maria Montessori died in 1952. However, for more than 100 years, the Montessori method has educated millions of students throughout the world. It is estimated that there more than 5,000 Montessori schools in the United States and more than 20,000 in 110 countries around the world.
