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The Montessori Method is a powerful tool for learning. Learn about it here.
Montessori Education
In 1906, Maria Montessori created Montessori education in the slums of Rome, Italy. Dr. Montessori was a medical doctor who, after years of observing children, discovered that they passed through various stages of development. She discovered that while in each stage, children were able to learn effortlessly whatever it was that interested them. She recognized that children need freedom to explore without interruption. With this in mind, she trained people to observe and guide rather than teach children. Dr. Montessori also created various materials for children to use, which would satisfy their needs and curiosities while in each stage of development.
The Philosophy
Stages of Development
Maria Montessori observed that all children pass through stages of development throughout their lives. She believed that from birth to 6 years, whatever the child was exposed to, his mind would absorb. This she named the Absorbent Mind stage. She believed that from birth to 3 the child had no control over what he absorbed, but between the ages of 3 to 6 the child could choose what he wanted to learn and absorb it effortlessly. From age 7 onwards the child's mind had matured so that learning would require conscious effort as it does with adults.
In the Absorbent Mind stage every child goes through four sensitive periods:
Birth to 6 Language - This is how and when the child learns to speak. Attracted to human sounds, the young child, effortlessly learns his own tongue and any other language he is exposed to on a regular basis.
Birth to 4 1/2 Order - During the sensitive period for order, a child has an intense need for repetition and orderliness in his environment. Just as a 2 year old may stop and straighten the pink tower, another child may exhibit his need for order by repeatedly washing a table. The child who spontaneously returns a misplaced piece of work to is original spot on the shelf is in the sensitive period for order. The need for external order fades and orderliness becomes internal as the child nears 4 1/2 years old.
Birth to 5 Movement - The child practices movement for the purpose of refining coordination. One child may carefully carry and balance glass pitchers on a tray in order to acquire grace in his body. A young child who carefully walks the crack in a sidewalk does so to see if he can rise to the challenge of coordinating his movements. Little fingers that adamantly refuse help to tie a shoe or open a milk jug display the innate desire for perfection in movement characteristic of this sensitive period.
Years 3 - 4 1/2 Refinement of Sensory Perception - It is during this period that the child is fascinated by things which stimulate the senses. The child cannot help but explore everything in the environment to learn about the color of things, how they look, how things feel or smell, and how things sound.
As Aristotle said, There is nothing in the mind that was not first in the senses.
The Method
The Prepared Environment
The classroom and playground are prepared to suit the needs of each child. Materials are laid out in a logical, orderly manner. These materials are designed to attract the children to touch and explore. While in a sensitive period a child may work with a piece of material over and over again. The child is free to do this for as long as he wishes, until the period has passed, and he no longer feels the attraction or the 'need' to explore it.
The Teacher's Role
The teacher's role in the classroom is to observe each child and recognize when he passes in and out of sensitive periods. She prepares the classroom so the materials attract the child and meet his needs during these periods of sensitivity. In a personal or small group lesson, she invites the child to a demonstration on the use of the beautifully hand-crafted Montessori materials.
The role of the assistant is to facilitate the smooth running of the class, helping both the teacher and the children when needed. Tie aprons, prepare snack, and help a child choose an activity, are all tasks of the assistant. Both the teacher and assistant model respectful, caring behavior in the classroom at all times.
The Materials
The materials that make up “Practical Life" are reflective of the child’s culture. The buckets, pitchers, and towels for table washing will appear very American in the United States. In a Swiss or Taiwanese Montessori school, the trays and bowls for spooning will reflect those cultures.
The many other classroom materials are unique to Montessori schools. Beautifully hand-crafted and very expensive, respect and care of the environment are an integral part of what the children learn.
Each of the materials has a purpose for appearing on the shelf. From the ten cubes of the pink tower, the child learns the concept of grading from large to small. The brown stairs provide an opportunity for the child to explore the concept of thick to thin, and the red rods provide an introduction to the concept long to short.
Many of the materials have a control of error, which is a way that the child can see whether he has completed the task correctly or not without being told. This control of error protects the child's self esteem and encourages his independence. He feels he "taught* himself how to do it.
The Work Cycle
The work cycle begins with the child choosing work and ends when the child returns the work to the shelf. The work cycle differs for each child. A very concentrated child may stay with the same activity for up to an hour while another child may only work with a material for five minutes. However long, the trained adult knows the child is in the process of constructing the adult he will become.
Freedom Within Limits
The children are free to choose whatever materials attract them within the following guidelines:
The child may choose only materials already shown to him by the teacher.
The child may only use the materials in a creative and purposeful fashion.
When finished working with a material the child must return it to its home on the shelf.
If a child cannot decide what to choose the teacher will help by offering choices. For a young child who cannot cope with too many choices he may be limited to only two, e.g. "Would you like to work with the pink tower or the brown stairs?" As the child matures, the choices broaden until he is able to make choices independently from all the materials available.
Work Space
Each child creates his own workspace, which is left alone by all others in the classroom. The child is free to work and leave work in progress without it being disturbed. The children respect this, because they know that their own work will be left undisturbed if they need to leave it for any reason. Children learn a material is only available when it has been returned to the correct place on the shelf.
The Curriculum
The Curriculum is made up of the following areas:
Practical Life: In this area the child learns skills he or she can use to become independent such as hair brushing, sweeping the floor, setting a table, peeling a carrot, or dressing himself. The child learns various social skills including table manners and how to greet others.
Sensorial: The child develops and refines his senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
Language: The child learns phonic sounds and how they relate to written letters. He develops the motor skills needed for reading and writing. His vocabulary is broadened daily with enrichment of vocabulary lessons.
Math: The child learns the concept of numbers, association of symbols with quantities, and develops mathematical, problem solving and thinking skills.
Geography: Puzzle maps, globes, and 3D land & water forms give the child a concrete understanding of the physical world around him.
Cultural: Pictures and artifacts from around the world expand a child's understanding of how others share planet earth.
Expression: Cutting, coloring, painting, clay, and collage help a child express his feelings and emotions.
