Montessori

Who started it?

MARIA MONTESSORIPhysician / Educator / Innovator

Maria Montessori, born in Chiaravalle in the Province of Ancona in 1870,was the first woman to practise medicine in Italy, having graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rome in 1896. As a physician, Dr. Montessori was in touch with young children and became profoundly interested in their development. Through careful and exhaustive scrutiny, she realised that children construct their own personalities as they interact with their environment. She also observed the manner in which they learned as they spontaneously chose and worked with the auto didactic materials she provided.

Her approach to education stemmed from a solid grounding in biology, psychiatry and anthropology . She studied children of all races and cultures in many countries around the world, soon seeing the universality of the laws of human development played out before her. She continued her observations throughout her life, widening and deepening her understanding until her death in 1952.

Montessori vs. Traditional

The goal of both Montessori and Traditional Education is the same:
To provide learning experiences for the child. The differences lie in the kind of learning experiences provided and the methods used to accomplish this goal.

Montessori Classroom

Emphasis on: cognitive and social development

Teacher: has unobtrusive role in classroom

Discipline: environment and method encourage self-discipline and encouraging the “whole child”.

Method: mainly individual instruction, mixed age grouping, grouping encourages children to teach and help each other.

Child’s freedom : chooses work, discovers own ideas from self teaching tasks, works as long as they wish on a chosen project, sets own learning pace, spots own errors from Montessori material, reinforces own learning by repetition of work and internal feelings of success, encouraging child to learn respect of self, environment and their friends around them.

The classroom: multi-sensory materials for physical exploration, child size furniture so a child can have easy access to tasks without asking, child can work where they choose, move around at will without disrupting work of others.

Traditional Classroom

Emphasis on: social development

Teacher: is center of classroom

Discipline: teacher acts as primary enforcer of discipline

Method: group and individual instruction, same age grouping, most teaching done by teacher, curriculum structured for child through age

Child’s freedom: guided to ideas by teacher, generally allotted specific time for work, if work is corrected, errors usually pointed out by teacher, learning is reinforced externally by repetition and rewards

The classroom: set up with task stations, fewer material for sensory development, material brought out when being used, encourages a child to participate in groups. Classrooms students to teacher ratio is rising, which challenges each child to focus on the teachers ideas in order to learn.

auburns-house-montessori-school-maria-montessori-quote-260px

“The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn”
– Maria Montessori

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Montessori have multi-age classrooms?

Multi-age classrooms afford us the luxury of adapting the curriculum to the individual child. Each child can work at his or her own pace, while remaining in community with his or her peers. In addition, the multi-age format allows all older children to be the leaders of the classroom community – even those children who may be shy or quiet.

Are Montessori children successful later in life?

Research studies show that Montessori children are well prepared for later life academically, socially, and emotionally. In addition to scoring well on standardized tests, Montessori children are ranked above average on such criteria as following directions, turning in work on time, listening attentively, using basic skills, showing responsibility, asking provocative questions, showing enthusiasm for learning, and adapting to new situations.

If children are free to choose their own work, how do you ensure that they receive a well rounded education?

Montessori children are free to choose within limits, and have only as much freedom as they can handle with appropriate responsibility. The classroom teacher and assistant ensure that children do not interfere with each other, and that each child is progressing at her appropriate pace in all subjects.

Montessori classrooms don’t look like regular classrooms. Where are the rows of desks? Where does the teacher stand?

The different arrangement of a Montessori classroom mirrors the Montessori methods differences from traditional education. Rather than putting the teacher at the focal point of the class, with children dependent on her for information and activity, the classroom shows a literally child-centered approach. Children work at tables or on floor mats where they can spread out their materials, and the teacher circulates about the room, giving lessons or resolving issues as they arise.

Are Montessori schools as academically rigorous as traditional schools?

Yes; Montessori classrooms encourage deep learning of the concepts behind academic skills rather than rote practice of abstract techniques. The success of our students appears in the experiences of our alumni, who compete successfully with traditionally educated students in a variety of high schools and universities.

Since Montessori classrooms emphasize non-competitiveness, how are students adequately prepared for real-life competition later on?

Montessori classrooms emphasize competition with oneself: self-monitoring, self-correction, and a variety of other executive skills aimed at continuous improvement. Students typically become comfortable with their strengths and learn how to address their weaknesses. In older classes, students commonly participate in competitive activities with clear “winners” (auditions for limited opera roles, the annual spelling bee, etc.) in which students give their best performances while simultaneously encouraging peers to do the same. It is a healthy competition in which all contenders are content that they did their best in an environment with clear and consistent rules.

Famous Montessori Graduates

LARRY PAGE & SERGEY BRINGoogle Co-Founders

In 2012, Google displayed a Doodle on its front page, in honor of Maria Montessori’s 142nd Birthday. They credit their success, in part, to the Montessori Method.

KATHERINE GRAHAMWashington Post Owner

“The Montessori method—learning by doing—once again became my stock in trade” from Personal History by Katharine Graham.

GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZNobel Prize in Literature

“I do not believe there is a method better than Montessori for making children sensitive to the beauties of the world and awakening their curiosity regarding the secrets of life.”