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- What is it anyway — Montessori?
Montessori philosophy recognizes each child's inborn desire for self-development as the source of all learning. The environment of the classroom is designed to support children in their own process of opportunity to move from the physical world, where he can develop his motor skills and all his senses with self-teaching, self-correcting materials — into the abstract world of ideas and concepts all at his own pace. The teacher assists in the use and mastery of specially designed self-instructed materials. Through experiences in a properly prepared Montessori classroom, the child acquires an increased ability to concentrate, and an attitude of self-discipline, and a sense of order The child avoids the boredom of waiting for others to catch up, or he can repeat activities until he gains mastery, without the frustration of being pushed head before he is ready. His weaknesses are not to be brought to the attention of others and therefore, are not reinforced. His own feelings of accomplishment act as his main reinforcement when he succeeds. Out of this, he learns to trust his own judgment, to consider accomplishments as the basis for success rather than to seek only external rewards such as praise. TOP
- A view into the Montessori classroom:
Montessori classroom is indeed a child's world, geared to the size, pace and interest of boys and girls. It is designed to put the child at ease by giving him freedom in an environment prepared with attractive materials. These materials are arranged on low shelves within easy reach of even the smallest youngster. The tables and chairs in the classroom are movable, permitting a flexible arrangement for many activities. The children also work on small mats on the floor where they are naturally comfortable. The Montessori materials in the classroom can be divided into three main groups: the practical life exercises, which are the beginning activities for two and three year- old children; the sensorial materials, which can be used by all ages in the class; and the academic materials, which await each child's moments of interest in reading, math, and geography.TOP
- Role of the Montessori teacher:
In a Montessori classroom there is no front of the room and no teacher's desk as a focal point of attention because the stimulation for learning comes from the total environment. The teacher is first of all, a very keen observer of the individual interests and needs of each child, and her daily work proceeds from her observations rather than from a prepared curriculum. She demonstrates the correct use of materials as the children individually choose them. She carefully watches the progress of each child and keeps a record of his work with the materials. She is trained to recognize periods of readiness. Sometimes she must divert a child who chooses material that is beyond his ability; at other times she must encourage a child who is hesitant. Whenever a child makes a mistake, she refrains, if possible, from intervening and allows him to discover his own error through further manipulation of the self-correcting material. This procedure follows Dr. Montessori's principle that a child learns through experience.TOP
- Behavior of Montessori children:
There is always a busy hum of activity in a Montessori classroom because the use of the materials involves many motions; particularly, the constant using of the hands. All activity, however, is guided by a respect for the teacher, a respect for the work of others, and a respect for the materials themselves. Dr Montessori never equated goodness with silence and immobility. Self-discipline, she felt, should be acquired gradually through absorption in meaningful work. When a child becomes vitally interested in a particular classroom activity, his behavior almost always matures, If a child misbehaves in a Montessori classroom, the teacher usually helps him to select work which will more fully absorb his attention.TOP
- A noncompetitive atmosphere:
Because the children work individually with the materials, there is no competition in the Montessori classroom. Each child relates only to his own previous work and his progress is not compared to the achievements of other youngsters. Dr. Montessori believed that competition in education should be introduced only after the child has gained confidence in tile use of the basic skills. 'Never let a Child risk failure," she wrote, "unless he has a reasonable chance of success."TOP
- Why mixed age groups:
If classroom equipment is to be challenging enough to provoke a learning response, it must be properly matched to the standard that an individual child has already developed in his past experience. This experience is so varied that only the child can usually make the most satisfying choice himself. The Montessori classroom offers him the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of graded materials. The child can grow as his interests lead him from one level of complexity to another. Having children together permits the younger children a graded series of models for imitation, and the older ones an opportunity to reinforce their own knowledge by helping the younger ones.TOP
- Accommodation of different abilities:
The use of individual materials permits a varied pace that accommodates many levels of ability in the classroom. A younger or slower child may work for many weeks on the same piece of equipment without retarding the other members of the class. Advanced children in the same room can move from one piece of equipment to another very quickly, thus avoiding the boredom of waiting for other members of the class to catch up. The children with a high level of ability are constantly challenged by the wide variety of materials and their many uses. It is a well-established fact that children mature at very different rates and their periods of readiness for academic subjects vary a great deal. Because interest is stimulated and the materials are at hand whenever a child is ready, some youngsters in a Montessori class begin to read and calculate at an unusually early age. However, very early learning is not the norm nor was it ever Dr. Montessori's objective. Her ideal was only that the learning experience should occur naturally and joyfully at the proper moment for each individual child. "It is true, we cannot make a genius," Dr. Montessori once wrote, "we can only give each individual the chance to fulfill his potential possibilities to become an independent, secure, and balanced human being.TOP
Taken from: Montessori School of Novato Ross, California
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