A Few Facts About The Montessori Approach
Maria Montessori observed that children are inherently good and if allowed to develop freely they are naturally caring to each other and connected to the world around them.
A Few Facts About the Montessori Approach
The Nature of Children
Maria Montessori observed that children are inherently good, naturally caring to each other, and connected to the world around them, if allowed to develop freely. According to her observations, children have precise inner guides and the work of adults is to support them and create an environment, which will give them the opportunity to express their skills. The children’s spiritual nature, if supported correctly, can show adults the way to return to a more meaningful, holistic way of living.
Children Thrive on Order and Structure
Order is an important factor for children’s development. It defines the place of each object in relation to its environment and the exact position of the object. Order provides children a secure environment, and makes them feel safe because they know where and how things should be. In addition it builds up confidence and gives the opportunity to build on existing experiences. Order plays an important role in the Montessori classroom. Children develop their skills freely, by ensuring that everything has its place and there is easy access to it.
Children Move Through Sensitive Periods
Dr. Montessori noticed that there were certain periods of particular sensitivity where children could learn specific skills at a higher rate. They included a sensitive period for order, refinement of the senses, language acquisition, walking and movement, small objects and involvement in social life. If left to follow this natural interest the child could achieve more than expected. It is the role of the Montessori teachers to identify these periods and provide children the freedom to follow their interests.
Children Learn Through Their Senses
Dr. Montessori saw that children built on their physical experience of the world through their senses. She therefore designed interesting materials by taking each of the senses in turn and isolated certain aspects that could be easily explored by the children. She created the object with extreme care and she made them as beautiful and attractive as possible.
Children Need Freedom
Maria Montessori saw freedom as the most important factor in allowing children to develop as spontaneous, creative individuals. She saw the role of education as providing environments in which children could be set free to follow their natural impulses to become the natural, dynamic learners they were designed to be.
Children Absorb Their Culture
Dr. Montessori’s emphasis on children being allowed the freedom to work alone and to develop concentration did not mean that she underestimated the importance of social development. Instead because children were allowed to work in such freedom, they displayed love and care towards each other. Children literally absorbed the world around them. True discipline and harmony was something that came from within and not something that could be enforced.
Big Teachers
Maria Montessori called her teachers directresses because she felt that they sensitively guided, rather than controlled, the children’s activities. She considered that success lay in the ongoing nature of the teachers own personal development as well as on the sensitivity of the observations of individual children. She saw their role not so much to teach the children as to direct the natural energies that they saw emerging.
Little Teachers
Through observation, Maria Montessori realized that it was natural and very easy for the younger children to learn by watching and listening to the older children.
Montessori Classroom
The Montessori classroom is divided in to five areas: The Sensorial, Practical Life, Language, Math, and Cultural Areas.
Sensorial
The sensorial cabinet includes materials which help children develop, broaden and refine their five senses (Sight, Hearing, Taste, Touch and Smell). These materials are specifically designed to help the child develop discrimination and order in their environment.
Practical Life
The purpose of Practical Life is to help children gain control in the coordination of their movement, gain experience and adjust to their society. The exercises in Practical Life provide purposeful activity and develop independence, concentration and responsibility.
Language
The Montessori classroom is designed in so that all the activities promote the development of skills required for oral and written language and reading. In the language area precise names are used for all the objects and vocabulary classifications and matching exercises enrich vocabulary.
Math
Learning mathematical concepts in a Montessori classroom begins concretely and progresses towards the abstract. They are developed from simple to complex. Order, coordination, concentration and independence are experienced by the child using these materials.
Culture
In the Montessori classroom, the Cultural Area covers a variety of subjects such as Geography, Science, Botany, Zoology and History. Maria Montessori believed that knowledge of such subjects is what makes a person cultured.
Good luck!
Great Minds ECC Team
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