The Essence of the Montessori Method And Questions and Answers

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1 Indooroopilly Montessori Children s House The Essence of the Montessori Method And Questions and Answers

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3 The Essence of the Montessori Method Maria Montessori drew her ideas about how to handle and educate children from her observations of them at different stages in their development and from her exposure to children of different cultures. She identified what she saw that was common in all children as the universal characteristics of childhood, regardless of where children were born or how they were brought up. She then set out to act as an interpreter for children everywhere, advising adults to adopt a new approach to them and treating the period of childhood as an entity in itself, not merely as a preparation for adulthood. These universal characteristics identified by Montessori, can be summed up as follows: All children have absorbent minds All children pass through sensitive periods All children want to learn All children learn through play/work All children pass through several stages of development All children want to be independent These characteristics form the core belief upon which the Montessori Method is based. It is important to look at each characteristic in more detail. The Absorbent Mind A child is fundamentally different from an adult in the way he/she learns. He/she has what Montessori calls an absorbent mind, one that unconsciously soaks up information from the environment, learning about it at a rapid rate. The capacity to learn in this way is unique to the young child and lasts approximately for the first six years of his/her life. During this time, the impressions made on the child s mind actually shape and form it, and therefore, have an impact on his/her future development. As a consequence each and every early experience is of vital importance; this is especially so in the first phase of the absorbent mind birth to three when conscious learning has not yet emerged. The Conscious Mind In the second phase three to six the child s mind is still absorbent, but now consciousness begins to appear. This comes partly with knowledge and partly with language. Also at this time his/her will begins to appear. With the ability to control his/her actions and of course, the ability to say no he/she now appears to know what he/she wants and he/she will have no hesitation in trying to get his/her own way. As this is also the phase when new skills are rapidly and easily acquired, you will be asked endless questions of the why and how variety; his/her mind is still absorbent but now shows a conscious thirst for knowledge. The child s mind is not like an empty vessel absorbing indiscriminately from the outside world. The process of learning during this period is active, rather than passive. Your child has inborn drives and energies that have a say in what happens rather like a blueprint. The Sensitive Periods From her observations of children, Montessori noticed that they seem to pass through phases when they keep repeating an activity time and time again for no apparent reason. They become totally absorbed by what they are doing and for the time being, this is the only thing in which they are interested. An example of this is your two year old on a

4 shopping trip, wanting to touch everything in sight. Children need to explore this is how they learn. Once the child has acquired sufficient knowledge of the world, the phase passes and there is no longer an uncontrollable desire to touch everything. Montessori identified six sensitive periods: Sensitivity to order Sensitivity to language Sensitivity to walking Sensitivity to the social aspects of life Sensitivity to small objects Sensitivity to learning through the senses Montessori realised that all children have an inborn motivation to learn in fact you cannot stop them from doing so. It is important to understand what is meant by learning. A simple definition is that it is a process whereby a relatively permanent change of behaviour occurs within the individual. One of the great attractions about the Montessori approach is that her ideas, formulated over fifty years ago, have not only stood the test of time, but also much of what she discovered then, by keen observation and intuition, is now supported by modern research. It is also important to realise that learning begins from birth and that the fundamental processes of how children learn are laid down very early in life. Children learn through play, through experimenting with things in the world around them for example through water play children learn that water is wet, that it can be hot or cold, that it can be poured from one container into another. This spontaneous play is initiated in response to his/her developmental needs. The Montessori classroom is arranged in such a way to allow this to occur. All children learn through active participation, by being involved in a practical way and by attempting to do something themselves, particularly by using their hands. Montessori put great emphasis on this connection between the brain and movement:- watching the child makes it obvious that the development of his/her mind comes about through his/her movements. She believed that the process of learning has three parts: the brain, the senses and the muscles and that all these must co-operate for learning to take place. Another aspect of learning Montessori recognised and sympathised with, is a child s need to do things over and over again, in order to perfect the actions. By continually repeating an activity, he/she is building up automatic patterns, which eventually become fixed as mental images. Finally, these mental images can be represented by language; if you talk to your child as much as possible about what he/she is doing and the events that are happening, he/she will gradually learn the words that correspond to the actions. Play is the Child s Work Many people are confused about the role of play in the Montessori Classroom. Some people seem to think that children in Montessori classrooms simply play all day and don t learn anything; others, who know a little bit more about her theories but have equally misinterpreted them, believe that Montessori Classrooms are places where children are made to work all the time and are not allowed to play at all. Play, of course, can be interpreted in many different ways. When used to refer to an adult activity, play usually means taking part in a game requiring physical or mental skills, or using a musical instrument. When it is used to refer to a child s activity however, play is usually taken to mean something that has no serious point to it.

5 Studies of children s play have shown that this is not the case. For the child, play is an enjoyable, voluntary, purposeful and spontaneously chosen activity. It is often creative as well, involving problem solving, learning new social skills, new language and new physical skills. Play is very important to the young child as it helps him/her to learn new ideas and put them into practice, to adapt socially and to overcome emotional problems, especially in imaginative games like playing mums and dads with dolls. The misinterpretation of Montessori s ideas has come from two sources. The first is the very rigid way in which some Montessori teachers have insisted on presenting the Montessori materials, leaving no room for discovery or creativity. The second source of misinterpretation has come from Montessori s own writings. She often used the word work in relation to children s activities. Play satisfies only a part of one s nature, work goes deeper and brings satisfaction to one s whole being she wrote. When she used the word work in this context however, she was not using it in its adult sense she was applying it to learning. Activities with which children occupy themselves in a Montessori school may be labelled work by the teacher, but they probably look very much like play to you. To Montessori the words were synonymous: play is your child s work, simply because it is the means by which he/she learns. Stages of Development Montessori believed that children pass through three distinct phases of development from birth to eighteen, during which they learn qualitatively in different ways. These phases are: Stage One: Birth to six The child has what Montessori calls an unconscious or absorbent mind. Stage Two: Six to twelve Montessori called this the period for acquisition of culture. Stage Three: Twelve to eighteen The period for the acquisition of independence. Encouraging independence From the very beginning your child will be striving for independence and the best way to help him/her achieve this is to show him/her the skills he/she needs to succeed. Maria Montessori developed an area of the curriculum she called Exercises of Practical Life. These are simple, everyday activities routinely performed by adults to maintain and control the environment in which they live and work. The activities are utilitarian and so, for the adult, have a purpose and are a means to a end and the end result is more important than the process. Practical life activities enable the adult to control his/her physical and social environment. From an early age the child watches his/her parents perform these everyday activities and so he/she has a strong desire to copy and learn from them it is his/her way of adapting to the world around him/her. Unlike an adult, however, performing these simple daily routines is developmental and absorbing for the child; he/she is more interested in the processes than in the end result.

6 Questions and Answers Who was Montessori and how did she come to establish her educational method? Dr. Maria Montessori, internationally renowned child educator, was originally a medical doctor who brought the scientific methods of observation, experimentation and research to the study of children, their development and education. In essence, Montessori observed the children in her care in order to ascertain their developmental patterns and needs. This was followed by experimentation with a variety of educational approaches and concrete instructional materials so as to best provide for these observed requirements. As her method spread, Montessori was able to trial new approaches and educational materials in a wide range of cultures, finding that a common thread ran through the developmental processes and needs of children worldwide. Her new approaches to education also revealed that children possessed qualities and abilities (unsuspected until that time) that seemed to have been awaiting release. Among these qualities are: - a. High level of concentration. Previously it was considered that children had short attention spans. Dr. Montessori was amazed to observe the length of time that very young children would choose to attend to tasks, which interested them. b. Love of repetition. On their own, children would choose to practise things they were trying to master over and over again. c. Love of order. Whereas we normally think of children as messy, Dr. Montessori found that young children have a natural inclination for organisation and orderliness. This natural inclination can be helped and developed if provision is made to foster it. d. Freedom of choice. Children like to choose things they do. If materials are set out for children so that they have easy access to them, children will choose, take and replace them without the need for assistance from an adult. How is a Montessori program different from other programs? The Montessori program is based upon the Montessori theory of child development, which, whilst it parallels in many ways the work of such educators as Piaget, Gesell and Kohlberg, maintains its own specific characteristics. Montessori believed that the development of an individual from newborn to adult involved four phases, or planes. Each plane lasted for approximately 6 years and at each developmental plane the individual manifested different characteristics and needs. Thus, for example, young children prefer to work alone or alongside others. As they mature and move to the next plane, this tendency is replaced by an interest in working with others and in co-operating with them. A Montessori program reflects the changing characteristics and needs of children both in their physical organisation and in their approach. A Montessori program is different in a number of ways. a. It teaches to individuals instead of to groups. In many other classrooms, lessons are presented to the whole class and sometimes to small groups. In Montessori schools the general rule is reversed. Most of the time the first cycle teacher presents lessons to individuals. Other children can watch if they are interested. In this way, the teacher can address the specific needs of a child and can respond to

7 that individual child s interest and level of understanding. The child does not have to sit through something that he/she is not ready for. The teacher is more familiar with the child and therefore, understands him/her more fully and provides better for that child. Individual lessons addressing individual needs of course remain a feature of the classroom. b. The Montessori curriculum is much broader than many other programs. First of all, the program helps a child to become a competent and confident learner by its exercises, which develop the child s capacities. His or her ability to control movement, to use senses, to think, to decide and to feel are all exercised. As a result, the child develops independence, responsibility and a love of learning, as well as a strong foundation in language and maths. Children further can learn practical skills for everyday life, such as cooking, carpentry and sewing. But more than this, they learn how to be contributing members of a social community. c. With regard to discipline, in a Montessori program the emphasis is on selfdiscipline developed through helping a child learn how to appropriately meet needs rather than disciplining through the use of rewards and punishments. Montessori discovered that, given an appropriate environment, self-discipline developed spontaneously. The teacher is trained in positive, constructive methods of helping children. Through this process, non-acceptable behaviour lessens and finally disappears. This makes the classroom a very pleasant place for both the children and the teacher. d. In a Montessori classroom the organisation of the room allows children easy access to a variety of learning experiences. The room is specifically organised to appear attractive and orderly. Materials are displayed on shelves at the child s height. e. The materials in a Montessori classroom are carefully designed and thoroughly researched to fit the developmental needs and characteristics of children. Each class contains materials experimentally determined to be appropriate for the developmental stage of the children attending. f. The Montessori method of helping a child is through a process of showing a child what to do in a positive manner. Montessori classrooms are based upon respect for the individual. Interaction between teacher and child occur in an atmosphere that is positive, constructive and co-operative. The dignity of the child is at all times respected and nurtured. g. The Montessori program is systematic and carefully sequenced according to principles of development. Every activity is carefully thought out to build upon previous preparation and to lead on to a more complex activity. h. The Montessori program is designed to develop independence and responsibility. The organisation of the classroom, the method of teaching and the practical life lessons are orientated towards helping the child become a self-sufficient and disciplined individual.