The Montessori And Teaching Methods

Educational Theory (1996). Spencer, H. Essays: Scientific, Political, and Speculative. Library Edition, containing Seven Essays not before republished, and various other Additions (London: Williams and Norgate, 1891). Vol. 1 Retrieved 4/16/2015 from the World Wide Web: http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/335 Seldin, T, “Montessori” in James W. Guthrie, ed., Encyclopedia of Education, 2nd ed.

In today’s society many people recognize that our current educational system is antiquated and heavily flawed. Many do not believe the education our children routinely receive adequately prepares them to be successful in their adult lives and because of this parents are very concerned. This dissatisfaction has led to the implementation of numerous alternatives to the traditional educational system to which we have become accustomed. Each of these alternatives has their own collection of philosophies and methodologies, proponents and opponents, advantages and disadvantages, but the common thread is that they each aim to provide our children with a better, more effective education suited for today’s world. Montessori education is one of these alternative learning options that been around for many years and has been steadily gaining popularity.

Students spend most of their time working on the floor where they have their own individual carpets. They put them down to outline their personal workspace. Instead of there being various toys and games spread through out the classroom, there are specific sensory materials and manipulatives that are self correcting and purposeful to student’s learning. On the walls students’ work fill spaces throughout the classroom, similar to the walls of a Head Start classroom. Montessori classrooms are made up of mixed grades and ages, something that is not typical of traditional classrooms.

The first important necessity for child's development is concentration. It lays the whole basis for his character and social behavior. Concentration is a skill that can be improved with practice, and Montessori provides the perfect environment for that effort. Montessori children have many opportunities to practice deep concentration every day as they work with the materials. Thanks to the three-hour work period, children are able to focus on a task for as long as they wish without external interruptions. As their ability to concentrate improves, the children also develop better self-control and self-regulation, all skills that are essential to success in further schooling and life in general.

Many people think of it as “controlled chaos” (Kramer, 1976). Montessori resources are divided into four categories: practical life, sensorial, academic and cultural/artistic supplies (Scotty, 2009).

In reality, the children move about the classroom independently, choosing the order of their learning activities. There may be 15 or more activities, or ?jobs? as they are called in some Montessori classrooms, occurring at the same time with small groups or individual work, yet the classroom remains quiet, yet busy and productive, sometimes with the soft hush of classical music playing in the background. Many Montessori school classrooms place a card around the child?s neck with the day?s objectives written in the form of a checklist for the students to monitor themselves. This checklist encourages the students to take responsibility for their own learning, as well as discourages prompt-dependence, since the student need not wait for instruction. Some of the activities in a Montessori classroom include reading, pre-reading using phonics, math, discovery science and writing. Children learn skills in a way that he or she is not aware that learning is taking place. For example, a child playing in the sand box with a small rake is not aware that he or she is learning fine motor skills and how to hold and control a pencil. Another observation in a Montessori classroom is that most classrooms tend to span three grade levels. This practice allows to children to become mentors to younger students. Also, the large gap in developmental levels allows children to ?learn at their own pace? (Keller, 2001), which is another important Montessori

Personally, I consider Montessori a superb curriculum for early child’s learning. Its principles and methods sensitize the sensory motor of the children to quicken their minds and movements. The method of teaching the activities of practical life is indeed very helpful to the development and progress of the skills and understanding of children about life and how they should apply their practical experiences at home and in their environment, Because of this simulation approach, children could perform well at a very young age. Not only that, since they act on adult’s activities, manipulating their models, they in turn learn to submit to the disciplines in order by following the rules and regulations like the adults.

I observed and analyzed the design and delivery of an instructional unit in a Montessori school setting. I observed a classroom of grades 1-3 two times from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at the Kennebec Montessori school. I was asked to sit quietly and to not interact with the children so I could get a realistic view of the class day and the children would pursue their chosen work.

Several parents are stuck with the choice of either sending their children to a default public, catholic, private, or Montessori schools. This choice is extremely important, for this could make or break a child’s school career. The elementary year’s, kindergarten through sixth grade are the most crucial, since that is when they would figure out what kind of learner that they are. Public schools teach all students the same way, whereas Montessori schools teach the student in the way that, that individual student learns best. It is good to distinguish what is the best way to learn early, so that the student will know how to study for the rest of his or her student career. While All children must endure 12 years of school to obtain a diploma, the best school to do this in would be a Montessori school, because of their way of teaching students, how in depth that their lessons are, and because of their impeccable learning atmosphere.

Watching a small child discover how to operate his or her favorite plaything is awe inspiring. The look of wonder at the item as it's carefully chosen from amongst their belongings and studied ever so carefully for each and every nuance. How that little face lights up with each new discovery no matter how large or small. The sounds of delight an even dismay at an unwanted result are beautiful. Consider an educational system that would continue to utilize a child’s natural curiosity, unyielding ingenuity and thirst for knowledge. Montessori education creates that environment for children by allowing them the freedom to not only gain knowledge in a natural progression, but also provide a basis on which to continue to grow no matter where

There is no set level that all children must follow; they learn when they explore by themselves. This method leaves children with freedom where they can learn self-discipline in a place designed specifically for their developmental needs. Teachers would have a part in the education of children though even though 80% of it was up to the children. Teachers are to make sure that children are presented with the right extent of material at the right time. In other words, if a child is too advanced for one activity, a teacher would present a new one to fit them, and vice versa. Maria believed if her methods were applied to public schools the results would be even better than the traditional method results. Since the government didn't let her, she started to work with poor daycare children. She doubted that her methods would work under these conditions but she had shocking results. She discovered if the children were in an orderly place to work, they will respect that and care for it. They are able to learn longer and better than in an everyday setting. In Montessori preschool, five areas make up the prepared learning environment. These areas include practical life, the sensorial area, mathematics, and cultural activities. In the elementary program, areas include integration, presentation of knowledge, presentation of the formal scientific languages, the use of visual aids, mathematic curriculum, Montessori trained teachers, emphasis on open-ended research and

The education system back in her era focused on teaching the children to memorise word to word from books and posters and Children sat in rows at desks at the classroom learning from a blackboard and slates. This method of education wasn’t stimulating and exciting for children. Nevertheless through her experience Montessori discovered children want to learn, and they will do it in their own time frame and they shouldn’t be forced.

Dr Montessori emphasizes the importance of the development of imagination. How do cultural activities in a Montessori prepared environment aid in the development….

Weakness: 1.There is no encouragement for the children for their work. Not enough group activities are done (just once or twice in a week). 2. Parents involvement is neglected in Montessori program model. 3. Only children from the wealthy families can pursue this program and low income family cannot afford this program. 4. Teacher’s role is very limited.5. As children learn in their own pace, there is less social interaction and adjustment problem may arise in future if they go in different atmosphere (Essa & Young, 2003).

Maria Montessori was the originator and founder of the Montessori Method. She was the first female to graduate as a doctor from her university in Italy. After graduation, Montessori's work with so called “idiot children” led to an interest in child development. (M. Beaver et al, 2001, p.379) After researching Montessori was convinced there was a need for special schools catering to children who presented learning disabilities.