What Does It Mean to Be an ‘Expert Generalist” and What Does the Montessori Teacher Need to Make This a Realistic Statement?

In this monthly newsletter, I would like to share with you three beliefs of Dr. Maria Montessori. As your child's teacher; I would like to support each of these beliefs with vivid examples from my experience in the classroom as well as Dr. Montessori's own words. While all of us within the community clearly already support the Montessori Method, it is important to 'touch base' with these beliefs as we affirm the principles of our learning environment.

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.

A Teacher is then responsible to plan the lessons in such a way that it meets all the students’ needs, ensuring that learners are on the right program and follow company policies and procedures.

Maria Montessori founded an education system which is called Montessori and still bares her name, her system is based on belief in the child’s creative potential, (Douglas, n.d.). Her first Casa Dei Bambini (Children’s house), where Maria was using her approach of teaching was opened in 1907 in Rome. She was great educator who believed that children are learning through their personal experience at their right time and their own pace. (Ridgway, 2007). Children rather than learning largely from what the teachers and the textbooks say, learn from “doing”,(Douglas, n.d.). To provide for children an effective, independent learning process, and that they become a competent and confident learner, Teacher had to provide for children a healthy, clean, well-prepared and well organised environment in which children could develop. Maria Montessori came up with idea that if children have to work and play independently, they have to be comfortable and need appropriately sized tools and items that fit their small hands (Mooney, 2000). Montessori believed that children learn through sensory experiences. Teacher has a responsibility to provide wonderful sights, textures, sounds, and smells for children. Sensory

To an average student in a public school in the United States, children are subjected to a standard form of teaching in which typically teachers are given the role of an expert while students are treated as “empty vessels” that are forcefully fed information. This was a very different approach in teaching into what I was used to growing up. Before moving to the United States, I was attending a Montessori school in Manila, Philippines. I was privileged enough to attend this well-known school for its academic program since pre-kindergarten up until 7th grade. So, naturally I was accustomed to the Montessori method of teaching. In preschool, we were given the freedom to explore different materials in the classroom in order to pursue our own interests

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

Montessori work was innovative at a time when children learn by road by repeated shin of facts

Many questions have been raised regarding the legitimacy of Montessori schools and the capability of students to effectively learn the same amount of information as those who attend regular schools. Then again, there are also people that swear by the unconventional, self-directed ways of a Montessori school. These types of schools were founded by Maria Montessori with the sole purpose of providing an innovative learning experience for young students instead of the traditional learning style that is highly regarded by most of the US population. A Montessori classroom setting includes integrated age groups, lengthened periods of time dedicated for discovery, and the absence of grades or tests.

In Montessori education, the term “normalization” has a specialized meaning. “Normal” does not refer to what is considered to be “typical” or “average” or even “usual”. “Normalization” does not refer to a process of being forced to conform. Instead, Maria Montessori used the terms “normal” and “normalization” to describe a unique process she observed in child development.

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 first purpose of education is opening a child’s eyes to the world around them. I believe in order for a child to be fully immersed in education, the parents, and the teachers, must be fully dedicated to make a lasting impact on a child. The parents need to start teaching the child at a young age and help the child strengthen their abilities throughout the years. This is similar to what a teacher needs to do. However, teachers have the tough, and wonderful, job of filling a child up with new information as well as strengthening their current abilities. Incidentally, the home environment a child grows up in and the classroom environment are vitally important for a child’s education. For instance, if a parent does not take on the role of a teacher in the early ages, the child will be behind the

In Montessori schooling, as well as in Waldorf schooling, the curriculum is very student-directed rather than teacher-directed like many public school classrooms. Referring back to the discussion about the classroom organization, the classroom is set up with materials that are inviting and easily accessible for the students to explore. This often allows for students to choose which materials they want to explore and learn from, opposed to having the teacher assign the materials students can use. The classroom design alone gives evidence that both curriculums are student-centered. Though both can be considered extremely student-centered, Waldorf schools become slightly more teacher-driven in older elementary grades, during the formal teachings of mathematics, science, history and social studies. With that being said, the formal teachings of these subjects aren’t introduced until later into school, and they are only occasionally taught in a teacher-centered way; these subjects are typically taught through stories,

The Montessori Method involved five key components that she believed every educator and adult should partake in in order to help the child develop. The five key components she believed in are respect for the child, the absorbent mind, sensitive periods, the prepared environment, and auto education (Davey,2016). Montessori believed that adults rarely truly respect children, they often take belief in discipline rather than expose them to choice, preparing them to become independent learners. instead of forcing right and wrong into the children and hands on approach should have been made, exceling the child into hands on learning promoting enthusiasm and curiosity driven learning. Becoming aware of what you show children is important because they absorb the information given by adults. A huge difference setting apart Montessori’s classroom settings are the physical organizations, meaning their environment should be aesthetically pleasing and only

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.