THE HISTORY,
PHILOSOPHY & METHOD OF
DR. MARIA MONTESSORI
ABOUT DR. MARIA MONTESSORI
Dr. Montessori was a scientist and educator who experimented with the
developmental and educational needs of the very young child. The results
of her experimentation are widely used throughout the world and have been
scientifically reconfirmed.
Maria Montessori persisted first in acquiring her own education when,
against the wishes and advice of her family and friends, she entered medical
school. Her dedication was shown when, as Italy's first woman to ever
attend medical school, she was the only one that would show up in class
on snowy days. In spite of her professors' objections she became Italy's
first woman doctor.
After she began practicing medicine, she worked with children who had learning disabilities and found that she could raise their school entrance scores to
a level above that of the "average child". Due to her work,
a group of businessmen asked her to open a preschool daycare facility
in the middle of Rome's slums. This became the first "Children's
House". By observing the children, she discovered that they preferred
her prepared equipment to their own toys. Why? Through the years she found
the answer. The children preferred the real to the pretend. They were
in the process of "becoming" adults, and they enjoyed work.
As they worked with her specially designed materials, their attention
spans increased, and their knowledge increased. But these were the byproducts
of the development of the total child.
When World War II started, Maria Montessori was exiled from Italy. During
the war she spent most of her time in India, opening more "Children's
Houses" and developing her philosophy and materials.
Maria Montessori went on to thoroughly develop her methods through age
12. Recognizing that the child, by nature, requires a more abstract environment
as they mature, she also provided many insights into the child's educational
needs beyond age 12.
MONTESSORI PHILOSOPHY
Montessori education described in one word is "Independence".
Independence is the ability to take care of oneself without having to
rely on others. This does not mean that a child enrolled in Montessori
is allowed to roam wild and do whatever he or she pleases. This also does
not mean that there is no socialization with others. Because the basic
tool of survival is the mind, human beings must know how to think and
how to reason. This is the main goal of Montessori education: To develop
the child's capacity to reason and to rely on his or her own mind. When
an individual can do this, he or she has achieved self-confidence and
has built his or her self-esteem.
The Montessori method does not teach the child what to think, but how
to think. In the Montessori view, rational thinking is not severed from
reality nor restricted to solving immediate problems. "Reason is
man's faculty for understanding reality and for guiding his actions on
the basis of that understanding."* Therefore, the Montessori method
is structured so that the child develops an ordered mind, much like a
filing cabinet. Because the child discovers and verifies processes and
answers on his or her own rather than memorizing unconnected facts, the
child learns that his or her mind is competent and able to deal with the
world.
The independent individual, according to Montessori, is one who "through
his own efforts is able to perform the actions necessary for his own comfort
and development in life, conquers himself, and in so doing, multiplies
his abilities and perfects himself as an individual."
THE MONTESSORI METHOD
Maria Montessori watched the child. It was the child's development and
learning that dictated her choice of materials. She tested her materials,
keeping only those that held the child's attention and provided learning
experiences. She prepared and re-prepared the classroom environment until
she developed the basic materials used in Montessori schools today.
Of particular interest are her math materials. The logic, concreteness,
and absolute simplicity of these materials reveal Maria Montessori's genius.
(And indeed, she was discovered as a child to be a math genius). These
are the principles followed throughout the Montessori curriculum. Starting
in practical life, precision is emphasized - recognized as a math readiness
skill. The child is measuring as he pours water, and is estimating distance
with sweeping exercises. Then, in the early sensorial materials, he uses
TEN cubes to show size, TEN long rods for length, TEN cylinders for depth,
and so on. The child's mind is being prepared for the decimal system through
his eyes and movement. When the child reaches actual counting, he is already
familiar with TEN-ness. He then learns the four basic mathematical operations
through the use of concrete materials.
In the traditional approach to education, as the child begins his/her
elementary schooling, the child is given individual concrete's and abstractions
with no tie to a unifying principle. Because of this disconnectedness,
the child has a more difficult time understanding the concepts being presented.
In the Montessori elementary classroom, the child is first presented with
a universal view. Then information is broken down further and more and
more detail is provided. By integrating information at every stage with
a universal view, a context is provided to the child so that he can more
easily absorb each new lesson. For example, when a child studies the concept
of gravity, she can relate back to previous lessons studying the solar
system and the forces keeping the planets, moons and other bodies in their
orbits. This unifying concept can be found throughout the curriculum in
the Montessori classroom.
Three critical components of the Montessori educational method are:
1) The prepared environment: As alluded to above, the order of the classroom
arrangement and nature of materials used in the child's exploration should
accurately reflect the nature of the universe in which humans exist.
2) The prepared adult: The teacher serves as a link between the child
and the prepared environment. Lessons are presented in an order that first
exposes the individual to the whole of the universe with the purpose of
stimulating interest and questions, and then guides the child in his search
for answers. The teacher constantly observes the children, assessing where
they are in their individual development, and keeps records of their activities.
These records are a tool by which the teacher can monitor the progress
of the individual, and plan follow-up presentations to stimulate further
progress.
3) Freedom with responsibility: The child in the classroom is granted
freedom provided she demonstrates respect for people and the materials
within the school environment and takes responsibility for following class
rules. This structured freedom provides opportunities for the child to
experience self-directed activity, acquire knowledge first hand and experience
the inner joy resulting from the mastery of specific skills. This sense
of efficacy is what leads to self-esteem.
For the unique methods and materials used within the Montessori classroom
to be fully appreciated it is highly recommended that every parent request
additional information.
*"Answers To Common Questions About Montessori Education" by Berliner and Binswanger, THE OBJECTIVIST FORUM, June, 1984.