About Montessori
Take a short Montessori "Method" Introduction:
The Montessori method is an educational method for children, based on theories of child development originated by Italian educator Dr. Maria Montessori in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is applied primarily in preschool and elementary school settings, though some Montessori high schools exist.
The method is characterized by an emphasis on self-directed activity on the part of the child and clinical observation on the part of the teacher (often called a "director", "directress", or "guide"). It stresses the importance of adapting the child's learning environment to his developmental level, and of the role of physical activity in absorbing academic concepts and practical skills.
Downlaod Montessori Methods PDF - Literature here.
Concepts
The Montessori philosophy is built upon the idea that children develop and think differently than adults; that they are not merely "adults in small bodies". Dr. Montessori advocated children's rights, children working to develop themselves into adults, and that these developments would lead to world peace.
 The Montessori method discourages traditional measurements of achievement (grades, tests) under the premise that it is damaging to the inner growth of children (and adults).
Feedback and qualitative analysis of a child's performance does exist but is usually provided in the form of a list of skills, activities and critical points, and sometimes a narrative of the child's achievements, strengths and weaknesses, with emphasis on the improvement of those weaknesses
Dr. Maria Montessori (1870 - 1952), believed that children develop successfully when they are offered freedom to choose their activities within a structured environment. They should also be provided with hands-on experiences and allowed to work until their needs are satisfied.
A unique teaching approach - for better results:
A unique element of the Montessori program which sets it apart from traditional teaching methods is the “decentralization of the teacher". Rather than being the center of attention in a classroom, the teacher's task is to observe and to intervene from the sidelines, essentially the 'keeper' of the environment, letting children get on with their activities, guiding and intervening only when necessary.
Premises
The premises of a Montessori approach to teaching and learning include the following:
- A view of children as competent beings capable of self-directed learning.
- That children learn in a distinctly different way from adults.
- The ultimate importance of observation of the child interacting with her or his environment as the basis for ongoing curriculum development.
- Presentation of subsequent exercises for skill development and information accumulation are based on the teacher's observation that the child has mastered the current exercise(s).
- Delineation of sensitive periods of development, during which a child's mind is particularly open to learning specific skills or knowledge, including language development, sensorial experimentation and refinement, and various levels of social interaction.
- A belief in the "absorbent mind", that children from birth to around age 6 possess limitless motivation to achieve competence within their environment and to perfect skills and understandings. This phenomenon is characterized by the young child's capacity for repetition of activities within sensitive period categories, such as exhaustive babbling as language practice leading to language competence.
- That children are masters of their environment, which has been specifically prepared for them to be academic, comfortable, and allow a maximum amount of independence. That children learn through discovery, so didactic materials that are self-correction are used as much as possible.
A Place of honor on the 1000- lira note:
Try to imagine a portrait of an "educator" on a offical bank note (or the US dollar bill) Unlikely?
Well, until the bland-looking euro replaced Italy's lyrical lira, Dr. Maria Montessori held the place of honor on the 1,000- lira note, the most common currency in the land of her birth. Born in 1870 in the small town of Chiaravalle, Montessori -- later known affectionately as La Dottoressa -- was an average grade-school student who took an interest in mathematics and engineering, attended a technical school, and eventually became the first woman in Italy to graduate from medical school.
Working as a psychiatrist with disabled and retarded children, she proved that with training and sensory stimulation, many of these children could pass tests designed for normal children. Expanding her techniques to all children, she developed what has become known as the Montessori method. In essence, it promotes the idea that children are not simply small adults, that they learn differently, and that the absorbent mind of a young child is infinitely capable of self-directed learning -- ideas central to today's schools, but revolutionary at the time. Montessori spread this gospel, that "the teacher must have a kind of faith that the child will reveal himself through work," in other European countries, the United States, and India.
Submenu
|
