The Montessori Method
Dr. Maria Montessori (born 1870) was a most remarkable woman of her time.
She was the first female doctor of medicine in Italy, and through her interest in
paediatrics, psychiatry and educational theory, she proposed her own
philosophy of child development. This forms the basis for a most successful
and enduring method of teaching now known as the Montessori Method. Some
of her main points are outlined below:
* All children have 'absorbent minds'
They have a phenomenal inborn ability to learn with ease, especially from birth
to the age of 6 years, but to reach their full potential their environment must be
rich with learning opportunities. On entering the Montessori classroom, your
child will instantly be able to choose from a great range of activities appropriate
to his stage of development.
* Children have an inborn drive to learn
Hence the barrage of how and why questions. In the Montessori classroom the
teacher does not impose learning on your child but harnesses this desire to
learn, guiding your child within a carefully structured environment designed to
help him reach his full potential.
* Children learn through being active
Few young children are good at sitting and listening. They learn in an active,
concrete way. Most activities are self-correcting, so after being shown once,
your child learns through exploring and experimenting with this unique
material. From their earliest days in school, children are introduced in a fun and
practical way to a far-reaching curriculum including numeracy, literacy,
science, history, geography, music, art, games and dance, languages and social
skills.
* Children pass through 'sensitive periods'
These are phases in a child's life when he becomes particularly interested in
certain skills, and learning is therefore especially fast and acute. An obvious
example is the sensitive period for language development from birth to 4 years.
In the classroom your child is given the freedom to choose his activities and
therefore can focus on his particular interests until he moves on to his next
sensitive period.
Aims
To understand how the Montessori philosophy translates into a method of
education, let us look at the most important of Maria Montessori's aims - to
assist the development of the whole child, with equal emphasis being given to
his emotional, social, physical and intellectual development:
* To facilitate the development of your child's unique personality
This is achieved through providing a secure, calm, ordered environment with
a happy family atmosphere where your child's rights and individuality are
respected. Learning is not imposed; rather your child is guided within a
carefully structured environment rich with learning opportunities.
· To encourage your child to become a balanced, independent
member of society
The Montessori materials and the structure of the day help your child to
develop independence, confidence, self-control and respect for his
environment and others. Multi-cultural issues are an important feature of the
curriculum.
* To encourage your child to become physically competent
Your child learns primarily through 'doing'. The early materials in particular
encourage your child to become dextrous, develop hand/eye coordination and
concentration. Other activities refine gross motor skills such as PE, dance and
our popular excursions to the adjacent common.
* To help your child to reach his full intellectual potential.
Through the use of the Montessori materials, your child will quickly become
an independent learner and will therefore be able to develop at his own pace
following his inborn motivation. The huge scope and versatility of the
materials provides equally for the child with special needs, the less able and
the very able child. They are designed to encourage your child to explore,
experiment and develop his creativity. Even the earliest activities start your
child on his path to literacy and numeracy. The cultural and aesthetic subjects
are also important, providing both breadth and depth to his learning.
By the end of his stay with us we hope that your child will be able to go out
into the world with happiness and confidence, ready to extend himself to the
full and equipped with a love of learning and the necessary skills to enable
him to reach his potential in life.
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