Most of young mamas or mothers to be, have heard at least once about Montessori. Most of us have heard that it’s a different type of education vs traditional one.
In this post, I will answer your frequently asked questions:
- What is Montessori?
- Difference between traditional education vs Montessori education.
- Which are the principles of Montessori philosophy? How these principles can be applied to your child regardless of whether or not a child will be going to a Montessori school.
The idea of Montessori education was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, one of the first female doctors in Italy in the late 1800s. She developed a strong interest in the needs of children experiencing learning difficulties, those often diagnosed with mental and physical disabilities, and over time she shifted her focus from medicine to education. More about Maria’s Montessori biography I wrote here.
In traditional education, the teacher generally stands at the front of the classroom, decides what the children need to learn, and teaches the children what they need to know. A top-down approach. The teacher decides that everyone is ready to learn, for example, the letter “A”, on the same day.
Unlikely the top-down approach of traditional education, in the Montessori approach there is a dynamic relationship between the child, the adult, the learning environment. The child is at the top in charge of their own learning and supported by the adult and the environment.
Unlike the top-down approach of the traditional education, in the Montessori approach there is a dynamic relationship between the child, the adult, and the learning environment. The child is at the TOP in charge of their own earing and supported by the adult and the environment.
In the diagram of Montessori education, notice the arrows are pointing in both directions. The environment and child interact with each other – the environment attracts the child and the child learns from the materials in the environment, the adult and environment are also affecting each other – the adult prepares the environment, observes, and makes adjustments where necessary to meet the needs of the child. Similarly, the adult and child have a dynamic relationship – the child and adult have mutual respect for each other. The adult will observe the child and step in to give only as much assistance as necessary before stepping out of the way for the child to continue their self-mastery.
More about a Montessori classroom you can read here.
These same principals do not just apply in the classroom. We can also apply them in our home from birth, even in outer. It’s the way we are with our children – we support them to make discoveries for themselves, we give them the freedom and limits, and we enable success by setting up our homes so they can take part in our daily life.
Some Montessori Principals
- Prepared environment
A prepared environment could be any space that we set up, for example, a classroom, our home, a holiday rental, an outside space.
The environment is:
- Set up activities are just the right level for them – challenging to master, but not too difficult so they will give up.
- Space must be simple and beautiful – without any clutter, well-chosen activities are all complete and not missing any parts so they can work on it independently.
- Suppliers and materials are carefully chosen – hand mitts at the ready to wipe up spills, a supply of art materials so they can practice and repeat, child-sized supplements like spreaders for making crackers, and small glasses for drinking.
- The purpose of this preparation is to allow the children freedom to explore and learn and make things as attractive to them as possible.
David working with Planet cards. Classifying planets with its name and place in the space.
- Natural desire to learn
Some people might think it must be chaos in the classroom with all children doing different things. Or that children wouldn’t do anything if there was not someone standing at the front of the classroom telling them what to do.
Instead, we feel that when we set up an engaging environment with those activities that they are working to master, child have an intrinsic motivation to learn. As a baby, they learned to grasp for an object, they learned to stand by trying again and again and again, and they mastered walking by themselves, within a supportive environment. The same will apply for learning to talk, learning to read and write, learning mathematics, and learning about the world around them.
The discoveries they make for themselves by using the carefully prepared materials in and without effort needed to be directed to explore the environment.
In the Montessori classroom, there are also mixed ages so younger children can learn from observing older children can consolidate their learning by helping the younger ones.
- Hands-on concrete learning
The materials in a Montessori classroom are so beautifully prepared and attractive that child is drawn to them to make discoveries for themselves, with their hands.
The hand can take in so much information in concrete way to pass on the brain. It is one thing to hear on watch something, but we learn on a deeper level when we integrate it with our hands. We move from passively learning to actively learning.
- Sensitive periods
A sensitive period is a period of time in which a child shows a particular interest in one area. For example, a sensitive period for movement, for language, for math, or for reading.
It is not that the child is feeling particularly sensitive, in the sense of vulnerable or fragile. Instead, it is a period when learning a certain skill or concept happens with ease and without effort.
We can use these sensitive periods to improve appropriate activities for our child. We watch our children to see what they are interested in.
- Unconscious Absorbent Mind
The toddler in in the 0-6 group, where the child picks things up with what Dr. Montessori referred to us an Absorbent Mind, effortlessly like a sponge. From 0-3, they do this completely unconsciously.
- Freedom and limits
In Montessori, we give them freedom within limits.
In the Montessori school, the children have the freedom to choose what they would like to work on (as long as it is available). The children have the freedom to rest or observe another child (as long as they are not disturbing another child). And they have the freedom to move around the classroom (as long as they respect the people around them and walk inside). Within the limits, we follow the child and trust they will develop on their own unique timeline.
At home, we can give them freedom what they want to wear (as long as it is perhaps appropriate clothing for the season). We can give them the freedom to make their own snack (as long as they sit down to eat). And they have the freedom to express themselves (as long as they do not hurt others or objects in the home).
- Independence and reasonability
In Montessori, children learn to became remarkably independent. “Help me to do it myself”.
We don’t do this so that children grow up as fast as possible. Let children be children.
We do it because children LOVE to do it. They want to be able to do more, to contribute, to be art of the family-classroom-society. The satisfaction we see on their face when they pull on their own shoe, put something back where it belongs. Or help a friend. The peace that washes over them when they can do it for themselves.
Even more important is the child learning responsibility. From independence they learn how to be responsible for caring for themselves, others, and the environment.
The child learns how to handle fragile things with care. They learn how to offer help to a friend. They learn how to care of their belongings, putting dirty clothes in the laundry, or putting away their toys on the shelf. They learn how to make it up to someone they have hurt. They lean how to look after the plants, the classroom, and the environment around them.
- Individual development
Traditional schools expect children to develop at the same time in the same areas. Yet some children start speaking more quickly, others start walking earlier than others, and each child is on their own unique developmental timeline.
Not only does Montessori respect each child’s unique timeline. We also respect that each child has different energy levels and is able to focus at different moments. Children have different modalities for learning – visual, aural, tactile, or a combination of these.
Montessori respects how different children learn and supports their individual development.
- Respect
A true Montessori teacher will have such respect for the child that they will treat them the same way they would an adult. We can see this in the way they speak to them, the way they ask permissions and the way they do not need to mold the child but allow them to develop in their own way. This doesn’t mean that the adult is not in charge. They will set limit when needed. Not passive. Not aggressive. But in a respectfully assertive way.
More about Montessori’s definitions and clarification find in my previous post here.
