...Question: How is the child's exploration and orientation in his physical environment complimented by the Montessori materials and presentation? Dr. Maria Montessori, the revolutionary explorer in early childhood education in the 20th century discovered a world within the child. Her observations of the child, at Casa dei Bambini - the first Montessori Classroom - led her to discover the secrets of childhood. And the framework of Montessori Philosophy is based on three important discoveries; Tendencies, Absorbent Mind and Sensitive Periods. As Dr. Montessori said, the child has his own potential for life to develop. It is important for the adult to understand and allow the child build himself by his own experiences without the adult trying to fill their knowledge onto the child. Every child posses a pre-determined pattern of psychic unfold, which is not visible at birth but it is revealed when the child is exposed to the environment with freedom. When these two factors are provided, child’s psychic life will reach its potential and build his personality for his survival in the society. From birth and throughout the childhood, a child’s Absorbent Mind allows him to absorb impressions from his surrounding environment and directly store it into his psychic life. As an infant these impressions are absorbed unconsciously but gradually when the child has a conscious mind, he absorb impressions consciously and make language connections. There are blocks of time in early years...
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...Maria Montessori Julianne Perry ECE101: Introduction to Early Childhood Education Monica Kelly June 13, 2011 Thesis: Maria Montessori's way of learning is very unique; her theory was for children learn in a natural and parent-supported environment. Outline I. Education of Montessori 1. First woman to receive a Medical Degree in Italy A. Studied psychiatry, education and anthropology. B. Worked, wrote and spoke for children with special needs 2. Many schools use the Montessori Method to teach today A. Principles of the Montessori Method B. Planes of Development II. Learning Style 1. Independence A. Children work individually rather than in-group activities B. Children have more freedom and work at their own pace 2. Strong Parent Involvement A. Parents participate in their child's activities home away from school B. Parent education programs III. Schools Today 1. Teachers syllabus A. Independent projects for children and programs for parent involvement B. Children work on anything they want, at their own pace Montessori's teaching is different than traditional lessons because her lessons are more about parent involvement and individuality rather than group activity. This paper will show how Montessori inspires me and how my classroom would compare to hers. Maria Montessori is a very smart woman, in my opinion. By reading a time-line about her and learning more and more about her, I understand her...
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...obstacles placed by society seldom make history or do anything incredible during their lifetime. Women who fight the obstacles accomplish amazing things . Maria Montessori is a prime example of a woman who pushed through the obstacles that society placed on her and made a huge impact on education world wide. Why did Maria Montessori education method impact people worldwide? Her method contributed to the development of education. First, we have to understand who Maria Montessori was and how she improved the educational situation at that time. Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870 in Ancona, Italy. Her father worked as a civil servant throughout his life, and her mother who came from an academic family, was well educated for 19th-century European women. When Montessori was five years old, she and her family moved to Rome. Upon turning 12, Montessori decided she wanted to enroll in technical school for secondary education. Her father was not a fan of this decision because he felt that Women should be restricted to only learning certain subjects, but her mother didn’t mind the idea because she believed in letting her child explore her natural inclination to learn. Maria Montessori grew up in Italy during the time when strict rules dictating social customs and practices were prevalent. However, from a young age, Montessori was prepared to challenge the prevailing system. Against the wishes of her father and contrary to norms considered appropriate for women, she enrolled at the...
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...Maria Montessori the Leading Lady Brandi Sims ECED 218 Stacie Hensley January 27, 2014 Maria Montessori the Leading Lady Through the age of time Maria Montessori has become a prominent figure in the education. Maria was the first female physician in Italy around 1896. She made observations on how children learn and she came to realize that they build up what they learn from what they find in their environment. Maria eventually gave up her university chair and her medical practice just to follow her passion in working with children and this is when she founded the first Casa dei Bambini or “Children’s House.” Maria Montessori has characteristics that make her a great leader and sets her apart from others. (Pendleton, 2004) Maria had a strong moral foundation that provided her with the strength and persistence to continue so that she could find her purpose. (Kandi, 2009) Maria had five basic principles that she believed in. Maria first principle was respect for the children. This was held true because as a teacher the way to show respect to a child was to help them do things and learn for themselves. Maria’s second principle was to have an absorbent mind. To have an absorbent mind is to learn from the environment. Maria’s third principle was about sensitive periods. Sensitive periods are when a special sensibility that a creature acquires in its infantile state. The fourth principle is prepared environment. A prepared environment is a place in which children can do things...
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...“Dr Maria Montessori took this idea that the human has a mathematical mind from a French philosopher Pascal and developed a revolutionary math learning material for children as young as 3 years old. Her mathematical materials allow the children to begin their mathematical journey from a concrete concept to abstract idea”. With reference to the above statement please discuss how these children utilize their mathematical mind as part of their natural progression, to reason, to calculate and estimate with these Montessori mathematical materials in conjunction with their aims and presentations? The child doesn’t learn mathematics only through Montessori, but he learns it from the day he was born or even before that. It is a known fact that an embryo can hear its mother. When a mother says ‘the baby kicked me 4 times’, the baby can understand this in her womb. After the baby is born people often tell him what day he was born or how many siblings he has, etc. The child’s day-to-day life and environment is connected with math. The child is born into a mathematic world where he has to adapt to it. The child needs math to sort and group objects within their environment. When the child enters the Montessori environment, he can already count without knowing the real meaning of the numbers (rote-counting). He counts with understanding of numbers and gradually learns arithmetic’s, geometry and algebra in the Montessori classroom. ‘The Mathematical Mind’ refers to the unique tendencies...
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...Dr. Maria Montessori (1870 - 1952) developed her philosophy of education based upon actual observations of children. Children pass through sensitive periods of development early in life. Dr. Montessori described the child's mind between the time of birth and six years of age as the "absorbent mind". The Montessori method of teaching aims for the fullest possible development of the whole child, ultimately preparing him for life's many rich experiences. It is during this stage that a child has a tremendous ability to learn and assimilate from the world around him, without conscious effort. A Montessori teacher recognizes and takes advantage of these highly perceptive stages through the introduction of materials and activities which are specially designed to stimulate the intellect. Encouraged to focus her attention on one particular quality, the child works at her own optimum level. A spontaneous love of "work" is revealed as the child is given the freedom (within boundaries) to make her own choices. As well as, Montessori teachers are trained facilitators in the classroom, always ready to assist and direct. Their purpose is to stimulate the child's enthusiasm for learning and to guide it, without interfering with the child's natural desire to teach himself or herself and become independent. Each child works through his individual cycle of activities, and learns to truly understand according to his own unique needs and capabilities. Everything in a Montessori classroom has a specific...
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...Maria Montessori described the sensorial material as the key to the universe discuss this statement and give examples to support your discussion. Dr,Maria Montessori was dedicating herself to understanding how and why children learn. Montessori discovered that the child learns different from an adult, the child seeks an internal aim but the adult seeks external aim. Maria believed that the first years of the child is the most important one; the child is forming his personality and absorbing every thing from the environment. She called this period from 0-3 the unconscious mind. And the second period is called the conscious mind is the age from 3 - 6 years the child now is building his will and his memory. "The tiny child's absorbent mind finds all its nutriment in its surrounding especially at the beginning of life .we must there- fore, make the environment as interesting and attractive as we can." ( The Absorbent mind ). The child also needs freedom in order to develop. A prepared environment is a place that is created for a special purpose. In this to assist the full and natural development of children between ages of 3-6. The prepared environment should contain everything that is necessary to enable the child 3-6 to develop fully. To achieve this it must also make it possible for the child to function independently, to explore and discover for himself. It should also be attractive so that invites the child and every thing should be accessible to reach. Dr Maria...
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...MONTESSORI REPORT "The greatest sign of success for a teacher….is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist."" (Montessori, 1974) There are so many greatest educators in the world and Dr. Maria Montessori is the highest peak in among them. Dr. Montessori is a controversial figure in education. But there is no doubt that her method changed the course of education. During her lifetime, she wants to change the adult belief on children and their education. She strong believed each adult must develop his or her abilities to observe children deeply so that adult can found the inner beauty each child possesses. "Just who was this woman who began an educational revolution that changed the way we think about children more than anyone before or since?" (Retrieved from http://www.montessori.edu/maria.html) Dr. Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy. She was the only child of Alessandro and Renilde Stoppani. The Montessori family moved to Florence in 1873 and then to Rome in 1875 because of her father's work. In 1876, Dr. Montessori entered a public elementary school at the age of six. In 1883, at the age of thirteen, against the wishes of her father but with the support of her mother, she began to attend a boy's technical school. She did not want to be a teacher although the teaching profession was one of the few that young ladies were encouraged to take park in at the time. In 1886, she graduated from the technical school...
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...Maria Montessori Shedell L. Satcher January 8, 2012 Introduction to Early Childhood Education Jessica DeBiase While working and studying to become an early childhood professional the name of Maria Montessori has came up often. Maria Montessori was a legendary icon she was advocate for education and peace. “She believed that learning was a total life experience for all children and that children of every land and culture developed in fundamentally the same way” (O’Connor,). My personal thoughts on education have been influenced by Maria’s concepts, beliefs, and theories about education. Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy. At thirteen years old Maria began her college years at an all-boys technical school. It took a couple of years for Maria to decide on what she wanted to do with her life but by the time she graduated in 1890. Maria wanted to become a doctor and during this time women were not permitted into medical school. But she was confident and optimistic that change would occur and Maria became the first female in Italy to receive a medical degree. Maria worked in the areas of psychiatry, education, and anthropology. The Montessori Method is an innovative teaching approach for children that left a permanent mark on education curriculum throughout the world. Montessori defined four stages of development. She identified that within these stages of development it is intense at the beginning, consolidates and then tapers to the...
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...Montessori: Evolving Toward a Public Secondary School in the 21st Century Nadia Bryden November 7, 2012 Abstract The educational community has long been familiar with the Montessori method for its international ability to remediate or engage children who are, for any number of reasons, not suited to traditional public schooling. This paper examines the basis of the need for alternative schooling, outlines the development and evolution of the Montessori method and philosophy, and validates the methodology in research, providing a side-by-side comparison for examination of relative strengths and weaknesses of the program. For 21st century school reformists seeking alternative methods of education or an individualized, child-centered curriculum, Montessori presents itself as an adaptive, hands-on, future-friendly option for the democratic community as it evolves toward offering a full preschool to secondary public program. Keywords: Montessori, constructivism, independence, Dewey, progressive, alternative education Montessori: Evolving Toward a Public Secondary School in the 21st Century Since the time of early philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle and Plato, to whom we can trace the traditional subjects of the common core curriculum, there have been heated political and social debates surrounding the field of education. Rather than being discouraged by their recurrent nature, academic planners and developers must examine these questions anew to refresh our views...
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...REFLECTIONS ON MONTESSORI CURRICULUM AND TEACHING by Shiela May N. Barrientos Today’s parents are increasingly becoming interested in educational methodologies and gradually and increasingly believing in the importance of early childhood education. It is increasingly more acknowledged that the first five to six years of life are really crucial to the child’s development. The brain cells are multiplying at a very high speed specifically during the first three years of life. During this early phase of life, the child is moving towards gaining more and more control over both his physical skills as well as his social interaction with the surrounding environment.(Darroch, 1907) Consequently more non-traditional educational institutions have been emerging in response to the parents’ requests and needs. Three of the very best approaches specifically have arisen in Europe in the past century, which are the Waldorf approach, the ReggioEmilia approach and the Montessori approach. All three approaches were an absolute inspiration in the process of educational reform, and two of them, the Reggio Emilia approach and the Montessori approach arose from Italy. (Goffin, 2000) I attempt to understand more about the Montessori approach and compare it occasionally to the other two approaches. Maria Montessori (1870-1952), the founder of the Montessori approach, was the first female physician in Italy and after working in an asylum for the insane as it was called at that time, she was intrigued...
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...| Your Selected approach: Montessori | Reggio Emilia Approach | Identify how each component is similar or different between the two approaches. | Teacher’s Role in Supporting | 1. Cognitive Development | 1. Here teacher helps children in thinking logically, comparing, contrasting and matching patterns. Teacher takes care of phonological development and language acquisition of child by involving them in singing, reading, talking and playing with the sound of words. 2. Teacher keeps educational materials around the children to invoke their sensory organs and generate curiosity in them. And this curiosity takes them toward their cognitive development. 3. Pupils are kept engaged in puzzles and play. Puzzles develop problem solving skill in children. They also learn sequence and organization. While solving puzzles children come up with questions as how it can be organized further? This way they construct knowledge and lead toward cognitive development. 4. Some senior Montessori teachers are also expected to design their own material to educate and help children in their cognitive development. | 1. Here teacher helps children to recognize concepts, thoughts and theories to generate new meaning. 2. Teacher gives many opportunities to child for exploration and cognitive development such as presentation of concepts in variety of ways like art, music, shadow play. 3. In Reggio Emilia model teacher keeps open ended material around children. Things which can be...
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...Psychology of Learning Working with institutionalized and inner-city youngsters, Dr. Maria Montessori was struck by how avidly the children absorbed knowledge from their surroundings. Given developmentally appropriate materials and the freedom to follow their interests, they joyfully taught themselves. Dr. Montessori observed the following, 1 "When the teachers were weary of my observations, they began to allow the children to do whatever they pleased. I saw children with their feet on the tables, or with their fingers in their noses, and no intervention was made to correct them. I saw others push their companions, and I saw dawn in the faces of these an expression of violence; and not the slightest attention on the part of the teacher. Then I had to intervene to show with what absolute rigor it is necessary to hinder, and little by little suppress, all those things which we must not do, so that the child may come to discern clearly between good and evil. " 2" A room in which all the children move about usefully, intelligently, and voluntarily, without committing any rough or rude act, would seem to me a classroom very well disciplined indeed." A disciplined classroom fosters a richer learning environment. The goal of Montessori education is to foster a child's natural inclination to learn. Montessori teachers guide rather than instruct, linking each student with activities that meet his interests, needs, and developmental level. The classroom is designed to allow movement...
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...Montessori Early Childhood Language: Life-Long Literacy by Dr. Ann Epstein The development of language in early-childhood classrooms is an umbrella for the entire Montessori curriculum. Often teachers and parents consider activities on the shelves of the Language area as the heart of actual language learning. Certainly these activities provide powerful opportunities, but language learning occurs most profoundly in the moment-to-moment life of interactions within the classroom. Twenty years ago, working as a speech pathologist, I discovered the wonder of language development in young children. Although I detoured away from speech and language pathology into Montessori early-childhood education, I maintained my awe of how children learn to listen and speak and, later, to write and read. I have had the opportunity to share my language interests as a teacher educator with several Montessori teacher-education programs. During the last four years, I have continued my learning in a slightly different context. As a supervisor for the University of Maryland's undergraduate early-childhood special-education program, I have worked with teachers, students, and children in both inclusive and segregated special education settings, often working with children with language delays. In this article, I will suggest a foundation for the development of language skills, review key Montessori language materials and activities, and present suggestions for expanding language practices in Montessori...
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...How imagination being develops in Montessori Environment Maybe the most definite difference between traditional early childhood program and Montessori classroom is the absence of fantasy character in Montessori prepared environment. We have seen many facts that prove how fantasy dangerous for our kids mind. My brother had a terrified experience when he still 5 years old. He jumped in to a garbage pit that full of fires while wearing batman costumes. He saw at television as a batman, nothing can harm him. The most extreme things maybe what was happen in Britain, where Zach Avery (4 years old) and Coy Mathis (7 years old) that really ‘inspired’ with character of Dora the Explorer in television. Even they were born as male, but as toddler they choose items traditionally associated with Dora that grew his hair, wore lots of pink, like tutus and swimsuits featuring the cartoon character Dora the Explorer. Even though few doctor diagnosed them with Gender Identity Disorder, but it’s still in controversy As parents and teacher, we must aware of this. Because young children are naïve- they believe all that they are told. The world is a new and wonderful place for young children, and one marked by ability to absorbed seemingly endless amounts of information from the environment around him or her. Fantasy characters are not only unnecessary, they also quite damaging. Because children believe what they are told, and because they lack the experience to it information within accurate beliefs...
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