About Montessori Education
About Montessori Education
Montessori Education Montessori education was founded in 1907 by Dr. Maria Montessori, the first woman in Italy to become a physician. She based her educational methods on scientific observations of children’s learning processes. Difference between Montessori and traditional education: The Montessori method emphasizes learning through all five senses, not just through listening, watching or reading. Children in Montessori classes learn at their own individual pace and according to their own choice of activities from hundreds of possibilities. Learning is...
Montessori Education
Montessori education was founded in 1907 by Dr. Maria Montessori, the first woman in Italy to become a physician. She based her educational methods on scientific observations of children’s learning processes.
Difference between Montessori and traditional education:
The Montessori method emphasizes learning through all five senses, not just through listening, watching or reading. Children in Montessori classes learn at their own individual pace and according to their own choice of activities from hundreds of possibilities. Learning is an exciting process of discovery, leading to concentration, motivation, self-discipline and love of learning. Montessori represents an entirely different approach to education.
Children are grouped in mixed ages and abilities. Multiage flexible grouping allows each child to find his/her own pace without feeling “ahead” or “behind” in relation to peers. There is constant interaction, problem solving, child to child teaching and socialization. Children are challenged according to their ability and never bored.
Basics of Montessori Philosophy:
“Scientific observation then has established that education is not what the teacher gives, education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual and is acquired not by listening to the words, but by experiences upon the environment. The task of the teacher then becomes that of preparing a series of motives of cultural activities, spread over a specifically prepared environment and then refraining from obtrusive interference. Human teachers can only help the great work that is being done, as servants help the master. Doing so that they will be witnesses of the unfolding of the human soul and to the raising of the new man (person) who will not be victim of events, but will have the clarity of vision to direct and shape the future of human society.”
– Maria Montessori, Education for a New World
Montessori teacher:
The Montessori teacher must be certified and receives specialized training (200-600 pre-service contact hours that cover child development and the Montessori method). She/he must pass a written and oral exam on many lessons (math, language, the arts and sciences). The teacher must be able to recognize a child’s readiness according to age, ability and interest in a specific lesson, and is prepared to guide individual progress and exploration capitalizing on the child’s interest and excitement about a subject.
Assessment:
There are no grades. Assessment is by portfolio, teacher observation and record keeping. The teacher, through extensive observation and record-keeping, plans individual projects to enable each child to learn what he/she needs in order to improve.