Montessori Educational Philosophy
After graduating from medical school, Maria Montessori began working at a psychiatric centre for physically and mentally disabled children. At that time, 1896, such children were disregarded and had no education. She began working with them, finding ways to help them to learn. The children's huge successes led her to question conventional methods of education for all children.
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Her observations and findings on how humans learn and develop became the basis of her teaching philosophy and Montessori opened her first school in 1907, the 'Case Dei Bambini, which catered for children who lived in the slums of Rome. There she began observing the children and developing and creating a range of equipment in order to aid their learning. This equipment was refined over time and is the same equipment that you see in Montessori classrooms all over the world today.
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Although considered revolutionary at the time, subsequent findings in developmental psychology and neuroscience have confirmed Montessori's findings. Montessori's educational approach assists brain development, not just by providing it with knowledge, but in helping to manage knowledge and actions effectively. Neuroscientists now understand the function of the Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC) in the human brain as controlling what is done, and when. A well-developed PFC allows an individual to concentrate, plan, predict, monitor, adjust and persist. These vital skills and abilities are now often referred to as ‘Executive Functions’.
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The Montessori Classroom
Based on her extensive research and her own findings Montessori understood that a new type of learning environment was needed. Montessori recognised the importance of a prepared environment where children are able to access everything themselves, a beautiful, harmonious environment based on nature and full of exciting and interesting learning experiences. This environment should promote freedom of choice and movement, it was, as Montessori described it, a ‘Children’s House’. There are quiet places to read, areas to learn and work with friends, a teacher or alone, places to create, to eat and relax both indoors and outdoors. Each curriculum area has its own, specialised Montessori teaching materials, which are child-sized and functional. All subjects are learnt through discovery and exploration with concrete experiences.
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Montessori believed in a strong connection to nature being vital to a child's learning, hence the balance of indoor and outdoor learning.
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"There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all the life to be found around them, in a real forest. Something emanates from those trees which speaks to the soul, something no book, no museum is capable of giving."
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Montessori Teachers
“The teacher has two tasks: to lead the children to concentration and to help them in their development afterwards.”
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As well as learning the purpose and how to present the Montessori equipment the teacher's training involves modules on child development, observation, child health and safety, educational theories, contemporary issues and diversity in education and the full Montessori curriculum. The teacher's role is to present various aspects of the curriculum to the child on an individual basis, as a class or in small groups, to assist the child in their learning and provide as much information and resources as the child needs. Teachers keep records and observations of each child's progress in order to provide further learning opportunities that can be tailored to their specific interest or current learning stage.
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Ultimately Montessori saw that the future of humanity lay in the hands of children and if you could provide an environment where those children could be fully fulfilled, developing into capable, confident learners, armed with knowledge, understanding, compassion and kindness for each other and every other living thing, then that could pave the way for a more peaceful way of living on our planet.
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