Maria Montessori
The child, the adult and a prepared environment
The Montessori Method includes three intrinsic components: the children, the adults and a thoroughly prepared learning environment.
The child is always in the centre of the Montessori approach. Every child comes into the world with an exceptional desire to learn, and as adults it is our job to offer them the kind of environment and tools that will allow them to nourish that desire. Every parent knows that a child’s curiosity is limitless. Children have a constant desire to explore; they keep discovering new things with great interest, and keep asking new questions. It is our duty to respect them, to look at them as unique beings and keep reinforcing their curiosity.
In the Montessori environment, every child is considered a one-of-a-kind individual. During the learning process we always consider their personal development on a physical, emotional, social, intellectual and spiritual level.
Adults – who are educators before they are teachers – know that children have a boundless creative potential and are able to learn a lot by themselves if they’re in an adequately prepared environment.
The role of the adult in a Montessori environment is very different from that of the teacher in a traditional school environment. Maria Montessori herself prioritised the child, giving the adult the role of a careful observer. Based on their observations, adults will prepare a suitable environment that’s adapted to each child’s level of development.
V okolju montessori nič ni naključno. Prostor je zelo skladen in prijeten, materiali so izbrani s točno določenim namenom in so otroku vedno dosegljivi. V tako pripravljenem prostoru otroci delajo z večjo zbranostjo in notranjim nadzorom.
In a Montessori environment nothing is accidental. The working space is harmonious and pleasant, the materials are selected with a specific purpose and are always accessible. In an adequately prepared environment, children work with greater concentration and self-control.
The adults lead by example, representing a source of knowledge and prompting the interaction between the child and the learning material. But this link can also be established by an older child, as the groups are mixed. Older children and children with more experience help younger children, who in turn learn from more experienced peers. This way, children learn to collaborate, to be patient and to respect differences. Another advantage of mixed groups is that individual differences among children tend not to stand out as much as they would in a group of children of the same age. For their development, children need suitable and thoroughly prepared learning tools, i. e. development materials. Maria Montessori gave a lot of thought to these learning materials, constantly improving and upgrading them. For the first two triennia of primary school she created materials for mathematics, languages, geography, history, biology, music, and what she referred to as cosmic education. These materials stimulate children to actively engage with the learning programme, reinforcing their comprehensive learning experience through all their senses. Children work with their hands, as Montessori herself believed that a child’s hands are the tools of their intelligence. These materials are designed to give children their autonomy and control over their work, thus encouraging them to take responsibility for their work and to acknowledge their mistakes. Children work at their own pace and don’t get interrupted while they’re working with their materials. The teacher’s job is to prepare a suitable environment with suitable materials for the children, and to observe them while they’re learning, supporting and guiding them if necessary.
Absorbent mind and sensitive periods
The Montessori Method is based on the fact that a child’s first six years of age are the most important period for their development. This is the period when a child is gifted with what is referred to as the absorbent mind, which gives them an exceptional ability to absorb impressions from the surrounding environment. These impressions, experiences and knowledge stick with the child forever.
Pedagogika poudarja tudi, da gre otrok v tem času skozi t.i. občutljiva obdobja, med temi obdobji je otrok še posebej dovzeten in si na vso moč prizadeva, da bi si pridobili določeno spretnost. Pomembno je, da ta obdobja prepoznamo, saj so zelo pomembna za otrokov nadaljnji razvoj. Maria Montessori navaja šest občutljivih obdobij, ki se lahko med seboj prekrivajo: občutljivo obdobje za jezik, izpopolnitev čutil, red, gibanje, občutljivost za majhne predmete in socialno vedenje. Ko občutljivo obdobje mine, mora otrok za osvojitev določene spretnosti vložiti veliko več truda.
Help me do it by myself
Children have a natural tendency to completely focus on the activities that they enjoy. In this kind of environment they choose their own tasks, taking all the time they need. They follow their own pace, and they want to work independently.
The common thread of the Montessori education is, “Help me do it by myself. Show me how it’s done, but don’t do it for me. I can and I want to do it myself. Be patient so that I can figure it out myself.”
Children turn to us so that we teach them to become independent individuals who will be worthy of our respect. Only once they’re able to do something by themselves will they understand and fully absorb what they’ve been observing and experiencing.
The aim is to prepare children for life
Maria Montessori was a great pioneer in the field of education. She considered the Montessori approach as education for life. The passion for life-ling learning and the skills that children acquire in a Montessori environment, apart from curricular knowledge, are very important for life in this fast- changing world.
