Montessori Method

Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence, Apr 06, 2001

Education in a Montessori classroom is "self-activated": each child takes the initiative in choosing from a range of available materials and activities in a carefully prepared classroom environment. The teacher has a much less intrusive role than in a conventional classroom, basically acting as an observer who allows the children to learn on their own with the aid of the prepared materials and provides help only when it is needed. This educational framework fosters the development of self-discipline, confidence, competence, and problem-solving skills.

A Montessori classroom is readily distinguishable from a conventional one. Instead of rows of desks, children work individually, or in groups at several tables or on the floor. At the elementary level, three age levels mingle in a single classroom, allowing younger children to learn by observing older ones. Children ages 6 to 9 are in one classroom, and ages 9 through 12 in another. Activities center around a series of learning games, which progress in complexity, moving from the concrete to the abstract. These games utilize cardboard, wooden, cloth, and metal materials designed to teach children about such concepts as size, shape, weight, texture, color, and sound. They are designed to automatically provide children with feedback that allows them to correct their own errors. Although livelier than an ordinary classroom, the Montessori environment is an orderly and industrious one, with children totally absorbed in their tasks, at which they can work uninterrupted for hours at a time if they choose. Montessori believed that interruptions, even for such worthwhile activities as gym or music, do not allow children to achieve their full learning potential, so her teaching method calls for two uninterrupted three-hour periods every day in which the children pursue their educational activities, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In addition to the prepared educational materials, the typical Montessori classroom at the elementary level also includes items such as dishes, kitchen utensils, and plants, which aid in the development of gross and fine motor abilities by making everyday domestic activities part of the educational setting. Motor, sensory, and intellectual activities are integrated in the Montessori curriculum, so that, for example, reading begins on the sensory and motor levels with sandpaper letters and movable alphabets. Computers have been introduced into Montessori classrooms, although they are used primarily by older children because it is feared that heavy computer use by young children would use up valuable time needed for more basic pursuits, such as manipulating objects and writing, that are crucial to the types of learning they need to do.

The role of the teacher in a Montessori classroom is very different from that of conventional teachers, who lead an entire class in a single activity for which they issue directions and allot a specific amount of time. Allowing students to work at their own pace, either singly or in groups, Montessori teachers are both observers and facilitators. They do not force unwanted assistance on their students, instead giving them the opportunity to make discoveries on their own and being available to help them when they get stuck and need further guidance. They keep track of each student's progress through careful observation and detailed record-keeping to help advise them in ways that ensure the best possible use of the teaching materials provided. Due to the self-motivating nature of the Montessori curriculum , they do not need to rely on the system of reward and punishment that characterizes most formalized instruction. They also do not have to devote large amounts of energy to discipline, for the Montessori system fosters a spirit of cooperation and self-discipline. Children learn self-control at the primary level, ages three to six, and, at the elementary level, are able to apply it to group work as well. To qualify as Montessori teachers, instructors take a training course devised by Maria Montessori, usually administered as a nine-month graduate program following the acquisition of a degree in education. They must learn about all the different levels of development, not just the one pertaining to the level they want to teach. All major subject areas are covered, and trainees are familiarized with the classroom teaching materials. At the end of the program they must pass both oral and written examinations.