A Close Examination of The Montessori Curriculum

Montessori Life, Summer 2004 by Loeffler, Margaret

We all have heard the perennial question, "What exactly is Montessori, anyway?"

In answering, we must describe meticulously this complex mix of thought and practice that we know as Montessori education. Is it a philosophy? Is it a set of unique learning materials? Is it a way of observing? Is it a curriculum? Is it none of the above or all of the above?

Thoughtful Montessorians have been asking these questions of themselves for nearly 100 years and will probably continue to ponder them for the next 100. Like any insights that have been passed along to others through lectures and writing, the meanings we now derive from Montessori 's thoughts may not be exactly what was intended. The environment that has produced us is not the same one in which Montessori lived in the early 1900s. The contexts of our daily thinking and understanding are different, as are those of the children we teach.

If we start our quest for understanding with the child, our primary interest, we can examine the universal characteristics that Montessori described in The Absorbent Mind (1949/1995) as being the underlying foundation of the child's personality. Can we find these same characteristics-the ability to concentrate, an interest and pleasure in meaningful work, self-discipline, and sociability (the desire to be a contributing member of a community)-still present in the children of 2004? I believe that we can.

As an anthropologist, I've learned, like Montessori, to take the long view of human development. I feel confident that there is a universal human child behind the persona of the contemporary version we find in our classrooms. Even though the modern version may be computer savvy and information laden, the basic model is in there somewhere, and the search for that uni versai is what I believe Montessori is all about.

Montessori's concept of normalization is based on this belief, and the classroom environment provides a setting that is conducive to optimal developmentand growth. It is important to understand that normalization-the development and integration of the four characteristics-is not a one-time occurrence but happens anew at each stage of a child's development. In the adolescent years, Montessori provides a new term for this process, valorization, but it, too, is a continuation of this same integration similar to that at earlier stages.

And it is in supporting this process at each new stage that the curriculum and environment play such vital roles. The curriculum must be a skillful blend of content that is appropriate to meet the goals of the society of which the child is a part, presented in ways that support the continuing development of the four characteristics of the child's personality.

Children in different cultures master different competencies, determined by the goals and needs of their societies (Konner, 1982), but they can't master everything, and they don't. The competencies required for a sophisticated, literate culture such as our own mean that children focus on a subset of skills and neglect others. For instance, a seafaring culture such as the South Sea groups that Margaret Mead (1975) wrote about will require skills in navigation and skilled tool use at much younger ages than we might think possible. Yet they may not have a written language system, so their focus is very different.

In our own society, we will be concerned with competencies unique to our own requirements. For instance, the elementary math curriculum should be designed to achieve the required goals of the school district (even those not embodied in the traditional Montessori materials) while at the same time encouraging and monitoring the continuing development of the four characteristics.

The classroom setup can assist and enhance the student's habits of work and cooperation, and these should be coupled with materials that support the child's growing understanding of math concepts and goals. This combination creates a learning environment of possibilities that supports both intellectual and emotional development.

Think of the curriculum as having two important components, one the enhancement of content knowledge and understanding, the second, the enhancement of emotional and social development. These two threads must be carefully intertwined at each age level for optimal growth to take place.

One of the main challenges for Montessori educators is achieving a balance between these two threads that allows both cognitive and social development to occur. There is constant pressure by school districts, parents, and by teachers, themselves, toward a major focus on academic achievement. Montessori students will succeed academically if the child's developing psyche is also supported and nurtured. In fact, the chance of students being successful academically is closely tied to their emotional and social well-being.

So how is this balance between academic and social/emotional development to be achieved? Primarily through an understanding by adults of the various elements involved in both threads at a particular age level. Adults must be knowledgeable about all aspects of children's development at each age and stage. What are the primary motivations at this age level? How can these be tapped in the service of the academic curriculum?