The Montessori Method of education, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, is a chil

Question

The Montessori Method of education, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood. Dr. Montessori’s Method has been time tested, with over 100 years of success in diverse cultures throughout the world.
It is a view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the whole child—physical, social, emotional, cognitive.
Components necessary for a program to be considered authentically Montessori include multiage groupings that foster peer learning, uninterrupted blocks of work time, and guided choice of work activity. In addition, a full complement of specially designed Montessori learning materials are meticulously arranged and available for use in an aesthetically pleasing environment.
The teacher, child, and environment create a learning triangle. The classroom is prepared by the teacher to encourage independence, freedom within limits, and a sense of order. The child, through individual choice, makes use of what the environment offers to develop himself, interacting with the teacher when support and/or guidance is needed.
Multiage groupings are a hallmark of the Montessori Method: younger children learn from older children; older children reinforce their learning by teaching concepts they have already mastered. This arrangement also mirrors the real world, where individuals work and socialize with people of all ages and dispositions.
Dr. Montessori observed that children experience sensitive periods, or windows of opportunity, as they grow. As their students develop, Montessori teachers match appropriate lessons and materials to these sensitive periods when learning is most naturally absorbed and internalized.
In early childhood, Montessori students learn through sensory-motor activities, working with materials that develop their cognitive powers through direct experience: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, and movement.
In the elementary years, the child continues to organize his thinking through work with the Montessori learning materials and an interdisciplinary curriculum as he passes from the concrete to the abstract. He begins the application of his knowledge to real-world experiences.
This organization of information—facts and figures—prepares the child for the world of adolescence, when thought and emotion evolve into understanding more abstract, universal concepts such as equity, freedom, and justice.
Maria Montessori was a respected expert on child development. Her ideas and practices emphasized that every child goes through a unique development process and is a unique individual that can learn in line with his or her capacity. It was Montessori's belief that knowledge requires more than simple memorization of educational material. Montessori insisted that knowledge should be made specific enough so that any child of any age can understand. She developed a method and series of materials that can be integrated into the classroom setting.

Montessori curriculum is different from traditional classroom curriculum that focuses on children learning the same thing, at the same time, in the same way. Montessori curriculum emphasizes learning as a process that cannot be determined by a child's age. Instead, learning is a process that is determined by the rate and speed at which a child can acquire one skill before moving on to another skill. This is why it is not uncommon to see mixed-age groupings in Montessori classrooms, where a 2-year old may be in the same classroom setting as a 4-year old, based on developmental ability.

ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS BELOW.

1)

a. Why did you choose this particular model?

                b. What about it appealed to you the most? Please be specific.

                c. How did this model exemplify your notion of how children learn?

2)

                   a. How would you apply this model in an early childhood classroom?

                b. Please briefly describe how you would set up your classroom environment using this model.

                   c. Please briefly describe your classroom curriculum (activities and experiences) you would offer children using this model.

Explanation / Answer

1)

a. Why did you choose this particular model?

                b. What about it appealed to you the most? Please be specific.

                c. How did this model exemplify your notion of how children learn?

2)

                   a. How would you apply this model in an early childhood classroom?

                b. Please briefly describe how you would set up your classroom environment using this model.

                   c. Please briefly describe your classroom curriculum (activities and experiences) you would offer children using this model.

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