MONTESSORI 101
What Every Montessori Parent Should Know
This article is a shortened version of the article by Tim Seldin, President of the Montessori Foundation, as found in Vol. 4. Number 4 of Tomorrow's Child.
Montessori is everywhere.
There are over 4000 schools in the United States as well as in countries around the world. In our country, some are public and many schools are private. The schools offer a wide range of programs from birth through high school. The diversity within Montessori is tremendous. Each school reflects its own unique blend of facilities, programs, personality, and interpretation of Dr. Montessori’s vision.
What makes Montessori different?
Montessori schools work to develop culturally literate children and nurture their fragile sparks of curiosity, creativity, and intelligence. The priorities include a low regard for mindless memorization. Montessori believed there was more to life than simply the pursuit of wealth and power. To her, finding one's place in the world, doing work that is meaningful and fulfilling and developing the inner peace and depth of soul that allows us to love are the
most important goals in life.
Montessori students tend to become self-confident, independent thinkers who learn because they are interested in the world and enthusiastic about life. The Montessori school gives children the sense of belonging to a family and helps them learn how to live with other human beings. Look beyond the materials and find a place where children really want to be. The school is the children's community. They move freely within it, selecting work that captures their interest, rather than participating in teacher selected projects.
Montessori schools are based on the principals of respect and independence.
Success in school is directly tied to the degree to which children believe that they are capable and independent human beings. Children would demand, '"Help me learn to do it for myself." In a Montessori school children develop a meaningful degree of independence and self-discipline. This sets a pattern for a lifetime of good work habits and a sense of responsibility. Students take pride in doing things for themselves carefully and well. Montessori teaches children to think and discover for themselves.
Each child is treated as a unique, individual learner. Children learn at their own pace and in ways that work best for them as individuals. Teachers are flexible and creative in addressing each student as a unique individual.
Montessori educators keep asking the right questions to lead children to discover the answers for themselves. Learning becomes its own reward. Each success fuels a desire to learn even more. Older students are encouraged to do their own research then analyze their results to reach their own conclusions.
Freedom of movement and independently chosen work are important.
Children learn by doing, and this requires movement and spontaneous investigation. Montessori children are free to move about, working alone or with others at will. They may select any activity and work with it as long as they wish, so long as they do not disturb anyone or damage anything. They must also put it back where it belongs when they are finished.
The goal of freedom in exploration is to help the child fall in love with the process of focusing his complete attention on something and solving its riddle with enthusiasm and even joy. The independence leads to empowerment on social and emotional levels, as well as confidence in his ability.
The Montessori materials: a road from the concrete to the abstract.
The Montessori learning materials are tools to stimulate the child into logical thought and discovery. They are carefully designed to appeal to children at their level of development. They are displayed to provide maximum eye-appeal without clutter. The materials are arranged in sequence from the most simple to the most complex and from the most concrete to the most abstract.
The daily schedule.
Days are not divided into fixed time periods for each subject. Teachers call students together as they are ready for lessons individually or in small groups. A typical day is divided into “fundamentals” that have been assigned and self-initiated projects and research selected by the student. Students work to complete their assignments at their own pace. Teachers monitor their students' progress.
Students constantly share their interests and discoveries with each other. The youngest experience the daily stimulation of their older friends and are naturally spurred on to be able to "do what the big kids can do."
This article is a shortened version of the article by Tim Seldin, President of the Montessori Foundation, as found in Vol. 4. Number 4 of Tomorrow's Child.
Montessori is everywhere.
There are over 4000 schools in the United States as well as in countries around the world. In our country, some are public and many schools are private. The schools offer a wide range of programs from birth through high school. The diversity within Montessori is tremendous. Each school reflects its own unique blend of facilities, programs, personality, and interpretation of Dr. Montessori’s vision.
What makes Montessori different?
Montessori schools work to develop culturally literate children and nurture their fragile sparks of curiosity, creativity, and intelligence. The priorities include a low regard for mindless memorization. Montessori believed there was more to life than simply the pursuit of wealth and power. To her, finding one's place in the world, doing work that is meaningful and fulfilling and developing the inner peace and depth of soul that allows us to love are the
most important goals in life.
Montessori students tend to become self-confident, independent thinkers who learn because they are interested in the world and enthusiastic about life. The Montessori school gives children the sense of belonging to a family and helps them learn how to live with other human beings. Look beyond the materials and find a place where children really want to be. The school is the children's community. They move freely within it, selecting work that captures their interest, rather than participating in teacher selected projects.
Montessori schools are based on the principals of respect and independence.
Success in school is directly tied to the degree to which children believe that they are capable and independent human beings. Children would demand, '"Help me learn to do it for myself." In a Montessori school children develop a meaningful degree of independence and self-discipline. This sets a pattern for a lifetime of good work habits and a sense of responsibility. Students take pride in doing things for themselves carefully and well. Montessori teaches children to think and discover for themselves.
Each child is treated as a unique, individual learner. Children learn at their own pace and in ways that work best for them as individuals. Teachers are flexible and creative in addressing each student as a unique individual.
Montessori educators keep asking the right questions to lead children to discover the answers for themselves. Learning becomes its own reward. Each success fuels a desire to learn even more. Older students are encouraged to do their own research then analyze their results to reach their own conclusions.
Freedom of movement and independently chosen work are important.
Children learn by doing, and this requires movement and spontaneous investigation. Montessori children are free to move about, working alone or with others at will. They may select any activity and work with it as long as they wish, so long as they do not disturb anyone or damage anything. They must also put it back where it belongs when they are finished.
The goal of freedom in exploration is to help the child fall in love with the process of focusing his complete attention on something and solving its riddle with enthusiasm and even joy. The independence leads to empowerment on social and emotional levels, as well as confidence in his ability.
The Montessori materials: a road from the concrete to the abstract.
The Montessori learning materials are tools to stimulate the child into logical thought and discovery. They are carefully designed to appeal to children at their level of development. They are displayed to provide maximum eye-appeal without clutter. The materials are arranged in sequence from the most simple to the most complex and from the most concrete to the most abstract.
The daily schedule.
Days are not divided into fixed time periods for each subject. Teachers call students together as they are ready for lessons individually or in small groups. A typical day is divided into “fundamentals” that have been assigned and self-initiated projects and research selected by the student. Students work to complete their assignments at their own pace. Teachers monitor their students' progress.
Students constantly share their interests and discoveries with each other. The youngest experience the daily stimulation of their older friends and are naturally spurred on to be able to "do what the big kids can do."