Montessori education: An in-depth study
Montessori education is most often associated with a successful preschool program developed by Maria Montessori. An Italian physician, Maria Montessori began studying the learning styles of special needs children while attending the University of Rome during her psychiatric clinic. In 1907, she was given the opportunity to open a school for what was then termed "normal" children. From this school came an educational system still active and growing today.
The Montessori method divides youth into four planes: Birth to age 6, 6 to 12, 12 to 18 and 18 to 24. Each of these planes represents a period of learning. For example, between birth and age 6, a child's character is developed. From age 6 to 12 is when a child should form a personality oriented to those outside of his or her own cultural environment. From 12 to 18, students develop a contentment based on their ability to contribute to society through their work.
Montessori classrooms are arranged in multi-age groups. Outside of the infant and toddler classes, each classroom has up to 30 children, all of whom are taught one-on-one. A block of three hours for work time is given to the children. They are free to engage in any activity in the classroom during this time without interruption. Areas of the classroom are divided according to subject materials. Subjects are interwoven throughout lessons that are presented at circle time.
Work is what students do throughout their day in a Montessori classroom. As they work, they learn about their environment and how to interact with it. Children are allowed to choose their daily activities and continue using the chosen materials as long as they please. Other children wishing to use the materials—there is only one of each item—learn to wait their turn. "Play is the child's work" is an oft-quoted comment by Dr. Montessori. She felt that play and work, when combined, were the greatest teaching method.
The role of the teacher is to observe, take notes and teach each child, one-on-one, through example rather than correction. Graded papers don't exist in a Montessori classroom. Instead, notes are taken and children are guided through individual lessons.
Teaching methods revolve around the children and their individual needs. Simple lessons involving as few words as possible are the responsibility of the teacher. Lessons are to be given, but not repeated. An example Dr. Montessori uses in her book, "The Montessori Method", is the lesson of colors. When the teacher hopes to instruct a child about the colors red and blue, she shows him or her two pictures, one at a time. She says, "This is red. This is blue." The teacher hands the cards to the child and asks for the blue card. If the child is wrong, the teacher smiles, gently caresses the child and takes the cards back. The lesson is over. Children aren't forced to learn the material, but instead gain the knowledge as they find a desire to learn. Creating an excitement for learning and developing the natural desire to learn are at the core of the Montessori program.
Spontaneous activity is also at the core of the program. In "Spontaneous Activity in Education" (1917), Maria Montessori states that it is the children who choose their objects to study, moving to their own sense of rhythm and undisturbed by the teacher. In this way, the lessons, which are designed to help students form a clear perception of the external world through observation, reason and self-correction, are both sustained and spontaneous. Students are allowed to connect with the world through their own sense of wonderment.
Independent studies comparing traditional classrooms with Montessori classrooms favor the latter. Dr. Kevin Rathunde, in a comparison at the middle school level, noted that Montessori students reported a more positive school experience and demonstrated a more positive motivation than traditional students.
