Joanna Godbolt
, Principal of Casa dei Bambini and a trained
Montessori teacher for over 25 years, talks through what it means
to give your child a Montessori education and how it may differ
from a traditional education.
Montessori –
what does it mean?
M
ontessori has been around
for over a hundred years.
Created by Dr. Maria
Montessori, it is a method of
education which focuses on the child as
an individual, rather than simply one of
the class. Dr Maria Montessori, physician,
anthropologist and pedagogue,
studied children of all racial, cultural
and socio-economic backgrounds for
over fifty years. Her intense scientific
observation of the human being from
birth to maturity allowed her to distill a
body of philosophical, psychological and
pedagogical principles. These, together
with a vast range of auto-didactic
materials, came to be known as the
Montessori Method of Education.
Montessori education is based
on the premise that children have
an innate ability to learn and that
when supported by an appropriate
environment and educator, they are
guided through their developmental
needs to reach their full potential, at
their own pace.
Traditional versus Montessori
In traditional education adults decide
what children need to learn and
the ability to retain and reproduce
information is used as a measure of
academic success. The teacher is the
active giver of information.
In the Montessori approach it is
all about the activity of the child.
The teacher takes on a different role,
that is, to provide the right kind of
circumstances so that children can be
guided to find what they need from
what is on offer. Children then become
active learners and are able to reach
their own unique potential because
they are learning at their own pace
and rhythm focusing on their own
particular developmental needs at
that moment.
The classroom
A Montessori classroom exists for the
development of the child at his/her
own pace; it is child-centered learning
at its best.
Walk into a Montessori classroom,
and you will see a beautiful and
enticing space. Great care has
been taken to create a learning
environment that will reinforce the
child's independence and natural
urge towards self-development. This is
achieved in three ways: beauty, order
and accessibility.
A typical Montessori classroom
consists of mixed age children, so you
will find three- to six-year-olds working
together or a classroom of seven- to
nine-year-olds. The children remain in
the same class with the same teacher
for a three year period. The Montessori
classroom is not merely a place for
individual learning. It is a vibrant
community of children, where the child
learns to interact socially in a variety
of ways. The three-year age range
enables older children to teach the
younger and learn much themselves
from the experience, while the
younger children are inspired to more
advanced work through observing the
older ones. With such a variety of levels
in the classroom, each child can work
at his or her own pace, unhindered by
competition and encouraged by co-
operation.
Materials
The Montessori materials are beautifully
handcrafted and are displayed on low
open shelves. Each piece of material
has a specific purpose and is presented
to the children in a manner that will
enable them to direct their own
learning.
The Montessori materials are tools
designed to stimulate the child into
logical thought and discovery. They are
provocative, enticing and simple. Each
piece of material presents one concept
or idea at a time and has what is
known as a "control of error". If the
child has done something incorrectly
it will be self-evident. The geometric
shape, for example, won't fit the hole;
pouring too much water will result in a
spill on the table or when pairing up
labels, the last label will not match the
last picture. Being able to see his or her
own mistake allows the child to work
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