Like a lot of conventions and philosophies that originate in another century it's natural to look at their relevance today. There's more than one book about Montessori's use in present day -mostly by proponents of the cause themselves. Yet they're not without an unarguable ,if a bit fluffy , logic.
It goes right back to the founder though- Montessori herself was a scientisit. And it shows.
People don't essentially change over a hundred years. Sure, our physical circumstances have changed vastly but sociologically and politically we still have the same needs and wants.
Montessori was a peace activist of sorts. She campaigned for world peace as part of her general philosophy; children being the key holders to it's future . Hence it's a subject discussed daily at Montessori schools which of course incorporates a worldwide awareness into the mind of each student at primary level.
Perhaps a question more relevant than where Montessori belongs today is how is it monitored and controlled.
Because in the USA alone there are more than 8000 schools bearing the philosophy's name, they have their own organisation governing teaching , training , oversight of equipment production and the upholding of the Montessori name. For the rest of the world the Association Montessori Internationale does this job.
The only problem is that the standard is still difficult to control entirely because the Montessori name and philosophy is not trademarked, nor owned by any one body worldwide.
As one of Maria's grandchildren points out ,the name can be used by anyone wishing to incorporate the pedagogy into their teaching and therefore is easily misused or misinterpreted reguclarly.
Therefore as parents , advise is regularly given to check individual schools outvery carefully on their own merits rather than simply trusting the affiliate Montessori name.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The First Montessori Students
Maria Montessori first taught what were termed as 'feeble-minded' or 'retarded' children ; 'the learning disabled'. I think that's why her results were so outstanding and drew so much attention -not just nationally either. It was in 1907 ,the first 'Casa dei Bambini' of it's kind situated in apparently one of the poorest areas of Rome, San Lorenzo that these 'miracles' occured. Children deemed unable to learn or function were within 6 months teaching themselves to read and write using the equipment she provided. This equipment is now produced by a chosen few manufacturers worldwide.
Because she'd observed these kinds of children already as part of her voluntary and post graduate work at the University of Rome, she already had the idea that children's minds absorbed the most when placed in a prepared environment. That meant it should be laid out in an orderly fashion with apparatus and equipment available for the children to choose from. Furniture, for example, should also be child size to reduce any obstruction to their willingness to undertake a task.
It has been written that no one else has so accurately understood children both on a soul and an academic level.Nor has anyone else attempted to develop their immense capacities to learn which often outweigh their present ability to express it.
Because she'd observed these kinds of children already as part of her voluntary and post graduate work at the University of Rome, she already had the idea that children's minds absorbed the most when placed in a prepared environment. That meant it should be laid out in an orderly fashion with apparatus and equipment available for the children to choose from. Furniture, for example, should also be child size to reduce any obstruction to their willingness to undertake a task.
It has been written that no one else has so accurately understood children both on a soul and an academic level.Nor has anyone else attempted to develop their immense capacities to learn which often outweigh their present ability to express it.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
What is Montessori?
Montessori is a teaching methodology and philosophy intended to teach children independant life and learning skills in a specially prepared classroom enviroment.Using specifically designed,auto-didactic apparatus which is presented to an individual child at the correct stage of their development, children grouped in ages 3-6yrs , 6-9yrs and 9-12yrs develop their knowledge and abilities at their own pace.
There's been a great deal of mystery surrounding Montessori Education to date, mostly because it's difficult to define in one sentence or even a short paragraph. The fact is though, it's a very practical, insightful way of teaching children of all ages to learn, as Paula Polk Lillard points out in ' Montessori Today'. She suggests this methodology focuses on "connecting the education of children to their development as human beings".
Paula, like most authors who pen the history and philosophy of the school's creator, Maria Montessori, is an American who was drawn to teaching the Montessori method in primary schools and eventually opened her own. Americans have embraced the philosophy and have more Montessori schools-many attached to state schools- per capita than anywhere else in the world. This observation is pointed out in an informative piece by Jay Mathews for the Washington Post.
Interestingly though , Britain opened it's first fully state funded Montessori primary school in one of it's worst performing schools in the country, situated in one of the poorest areas of Manchester, England. The education board picked 100 of it's worst students at the school to be grouped into a Montessori learning programme in the hope that it's methodology would improve learning as it had done for so called 'retarded' children 100 years before.; staff writers at the Guardian regularly enquire into the Montessori method of schooling due to it's psychologically proven benefits worldwide.
So who were Maria Montessori's original students with whom she had such profound results?
There's been a great deal of mystery surrounding Montessori Education to date, mostly because it's difficult to define in one sentence or even a short paragraph. The fact is though, it's a very practical, insightful way of teaching children of all ages to learn, as Paula Polk Lillard points out in ' Montessori Today'. She suggests this methodology focuses on "connecting the education of children to their development as human beings".
Paula, like most authors who pen the history and philosophy of the school's creator, Maria Montessori, is an American who was drawn to teaching the Montessori method in primary schools and eventually opened her own. Americans have embraced the philosophy and have more Montessori schools-many attached to state schools- per capita than anywhere else in the world. This observation is pointed out in an informative piece by Jay Mathews for the Washington Post.
Interestingly though , Britain opened it's first fully state funded Montessori primary school in one of it's worst performing schools in the country, situated in one of the poorest areas of Manchester, England. The education board picked 100 of it's worst students at the school to be grouped into a Montessori learning programme in the hope that it's methodology would improve learning as it had done for so called 'retarded' children 100 years before.; staff writers at the Guardian regularly enquire into the Montessori method of schooling due to it's psychologically proven benefits worldwide.
So who were Maria Montessori's original students with whom she had such profound results?
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