WHY MONTESSORI?

The Montessori Method is characterized by providing a prepared environment: tidy, pleasing in appearance, simple and real, where each element exists for a reason in order to help in the development of the child. A Montessori classroom integrates children of mixed ages that are grouped in periods of 3 years. This promotes socialization, respect and solidarity among them naturally.

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     The prepared environment offers the child opportunities to commit to interesting and freely chosen work, which brings out long periods of concentration that should not be interrupted. Freedom develops within clear limits, and this allows children to live in harmony with others in the small society they belong to in the classroom.

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Children work with concrete materials that were scientifically designed, which provide them the keys to explore our world and develop basic cognitive abilities. The materials are designed to allow the child to recognize the error by him/herself and become responsible for his/her own learning.

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The adult is an observer and a guide: he/she helps and stimulates the child with all his/her effort. This allows children to act, want and think by themselves, and helps them to develop confidence and inner discipline.

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Traditional education vs montessori education

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In traditional education, the teacher generally stands at the front of the classroom, decides what the children need to learn, and teaches the children what they need to know: a top-down approach. 

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It is also a one-size-fits-all approach. The teacher decides that everyone is ready to learn, for example, the letter a on the same day.

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In montessori education there is a dynamic relationship between the child, the adult, and the learning environment. The child is in charge of their own learning, supported by the adult and the environment.

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The materials are laid out on shelves in a sequential order from easiest to hardest. Each child works at their own pace through the materials, following their interest in that moment. The teacher will observe the child and when it seems that the child has mastered the material, the teacher will then give them a lesson with the next material.

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The environment and child interact with each other. The environment attracts the child and the child learns from the materials in the environment. The adult and the environment also affecting each other. The adult prepares the environment, observes, and make adjustments where necessary to meet the child´s needs. And the adult and child have a dynamic relationship, based on mutual respect for each other. The adult will observe the child and step in to give only as much assistance as necessary before stepping out of the way for the child to continue their self-mastery.

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In her writtin, Dr. Montessori reiterates that the objective of Montessori education is not to fill a child with facts, but to cultivate their own natural desire to learn.

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Some Montessori principles

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1.-Prepared environment

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​A prepared environment can be any space that we set up for our children: a classroom, our home, a holiday rental, an outside space.

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• Set up activities that are just the right level for the children-challenging to master but not so difficult that they will give up.

• Make sure the children have the tools they need to succeed-Look for trays they can carry, cloths that are ready to wipe up spills, a supply of art materials so they can practice and repeat, child-sized implements like spreaders for putting toppins onto crackers, and the smallest of glasses for drinking.

• Sit on the floor to see what it looks like from their height. Place artwork for them to enjoy low on the walls and plants for them to look after on the floor or on low tables.

• Prepare the spaces so its simple and beatiful. Remove any clutter, setting out a few, well-chosen activities, and make sure that activities are complete and not missing any parts so the children can work with them independently.

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2.- Natural desire to learn 

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Dr. Montessori recognized that children have an intrinsic motivation to learn. Babies learn to grasp for an object, they learn to stand by trying again and again and again, and they master walking- all by themselves, within a supportive environment. The same applies to learning to talk, learning to read and write, learning mathematics, and learning about the world around them.

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The discoveries children make for themselves- particularly within a prepared environment- build wonder in the child and love of learning. 

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A toddler´s work is play. They are intrinsically curious learners-if we allow them to be 

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3.- Hands-on, concrete learning

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"We may put it like this: the child´s intelligence can develop to acertain level without the help of the hand. But if it develops with his hand, then the level it reaches is higher, and the child´s character is stronger."

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-Dr. Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

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The hands takes in information in a concrete way to pass on to the brain. It´s one thing to hear or watch something, but we learn on a deeper level when we integrate our listening or watching with using our hands. We move from a passively learning to actively learning.

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The materials in a Montessori classroom are so beautifully prepared and attractive that the child is drawn to them to make discoveries for themselves, with their hands.

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We give toddlers tactile learning experiences. They hold an object as we name it, we offer a variety of beautiful art materials for them to explore, we provide interestin fastenings to open and close (from velcro to zippers to buttons), and they help us prepare food in the kitchen-digging their fingers into the dough or using a butter knife to cut a banana.

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Another example of hands-on learning is the math materials found in a Montessori classroom for 3-to-6-years-olds. A small golden bead represents 1. A string of 10 beads represents 10. A mat of 10 rows of 10 beads represents 100. A stack of 10 mats represents 1,000.

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Using these materials, a young child can then do addition. For the sum 1,234 + 6,432, the child can go and get one 1,000 block, 2 mats for 100, 3 strings for 30, and 4 single beads. They can then do the same for 6,432. It is then very clear when they start adding concretely see and hold in their hands these values, unlike the abstract way in which most children learn addition on a piece of paper.

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As the child moves into the upper elementary grades, they will be able to draw on this concrete base to move to abstraction. They will not need the materials, yet they are always available to them should they wish to revisit them.

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4.- Sensitive periods

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When child shows a particular interest in one area- for example, movement, language, math, reading- It is known as a sensivite period. This describes a moment when the child is particularly attuned to learning a certain skill or concept and it happens with ease and without effort.

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We can watch our children to see what sensivite periods they are in and provide appropiate activities to encourage those interest.

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When the toddler start to mimic us- parroting certain words- we know they are in a sensitive period for language, and we can focus on giving the child new and familiar vocabulary for them to practice.

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If a toddler is interested in climbing on the table, they are likely in a sensitive period for movement and need to practice those skills. Instead of allowing them to climb on furniture, we can create an obstacle course with pillows, blankets, things to balance on, and things to climb.

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Some people are worried that if they miss a sensitive period- for example, for reading- then the child will have problems learning to read. They will learn to read, but it will take more conscious effort, similar to an adult learning a foreign language.

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5.-Unconscious absorbent mind

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From birth until about the age of 6, children take an information effortlessly. Dr. Montessori referred to this as the absorbent mind. From birth to the age of 3, they do this completely unconsciously.

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The ease with which a toddler learns gives us opportunities as well as responsabilities.

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Opportunities because they absorb with such ease the language around them (building a rich vocabulary and undestanding), how we handle furniture and objects (ideally with care), how we treat others (ideally with respect and kindness), where we put things (creating order), and the beauty of the environment around them.

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Reponsabilities because, as Dr. Montessori points out, a sponge can abosrb dirty water as easily as it can clean water. A child will pick up negative experiences as easily as positive experiences. They can even pick up our feelings and attitudes, for example, when we drop something and get frustated with ourselves (as opposed to forgiving ourselves) or if we have a fixed mind-set that we are bad at drawing (as opposed to a growth mind-set where we might show that we can always keep improving our skills).

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We can therefore be mindful, as much as possible, to be positive role models for our young children, to provide beauty, and to offer kindness for them to absorb.

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6.-Freedom and limits

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I´ve heard people say, "Aren´t Montessori schools really hands-off and the children can do whatever they like?" and i´ve heard others say, "aren´t Montessori schools really strict and the children are allowed to use materials only in certain ways?"

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Montessori actually falls in the midddle, somewhere between permissiveness and autocracy/dictatorship.

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At school or at home, we can have a few rules for the children to live by to learn respect and responsability  for themselves, others, and the environment around them, Within these limits, children have freedom of choice, of movement, and of will.

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In a Montessori school, the children have the dreedom to choose what they would like to work on (as long as it is available), the freedom to rest or to observe another child (as long as they are not disturbing another child), and the freedom to move around the classroom (as long as they respect the people around them). Within these limits, we follow the child and trust they will develop on their own unique timeline.

At home. we can give them freedom to choose what they want to wear (as long as it´s appropiate for the season), the freedom to make their own snack (as long as they sit down to eat), and the freedom to express themselves (as long as the do not hurt others or objects in the home).

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we give them freedom with limits. 

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7.- Independece and responsability

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"Help me to help myself"

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In Montessori, Children learn to become remarkably independient. We don´t do this so that children will grow up as fast as posible. (Let children be children.) We do this because children love it.

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Children want to be able to do more, to contribute, to be part of the family/classroom/society. We see satisfaction on their face when they pull on their own shoe, put something back where it belongs, or help a friend. Peace washes over them when they can do it for themselves, when they do not have to fight someone putting their T-shirt over their head for them or popping them into the bath without warning.

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Through independence the child learns how to be responsible for caring for themselves, others, and the environment.

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They learn how to handle fragile things with care. They learn how to offer help to a friend. They learn how to take care of their belongings. They learn how to make amends when they have hurt soemone. They learn how to look after the plants, the clasroom, and the environment around them.

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Even toddlers.

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8.- Individual development

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Each child is on their own unique developmental timeline.

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Montessori respects not only wach child´s unique timeline but also the fact that each child has different energy levels and is able to focus at different moments. Children have different modalities for learning- visual, aural, tactile, or a combination.

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Some children like to repeat and repeat until they master a skill. Other children will learn mostly through observing others. Some children need to move more than others.

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Montessori respects how different children learn, and supports their individual development.

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9.- Respect

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A Montessori teacher will have such respect for the child that they will treat them the same way they would an adult. We can see this in the way they speak to the child, the way they ask permission if they need to touch them (for example, "Would it be okay for me to lift you up?"), and the way they allow the child to develop in their own way.

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This does not mean that the adult is not in charge. They will set a limit when needed. Not passive. Not agresive. But in a respectfully assertive way.

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10.- Observation

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Observation is the basis of the Montessori approach. Observing simply means watching like a camera on the wall. Being factual, and recording only what we see: the children´s movements, their language, their posture, their actions.

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Observing shows us exactly where the child is right now. It helps us see what they are interested in, what they are working to master, when there is a developmental change, and, on occasion, when to step in to set a limit or to provide a little help before stepping out again.

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The classroom curriculum for children from 3 to 6 years old is divided into four working areas:

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• Practical Life: These are activities that aim to the care of the person, of others and of the physical environment where they live in. These activities include tasks that are familiar to the child: washing, polishing, setting the table, arraging flowers, etc. They also include activities of "grace and courtesy", which are part of all civilized people. Through these and other activities, children achieve coordination and control of movement and exploration of his/her surroundings. Children learn to complete a task from beginning to end, they develop their will, self-discipline, the capacity of concentration and self-confidence.

• Sensorial: Children at this age learn through senses more than through their intellect. The sensorial materials are tools for children to refine each of their senses. Each material isolates a specific quality: smell, size, weight, texture, flavour, colour, etc. In this preschool age, when children are "bombarded" with sensorial information, these materials allow them to find order and meaning to the world, raising his/her capacity of perception, favouring observation and a sense of admiration for everything that surrounds him/her.

• Language: When the child enters an environment at age 3, they enrich the language that they had already acquired. They are capable of using it intelligently with precision and beauty, slowly realizing its properties. They learn to write, starting with their senses (hearing and touching), and as a natural consecquence they learn to read. As an extension of language activities, children learn about geography, history, art and music. These areas help the child to know his/her surroundings and to realize the place the child occupies in this world. They teach him to respect and love for his/her environment, and they create a sense of solidarity with all humanity and his/her habitat.

• Mathematics: The materials help the child to learn and understand mathematical concepts when working with concrete materials that lead him/her intuitively to abstract concepts. They offer him/her sensorial impressions of the numbers and set the foundations for algebra and geometry.