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Montessori Philosophy

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161 views1 page

Montessori Philosophy

Uploaded by

ade
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Montessori Philosophy

The basic idea in the Montessori philosophy of education is that every child carries unseen with
him/her the man/women they will become. In order to develop their physical, intellectual,
creative and spiritual powers to the fullest, they must have freedom – a freedom achieved through
order and self-discipline. The world of the child, say Montessori educators, is full of sights and
sounds, which at first appear chaotic. From this chaos, the child must gradually create order, and
learn to distinguish among the impressions that assail their senses slowly but surely gaining
mastery of themselves and their environment.

Dr. Maria Montessori developed what she called the “prepared environment” which already
possesses a certain order and disposes the child to develop at their own speed, according to their
own capacities and in a noncompetitive atmosphere in their first school years. “Never let a child
risk failure until they have a reasonable chance of success,” said Dr. Montessori, understanding the
necessity for the acquisition of a basic skill before its use in a competitive learning situation. The
years between three and six are the years that a child most easily learns the ground rules of human
behavior. These years can be constructively devoted to – freeing the child through acquisition of
good manners and habits, to take his place in his culture.

The child who has had the benefit of a Montessori environment is freer at a later age to devote
themselves more exclusively to the development of their intellectual faculties. The method by
which children are taught in the Montessori school might well be “structured learning.” Since the
child has learned to work by himself, in the prepared environment, enjoying the presence of other
children, but not working necessarily directly with them, the Montessori teacher is able to teach a
child individually. The structure of the Montessori learning involves the use of many materials
which the child may work individually. At every step of their learning, the teaching material is
designed to test their understanding and to correct their errors.

Dr. Montessori has recognized that the only valid impulse to learning is the self-motivation of the
child. Children are more themselves toward learning. The teacher prepares the environment,
directs the activity, functions as the authority, offers the child stimulation, but it is the child who
learns, who is motivated through the work itself (not solely by the teacher’s personality) to persist
in their given task. If the Montessori child is free to learn, it is because they have acquired from
their exposure to both physical and mental order an “inner discipline.” This is the core of Dr.
Montessori’s educational philosophy. Social adjustment though it is a necessary condition for
learning in a school room, is not the purpose of education. Patterns of concentration and
thoroughness established in early childhood produce a confident, competent learning pattern for
latter years. Schools have existed historically to teach children to observe, to think, to judge.
Montessori introduces children to the job of learning at an early age and provides a framework in
which intellectual and social discipline go hand-in-hand.

The American Montessori Society has emphasized the importance of Montessori insights for
children and adults of all ages. Although children traditionally begin Montessori education at age
three, the principles of self-motivated learning apply to all learning experiences. Modern learning
research has confirmed the validity of the Montessori principles of programmed learning and the
non-teacher (who does not distort or inhabit the learning experience). Many public, private, and
parochial elementary and secondary schools are now utilizing this approach.

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