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The Montessori Approach
'My vision of the future is no longer people taking exams and proceeding then on that certification but of individuals passing from one stage of independence to a higher, by means of their own activity, through their own effort of will, which constitutes the inner evolution of the individual"
Maria Montessori
The Montessori Method
Dr. Maria Montessori was born in 1870 and became the first woman doctor in Italy. By observing children in a scientific manner and without the usual pre-conceived educational ideas she was able to create new techniques of education which emphasized the 'unique' development of each child. This led to the Montessori system which has at its core an environment in which the child is free to develop their own skills and abilities. Dr. Montessori's first school achieved far greater academic success than the traditional state system and many of her ideas such as cross-curriculum teaching have now been adopted into 'mainstream' education.
However, Montessori's ideas, both practical and philosophical, are based on a coordinated approach tailored to each child's development. In the prepared Montessori environment, the child learns to explore and make their own discoveries about the world around them. Mixed age groups afford the child the opportunity to help and be helped by other children and take part as both the youngest and oldest member.
Montessori teachers are called directors or guides because they direct the child's learning rather than 'teaching' at them. Especially trained to observe, to respond to the needs of each child and to direct the whole group, they do not teach in the traditional sense, but rather guide each child forward.
Young children are able to progress through the learning materials - developing a strong grasp of abstract concepts through concrete experience. They have, by now, mastered enough basic reading and writing skills to initiate research into the profound questions and interests emerging at this age, "Who am I? Where do I come from? Where does the Earth come from?"
Learning by rote is alien to the Montessori classroom. It is the child's own drive to inquire and explore their world which motivates the learning process. The primary child is entering a new sensitive period - their imagination. The younger child learns to co-ordinate hand-eye and large motor movements, practical life and care of self. By contrast, the primary child learns to coordinate their abstract thoughts and take imaginative steps beyond the physical limits of home, classroom and community. Imagination is the new area of growth, the mental push whereby the child explores nothing less than the world and universe around them.
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