Montessori

What is learning?

When we think about the term learning, what do we think of?

School, The teacher, Information, Lessons, Play, are all words that spring to mind. To learn, children and adults need to obtain information, understand it, process it and retain it, It can then be applied to situations and contexts as needed.

So how do we learn? In what environment? At what age is best? In what context?

These are some of the questions to be looked at, and examined.

Montessori

What is Montessori?  Maria Montessori  born in Italy in 1870, she was the first lady to graduate from the university of Rome medical School, she began her career in mental health, however her interest was in Education. She was pioneering in her approach to Education, she" taught "children now known as special needs and also the disadvantaged children of the working parents of Rome. (Nutbrown, Clough and Selby) 2008.

 Her method of teaching children was initially observing them to see what their capabilities were. She then devised various equipment to aid their learning. Her teaching became very successful.

 She believed that the first 3 years of a childs life in terms of development were "unequal to no other" in importance and intensity.  This is when a child absorbs its environment, learns to communicate, and move around. A child is naturally inquisitive, it wants to learn about the environment in which it is in.



Her theory was that there are sensitive periods in which a child can maximise learning. the first being the most important. The "Absorbent mind" They are 0-6, 6-12, 12-18 years of age.
Montessori is a holistic way of learning. ( Montessori, 1989)
She believed that a child's mind is born with the ability to understand consequences, by acting out tasks, it finds out the how and why. If a child is free to investigate, without interruption or guidence, this is how nature intended us to learn. When a child is engrossed in an object of choice,  He/she is calm, self confidence and disipline are the results of the freedom they experience.

The term used by Montessori was a "Normalized Child"( Montessori, 1989) The "Inner Child" is the observation of a childs natural personality unfolding, how nature had intended it to be. So when some children were unresponsive to the environment, she believed it was because it had " insufficient nourishment of life and mind" but abnormal behaviours could be rectified if they exercised their inner powers.

The child centred approach was unique at this time, Education based on independence, freedom and respect, were opposite to what was in place throughout the world. The nurture of creative thinking, and the respect for a childs psychological, physical and social development were at the centre of her beliefs. Her legacy is that methods of schooling are still prevalent today.

 A typical day in todays Montessori schools would start with the teacher greeting the children with hand shakes, her classroom already for the day, although a few purposeful things left for resolution later. The class is light and airy, everything in the class is accessible to the children, They settle in, and soon select the subject of choice. some are read to, some play with blocks, musical instruments, puzzles, beads and so on. If a child wanted to clean, they could, the teacher can subtly leave something like this for them to do. A typical time for them to choose their activities is a 3 hour period. Included somewhere in their day the core subjects are addressed. They also prepare the snacks and drinks, put things away, and clean up after themselves. Outside is easily accessible  to them, if they want to explore.They independantly resolve any issues that may arise. the day is all-encompassing. (Feez, 2010)
Although there have been some criticisms along the way. Her bold and innovative theories focused on the psychology of learning, it is argued that the content of learning needed to be addressed. Barry MacDonald and Rob Walker (1976;4) stated "Why start with theory, Rather than action"
As we look at other perspectives, it is evident that Maria Montessori has made an impact on our education system today.

ihttp://www.montessori.org.uk/what_is_montessori