Montessori
“Our aim is not only to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his innermost core. We do not want complacent pupils, but eager ones. ”
Dr. Maria Montessori
Dr. Maria Montessori, the creator of “The Montessori Method of Education,” devoted her life to developing a philosophy of education emphasizing the importance of the child’s early years. As the first woman physician to graduate from the University of Rome, she became involved with education as a doctor treating children labeled as retarded. She treated even the smallest child with a respect that amounted almost to reverence. In 1906 she was invited to open a daycare center for the children of desperately poor families in the San Lorenzo slums of Rome. She called it “A Children’s House,” and developed an environment geared to the size, pace and interest of the boys and girls between the ages of three and six.
Montessori described the function of education as an “Aid to Life”. Her dynamic theories included such revolutionary premises as children are to be respected as different from adults and as individuals who are different from one another, children create themselves through purposeful activity, and the most important years for learning are from birth to age six. “The task of the child,” said Dr. Montessori “is to construct a man, oriented to his environment, adapted to his time, place and culture.” She emphasized two main points: first, it is the duty of the teacher to help rather than judge; and rudimental work does not exhaust, but rather gives nourishment.
Pawleys Island Montessori Day School follows an exceptional curriculum that includes practical life, sensorial, language arts, spelling, phonics, math, science, computer orientation, cultural studies, geography, art, music, physical education and Spanish. The principal difference between Montessori and other schools is the technique of teaching. Montessori utilizes a child’s natural tendency to learn by active participation and provides educational material and equipment that encourages this type of learning. In essence, learning is fun. Our school offers multiple levels of progress, allowing students to work on different stages of the same curriculum at different times, assuring that children can progress at a pace suited to them.
The Montessori education is unique in areas of approach, environment, materials, and teachers. The “whole child” approach gives the Montessori program a primary goal to help each child reach full potential in all areas of life. Activities promote the development of social skills, emotional growth, and physical coordination as well as cognitive preparation. The holistic curriculum allows the child to experience the joy of learning and to develop self-esteem and independence.
The “Prepared Environment” is set in order for self-directed learning. The whole learning environment – the room, materials, and social climate – must be supportive of the learner. The teacher provides necessary resources, including opportunities for children to function in a safe and positive climate. The teacher thus gains the children’s trust, which enables them to try new things and build self confidence.
The Montessori materials that are used in the learning environment came from Dr. Montessori’s observations of the kinds of “toys” which children enjoy and return to play with repeatedly. This led her to design a number of multi-sensory sequential and self-correcting materials which facilitate the learning of skills and concepts.
Originally called a “Directress” the Montessori teacher functions as a facilitator of learning. She is a role model, designer of the environment, demonstrator, resource person and observer of each child’s growth and development. She encourages, respects and loves each child as a special, unique individual. She also provides support for parents and joins them in partnership to nurture the development of the child.
Each Montessori class, from toddler through high school, operates on the principle of freedom within limits. Every program has its set of ground rules which differs from age to age, but is always based on core Montessori beliefs - respect for each other and for the environment.
Children are free to work at their own pace with materials they have chosen, either alone or with others. The teacher relies on his or her observations of the children to determine which new activities and materials he may introduce to individual children or to a small or large group. The aim is to encourage active, self-directed learning and to strike a balance of individual mastery with small group collaboration within the whole group community.
The three-year age span in each class provides a family-like grouping where learning can take place naturally. More experienced children share what they have learned while reinforcing their own learning. Because this peer group learning is intrinsic to Montessori, there are often more conversation-language experiences in the Montessori classroom than in the conventional early education settings.
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