Montessori

THEORIST PROFILE - Dr. Maria Montessori
 * Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870
 * She was the first woman in Italy to earn a medical degree
 * Main fields of study: Psychology, Anthropology and Education
 * Montessori disagreed with Locke's 'blank slate' (tabula rasa) theory
 * She believed every child was/is born with some particular strength, mentally, and __that__ strength could/can be uncovered (discovered) and developed individually so the child could/can become a useful part of society
 * Dr. Montessori believed in controlled (yet ever-changing) environments for education
 * Her first passion was working with special-needs children, but she soon realized that her methods could be used in the education development of main-stream school children
 * Many believe it is incorrect to phrase "Montessori" as a method or theory because the method and theory WAS the woman herself - however, "After years of expression [...] [her] philosophy is finally being used as originally intended, as a method of seeing children as they really are and of creating environments which foster the fulfillment of their highest potential [...] as members of a family, the world community and the Cosmos." ( method quote - Montessori )

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

In the Montessori Method, learning begins as a solitary activity. The child is encouraged to choose his/her own activity (within a pre-determined and contained environment) and the activity is allowed to continue for as long as the child chooses to involve himself/herself. It is believed that learning individually leads to a more rewarding and fulfilling experience when the child interacts socially. The concept here, relies on the hope/idea that the child gains knowledge and joins into the group as a more knowledgeable, experienced, educated person with something **more** to offer within the group.
 * Is learning a solitary activity, undertaken by an individual, or is learning a social activity, something done by a group within a context?**

In the Montessori Method, learning is based mostly on natural development. The young child involved in a Montessori School would be placed in an environment that would be full of the basics concepts (alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers, etc.) - however, the child is still given the freedom to choose his/her lesson throughout the learning time (in the Montessori Method, there is **never** a time when a child/person is **not** learning…environment is a KEY PLAYER and depending on the environment, the child/person learns various lessons based on CHOICE). The Montessori Method allows the student to gain facts, information, etc. via the environment (controlled – but the student is still learning outside of the controlled environment) and expects that the child's ideas and concepts will develop naturally while intaking. The facilitator plays a key role in the environment and must be a terrific observer in order to supply the adequate and appropriate environment for his/her student(s).
 * Is learning primarily focused on the transmission of facts and information or is it focused on the development of understanding of concepts and new knowledge?**

In the Montessori Method, the director/directress (they are not called educators, teachers, etc. in the Montessori Schools) is given the task to observe closely each student, look for the child's strengths and find ways to create environment that will encourage the student to investigate and build upon his/her strengths. In this way, each person (student) has a much greater potential of becoming an integral part of the group or society where (s)he will eventually live and work. With this noted, students will be able to recall sets of information (from their own fortes) as they have developed strong skills throughout their primary and formative years, taking these skills with them into either the workforce or upper education, and then the work place. To work with unsolved problems, people who have been allowed to hone and develop their own individual abilities/strengths, grouped together have a better chance at finding a solution.
 * Is our goal as educators to prepare an individual who can recall sets of information or develop groups of individuals who can apply the information to as yet unsolved problems?**

In the Montessori Method, learning and development are linked into a patterns of exploration. Human minds will develop from birth (conception?) forward, no matter what the circumstances. The type of development (and learning) one intakes has much to do with the various environments in which one is placed. People learn and develop -AND- they also develop and learn.
 * Does development precede learning or does learning precede development?**

"The child's choice, practical work, care of others and the environment, and above all the high levels of concentration reached when work is respected and not interrupted, reveal a human being that is superior not only academically, but emotionally and spiritually, a child who cares deeply about other people and the world, and who works to discover a unique and individual way to contribute." ( the truth of Montessori )