If you are in ignorance of what montessori is, look no further. This article explains what a montessori means.
Montessori helps to build a child in all aspects. Whether socially, emotionally, physically, or academically. In addition, they use learning styles and curriculum that help develop a child in these aspects.
Furthermore, it is a type of education that can apply to children of all ages, Through a montessori children can develop abilities that make them better students than their counterparts.
This article gives you comprehensive knowledge on what a montessori means, its history, and its importance.
What Is the Montessori Method of Education?
To simply explain this, Montessori is a scientifically based educational technique for children based on the idea that a child’s education should be designed to develop all parts of the child: social, emotional, physical, and academic.
The child-centered approach to education pioneered by Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, has been altering schools around the world for more than a century.
You can tell something is different as soon as you walk into a classroom. Montessori classrooms are easy to identify.
You will see children working alone and in groups, frequently with specially created learning tools. Also, they have a deep interest in their work while also being respectful of themselves and their environment.
The Montessori method encourages children and adolescents to achieve rigorous, self-motivated progress in all areas of their development—cognitive, emotional, social, and physical.
The Sections Of A Montessori Classroom
In addition to learning from their own experiences, Maria Montessori discovered that children learn best from other children.
As a result, she formed a mixed-age group in which the younger children copy the older ones, and the older children strengthen their leadership skills by sharing their expertise with the younger ones.
Each classroom scales down to the size of a child and provides a dynamic and enriching atmosphere.
The five areas of Montessori learning in each classroom are as follows:
1) Life in practice
These activities include personal care, environmental care, and lessons in grace and kindness.
Pouring, sorting, sewing buttons, carrot peeling, serving, mirror polishing, and many other activities employing real-life things in a child-sized environment are in these activities.
These activities promote healthy work habits, as well as increased concentration, independence, and coordination. The practical life activities prepare the youngster for all other classroom subjects.
2) Mastery of the 5 senses
The sensorial resources educate the child to develop their abilities in reading, writing, and mathematics by using the five senses.
For example, a youngster who has picked up on minor differences in sound cylinders is more likely to pick up on subtle differences in phonetic sounds of letters.
Additionally, a child can develop control over the small finger muscles he will use for writing by holding small knobs on equipment.
All intellectual faculties develop by employing the senses to investigate a variety of materials made with changing dimensions, color, shape, texture, and smell.
3) Use of language
In a Montessori classroom, language develops through phonetic exploration. The sandpaper letters or moveable letters are used to introduce the basic alphabet sounds.
Following the introduction of a few sounds, the children get exposed to blending exercises using the moveable alphabet. Furthermore, writing and reading are the foundation of spoken language.
4) Arithmetic
Number rods, sandpaper numbers, number boards, number beads, tiles, and games are some of the items we utilize to provide the child with a basic and clear comprehension of the mathematical ideas taught.
Each activity builds on the previous one, gradually leading the child’s arithmetic understanding from basic to abstract numeration like place values, fractions, addition, and subtraction.
5) Cultural appreciation
Geography, history, nature, and science are the four categories that make up the cultural area. In the classroom, there are various geography materials to teach a child about their location on the globe.
Moreso, History can help a youngster understand the concept of change. Also, the youngster can construct a time cycle by looking at the seasons, examining the weather, and changing the calendar daily.
Lastly, the cultural area is identifiable by globes, puzzle maps, flags, and perhaps images or materials from other cultures.
The Components Of Montessori Education
Although each Montessori school is unique, there are certain commonalities among them. This consistency is a product of a set of components that students and teachers follow throughout the curriculum.
1. Mix-aged groupings of children
The Montessori program’s multi-age groupings of children are a distinctive classroom feature.
The rationale for this is that younger students learn more from their older counterparts. In addition, older students retain more information when teaching younger pupils.
Furthermore, mixing children of various ages and stages in the classroom simulates the real world, teaching them how to get along with people of various ages and interests.
2. Pupils’ choice of activity
Montessori schools do not teach in a one-size-fits-all manner. Rather, Montessori teachers arrange their classrooms to encourage children to explore and learn safely and independently, frequently through hands-on activities and teachings.
Also, children feel free to explore and learn about the world around them if they are learning in an environment that fosters their innate curiosity.
Finally, the teacher provides pupils with a variety of hands-on activities to choose from to spend their day. The advantage of this technique is that teachers may create exercises that are appropriate for each child’s age and ability.
3. Enough time for various activities
The Montessori system allows its pupils to participate actively in the learning process. The goal is to give each child the time they need to explore. Also, it helps to understand the world around them, whether they are 3 or 12 years old.
Additionally, an average Montessori day is divided into two to three-hour chunks of time. Thus, allowing pupils to delve into and grasp a range of ideas rather than spending 30 minutes on math, history, and other subjects.
The Duty of The Montessori Teacher
The Montessori teacher, who is referred to as the “directress,” observes each child’s needs, abilities, and interests, and provides opportunities for him or her to work intelligently. Also, the purpose is to serve the care of the child and the small community in the classroom.
The Montessori teacher or directress is responsible for the following:
- Intervene as little as possible as the children grow
- Assists the child in developing confidence and inner discipline by allowing him or her to act, wish, and think for himself or herself
- Allow each child derives inner satisfaction from his or her labor.
- Deliver fresh materials and activities to the child alone or in a small group when he is ready for a lesson based on his evolutionary growth.
- Assists older children in creating a list of objectives at the start of the week and allowing them to manage their time during the week to achieve them.
How the Montessori System Improves Your Child
1. From age 0 to 3 years of age
The first three years of a child’s life shape his or her future development. This is possible through the child’s absorbent mind. The mind absorbs experiences, relationships, emotions, images, language, and culture through his or her senses and simply by existing.
Montessori education focuses on the development of language, coordinated movement, and independence from birth to three years old, giving the child confidence.
2. Between the ages of 3 and 6
For children aged three to six (3 to 6), the classroom curriculum is more practical. These tasks include things like washing, polishing, setting the table, and arranging flowers, which the child is already familiar with.
They also contain “grace and courtesy” acts, which are expected of all civilized people. Children from 3 to 6 years old tend to gain coordination and control of movement as well as investigation of their surroundings through these and other activities.
Children build their willpower, self-discipline, focus capacity, and self-confidence by learning to complete a task.
3. Between the ages of 6 and 12
For children aged six to twelve (6 to 12), the classroom curriculum gives a historical, evolutionary, and integrative view of knowledge and human development. It consists of five Great Lessons, or foundational lessons, from which individual studies in various fields will emerge.
These lectures are intended to spark imagination, curiosity, and admiration for the human spirit’s creative and innovative abilities.
FAQs
When does montessori education begin?
The period of the absorbent mind, according to Montessori, runs from conception until age six. Also, Montessori instruction for young children begins between the ages of two and a half to three years, depending on the child.
Is Montessori education superior to standard education?
Yes. Lower-income children in montessori schools had much higher math and reading results than lower-income children in other schools, according to the research.
Also, higher-income montessori students outperformed higher-income students at other schools.
Is a Montessori education beneficial to my child?
Yes. Montessori education provides possibilities for children to learn visually, audibly, via touch, and verbally, making them easily accessible to children who learn in a variety of ways.
What are the cons of Montessori schools?
The disadvantages of Montessori schools are high cost, lack of availability, and a broad curriculum.
Conclusion
Now that you know what a Montessori education comprises, you can see how children enjoy learning when they are given the freedom to learn at their own pace and in their way.
Montessori methods are designed to instill in your child a lifetime love of learning as well as an unquenchable curiosity about the world around them.
The program was founded by Dr. Montessori in 1907, making it more than a century old. Its durability attests to its ability to teach children more than just fundamental reading, writing, and math skills.
Due to the multi-age classroom atmosphere, children in a Montessori program frequently connect better with their peers. In their united quest for knowledge, they discover good ways to overcome disputes and develop connections and camaraderie.
Also, the Montessori emphasis on cultural diversity helps children discover the necessity of connecting with others from many perspectives and backgrounds as they grow up, a skill that will serve them well throughout their life.
Lastly, you can read the article on what is gifted education to understand what it means to train a child with extraordinary mental abilities
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Thank you for reading.
