MONTESSORI

By Jacqui and Melissa

“Education should no longer be mostly imparting of knowledge, but must take a new path, seeking the release of human potentialities.”

Maria Montessori

MARIA MONTESSORI

• Born In Rome Italy August 30 1870

• 1896 became first female doctor in Italy, after

medical school she specialized in psychiatry

• Began working with disabled children noticed

some significant developmental periods where

children learn different things most easily

• Opened a Casa dei Bambini or Children’s House

in the slums of Rome.

• She died May 6th 1952 but her legacy lives on in

schools all over the world.

Goals of a Montessori School

• Developing a positive attitude toward school and learning

• Helping each child develop self confidence

• Assist each child in building a habit of concentration

• Fostering an abiding curiosity

• Developing habits of initiative and persistence

• Fostering inner security and sense of order in the child

The main purpose of a Montessori school is to provide a carefully planned, stimulating environment which will help the child develop an excellent foundation for creative learning.

“If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man's future.” Maria Montessori

SENSITIVE PERIODS 0-6• Birth to 3 years: Absorbent Mind – Sensory Learning

• 1 ½ to 3 years: Language Explosion

• 1 ½ to 4 years: Development of large and fine motor skills

• 2 to 4 years: Greater coordination, increased language skills

• 2 ½ to 6 years: All 5 senses involved in learning and adapting

• 3 to 6 years: Want to copy (mimic) adult world

• 4 to 5 years: Tactile senses acute

• 4 ½ to 6 years: Reading and maths readiness

“And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being.” Maria Montessori

MONTESSORI TEACHERS• are originally referred to as

directress, as they direct the children’s learning

• the child chooses their work independently

• the directress ensures they do a wide range of activities in a day

• stress self sufficiency and respect

The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist."”

Learning areas

• Practical Life is an area where many varied life skills are introduced.

Sensorial deals with exploring the five senses - taste, touch, hearing, sight and smell.

Mathematics contains a varied range of equipment and exercises

Language and Literacy helps the child to expand his/her language

• Cultural introduces the child to the concepts of science, geography, biology and history, giving them a greater understanding of the world.

MATERIALS• A Montessori classroom is a prepared

environment, containing lots of concrete learning materials, for children to explore and learn

• Manipulatives are to be beautiful, made of natural materials and explore one concept at a time.

• Materials are self correcting (if possible) so that the child can see where the error is

• Children are also taught responsibility with these materials, to handle with care, to put them away after using them

FAMOUS MONTESSORIANS• Larry Page, Co-Founder of Google

• Sergey Brin, Co-Founder of Google

• Jeff Bezos, financial analyst, founder, AMAZON.COM

• Katherine Graham (deceased), owner/editor of the

Washington Post

• Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (deceased), editor,

former first lady (John F. Kennedy)

• Prince William and Prince Harry, English royal family

• Anne Frank, famous diarist from world war II

• Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize winner for Literature

• Melissa and Sarah Gilbert, actors