Montessori early childhood 13

Montessori Early Childhood

Early Childhood (ages 3-6/preK & Kindergarten)Lower Elementary (ages 6-9/grades 1-3

Upper Elementary (ages 9-12/grades 4-6)Adolescent/Middle School (ages 12-15/grades 6-9)

Agenda

Who was Maria Montessori?

Primary tenants of Montessori Educational Philosophy

Planes of Development

Sensitive Periods

Absorbent Mind

04/13/23 www.snhma.org2

Maria Montessori


Maria Montessori


Birth of a Movement


Innovator, Feminist, Idealist

In the years following, and for the rest of her life, Maria dedicated herself to advancing her child-centered approach to education.

As a public figure, Maria also campaigned vigorously on behalf of women’s rights. She wrote and spoke frequently on the need for greater opportunities for women, and was recognized in Italy and beyond as a leading feminist voice.

Maria Montessori pursued her ideals in turbulent times. Living through war and political upheaval inspired her to add peace education to the Montessori curriculum.

At war’s end she returned to Europe, spending her final years in Amsterdam. She died peacefully, in a friend’s garden, on May 6, 1952.


Primary Tenants/Principles


Primary Tenants

Prepared Environment

Kinesthetic/Tactile/Sensory Learning

Individualized Learning

Choice/Development of Life Skills

Motivation/Intrinsic Rewards


Prepared Environment

Structure and Order

Beauty

Nature/Reality

Social Environment

Intellectual Environment


The Role of the Teacher


Multi-age Classroom Setting

Interaction

Learning from Each Other

Work at Child’s Own Pace

Community

Familiarity


Sensory Learning

Kinesthetic (Body)

Visual

Auditory


Neuroscience of Learning

By engaging as many senses as possible in the learning process, learning becomes a neurological vs exclusively a cognitive process

Through Repetition/Practice Learning increases the development of neuro-connections

Brain Development is Time Sensitive

Use it or Lose It Pruning begins at birth Maturation of the Neural Bridge by age of 13


Sensory Learning

Using multi-sensory, hands-on materials foster the proliferation of neural connections among different lobes of the cerebellum. Using materials that rely on self-correction and active, discovery learning activate the pre-frontal cortex (the most ‘advanced” part of a child’s brain in terms of evolutionary development and higher powers of thinking).

Michael Duffy – Math Works


Individualized Learning

Not inhibited nor constrained based on that of their peers

Actively recording, monitoring, and educating the individual child across every dimension of the curriculum

Constant assessment of skill/concept acquisition

Scientific analysis for amendments, diversity, modifications, and accommodations


Choice/Life Skills

3 hour work cycle

Life Skills Responsibility Time Management Autonomy Prioritization Independence Self advocacy


What do you want from the child?

Life-long Learners

Successful

Curious, Creative

Happiness, Independence

Responsibility, Self-Discipline

Peaceful, Compassionate


The Absorbent Mind


Importance of Early Years

“The most important period of life is not the age of the university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is begin formed. But not only his intelligence; the full totality of his psychic powers….At no other age has the child greater need of intelligent help and any obstacle that impedes his creative work will lessen the chance he has of achieving perfection.”


Sensitive Periods


Sensitive Periods

Periods of intense fascination for learning a particular characteristic or skill, such as going up and down steps, pulling things into order, counting or reading.

It is easier for a child to learn a particular skill during the corresponding sensitive period than at any other time in her life.

In a Montessori classroom, the child is allowed the freedom to select individual activities that correspond to her own periods of interest.



Planes of Development


First Plane (Age 0-6)

Early Childhood/Creation of the Person


Second Plane (Ages 6-12)

Childhood/Construction of the Intelligence

Intellectual Period “He wants to know everything. His thirst for knowledge is so

insatiable that generally, people are at their wit’s end about it.” (Maria Montessori, Lecture at the University of Amsterdam, 1950).

Sense of order is internalized

Driven to reason the "how", "why", and "where" behind things

Ability to imagine beyond the concrete

Social development seeks independence and is monitored by a deep sense of morality and justice. Functioning within peer group “micro societies” enables the child to test the limits of right and wrong. 04/13/23 www.snhma.org25

Third Plan (Ages 12-18)

Construction of Social Self


Fourth Plan (Ages 18-24 & beyond)

Adulthood (Construction of Self Understanding)

Characterized by construction of the spiritual.

Conscious discernment of right and wrong.

Seeking to know one’s own place within the world.

Financial Independence – “I can get it myself”.


Motivation/Intrinsic Reward

“Intrinsic motivation is the desire to engage in an activity for its own sake. Extrinsic motivation is participating in

an activity because of some other benefit that doing so will bring” – Alfie

Kohn


Non-Competitive Atmosphere

Because the children work independently with the materials, there is no competition in the Montessori classroom

Each child relates only to his own previous work, and his progress is not compared to the achievement of other youngsters.

Competition should not be introduced until after the child has gained confidence in the use of basic skills “Never let a child risk failure, until he has a reasonable

chance of success” – Dr Montessori


Human Tendencies

Order

Orientation and Exploration

Communication

Activity, Manipulation and Work

Repetition and Exactness

Abstraction

Self Perfection

Natural Impulses that Drive Humans to Achieve


Montessori Approach

Develop the child’s self-discipline

Source of discipline comes from within each individual child

Can control his/her own actions and make positive choices regarding personal behavior

Self-discipline is directly related to development of the child’s will


Cu

rriculu

mPractical Life http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItqJCvOyWrA

Sensorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlnHVxJKEiM

Learning to Write

From Writing to Readinghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fbs-Qr8lf8

Introduction to Mathematics http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIFQjONnn1g

Geography, Cultural Arts, Botanyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU7nuUlTf-4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6eycuVILVc


Montessori Materials


Three Period Lesson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH2nZmX0ntc

Used to introduce new concepts, ideas and vocabulary to the child

The First Period is representing the language to the child

The Second Period allows the child to point to the object after a verbal clue is given to them, given to help the child build their auditory memory.

The Third Period allows the teacher to verify the child’s understanding of the new concepts.


Fam

ous

Monte

ssian

s


Montessori Vs. Traditional A Comparative Glance


Thank you


Documents

Montessori early childhood 13