Montessori Method

The Montessori method of education was formulated by Dr Maria Montessori about a century ago. The main aim of the Montessori method is to promote the joy of learning. The system respects the unique needs, individuality and talents of each child. Children are allowed to learn without restriction and criticism. All these contribute to making the child happy, confident and self-directed. It also teaches the child to be self-reliant and independent.

How Montessori Method Helps Children Learn

Children who follow the Montessori method of learning, learn their life skills using a practical, hands-on approach. They are exposed to various activities that stimulate the child's physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional needs. When children were provided materials to explore and learn, they concentrated deeply on the materials. These children exhibited a transition from a state of fantasy, lack of attention and unorderliness to a state of concentration, peacefulness and orderliness in their surroundings. Dr Montessori referred to this transition as normalisation and such children as normalised.

The main goal of Montessori method is to help children learn by self-teaching and self-correcting. Montessori believed that children learnt best in a prepared environment. This prepared environment can be either inside or outside the home. Here, the child can safely handle anything that she chooses. She can explore, touch and learn without fear. Also, she can move around the room freely and there are no set deadlines for learning a task.

The materials and activities provided in the prepared environment cover three basic areas

• Practical Life Activities
• Sensory-oriented training material
• Materials for writing, reading and other academic skills

Practical Life Activities

The practical life activities that are carried out using this method in a prepared environment are classified into the following categories:

• Care of the person
• Dressing
• Polishing shoes
• Washing hands
• Care of the environment
• Dusting
• Polishing tables
• Raking leaves
• Social relations
• Lessons in grace
• Lessons in courtesy
• Analysis and control of movement
• Locomotor activities
• Walking and balancing

Some interesting facts that Maria Montessori observed about children in such an environment are:

• If children found a particular activity interesting, their attention span on that activity increased and they pay attention to detail. They may not focus on other activities happening around them.
• Children master an activity by doing it over and over again. Repetition is the key to their success.
• If children have easy access to materials, they will decide what they want and take them without adult intervention.
• Children are by instinct motivated to work. They need no reward for doing a work.
• While it is normal to associate young children with being messy, they love being organised if they are provided a stimulating environment.
• Contrary to the assumption that children are noisy, young children actually love discovering how quiet they can be.
• Children love doing things for themselves rather than have someone else do it for them.

Guidelines for Using the Montessori Method at Home

• Allow the child to be the prime focus. Instead of teaching her by talking, create a stimulating environment with a lot of activities that motivate the child.
• Give your child her freedom in the prepared environment and allow her to learn the way she wants to.
• Provide learning materials in an ordered manner. Observe your child and introduce new learning materials appropriately.
• Respect the child for what he is and continuously provide him encouragement on what he is doing.

Sensitive Periods

Montessori believed that each child had sensitive periods when she exhibited certain behaviours more often and mastered skills quicker than other times. Children find learning a particular skill easy during a sensitive period. According to her (1906), “A sensitive period refers to a special sensibility which a creature acquires in its infantile state, while it is still in a process of evolution. It is a transient disposition and limited to the acquisition of a particular trait. Once this trait or characteristic has been acquired, the special sensibility disappears....”

All children are blessed with the same set of sensitive periods. But the sequence and time that each sensitive period occurs varies from child to child. During the early years, children must be respected for what they are. Unlike adults, they have the ability to learn and understand from their surroundings in terms of quality and capacity. At this stage, children work towards carrying out an activity and not the completion of a task. This helps them in enhancing the development of their mental, physical and psychological powers.