Montessori Schools

1. Montessori Schools Devin Collins, Elena Thomopoulos, Jenn Lyons and Shannon Keen

2. Montessori Schools • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2cb0ajbOjk&feature=related

3. Definition of Montessori Schools • A method of seeing children as they really are and of creating environments which foster the fulfillment of their highest potential - spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual • The purpose of Montessori schools is for students to learn to respect individual differences, and to emphasize social interaction and the education of the whole personality rather than the teaching of a specific body of knowledge

4. Typical Montessori Classroom • Incorporates inquiry- students learn concepts from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction • Free activity within a "prepared environment“ • The function of the environment is to allow the child to develop independence in all areas according to his or her inner psychological directives • Educators are called “directresses” rather than “teachers”

5. Montessori Curriculum • 3 major types of activities and experiences: practical, sensory, and formal skills and studies • Repetitive exercises develop sensory and muscular coordination • Didactic materials- preplanned teaching devices

6. Planes of Development • The first plane child (birth to around six years) is seen as a concrete, sensorial explorer and learner engaged in the developmental work of psychological self-construction and building functional independence. • The second plane child (six to twelve years) is the formation of intellectual independence, of moral sense, and of social organization. • The work of the third plane child (twelve to around eighteen years ) is the construction of the adult self in society • The fourth plane young adults (eighteen years to around twenty-four years ) are ready to fully embrace the study of culture and the sciences in order to influence and lead civilization • Montessori felt that an arbitrary limit to the number of years in university level study was unnecessary, as the study of culture could go on throughout a person's life

7. Structure of Schools Coincide with Planes • Infant and Toddler Programs • “nido” (nest) until they can confidently walk • “young child community” • Preschool and kindergarten • “Children’s Houses” “Primary” • Classroom outfitted to small child • Elementary Classroom • “Elementary” • Lessons presented to small groups • Middle and High School • Less well-developed than programs for smaller children • No teacher training program or detailed plan of education

8. Maria Montessori • Chiaravalle, Italy • Educator of early 20th Century • RegioIstitutoTecnico Leonardoda Vinci • Studied math, natural sciences, and language • Wanted to become a physician, but discouraged because of gender • Ended up being Italy’s first woman doctor

9. The Beginning of Maria Montessori’s Life Work • 1906 she gave up her medical aspirations • Began to re-engineer the field of children’s education for those with behavior problems, orphans, and the poor • These efforts were a success • Gained followers • Parents desperate for help • Teachers who wanted to learn her methods

10. Maria’s Influences for Teaching • Jean Marc GaspardItard – French Physician (special education) • Edouard Seguin – French physician & educationist (special education) • Friedrich Frobel – German pedagogue, student of Pestalozzi (children developing own knowledge) • Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi – Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer

11. Maria Montessori’s Teaching Discoveries • Children have an innate drive to learn • Capable of discovering things about the world around them on their own • Initially people thought children could only learn through instructions, or being lectured • Safe, hands-on learning environment • Teachers must pay more attention to the students than they do to the teacher

12. Mission of Montessori Schools • The school’s job: • Construct a prepared environment featuring methods, materials and activities based on her observations of children • Use practical, sensory, and formals skills and studies • The school’s mission: • Create a culturally-diverse educational and social environment encouraged to be a self-motivated learner • Developing qualities as order, concentration, coordination, and independence • Enable children to maximize his or her potential for success in learning and acquiring life skills

13. Connection to Course Content • Reflective teaching – adjusting teaching methods to improve students’ thinking and comprehension skills • No Child Left Behind – Don’t believe in “teaching to the test” • School-based management • Parent-teacher groups – working together to promote positive learning environment • Pedagogical-Content Knowledge

14. Connection to Course Content Cont’d. • Aristotle: • Acquiring knowledge through sensation • Students need to posses power to think and reason • Emphasis on sensory experience • Quintilian: • Recognized students’ individual differences and advised instruction be appropriate to students abilities • Teachers motivate students through interesting and engaging lessons • His second stage of education is about learning through sense experiences

15. Connection to Course Content Cont’d. • Enlightenment’s influence on Montessori: • Using scientific method • Teachers should base instruction on children’s interests and needs • Opposite of back-to-basics curriculum • Student-centered curricula • Activity-centered curriculum – relates to object lesson • Humanistic approach to curriculum – emotional learning as well as academic • Montessori considered an alternative or free school • Cooperative learning

16. Connection to Course Content Cont’d. • Dewey: • Experimentalism / scientific method • Learning through problem solving and interacting with environment • Teachers promoting academic, social and personal growth • Pragmatism: • Use of the scientific method in the classroom • Group work and solving problems • Educating based on individual’s needs • School as a community of learners

17. Connection to Course Content Cont’d. • Progressivism: • Children learn most successfully by actively exploring environment and constructing their own opinions based on their experience • Teachers need to develop a sincere affection and interest in children (also linked to Pestalozzi) • Unlike subject-based curriculums, (idealism/realism) progressive schools curriculums are centered around children’s readiness and interests • Existentialism: • Teachers encourage students to question and discuss emotions

18. Theorists Impact • Maria Montessori refined her theory by doing research on the work of Itard and Seguin, two early pioneers in special education • Pestalozzi and Froebel prompted Montessori to recognize that children's’ early experiences have important formative and continuing influence on their later lives • Pestalozzi’s idea of object lessons influenced Montessori’s thoughts on: • Children being capable of self-sustained work • Schools focusing on sensory learning • Didactic materials as teaching tools

19. Influence on Learning • Maria Montessori emphasized that early childhood education has a highly formative power over a person’s adult development • Montessori’s significant educational contributions include: 1.) Concept of sensitive periods 2.) Belief that children are capable of self-directed work in learning a particular skill 3.) Emphasis on the school as part of the community • In the U.S. today there are thousands of Montessori schools

20. Montessori Versus Traditional Education • Goal of Montessori and Traditional schooling is the same: to provide learning experiences for the child • Montessori educators area called “directresses” rather than “teachers”

21. Montessori Traditional Montessori Versus Traditional Education • Emphasis on Cognitive and Social Development • Teacher has a guiding role • Environment and method encourage self-discipline • Mainly individual instruction • Mixed age groups • Grouping encourages children to teach and collaborate • Child chooses own work • Child discovers own concepts from self-teaching materials • Child spots own errors from feedback on material • Child reinforces own learning by repetition of work and internal feelings of success • Emphasis on Rote Learning and Social Behavior • Teacher controls classroom • Teacher acts as primary enforcer of discipline • Mainly group instruction • Same age groups • Teaching is done by teacher • Curriculum structured for child • Child is guided to concepts by teacher • Errors in child’s work highlighted by teacher • Learning is reinforced externally by repetition, rewards and punishment

22. Montessori Lesson Example • An example of a Montessori lesson to help children learn counting and numbers • Numbers and Quantities Game • Each student will be given a handout with a certain amount of circles below the number. • Students should place the right amount of Cheerios on the circles below the number.

23. Works Cited • Ornstein, A. C., Levine, D. U., & Gutek, G. L. (2011). Foundations of education. (11th edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. • Montessori Vs. Traditional School. Montessori Children’s House. Retrieved November 9, 2012.http://www.montessorichildrenshouse.com/traditional.htm • Maria Montessori. NNDB: tracking the entire world. http://www.nndb.com/people/189/000108862/ • Numbers and Quantities Game. MontessoriMom: Education that everyone can do. http://www.montessorimom.com/numbers-and-quantities-game/