What is Montessori?
Montessori is an educational method developed by Maria Montessori in Italy for more than 100 years ago. Initially, it was a method of education for children with Intellectual disabilities. It is best known for early childhood education, but it is also available for both children and adolescents.
Representative elements in the philosophy are:
“Respect for the child” is the most important part of the Montessori method. A Montessori teacher guide and support the children rather than lecture.
“Auto education” is a child’s ability to direct their own learning experiences and self-educate. The teacher helps them to develop a sense of autonomy, responsibility and self-esteem.
“Absorbent mind” means that children have their abilities to spontaneously absorb various stimuli in their environment.
Children have a “Sensitive period” in which the development skills expands dramatically.
“Prepared environment” is an environment where children can explore and find answers on their own. Teaching materials are set up in a way that is easy for the child to retrieve.
Materials are also considered as an important aspect in Montessori education, Montessori materials should be clean, bright, in good repair, and above all attract interest of a child.
It is said that children with developmental disorders, such as Intellectual disabilities, ADHD and Autism spectrum disorders, often thrive in Montessori environments.
Five major areas of Montessori education:
Practical Life: In Practical Life, activities in daily life such as filling a glass of water, greeting people, etc. are practiced. They are related to movements, self care, environment, and social skills.
Sensorial: In Sensorial, various senses such as sight and touch, are sharpened or made aware, and by those observation and thinking skills are stimulated, as a result, intellectual development will be promoted.
Language: Language development in Montessori are promoted in order of “Listening” ⇒ “Speaking” ⇒ “Writing” ⇒ “Reading”. In primary activities, sounds and words are provided to the children through music and storytelling.
Mathematics: Mathematic is conducted in the sequence of, number sense ⇒ abstract ⇒ concrete. The goal is to be able to deal with concrete arithmetic. In primary activities, concepts such as classification, quantity and form, and ordering are provided.
Cultural: Art, music, science, geography and history fall under this category. Children explore and study the world they live in, and through experiences they will learn to respect the nature and their world.