Friday, 15 March 2013

What is Montessori system all about?

Montessori system was introduced and designed by Dr. Maria Montessori.

What I have understood from her philosophy of educating a child is that,

1) it is a processs of developing personality in which, children
- are provided with favorable environment
- are granted freedom of movement and freedom of choice

2) it is a 3 to 4 years long learning period during which, children 
   - are introduced to the world in their surroundings
   - learn basic concepts through Montessori material
   - learn to take care of all the components that comprise a tidy and organized environment
   - are guided to maintain peace in the environment
   - learn skills that can help them towards independent reading and writing during elementary schooling

3) children's potential is revealed when they are...
1- given enough time
   - to observe their surroundings
   - to absorb positive things from the environment
   - to perceive the nature of objects and events
   - to comprehend the basic learning concepts
   - to complete their work

2- provided with opportunities
   - to express their feelings through different sources, such as one-on-one conversation, painting, drawing,
     group discussions, physical movement, nursery rhymes and poems, stories, etc.
   - explore and inquire
   - to choose and reject
   - to make decisions on their own (and instructions are not imposed upon them)
   - that can help them distinguish between right and wrong

4) children should not be...
- interrupted unnecessarily when they are busy
- forced to do something that they are not interested in
- convinced to do anything by 'reward or punishment'
- restrained from roaming around even if it seems for no reason
- ignored while questioning about something

It is suggested that once a child is admitted to a Montessori system, his/her process of learning and developing personality should not be interrupted until all the major objectives are achieved.  The adults (parents/teachers) should allow the child to pass through all the learning stages for his/her proper and strong cognitive and intellectual development.

1 comment: