Maria Montessori was educated in medicine and became the
first female doctor in Italy in 1896. She worked with children that had
learning difficulties and using her observations she created new ideas and
techniques to enhance the child’s learning. Gray and Mac Blain (2012) explained
that it became a very well-known part of education.
***Maria Montessori using her methods***
Montessori’s
key factor was that every child was unique and born with the capability to learn
with confidence and that there were various stages within a child’s life. Bates
and Lewis (2009) concluded that they were known as the three six year periods,
absorbent mind (0-6), childhood 6-12 and finally adolescence (12-18). In
development she concluded that all babies and children develop the same
cognitive, physical, linguistic social and emotion levels but all happened at
different rates. This therefore led to using inclusive practice where diversity
became accepted and discrimination was not allowed.
A part of
Montessori’s theory was that the environment believed to play a key role in
supporting and extending learning. The environment is constructed with the
child in mind. Murray and Peyton (2008) describe how she created child size
furniture. The aim is to have a place where it can maximize and facilitate an
independent learning. To create this the Montessori schools were well ordered,
had creative activities plus physical and mental tasks.
This
therefore resulted in setting up special areas of the classroom. The eight
areas are practical life, sensorial, math, language, culture, science and art. The
areas incorporated sight, sound taste and touch into the materials that the
children choose to play with. Thayer
(2013) argues further that by putting different ages of children together would
enhance social skills but would allow the older children to become role models
for the younger children. All of these
are set up to allow the child to have their choice in learning which I believe
shows a vast amount of learning development.
Another factor that Montessori encourages is
positive relationships meaning that children learn to be independent from a
base of loving relationships with parents.
Cathleen (2010) gives evidence from working in a Montessori school that the
parents have respect for child to be capable beings rather than little adults.
It is added to every aspect of the methods by expecting children to respect
their environment, the material, and world themselves and others.
The key role of the Montessori teacher is that they do not
lecture but demonstrate and inspire creativity and independence. Using all the
factors above the teacher looks for the desires within in the child.
This video is a tour of a school called Wexford that uses the Montessori method. I choose this because it shows all the activities that children part take in and interviews the staff there.
Finally I believe this way of learning is a good way of getting a
child to think for themselves and create their own personality at a very young
age. It brings about confidence and discourages negativity but encourages
creativity. Montessori methods are still used in school today and still growing
with children that are attending.
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