Life And Works Of Maria Montessori

Life And Works Of Maria Montessori

Dr.Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870 on 31^st August. She belonged to an educated middle class in Ancona. She was the only child of her parents. She got educated in various cities of Italy and her mother  supported her educational pursuits. The conservative Europe had a peculiar attitude towards women but despite that she choose medicine as her course of studies. Despite the opposition of the teachers, her father and male peers, she graduated from the highest honors from the Medical School of the University of Rome, and become the First Woman Physician in Italy in 1896.

She worked with middle class and poor people and saw a huge potential in them. She was an un selfish person and she travelled Italy far and wide for the rights of women and child labour reforms. Not too long after graduating. She was chosen for representation of two women’s conferences they were in Berlin in 1896 and also in London in 1900.Maria was appointed a professor of anthropology at the University of Rome in 1904.Maria’s desire to help children drove her to give up her university chair and medical practice in 1906 to work with a group of sixty young children that they had parents who worked.

She founded a “Children’s House” in Lorenzo,a district of Rome. Which is now known as the Montessori method of education developed there. Everything Maria developed was based upon her observations of the children and how they do things naturally without help from adults. Maria made two trips of U.S.A. Where she had supports from Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Hellen Keller. She was renowned worldwide for her “Glass House” schoolroom exhibit at the Panama Pacific International Exhibition in San Francisco. Maria opened many research facilities and training centers and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times in 1949,1950 and 1951.

Maria was inspired by the theory that “Children teach themselves”. She believed in the “self creating process of children”. Montessori education is based on a flow experience. It is built on the constant self-construction of the children as time goes by. Montessori schools have prepared environments for children where they can achieve an uninterrupted education, a curriculum designed to enhance their faculties. She was in many ways much ahead of her time. Through her medical practice, she became interested in how children learn  and ultimately left medicine to become an educationist. She searched the works of two French doctors of 18^th and 19^th centuries: Lean Mare-Graspard Itard(1775-1838) and Edward Seiguin(1872-1880).

From both these scientists she took a real idea of a scientific approach to education, based on observation. She belongs to the child study school of thought. She carefully practiced and with an objective of a biologist. She observed like is being observed in his natural environment. Her work created a blue print for educating children, from the learning disabled to the gifted and for the help of children to become self motivated, independent and lifelong learners. As her work with educating the disabled children got fame and recognition. She thought why were the normal children failing in exams? She suggested that a newborn child has immense potential which is hardly ever explored by schools. She challenged that if disabled children can be producing such results than schools for normal children can do far better than them.

Her ideas supported her cause for humanity and she was highly respected for that. She actively participated in various movements for reforms. She was not welcomed by the Ministry of Education Italy. But in 1907 she started working in a day care as a medical director for young children who were not old enough for public schools. In Rome, the first day care named, “Casa Dei Bambini(House of Children)” was inaugurated in 1907.She worked in horrible conditions but her experiments turned out like miracles.

Many of the concepts that she invented are now common place in early childhood education. Her most miraculous ideas were:

1)The most important period of life is from birth to the age of six as this is the time when intelligence was being formed.

2)Early stimulation is very important for success in later learning.

3)Children learn from an active, hands-on approach that draws on all five senses.

4)The learning material should be interested, reality oriented and designed to facilitate self-correcting and the reinforcement of sensory perceptions.

5)The real learning revolves the ability to do things for oneself, not the passive reception of knowledge.

6)That imposing immobility and silence hampers a child ability to learn.

7)The children take a natural pleasure in learning and that the sense of accomplishment that comes from learning is the basis of self-confidence necessary for independence.

8)Montessori’s philosophy, materials and practices have spread around the globe.

During her prime production period 1907 to 1930s she continued her studies about children and developed a highly expanded methodology and curriculum .She gave up her medicine profession and devoted herself to her mission of “Regenerating Mankind”.

Every modern classroom reflects her ideology today. Multiple-intelligence, importance of mental health, emotional literacy, the activeness of modern education, materials used, co-operative learning, authentic assessments are few examples generally attributed to her.Now with the advancement in science of child development, many educators around the world have appreciated her work and fore-sight. The educationists who studied her work agree that Montessori education is the best available system for child education in all cultures and parts of the world.

In 1952 she died in Netherlands but she will be always remembered for her immortal work that would help the children for all times to come. She lived in 18^th century but she was a lady much ahead for her times.

Today her philosophy materials and practices are spread around the world. There are thousands of Montessori schools today.

Role Of Montessori Directress

Role Of Montessori Directress

A Montessori teacher or directress is the most important person for a child in a school. She is a counselor, a facilitator and a guide. All the learning for a child are due to the teacher’s faithfulness towards her duties. A teacher must not act as if the knowledge flows through her /him. She must think and act like a co-operative artist taking in view the activity learner’s mind. The activities are not for her.

It is good general observation that students are not encouraged to comprehend or explore the lessons themselves. They are going to prepared material to cram to pass the exams. Mostly the students are not equipped to find their own solutions. In Montessori methodology the directress, the child and the prepared environment are like three sides of a triangle. The directress is the guardian of the prepared environment, with an understanding of invaluable nature and immense responsibility. She is responsible for facilitation and provision of appropriate learning environment.

She is the soul of the environment to which she brings the child in contact. The main task of the teacher is to help the child in adopting the environment and make him feel comfortable. She must bring forth the skills and qualities of a child are essential for his overall environment. Once he attains these qualities he becomes a world-force.

Generally, a teacher is found delivering a lecture in schools to a group of students. But a Montessori teacher’s role is quite different. She prepares the appropriate learning materials to meet the needs and interests of each child in the class they work with one or two children at a time, advising, presenting a new lesson, or making an observation. The learning is for the children and not for the teachers. Every child is a distinct individual due to their various interest, progress, growth and preferred learning style.

The most important quality of the directress in to have faith in the child, in herself as well as the methods she must be preferred as following;

1)Intellectual preparation,

2)Spiritual preparation,

3)psychic and physical preparation,

The chief characteristics of a Montessori teacher are as following;

1)To prepare the environment.

2)Passive role playing.

3)Profound respect for the dignity of the child.

She must have a deep sense of individuality of every child as a human being. In order to become dynamic link between the child and the prepared environment ,she must have the following qualities;

a)Knowledge   (b)Patience   (c)Observation   (d)Sympathy and love for the child   (e)Clarity in her work.

The science of being a Montessori teacher consists of knowing in advance about the sensitive development periods of a child. A directress must undergo a threefold preparation program before coming in contact with the child.

1)Intellectual preparation;  The teacher must know her work right-out and must keep in touch with the environment. She should know what is happening around the world. She must have

sufficient knowledge of science, geography, mathematics, history, music ,art work etc. She should be tactful with all the children according to their potentials of work with all children as long as needed. She should have patience as some children take to grasp the instructions. However, there must be no favoritism or preference in the prepared environment. Children should be kept at par with each other. The directress must analyze her own presentations and she must work accordingly. The art of teaching in the prepared environment is divided between the directress and the material.

Dr.Montessori sums up the position of directress by saying;

                                             “Teach the child not by correcting but by directing his energies

                                                Towards the purposeful end.”

2)Spiritual Preparation:   Spiritual preparation consists of the environment and the directress within herself using her intellect and psychic qualities. She must study the following;

1)The general functions of the prepared environment.

2)The nature and purpose of every piece of the Montessori material in her environment.

3)The ages of the children to whom the material correspond and sharpen their senses hold great values for their enlightenment.

4)She should never condemn any child because of her/his weaknesses.

3)Psychic and physical presentation:   She should attract the child towards herself. She should be attractive and pleasant in her appearance. She should be tidy and clean, fresh, well-dressed, dignified, calm and happy person. She should be full of knowledge, very passionate and complete symbol of the education to the child. Since the normalized child is very happy, cheerful with healthy mind, so he/she always response to cheerfulness. She must be in harmony with all means. She should avoid touching the child unnecessarily as they are sensitive  and do not like it.If a child need personal attention than she should not deny it. She must study her own defects, weaknesses and try to correct them.

Dr.Montessori says,

                                             “First remove the beam from your own eyes, then you will

                                               See clearly how to remove the speak from the child’s eye,”

She should purify her own heart and render it burning with love, kindness and understanding towards the children. She should be humble, poetic and gentle in behavior. She must talk logically and should be careful about her language. Her accent should be correct and her voice must be appealing and soft. Her movements should be coordinated. She should have full faith in the system, herself and the child. She must understand the delicate achievements of the children. She should serve children as if she is serving the spirit and the soul which has to unfold itself into a force.

Observation: She must observe the progress of every child carefully. She must take care of all their needs in their growing up needs and progress. Instead of keeping a track of all these developments she must act like an active link between children and the prepared environment. This place is for constant experimentation and modification of environment to meet the needs, interests and notifying the result for the child.

Lessons: The lessons are brief and the goal is to bring the children in a state of mind, so that they will come back on their own for further work with the materials. The lessons should be simple and they should work on their own. She should,

a) observe the child when he explores the material.

b) going to the child to know his consent about working with the material.

c)taking the material to the work place with the help of the child.

d)setting up rules for the material handling.

e)going a short and live demonstration of what is to be done.

f)leaving the child on his own to work.

The presentation by the teachers is precise. Demonstration is an initial exploratory procedure; encouraging the children to continue to explore on their own further. The children should become self-disciplined. Maximum interruption  by the adults should be done. The children progress with their own pace. They gradually proceed in each learning step. Initially the lessons give a brief introduction, after repetition over many days, weeks or months mastery is attained. Interest leads them to explore variations and extend the inherited within the designs of the materials at many levels over the coming years.

Primary aims: Each child be taken as a person not on the daily lesson plans. They must be nurture and inspire. They should lead a child to questioning and let the think themselves, explore, investigate and discover. The ultimate objective is to help them to learn how to learn independently, retaining the curiosity, creativity and intelligence with which they are born. Montessori teachers do not simply present lessons, they facilitate, coach and guide.

Child Development

Child Development

                          “The first essential for the child’s development is concentration.

                                               The child who concentrates is immensely happy.”

                                                                                          Dr.Maria Montessori

Periods Of Development

Psychologist, who have studied children’s growth from birth to university age, maintain that this can be divided into various and distinct periods. The changes are so marked-speaking psychologically-that the following picturesque exaggeration in sometimes used, “development is a series of re-birth.”

We can divide the child’s growth from birth to maturity in three stages of development.

First Stage: 0-6Years	It has two sub phases: 0-3years: The Absorbent Mind which is unconscious . 3-6 years: The Absorbent Mind which is conscious .
Second Stage: 6-12Years	The child has consolidated and established his inner powers and interested in environment.
Third Stage: 12-18years	It has two sub-phases. 12-15years:Puberty 15-18years:Adolescence

FIRST STAGE: In the first stage from 0-6 years, the child’s personality is formed. There are two sub-phases, from birth to 3 years and 3 to 6 years.

In the first sub phase (0-3years),the child absorbs everything from his environment unconsciously. It has a mind which is different from that of the adult. The child has a type of mind that the adult cannot  approach, that is to say, there are no schools for such children. The child constructs his movements, language, intelligence, memory, emotions and creative faculties unconsciously during the sensitive period. This sub-phase is a period of construction.

In the second sub-phase (3-6years),the child brings his unconscious knowledge to the conscious level. This is achieved through movement and exploration of the environment. The child uses his hands and enriches his experience. Now the hand has become his instrument of the brain. This sub phase is a period of consolidation. In some ways the child begins to become susceptible to adult influence. The child needs freedom to consolidate his knowledge. The adult’s direct help at this stage may hinder this development. In order to consolidate his hasty achievements the child’s needs to be placed in a specially prepared environment i.e, Montessori House of Children. Where he is set free to choose his own occupations and to become socially cultured, learns, writing, reading and the number concept, besides many other things. By the end of 6 years the child’s personality is almost completely developed.

SECOND STAGE: The second stage from 16-12years is a period of great stability. It is a period of growth unaccompanied by other changes. This child is calm, happy and self assured. A being from another planet, which did not know the human race, could easily take these 10 years old to be adults of the human race, It is a period of further mental development marked by strengthening of the reasoning faculty and building up of creative and artistic skills. The peer instinct develops during this phase. The children seek the company of their friends more and this helps the social and moral development of the child.

THIRD STAGE: The third stage, from 12-18 years, is a period of so much change as to remind one of the first. It has again two sub-phases;

From 12-15 years: There is a transformation in both physical and mental development. It is the end of childhood and the beginning of puberty. This period is adolescences is marked by individuality and the child emerges as a social being. He is sensitive to all facts and experiences which relate to his life. This period is also seen to be delicate since many psychological characteristics are acquired in the phase.

From 15-18 years: This is the period of exploring more concentrated areas of interest in depth. There are physical changes also during this period, the body reaching its full maturity. Man, after 18,is fully developed and no further marked changes occurs in him. He grows only in age. It is a stage of development where independence, comes in and the individual enters a new social life with self-confidence and true knowledge. You may say these divisions are too arithmetical to be real divisions of life. But the physical landmarks and parallel mental qualities are clear about the 6^th,12^th and 18^th years of life. It must be remembered that there are no exact time limits applicable to all cases. The above periods present averages. There are oscillations, backwards or forwards, from the average. The oscillations are individual differences.

There are some children who at six years of age have a complete replacement of all their milk teeth. There are others who get their second set of teeth a little later. Similar individual differences may be observed in the emergence of the wisdom teeth. The study of the facts relating to each individual is important but as there are several thousand million individuals in the world the stated averages forms a useful working basis. The average also is a guide for the study of any individual case.

The time limits of the above period are affected not only by individual differences but also by differences due to sex. There are appreciable differences between men and women in this manner. Thus the working averages, as already mentioned, become all the more useful. The time limits of these periods were recognized from ancient times and acted upon.