What is the philosophy of the Montessory system?

Question

What are the basic assumptions of this system?

Answer 1

The Montessori method believes that the child is the best judge of what he or she is ready to learn, and that children learn best individually in a supportive and non-competitive atmosphere. The child controls the pace, topic and repetition of lessons independent of the rest of the class or of the teacher, and takes personal responsibility for his studies. This does not occur randomly, but is carefully nurtured within the child over time; the energy of the toddler who wants to do all things for him or herself is thus channeled into life-long self-determination and personal responsibility.

The Montessori method emphasizes the uniqueness of each child and recognizes that children are different from adults in the way they develop and think (they aren't just "adults in small bodies"). Dr. Montessori believed in children's rights and the value and importance of children. The Montessori method discourages traditional measurements of achievement (i.e. grades, tests) as negative competition and damaging to the inner growth of children (and adults). Feedback and qualitative analysis of a child's performance does exist but is generally provided in the form of a list of skills, activities and critical points, and sometimes a narrative of the child's achievements, strengths and weaknesses. Deficiencies in one area are treated as points to work on, not as failures.

As an educational approach, the Montessori method's focus is on the individuality of each child in respect of their needs or talents. Children who experience the joy of learning are believed to be happy, confident, and fulfilled.

As one might surmisem, then, the Montessori method encourages a great deal of independence. The youngest children are taught "practical life" skills in order to be able to dress themselves, help cook, clean, put their toys and clothes away and play an active part in their household, neighborhood and school. Montessori education carried through the elementary and high school years begins to encourage more group work but still relies on the student as guardian of his or her own intellectual development.




Premises

The premises of a Montessori approach to teaching and learning include the following:

* a view of children as competent beings, encouraged to make small and large decisions, and encouraged to teach other children the skills they already possess
* the importance of observation of the child interacting with his environment as the basis for ongoing curriculum development -- presentation of subsequent exercises for skill development and information accumulation are based on the teacher's observation that the child has mastered the current exercise(s)
* delineation of sensitive periods of development, during which a child's mind is particularly open to learning specific skills or knowledge, including language development, sensorial experimentation and refinement, and various levels of social interaction
* a belief in the "absorbent mind," that is the limitless motivation of the young child to achieve competence over his or her environment and to perfect his or her skills and understandings as they occur within each sensitive period. The phenomenon is characterized by the young child's capacity for repetition of activities within sensitive period categories (Example: exhaustive babbling as language practice leading to language competence).
* child-sized furniture in the classroom (a Montessori classroom has no teacher's desk) and creation of a child-sized environment (microcosm) in which every child is competent and participates in creating a smoothly-running society
* parent participation, including basic and proper attention to health screening and hygiene as a prerequisite to schooling
* self-correcting "auto-didactic" materials (some based on work of Itard and Seguin)




Goals

The goal of Montessori is to provide a stimulating, child-centered environment in which children can explore, touch, and learn without fear, thus engendering a lifelong love of learning as well as providing the child the self-control necessary to fulfill that love.

A 2005 book, entitled Montessori: Science Behind the Genius, by Angeline Stoll Lillard looks at how some of the foundational components of Montessori environments stand up in respect to current research on developmental psychology.

Answer 2

I think the "average person" isn't a 12-year-old bully. They're people with jobs, and often families. They should at least have a cursory understanding of responsibility and enough intelligence to know that assaulting someone will get them jail time. The "morality" I address, outside of a sporting context, is the law of the land. It's never been an issue. I think the notion of teaching some sort of moral code alongside a fighting system for any reason other than preserving tradition is actually disrespectful to grown adults because it assumes that they're not intelligent or moral enough on their own to know that maiming another person is "bad". By the time someone is an adult, most of their personality/moral compass has already been formed. Most of that formation has come from family, close friends, religious influence, and authority figures. They don't need another influence, and would be less susceptible anyway. Children are another matter, and may need guidance to tell them that punching someone in the face isn't an appropriate response to someone calling you a name, but most grown-ups should know that by now, and those who don't probably lack the maturity to gain much from a martial arts class.

Answer 3

Montessori education is child centered. Here are eight principles of Montessori education. 1. That movement and cognition are closely entwined and movement can enhance thinking and learning. 2.That learning and well being are improved when people have a sense on control over their lives. 3. that people learn better when they are interested in what they are learning. 4. that tying extrinsic rewards to an activity, like money for reading or high grades for tests negatively impacts motivation to engage in that activity when the reward is withdrawn. 5. that collaborative arrangements can be very conducive to learning. 6. that learning situated in meaningful contexts is often deeper and richer than learning in abstract contexts. 7. that particular forms of adult interaction are associated with more optimal child outcomes. 8. that order in the environment is beneficial to children.

Answer 4

In a nutshell - the theory is that the child is control of their learning experiences and the teachers are their to nuture and support them but not to direct them.

Answer 5

I think it is based on the theory that if you teach a child how to "learn" as opposed to individual subjects they will be able to teach themselves throughout their life.