The Montessori Method

Introduction

The Montessori system of education can be attributed to Maria Montessori, Italy’s first female physician. While catering to a group of special needs children, she identified a gap in the education system that had to be filled if education was to be more efficient and able to meet learning goals. She thus came up with a new system that was more responsive and sensitive to the needs of the learners, and in so doing ushered in a new way of learning that prevails to date. Her idea was simple. Through study, she had identified that students, especially at a young age were more likely to respond to a sense based learning experience. Her solution was to a sensory based learning system that placed prominence on independence, freedom within bounds, and respect for a juvenile’s physical, social, and psychological development. Maria Montessori’s visionary ideas are still viable and continue to have a profound effect on the educational system all around the world.

History

Around 1900, the Italian educator and physician Maria Montessori came up with a novel and innovative way of teaching children that has since left an indelible mark on education curricula the world over. Montessori education is a sensory-based education that derives its foundations on the basis and belief that children learn best at their pace through interaction with objects (Lopata, Wallace, & Finn, 2005). In order to fully understand Montessori Method, which has since come to be known as individual or progressive learning, it is essential to touch on the developmental history of the philosophy. Dr. Maria Montessori initially advanced as a teaching philosophy in 1896. While treating special needs children at a Psychiatric facility at the University of Rome, Dr. Montessori realized that the children preferred to interact with their natural environment. She made note that while the children had been diagnosed as mentally deficient and unable to learn, they quickly took to her new way of teaching which allowed them to interact with their surroundings. Within two years of the undertaking, Dr. Montessori’s students were able to complete successfully Italy’s standardized public school exams (International Montessori Index, 2015).

Further research and study in the field prompted the observation that effective teaching required the institution of a “sensory rich” environment where students had interactive learning opportunities, yet still managed to stay independent. This “educational playground” as it was called, allowed children to choose from a variety of developmental activities that encouraged they learn by doing. It was Montessori’s belief that training of the senses should precede training of the (Lopata, Wallace & Finn, 2005). Through the use of this “self-directed” individualized learning experience, Montessori’s students effectively taught themselves through a system of critical interaction within a ‘prepared environment’ containing similar tasks that gradually grew in complexity and required increasingly higher levels of cognitive thought. The underlying basis of this supposition was that it would create a student who was task-oriented and “intrinsically motivated to master challenging tasks” (Rathunde & Csikszentmihalya, 2005).

The Montessori Method was a preeminently radical philosophy for its time. The method challenged and contradicted much of principles and actions in learning prevalent at the time. Montessori’s method particularly challenged the preexisting beliefs about the acquirement of knowledge and development at the early stage of human cognition. Unlike most of her contemporaries, Dr. Montessori did not believe that children were a blank slate. Therefore, she advanced that the traditional methods of learning that were prescribed were ineffectual owing to their being based on the wrong theoretical framework. Learning methods such as memorization, recitation, and conditioning failed to address the individual abilities and necessary life skills that were the goal of education. Her response was the establishment of a new theoretical framework that called for a total overhaul of the existing learning methods.

About Montessori

What is Montessori? The hallmark of a Montessori Method is the prepared classroom environment. Each classroom comes equipped with materials for teaching through the senses and later progress to reading, writing and basic arithmetic. After these have been mastered, the focus shifts to social and cultural studies, problem-solving, and advanced mathematics. As the children age, music, dance and the visual arts are incorporated into their daily learning routine. The program is remarkable for encouraging early development of trust in children and aiding in their natural development. Montessori’s method inspires the growth of a child’s personality within a fostered and nurturing environment. The children learn through physical contact and interaction within the prepared learning environment. Subject to this interaction, they can move freely and develop responses to the environment resulting in a rich learning experience. The freedom of movement and the ability to explore along with the measured autonomy are essential for any infant’s development. Through movement, they can learn intellectual and emotional independence.

Along with cognitive abilities, an education system should benefit the infants with mastery of basic human tasks. The Montessori Method encourages the students to learn about self-control, independence, and trust. At this stage in their development, the infants are undergoing rapid changes. The key learning challenges they face at this stage involve learning how to move with intent and coordination, making order out of their surroundings, and communication with others. The role of the teachers in such an environment is to observe each child, anticipate their next activity, and entice them into an activity that will help develop their senses. Independence is encouraged at this level of development in all things, with toileting skills being a major part of the curriculum. Teachers who work at this developmental stage are required to have an incredible energy and deep sensitivity to the needs of their students.

The Montessori Method is most common in the early childhood stage. The early childhood stage, which covers aged between three and six years of age, especially benefits from the method as it offers the most comprehensive curriculum for preparing children for elementary school. The method is very child centered with almost everything in a Montessori classroom being child-sized. Learning materials are high-quality and age-appropriate and are designed to aid in self-teaching and development of the child. Among other benefits, the materials serve to encourage the children to learn how to solve problems and make natural connections in different bodies of knowledge. The students are also afforded the opportunity to learn skills essential for practical living, and in so doing can expand their imaginative thinking.

A recurring theme with the Montessori Method is that the explicit materials are carefully picked and laid out on child-height shelves. Every learning material is given the children, and they can select and apply them for their purposes. Usually, the materials have a control of error built into the design so that children can see and learn from their mistakes without the need for the instructor to step in. This aspect of the Montessori system ensures that independent learning takes place. Central to the theme of freedom within limits, the Montessori schools inspire children to do projects at their pace, alone or with others. Teachers have to be trained and certified in the Montessori system so as to ensure they are capable of inspiring growth and self-motivated and self-directed learning. Older children also have a role to play as they take on the role of peer mentors, building on their skills and experiences through helping others. The younger ones enjoy the benefits of shared experience based on their interaction with their elders, and all the children, in turn, both young and old, learn to respect each other.

As students move into multi-aged elementary classrooms, and their cognitive processes mature, hands-on materials are used to teach new concepts. Abstract thinking takes hold and students problem solve using group discussion, research and writing skills, and technology. Field trips, many over several days, become the hands-on experiences for Montessori students in this age range. Classrooms still promote the freedom to choose, and students set daily and weekly personal agendas to assist in the completion of the curriculum work. Collaborative projects, science experiments, oral, written, and audio/visual presentations take careful planning and larger amounts of time. Respect, responsibility, and character development are woven into curriculum units.

Montessori Principles

Montessori was of the opinion that the goal of education is “to be able to find activities that are so intrinsically meaningful that we want to throw ourselves into them” (Montessori, 1972). The underlying basis for this is that when children find projects that they can fully invest in, they can cultivate their natural capacities and thus develop interest and can concentrate and focus on their projects. Crain (2004) concurs with Montessori and notes that subject to these preconditions being met, the students possess a serenity that seems to come from the knowledge that they have been able to develop something vital from within. Montessori identified five principles that form the basis of this method, and these are respect for the child, the absorbent mind, sensitive periods, the prepared environment, and auto education.

Respect for the Child

Montessori principles rest on the respect for the child as a cornerstone on which all other principles are based. Montessori noted that “As a rule, however, we do not respect children. We try to force them to follow us without regard to their special needs. We are overbearing with them, and above all, rude; and then we expect them to be submissive and well-behaved, knowing all the time how strong is their instinct of imitation and how touching their faith in and admiration of us. They will imitate us in any case. Let us treat them, therefore, with all the kindness which we would wish to help to develop in them” (Montessori, 1967). When instructors show respect to children while helping them learn and do things, the children are better able to learn and do things for themselves. When children feel that they have choices, they are more likely to develop the skills and abilities necessary for independent action, positive self-esteem, and effective learning autonomy.

The Absorbent Mind

One of the key tenets of the Montessori system derived from her belief that children ought to and are capable of educating themselves. She remarks on the subject that “It may be said that we acquire knowledge by using our minds; but the child absorbs knowledge directly into his psychic life. Simply by continuing to live, the child learns to speak his native tongue” (Montessori, 1967). From the observation she draws the conclusion that the child is capable of learning independently owing to their absorbent mind. Montessori’s claim is that children cannot help learning, they are wonderful learning systems that simply absorb all that is before them. Through contact with their natural environment, they come to learn how to interact with the environment in a thoughtful manner. Teachers are an important element in this interaction. While the children have an inherent capacity to learn, instructors act as enablers and ensure that the environment is suitable and conducive to learning.

Sensitive Periods

Another key principle of the Montessori Method is the belief that children have certain sensitive periods during which time they are more susceptible to learning certain behaviors. Knowing and identifying these periods is essential to be able to ensure the children learn specific skills more easily.  Montessori described the sensitive periods as special sensibilities which a creature develops in its infantile state that is while still in an evolutionary process. She identified the period as being a transient disposition during which the creature was limited to the acquirement of one specific trait, and once the trait or characteristic had been acquired the special sensibility would disappear (Montessori, 1972). While all children get to experience sensitive periods, these come at different times and varying sequences for each child. The teacher’s role, therefore, becomes the identification of the onset of each sensitivity period and provide the relevant environment to nurture and enable the acquisition of the trait.

The Prepared Environment

Montessori believed that children learn best independently through direct contact with their immediate environment, but for the derived benefits of this interaction with their environment to fully emerge, the environment has to be tailored to encourage learning. The customization of the environment to make it more suitable for learning is what is referred to as a prepared environment. A prepared environment at its most basic is simply a place in which children can operate independently and do things for themselves. Such an environment avails learning materials and experiences to children in an orderly manner. Freedom is a crucial distinctive factor of the prepared environment and children are in constant flux and are allowed free rein to interact with the material of their choosing.

Auto education

One of the underlying basis of the Montessori Method derives from the fact that each child has an inherent capacity to learn that drives them to pursue specific activities and interactions (Crain, 2004). The classroom in this set up served as a “prepared environment” through which the students could advance and discover this latent power while keeping them disciplined enough to stay focused on a the specific tasks at hand. Through this approach, learning is fashioned into a complex procedure that aims at making sense of new information via interaction and reflection. The concept that children are capable of educating themselves was named self-education or auto education. This followed the realization that while in a prepared environment, children could educate themselves.

The Teachers Role

In discussing the role of teachers in her system, Montessori stated that “it is necessary for the teacher to guide the child without letting him feel her presence too much, so that she may be always ready to supply the desired help, but may never be the obstacle between the child and his experience” (Montessori, 1972). Based on her statement, it has been understood that the primary role of a Montessori instructor is to create a supportive environment that supports self-education while observing to ensure that crucial stages in the developmental and learning stages are not missed. The teacher’s role was merely that of an overseer or facilitator whose primary consideration was to direct student action so as to ensure they derive maximum benefit from the prepared environment.

    Dr. Montessori, in her handbook, observed that one of the most important roles of the teacher was to make and organize a series of objects around into a special environment that would foster independent learning in the part of the child. The Montessori instructor served to encourage children to learn by providing a conducive environment that supported such action. Along with this, the educator also has the responsibility of observing children in order to prepare them for learning while ensuring that sensitive periods are recognized, and inappropriate behavior is diverted away from meaningful tasks. Teachers also had the responsibility of the introduction of learning materials and were charged with giving demonstrations on how to use the learning materials and supporting the children’s efforts at learning. The introduction of the relevant material was to happen only after observation and identification of sensitivity periods. The instructors were also charged with ensuring that learning materials were made available in an orderly format so as to provide appropriate experiences for all the children. It was identified as a principal concern that the educators also respect each child and model such respect into their works.

Children’s and Parent’s Roles

The Montessori system recognizes the value that both parents and children play in individual development. In the Montessori Method, student performance is not the preserve of the teachers or student alone, but that of the parents, teachers and students working in tandem with one another. The roles of the student in this educational system include the respect of rights of other members of the group and other individuals in the prepared environment. The student is expected to experience their life, and through active participation, get to draw their own conclusions on the learning material. The student or child is also expected to gravitate towards work through play. Work here is defined as the task that one sets out on with the aim of mastering their environment and adapting his findings to adapt and transform society. Through work, the child is able to develop responsibility over their individual actions and freedoms.

The parents too have their own responsibilities over the learning of their children. Like the teachers, the parents are expected to be sensitive to the needs of their children and to be able to allow improvements to the home to make it more in line with what a prepared learning environment should be. Parents should see their children as having infinite possibilities to learn, and ensure that they have room to explore their options. In addition, parents should limit any negative influences that may affect or impede the students learning abilities. Since learning goes hand in hand with proper nutrition, the parents should ensure that their children have the kind of diet that would encourage them to be participative in the learning process. Finally, the parent should ensure that they are actively involved in the learning process, and that they nurture the child to be the best that they can be. In this way, the success of the student will be all but assured.

The Montessori Curriculum

Montessori schools are unique in the sense that students spend a majority of their time participating in different sessions of constant activity with each session projected to last about three hours. Each project consisted of an independent and group tasks as well as other sensory activities that were related to the core learning subjects related to math, art, nature, language and history. The curriculum usually followed a set path that consisted of Montessori’s Five Great Lessons. These are the story of language, the story of numbers, the story of the universe, the timeline of life, and the timeline of civilization. Children are grouped into mixed ages and abilities based on three to six-year increments so that older students can assist and mentor the younger children in the group. Students are usually also grouped according to common interests and experiences as opposed to individual ability and skill level (Pickering, 2004).

Montessori put forward that from birth to three years of age, the children learned unconsciously through their absorbent mind. Consequently, during the period, it was necessary for the educators to be unobtrusive in their instruction, acting as guides and protectors without interfering with the child’s right to self-discovery (Crain, 2004). This early developmental model encouraged independent action and self-education in the children and enabled them to learn at their pace. Between the ages of three and six, the children began to make use of their absorbent mind in a conscious manner. This necessitated a shift in instruction to allow for creative problem-solving. The children were also encouraged to engage in practical tasks usually consisting of personal maintenance and household tasks. Since most children up to this point have not begun formal schooling, this role falls squarely on their parents.

Whether learning consciously or unconsciously, the child at both stages of development actively seeks out sensory inputs, and would benefit from minimal regulation of movement and freedom to choose the particular activities in which they are to engage in (Edwards, 2002). If at any point an activity that the child is attempting becomes overwhelming or difficult, the instructor is required to defer it to a later period. Students from six years of age up to eighteen are required to complete a small group-based tasks in the classroom and their neighboring communities. Under such groupings, the expectation is that the students will explore the wider world and in the course of their interaction with it develop analytical problem-solving skills and a capacity for cooperative social relations. The exposure also lends to the development of imagination, development of an appreciation for aesthetics, and coming to a greater knowledge of complex cultural awareness. Subject to the exposure to the wider world, the children would reconstruct themselves into social beings social beings, real-world problem solvers, and rational seekers of justice (Edwards, 2002).

Montessori Assessments

Maria Montessori remarked on the goal of education using her system as being that of inspiring intelligence in the child. She said “Our care of the child should be governed, not by the desire to make him learn things, but by the endeavor always to keep burning within him that light which is called intelligence” (Montessori, 1967). Montessori identified the pressing need to develop the student’s cognitive abilities, but did not stress the need for formal assessment procedures as much as other educational systems. While there are no pre-identified formal methods of assessments, this does not mean that assessment does not occur. Two assessment methods are generally preferred in any educational system and Montessori employs both. The first assessment strategy is formative assessment while the second is the summative assessment. Formative assessment is concerned with delivering near instantaneous feedback on the progress that the student is making. On the other hand, summative assessment is concerned with comprehension of the overall lesson, what the student has learned up to a certain point in time.

Formative assessment is usually concerned with general everyday observations and monitoring of student progress. The assessment provides feedback on how well the student is understanding the information, and whether they have mastered the material. It informs on whether the student understood the lesson or there is need to repeat it. In the Montessori environment, formative assessments are carried out every day. Material applied in the Montessori Method have built-in error controls enabling the students themselves to quickly self-assess and tell whether they are on the right track. The immediate feedback and error control allow a student to self-correct after discovering the need to without need for instructor intervention. Through this minimal intervention strategy, the child guides themselves into mastery of the subject matter. As a result, they build their self-esteem, develop a sense of self-worth, and can control of their own learning. Once the mastery of the learning materials is achieved, they can then move on to the next materials. Montessori instructors use the formative assessments on an ongoing basis through the observation of each student. The students are constantly assessed for special periods with the teachers hoping to identify their onset in order to introduce particular skills.

Summative assessments measure comprehension to the end of a unit. In a typical classroom environment, a unit would be a term or semester. Common summative assessment methods include formal tests like end of term exams, midterms, term papers, and finals. These assessment are usually meant to rank students. They usually hold the teacher, and to some degree the teacher, responsible for the learning experience. Summative assessments compare students against each other or at times against benchmarks. Owing to the possibility of passing or failing, these apply an element of pressure on the students in question with failing portending bad tidings for the student’s future. Montessori Method has no place for such assessments in the curriculum. In Montessori, as opposed to being an end-product of education, assessments are a means through which student learning is enhanced. The emphasis on student learning pays off as students from Montessori Schools perform better in standardized assessment than those who did not when they finally get around to them.

Advantages of Montessori Method

The Montessori Method has some distinct advantages over other education systems. Chief among these, the Montessori classrooms are found to produce results that are academically and socially superior to other programs. Recent empirical data into the method suggest that young children who are introduced to Montessori can master reading and writing by age six (Edwards 2002). Montessori students demonstrated a better ability to control their attention in the course of new and complex tasks. Along with this, they were more capable of solving social problems and engaging in cooperative interaction (Bower, 2006). Children who adopted the Montessori practice earlier were seen to score better on standardized mathematics and reading tests compared to their peers. They also exhibited greater imagination and depth (cited in Bower, 2006), and performed better on standardized tests later in life (Schapiro, 1993).

Criticism of Montessori Method.

The Montessori Method has as many detractors as it has proponents. Most of the opponents of the method argue that against its acceptance as a sound pedagogy owing to its lack of standardized concepts and training methods. Recent figures indicate that out of the more than 4,000 schools in the United States using Montessori programs, only about 20% are formally associated with an authentic Montessori governing or sanctioning body. Of these 4000, about 60% of Montessori schools have no affiliation whatsoever with any academic or professional institution charges with curriculum development and evaluation (Ruenzel, 1997). Those opposed to the method also cite the fact that the “Montessori” method has never been formally licensed or trademarked, and in effect anyone can open a Montessori-based school without having followed the standard curriculum guidelines. While the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) has been in existence since 1991 and has a mandate to help in the training of Montessori teachers, no standard framework for this instruction exists presently. Without formal definitions of a curriculum guide or specification of desired outcomes, the accurate assessment of the Montessori Method becomes exceedingly difficult.

Valerie Polakow, one of the harshest critic of the Montessori Method, observes in her book The Erosion of Childhood that the methods “imposed an adult-defined work ethic on children, socialized children to engage in work in isolation from others,” and as a result led to the production of “a work ethic where productivity, efficiency, and conformity are perceived as synonymous with healthy development” (cited in Crain, 2004). Proponents, however, refute this arguing that although in the exercise of their independence children may choose to work alone, they may also choose to interact with their peers over the different topics and activities that constitute the learning activity. Other criticism leveled against the method are that it “cold”, “too academic”, “mechanistic”  and does “not meeting the developmentally appropriate needs of the child” (Ruenzel, 1997).

Conclusion

Despite the criticism leveled against it, the Montessori Method still has a profound impact on the American education sector. Presently, Dr. Montessori’s visionary ideas form a fundamental basis and act as the cornerstone of a flourishing scholastic practice. Thousands of Montessori schools are present in the U.S., hundreds of them being public and charter schools. There is an American Montessori Society headquartered in New York City that has almost 13,000 members. The membership also consists of close to 100 teacher accreditation programs and 1,200 member schools with members coming both from within and without the United States. The enduring legacy of the Montessori Method is a testament to the efficacy of her methods.

References

Bower, B. (2006). Montessori learning aid. Science News, 170(14), 212. Retrieved December 20, 2006 from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=22577227&site=ehost-live

Crain, W. Primary: Montessori.

International Montessori Index,. (2015). The International Montessori Index. Montessori.edu. Retrieved 9 December 2015, from http://montessori.edu/

Lopata, C., Wallace, N., & Finn, K. (2005). Comparison of Academic Achievement Between Montessori and Traditional Education Programs. Journal Of Research In Childhood Education, 20(1), 5-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02568540509594546

Montessori, M. (1967). Spontaneous activity in education. New York: Schocken Books.

Montessori, M. (1972). The discovery of the child. New York: Ballantine.

Pickering, J. S. (2004). The at risk child: How the Montessori classroom enhances learning. Montessori Life, 16(2), 8-12. Retrieved December 20, 2006 from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=14053501&site=ehost-live

Rathunde, K., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2005). Middle School Students’ Motivation and Quality of Experience: A Comparison of Montessori and Traditional School Environments. American Journal Of Education, 111(3), 341-371. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/428885

Ruenzel, D. (1997). The Montessori method. Teacher Magazine, 8(7), 30-36.Retrieved December 20, 2006 from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9706293405&site=ehost-live

Schapiro, D. (1993). What if Montessori education is part of the answer? Education Digest, 58(7), 40-44. Retrieved December 20, 2006 from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9305070331&site= ehost-live