Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870. She was the only woman to study medicine in the University of Rome in 1892 and was one of the first women doctors in Italy.

Montessori set up her first nursery in 1906 in the San Lorenzo slum district of Rome. It was the first ‘Children’s House’.

In a Montessori children’s house each pupil is nurtured as an individual to ensure he/she reaches their full potential. Montessori developed her own resources which are still used in her establishments today.

Maria Montessori was the first person to advocate the importance of the first six years of life. Her ambition for the Children’s house was to lay a firm foundation for further learning. Her success has stemmed across 100+ countries with over 22,000 Montessori schools.

In a Montessori classroom there is a strong family/community environment with the ages of classrooms ranging from

1. Birth to 3

2. 3 to 6

3. 6 to 9

4. 9 to 12

The collaboration of ages in each classroom creates a progressive learning environment where the younger children learn from the older children along with children learning from other children their age.

Montessori organised children’s development in three six year periods

1. Birth to 6: ‘The absorbent mind’ which begins to function in the womb. Montessori named the ‘mneme’; this is closely linked with human tendencies – genetic predispositions which determine our unique human characteristics. She named the absorbent as at this age the child is able to absorb information with ease she believed this was possible because of the childs inner drive she named the‘horme’

2. 6 to 12: ‘Childhood’ Montessori believed this was the most productive stage where the child embraces social life with enthusiasm and new energy. At this stage the child has an innate desire to satisfy his/her curiosity.

3. 12 to 18: ‘Adolescence’ this stage is characterised by it volatile nature which requires an understanding adult to support the young person. Puberty is a key factor in the adolescence stage as the young adult has to identify his/her social group along with tremendous physical changes in the body. (Isaac, B 2012)

Quotes from maria Montessori

‘Never let a child risk failure unless they have a reasonable chance of success’ (Montessori, 1949)

‘The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, 'The children are now working as if I did not exist’
(Montessori, 1949)

Both these quotes can be seen throughout Montessori’s ideology of early years education as her programme allows children to take responsibility over their own learning along with the guided structure of the inconspicuous teacher.

What makes Montessori classrooms different for foundation phase/stage classrooms?

Similarities between the foundation phase and a Montessori classroom	Differences between the foundation phase and a Montessori classroom
· Child sized furniture · Light bright colourful rooms · Educational toys · Children are given the opportunity to display their work on display boards · Outdoor and indoor learning · Informal play based active learning · Holistic learning	· Children have the choice of what they participate in · No set tasks or lessons · Vertical grouping- wider age group · No routine · Not curriculum based · Guided learning · No hierarchy · Teacher is not focus of Montessori classroom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjOvCC0jVCs

Reference List

B, I., 2012. Understanding the Montessori Approach. London: Routledge.

Montessori, M., 1949. The Absorbent Mind. Italy: s.n.