Dr Maria Montessori

Dr Maria Montessori was one of the most influential pioneers in early childhood education this century. Her ideas and materials have become known and recognised throughout the world over a period of more than ninety years and yet they are still appealing and child focused with a fresh, modern attraction when first encountered. It is therefore not surprising that they have been incorporated into good practice in mainstream education and indeed conform with the basis of the early learning goals as outlined in the National Curriculum Guidelines.

Dr Montessori was born in Italy in 1870. Her original interest was in medicine and she was the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome Medical School - no mean feat at a time when this was definitely not a preferred profession for women but despite much opposition she persevered; she was indeed known to have done most of her research at night, alone with no-one for company but those permanently in residence at the hospital morgue!

She gradually became interested in education through her work as a doctor, treating what we know today as children with special needs. Originally, because of her medical background, she approached education not as an educator or a philosopher but as a scientist. Her theories were however not cold or clinical, on the contrary, she worked with some of the poorest most disadvantaged children in Rome. Through her observations she developed the ideas and materials which would help them to develop their full potential. These materials form the basis of the same materials we use today and, tailored to meet the needs of the growing child, they are developed from Montessori's intense love and respect for all children.

So great was the success of her Montessori method that she travelled the world establishing schools and lecturing about her discoveries. She wrote numerous books and many articles right up until her death in 1952 at the age of 82.

The Montessori Approach

Maria Montessori discovered that children were better learners in the years up to the age of six than they ever will be again and that they can learn almost anything, provided the right techniques are used. In a Montessori classroom children are encouraged to choose every activity they wish to work with and to complete it in their own time. Montessori found that once children are accustomed to making their own choices, they are naturally attracted to what will best serve their educational needs.

A child in a Montessori school will be given the opportunity to learn the simple practical tasks that busy parents cannot always teach. They are encouraged to know and respect their surrounding environment and to care for themselves and others in their everyday routine.

The Montessori classroom always aims to promote a calm, relaxed and harmonious atmosphere. Emphasis is very much on children doing things for themselves, learning to take care of their own needs and using the concentration they have acquired from being allowed to work without interruption at a chosen task.

Once children become familiar with the classroom, they are ready for the next stage in their education. These foundations begin with the development and refining of their senses with special 'sensorial' tactile and hands on materials. As with all Montessori materials, the main focus of the exercise is working from a 'concrete to abstract' concept so that the child can see, feel and experience the idea in the most simple terms before considering the same area of learning as a much bigger picture.

Reading and number work are also taught with especially designed materials, with particular emphasis on shape and form in conjunction with the sound or quantity as a separate, parallel learning area before combining the two. In this way the child understands both areas of learning before he or she has to consider the concept as a whole.

An important factor of the Montessori teaching method is that all equipment has an in-built 'control of error' factor which allows the child to discover and correct his or her own mistakes without having to ask for help. Problem solving then becomes the child's responsibility and awareness and confidence are greatly enhanced by the inclusion of this factor. In addition Montessori teaching tries to teach with kindness, using the positive incentives of pride in achievement, craftsmanship or a job well done. It avoids any approach which uses punishment or prize, blackmail and bribery. Maria Montessori discovered that children are well aware of the value of their achievements and can see through lavish praise, especially when a mistake is obvious. Likewise, because punishment usually humiliates and often causes a child to stop trying rather than to try and improve, it does not feature in a Montessori nursery.

Discipline within the Montessori classroom is all important but this is always applied with care and consideration to the situation of the child. Montessori teachers are trained to be consistent but not to ask for behaviour which is beyond the child's capability. No child is allowed to behave dangerously, but the teacher exercises control by focusing on the problem, not on the child. For example, if a child is jumping on a chair the teacher would remove the chair without comment and lead the child to a place where he or she could jump in safety. The problem is solved practically and simply with the minimum attention on the unacceptable behaviour, which may have reinforced it, or on the child personally.

Maria Montessori did much of her work in the period between the wars when many dedicated themselves to building a world where war would not be possible again. Her particular cause was to help children to learn to live together in harmony and was dedicated to her belief that although adult behaviour cannot be changed through mere teaching, her way of nurturing children and helping them to develop could be a positive force which would last into adulthood. Now, eighty years after founding the first Montessori school, the approach is spreading rapidly as parents seek a middle way between rigid teaching methods and undue permissiveness.

(Included in the above is information from an article by Helen Wheatley in the Montessori Child magazine)