Montessori Schools: Histories, Principles, and Practices

Maria Montessori founded the Montessori school in the early 1900s. To the disapproval of her father and the encouragement of her mother, Montessori studied most of her young life at an all boys’ technical school (The International Montessori Index, 2003). After studying engineering for seven years, Montessori became a premed student and, in 1896, became a physician (The International Montessori Index, 2003). Montessori’s interest in treating and educating children was sparked while working at the University of Rome psychiatric clinic (The International Montessori Index, 2003). While working with the children at this clinic Montessori came to believe that mentally retarded children could develop relatively normally if given the right educational training and environment (Havis, 1996). In an attempt to gather evidence to support her beliefs Montessori sought out a position as the director of a school for “defective” children (Havis, 1996). After working with these children for several years using the principles that she believed to be most effective for educating children, the children in the school began to pass exams for primary certifications (Havis, 1996). This inspired Montessori to implement her theories further by opening up her own school (Havis, 1996). Montessori’s first school, Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House), was formed in 1907. This is where Maria Montessori further developed her theories on education that are used in Montessori schools today (Havis, 1996).

Although Montessori’s principles of education had sparked the interest of many people in Italy and other European countries, her ideas did not become well known to the United States until the mid 1910’s (The International Montessori Index, 2003). In 1915 several well-known American intellects such as Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison offered Montessori an invitation to speak on her ideas at Carnegie Hall (The International Montessori Index, 2003). Her ideas were so well accepted at Carnegie Hall that she was invited to set up a mock classroom at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco (The International Montessori Index, 2003). Many spectators gathered to watch from behind a glass wall as Montessori taught 20 young children using her principles (The International Montessori Index, 2003). Her ideas were so well received at the Panama-Pacific Exposition that many educators began to implement her methods in the previously traditional classrooms in the United States (The International Montessori Index, 2003). The Montessori method of education has become increasingly popular since this time.

The Montessori method is based on several principles. Montessori believed that learning is a “natural, self-directed process” that follows several fundamental laws of human nature (Havis, 1996). According to Montessori principles, a child will naturally become in harmony with his or her environment during the learning process as long as the environment is properly prepared and maintained (Havis, 1996). The role of the adult in the child’s learning process is to simply prepare the environment and to make sure this environment remains in tact (Havis, 1996). Montessori’s principles state that the adult who is preparing the environment needs to be committed to several things: observation, individual liberty, and sufficient preparation (Havis, 1996). Montessori believes that as long as the adults involved in the learning process follow these guidelines the children will engage themselves in their own learning process (Havis, 1996).

As stated above, Montessori principles believe that the preparation of the environment is the most important aspect of the Montessori school. The preparation of this environment requires the involvement of highly trained teachers (Henniger, 2002). Montessori training teaches the Montessori teachers how to remain an attitude of humility, how to respect the children’s individual differences, and how to properly prepare the environment (Henniger, 2002). The attitude of humility helps the teacher to be critical of her or himself (Henniger, 2002). By reflecting on his or her management of the classroom, he or she will be able to make corrections in order to adequately meet the need of all of the children (Henniger, 2002).

The teaching methods used in the Montessori classroom are very specific. The Montessori teacher must be sure to include work tasks and activities that involve all of the individual intelligences that Howard Gardner outlines in his theory of multiple intelligence (Michael Olaf Montessori Company, 2002). These intelligences include musical, kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, intuitive, linguistic, and logical (Michael Olaf Montessori Company, 2002). Children are given the opportunity to explore different activities that address these different areas of knowledge (Michael Olaf Montessori Company, 2002).

Aside from preparing the environment and the materials found in the environment, the teacher plays only a small role in the classroom setting (Michael Olaf Montessori Company, 2002). An underlying principle of the Montessori school is that children will naturally engage in a self-directed learning process. The children are expected to learn more from the environment and from each other than they do from the teacher (Michael Olaf Montessori Company, 2002). For this reason, very little time is spent engaging in whole-class lectures (Michael Olaf Montessori Company, 2002). The teacher lets the students spontaneously divide themselves into small groups and supervises while the children work together to complete an activity (Michael Olaf Montessori Company, 2002). It is through this hands-on, self-directed process that Montessori believes children will receive the most knowledge (Michael Olaf Montessori Company, 2002).

A Montessori class usually consists of 30 to 35 students and one to two teachers (Michael Olaf Montessori Company, 2002). Children are grouped in three-year spans, which allow the children to remain with the same teacher for three to six years (Michael Olaf Montessori Company, 2002). The classroom is usually divided into center stations (Henniger, 2002). The center stations are grouped by category such as daily living materials (washing station, cleaning supplies, etc.), sensorial materials (sand, sound cylinders, etc.), academic materials (books, pencils, etc.), and cultural/artistic materials (paints, crayons, markers, etc.) (Henniger, 2002). The materials found in each station are carefully organized and usually remain in the same location throughout the entire school year (Henniger, 2002).

In addition to the careful organization of the classroom, the child-size materials also add to the engagement of the environment (Henniger, 2002). Everything in the classroom including shelves, sinks, chairs, tables, and toilets are child-size in order to make the facilities easy for the children to use (Henniger, 2002). This allows the children to maximize their interaction with the environment, which Montessori believes to be one of the most important aspects of the learning process (Henniger, 2002). Children in the Montessori classroom are also given their own workspace to use at different points throughout the day (Henniger, 2002). The children are allowed to bring out mats or small rugs that they can sit on while working with their materials (Henniger, 2002). Montessori schools believe that this individualized workspace helps the children to focus their attention and energy on the task at hand (Henniger, 2002).

The materials used in the classroom are also an important aspect of the Montessori school system. The materials used are specific to the Montessori school and each serve a very specific purpose (Henniger, 2002). When new material is introduced into the classroom the teacher carefully demonstrates to the children exactly how the material should be used (Henniger, 2002). After this demonstration the children are expected to only use the material the way it is supposed to be used (Henniger, 2002). If the teacher sees the child using the material in a different way he or she will demonstrate the proper use of the material once again (Henniger, 2002). An example of such a material is the dried pea work task. The child is given a bowl of dried peas along with a spoon and an empty bowl. The teacher demonstrates to the child how to spoon the dried peas into the empty bowl. The child is then left to complete this task on his or her own. If the teacher were to see the child using the peas for any other play or work he or she would demonstrate the task again (Henniger, 2002).

Materials that are found in a Montessori classroom possess certain characteristics that include attention to concept development, graduated difficulty and complexity, and self-correction (Henniger, 2002). Because the materials found in the classroom environment are meant to be the children’s primary source of education, the teacher makes sure that every material has a developmental purpose (Henniger, 2002). For example, the dried pea task described above is meant to help develop the child’s fine motor skills (Henniger, 2002). Materials are also made in graduated difficulty and complexity (Henniger, 2002). As the child gets older the task needs to become harder in order for the environment to remain stimulating (Henniger, 2002). In addition to concept orientation and graduated difficulty, the materials found in the Montessori classroom are also self-correcting (Henniger, 2002). Because a great deal of emphasis is placed on the correct use of the material, teachers try to make the materials self-correcting in order to limit the need for instruction (Henniger, 2002). An example of a self-correcting task is the cylinder block. The cylinder block is a block of wood with differently shaped holes. The children are expected to place the correctly shaped block into the correctly shaped hole. Because it is impossible for the child to put the wrong shaped block into the wrong shaped hole, this task is considered to be self-correcting (Henniger, 2002).

The primary concern of the Montessori school system is to maintain a constant and well-prepared environment in which children can engage in the learning process. The child-sized equipment and specific materials allow children to interact with their environment and with each other. The highly trained and reflective teachers assist the children in making their own discoveries and sharing these discoveries with their peers. Montessori claims that their school system, unlike traditional school systems, provides children with the opportunity to grow into independent and self-sufficient individuals with a deeply rooted love for learning (Michael Olaf Montessori Company, 2002).

Resources

Havis, L. 1996. “Montessori- History and Background”. Retrieved from the World Wide Web April 20, 2003: http://trust.wdn.com/ttpg2.htm#Montessori.

Henniger, M. 2002. Teaching Young Children. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

The International Montessori Index. 2003. “Montessori”. Retrieved from the World Wide Web April 20, 2003: http://montessori.org.

Michael Olaf Montessori Company. 2002. “Montessori Philosophy and Practice”. Retrieved from the World Wide Web April 20, 2003: http://www.michaelolaf.net/ICW312MI.html.