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María Montessori
1
BIOGRAPHY
Maria Montessori was born the 31st of August in 1870 in Chariavalle, Italy.
She graduated in medicine in the University of Rome, and she was the first
woman in Italy to do it. Maria Montessori‟s determination to become a doctor was
proved on two occasions:
-One was that there was one lecture that most of her colleagues did not attend to,
but she was very interested in it and the teacher continued the lecture just for her.
The second one was the countless hours that she had to sacrifice to be able to
dissect a body night alone. During her time it was not allowed for a woman to dissect
corpses in the presence of men.
Her father, at the beginning, did not support Maria because in those ages it was
not normal that a woman study this career; but his father changed his mind in Maria
Montessori‟s graduation (1896) when everyone congratulated him for the job of his
wonderful daughter. In the same year she represented the women of Italy in a feminist
congress.
After graduating she worked in the psychiatric clinic of the University of Rome as
an assistant, she became interested in the educational problems of mentally retarded
children. She observed them, and she noticed that when children finished their meals,
they started to play with the food because they did not have toys to manipulate and play
with. It was then when she realized that there had to be more than medicine to be able to
help these children.
For ten years she continued her studies in education, philosophy and psychology.
In 1907 Montessori opened the first “Children‟s House” (Casa dei Bambini), in the San
Lorenzo slum district of Rome, which was a school for children ages from three to six;
and there she applied her method to children without special needs. It was a success, so
in the next forty years she travelled all around Europe, India and the United States
writing, lecturing and establishing teacher- training programs. In 1922 she became
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government inspector of schools in Italy, but in 1934 she left the country because of the
Fascist rule; then she settled in Netherlands.
She travelled to Barcelona and she was rescued by a British ship in 1936 during
the Spanish Civil War. In 1938 in the Nederland, Montessori opened the “Training
Centre en Laren”.
In 1947 she opened the “Montessori Centre” in London. She was nominated for
the Nobel prize in 1949, 1950, and 1951.
In 1951 she retired from her life of lecture. After 14 years of exile, she went back
to Italy to reorganise schools and to become a teacher at the University of Rome.
Montessori started from the most fortuneless parts of Rome to change the society
and make it better.
Montessori depreciated conventional classrooms because she said children were
not free to learn, they were imposed to follow some methods and that was the only way
to learn. She supports the idea of learning in a free way, where children explored and
learned by themselves.
Montessori died in 1952 in Noordwijk (Holland), after she introduced in the
pedagogy‟s world a new method and new materials to teach in the pre-scholar world.
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MONTESSORI. FIRST SCHOOLS
HOW IT STARTED
When she opened her first school, Casa dei Bambini, in 1907 the results were so
outstanding for both the children involved and their families, that it caused an enormous
amount of interest, both
in Italy and in many other places. She was as astonished as everyone else by the
children's progress, both social and intellectual, and realised that she had uncovered
something extraordinary about their learning abilities. This then became the focus of her
life‟s work and the Montessori Movement was formed.
In January 1907 the first Montessori school, Casa dei Bambini which means „The
Children‟s House‟, opened its welcoming doors in San Lorenzo, Rome. It was a slum
clearance re-housing programme where the developers wanted to keep the children of
working parents off the streets and at the same time keep the new buildings looking new
and nice rather than being soiled by children who had nothing to do while their parents
were at work. These children would be referred to, what we would call it today,
deprived children. The first Montessori school was thereby born in a large tenement
house in San Lorenzo, providing for deprived children aged from three to seven years
old.
It was soon evident that, regardless of these poor children‟s backgrounds, they
began to learn successfully. At Casa dei Bambini the Montessori philosophy and
curriculum thus continuously developed, where Montessori‟s approach in educating
young children began to spread rapidly around the world. Fame and recognition now
came quickly to Montessori. Visitors were travelling from all parts of the world to see
for themselves the successful and stimulating teaching and learning that took place at
Casa dei Bambini. The visitors left inspired from what they saw and the Montessori
movement was triggered all around the world.
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FIRST SCHOOL: CASA DEI BAMBINI (CHILDREN'S HOUSE) 1907.
At Casa dei Bambini, Maria developed her system of education through scientific
observation of the children's almost effortless ability to absorb knowledge from their
surroundings, as well as their tireless interest in manipulating materials. Every piece of
equipment, every exercise, every method Maria developed was based on what she
observed children were doing "naturally" by themselves, unassisted by adults. Children
teach themselves. This simple but profound truth inspired Maria Montessrori's lifelong
pursuit of educational reform methodology, psychology, teaching and teacher's training,
all based on her dedication to furthering the self-creating process of the child.
Since 1907, Montessori Schools have been established in over fifty countries.
After her death in 1952, her works have achieved greater popularity than ever before,
and the growth of Montessori schools in North America is reaching phenomenal
proportions. Ottawa Montessori Schools have retained the purity of Dr. Montessori's
principles in education. More and more, psychological research is confirming
Montessori's observations about the unfolding of learning in the child. Her method of
instruction was a carefully organised one that followed her discovery of the patterns of
human growth and development.
FIRST PROYECTS
In 1909 Montessori imparted the first course of Montessori Guides, waiting just to
have students from Italy.
Surprisingly, many people from different foreign countries and different
professions attended the course.
In 1912 Alexander Graham Bell and his daughter invited Maria Montessori to
America, and they opened the first children's house in USA. By 1917 there was an
intense interest in her method in North America, which later waned, largely due to the
publication of a small booklet titled "The Montessori System Examined" by William
Heard Kilpatrick - a follower of John Dewey. (Nancy McCormick Rambusch
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contributed to the revival of the method in America by establishing the American
Montessori Society in 1960).
In 1926 the "Real Escuela del Método Montessori" is founded, with the support of
Benito Mussolini. The training schools and centres rose up in Italy, and they started to
develop in countries like Germany. Later on, Montessori rejected the help of Mussolini,
whose aspirations consisted in forming the kids to become tools of his war plans,
something that was not compatible with the idea of freedom that predominated in
Montessori's philosophy. The Duce ordered to close all the schools, and so did Hitler in
Germany. In that situation, Montessori abandoned Italy and went to Barcelona at the
age of 64, when she had to start all over from the beginning (1934).
In 1929 she founded the AMI (Association Montessori International), which
would preserve the legacy of Maria Montessori. The see was placed in Holland, and is
directed by some of her descendants, as Mario Montessori and Renilde Montessori. In
2007 the president was André Robertfroid, who was later on director of UNICEF.
In 1939 she lived in India, and she developed the work with "niños de taller" . She
initiates the Montessori Primary Education.
The Association Montessori International. 1929
The Association Montessori International is the oldest Montessori organisation in
the world. Dr. Maria Montessori established AMI in 1929, with the headquarters in
Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The international head office of AMI is still located in
Amsterdam. The organisation was founded to maintain the integrity of her life's work
and to ensure that it would be perpetuated after her death: "The AMI was to function not
only as organiser of courses and overseer of teacher training, not only as a way of
keeping the various worldwide Montessori schools and societies in touch one with each
other and disseminating information about the movement's ideas and activities, but also
as a firm controlling rights to the publication of Montessori's books and the manufacture
and sale of the materials as well as recipient of training-course fees."
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Mario Montessori, Maria‟s son and personal assistant, was given the task of
safeguarding the Montessori movement after Maria Montessori's death. "At
[Montessori's] death she appointed Mr. Montessori as her successor in the task of
directing and coordinating the work of the Association Montessori International... A
responsibility laid upon Mr. Montessori's shoulders was the delicate task of
safeguarding the integrity of the Montessori movement, in the many countries where it
is active, by recognising under the aegis of the Association Montessori International
only such "Montessori" schools and training courses as faithfully interpret, both in spirit
and practice, the Montessori principles."
Mario Montessori sent Margaret Elizabeth Stephenson to the United States in
1961. A trainee of Maria Montessori herself, Miss Stephenson (as she is referred to),
first operated as Mario‟s personal representative in the United States. As the movement
grew, Mario granted her request to set up a branch office of AMI in the United States.
AMI/USA was founded in 1972 and directed for its first ten years by Karin Salzmann.
In 1988, Virginia McHugh succeeded Jon Osterkorn as Executive Director of
AMI/USA.
Today there are thousands of Montessori schools across the United States,
however, "there is no litmus test for calling a school a Montessori school. Even if one
uses an accredited school, the different Montessori organisations have very different
accreditation criteria, with some adhering more closely to Dr. Maria Montessori's
methods than others... In this book, I describe Montessori education as conveyed in Dr.
Montessori's writings and in the training courses of the Association Montessori
International. Although most Montessori schools surely support many of these
principles, implementations vary widely."
The past twenty years have seen a vast increase in the amount of scientific
research confirming the Montessori method: "Maria Montessori, through observation of
children, developed materials that engage both the hands and the mind of the child.
Science and research, especially in the past twenty years, have come to prove that
Montessori's observations accurately describe the learning needs of children and have
shown as well that the principles Dr. Montessori envisioned do create joyful learners."
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The American Montessori Society (AMS) . 1960.
In the late 1950s Nancy McCormick Rambusch, a young teacher who had
undergone Montessori training in London, became inspired with the idea of reviving
Montessori education in America. Initially conducting classes from her New York
apartment, she soon founded and became headmistress of Whitby, a lay-Catholic
school in Greenwich, Connecticut, which became the flagship school of the American
Montessori revival.
Rambusch and Whitby gained reputation and supporters; they and the Montessori
method soon became the subjects of articles and interviews in both Catholic and secular
journals and magazines. They also attracted the attention of the Association Montessori
Internationale (AMI), the guardian and promulgator of Maria Montessori's ideals under
the directorship of her son, Mario, who authorised Rambusch to act as AMI's
representative in America. This led, in 1960, to the founding of the American
Montessori Society (AMS), with Rambusch as its first president. During the early years
the fortunes of AMS and Whitby School were intertwined; the two institutions even
shared Board members. Although Rambusch was active in Catholic circles, she
recognised that Montessori had to transcend religious boundaries and would have to
acquire non-sectarian appeal if it was to succeed in the United States. She also firmly
believed that aspects of the Montessori method had to be modified to accommodate the
culture of mid-twentieth-century America and its children, and that the movement
should not be confined to private institutions.
These ideas strained relations with AMI, which felt that Dr. Montessori's
principles were universal and could not be modified without destroying their integrity.
Despite good-faith attempts on both sides, the philosophical differences could not be
reconciled, whilst additional controversies over finances and control deepened the rift.
Ultimately, in 1963, AMI withdrew its recognition of AMS as a Montessori society, and
from that point until the present AMS has existed independently of AMI.
Nineteen-sixty-three was a critical year for AMS. Nancy McCormick Rambusch
had been travelling around the country tirelessly promoting Montessori and drumming
up support among educators and parents. The results were overwhelmingly positive: the
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number of Montessori schools in America increased and the AMS office in Greenwich
was flooded with requests for information about the method and about how to open
Montessori schools. The society was weakened, however, by conflicts not only with
AMI but within AMS itself.
Moreover, the administrative affairs of the office were in chaos, and the
organisation was in danger of disintegrating. This situation was remedied when Cleo
Monson was hired in January 1963 as Executive Secretary to reorganise AMS's office,
but her administrative abilities soon rendered her indispensable as the coordinator of
virtually all the society's activities. In 1973 she became the first National Director, a
position of pivotal importance that she essentially created and that she held until her
retirement in 1978. In her own way she was as responsible as Nancy McCormick
Rambusch for the existence of AMS.
In 1963, six months after Monson arrived, Rambusch resigned as president and
embarked upon a distinguished career in children's education that continued until her
death in 1994. Also in 1963, the national office of AMS moved from Greenwich to New
York, where it has since remained.
Following the turbulence of these early years, AMS found firmer footing and
began to flourish. As the society grew, it had to cope with the practical issues that face
all organisations, including fund-raising, formation of policies, codification of
professional standards and ethics, and public relations, both within and without the
Montessori community. Various committees and programs sprang into existence to
meet these needs, and this required the talents and resources of members willing to
organise and direct these important activities. Within a decade of its existence AMS's
internal structure necessarily increased in complexity. Yet the society continued to
avoid bureaucracy as much as possible by using the main office in New York as a
coordinating hub.
Because Montessori schools were not required to affiliate with the national
organisation, AMS sought to establish relationships with local schools through various
forms of outreach. It published literature about the Montessori method and AMS,
collected research, some of which appeared in the society's various journals and
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newsletters, and established the Consultation Program, in which trained consultants
would visit affiliated schools, observe classes and the physical environment, and offer
suggestions and feedback. AMS developed standards for teacher training and
certification as well as pedagogical resources to meet Montessori educational needs.
AMS's seminars and conferences also served to foster communication,
professional growth, and a shared sense of identity among Montessori teachers. A
national seminar was held annually, and several regional conferences took place each
year. These meetings featured lectures, workshops, presentations, and exhibits, and
allowed members to network, exchange ideas, and develop or hone their teaching skills.
Portions of these seminars were recorded or filmed to serve as future resources.
The society was very proud of the success of its firstInternational Symposium,
held in Athens in 1979, which featured as speakers several internationally renowned
educators and scholars.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, AMS constantly sought to widen its appeal. Its
ties with the Comite Hispano Montessori, for instance, enabled the Montessori method
and resources to thrive in Spanish-speaking communities in the Americas and the
Caribbean. AMS collected literature from and established relationships with other
educational groups and organisations, including the National Association for the
Education of Young Children and the Child Development Associate Consortium, and
concerned itself with home schooling, day care, and alternative educational methods
such as the Waldorf Institutes. In this way it attempted to keep abreast of contemporary
developments in children's education and resist parochialism by entering into dialogue
with those who shared AMS's concerns for the educational welfare of children.
AMS succeeded in reviving the Montessori method in the United States and
gaining recognition for it as a valid educational system. The society has become the
foremost resource in America for Montessori education and teacher training. Through
its varied activities it continues to provide information, support, and advice to schools,
teachers, and parents, and to integrate the ideas of Maria Montessori and her many
followers into the structure of American education.
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MONTESSORI AROUND THE WORLD
Since María Montessori opened the first "Casa dei Bambini" in Rome (1907), the
Montessori'sschools have not stopped growing all over the world. In some countries the
Montessori method have spread and developed more than in others. Countries like
Sweden, Germany, USA or Switzerland have enjoyed a considerable expansion,
proportionally to its population.
We know there are thousands, but is hard to know exactly the number of
Montessori' schools that are working around the world nowadays.
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MARÍA MONTESSORI EDUCATIONAL PROJECT
CHILDREN’S LEARNING TO MARÍA MONTESSORI
Knowledge should not be introduced into the head of children. By contrast, using
knowledge of existing information must be perceived by them as a result of his
reasoning.
The most important thing is to motivate children to learn with ease and enable
them to satisfy the curiosity and experience the pleasure of discovering your own ideas
instead of receiving the knowledge of others.
Allow the child to find the solution of problems, unless it is very necessary not to
provide new knowledge from outside. Allow them to be built based on their experience.
With regard to competition, this behaviour should be introduced only after the
child has confidence in the use of basic knowledge. Among his writings he will
show: “Never let the child risk failure until you have a reasonable opportunity to suc-
ceed.”
Considered geniuses could not be created, but to give each individual the oppor-
tunity to fulfill their potential to be a human being independent, secure and balanced.
Another of his innovative concepts was that each child sets own learning pace or speed,
and these times must be respected.
TEACHERS IN THE MONTESSORI SYSTEM
The role of teachers is to teach each child individually. The highlight is that it
imposes no lessons to anyone; their work is based on guiding and helping each child
according to their needs, and cannot intervene until they need it, to direct their psychic
activity.
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Maria Montessori called the teacher, principal, which must be prepared internally
(spiritually) and externally (methodologically). Environment has to be organised in an
indirect way to help children to develop a "structured mind."
Children are full of possibilities, but those who are responsible for showing the
way for their development is the "principal," who has to believe in the ability of each
child respecting the different rates of development. This allows integrated into a single
group with other disabled children and those with whom they have a higher level.
The idea of Montessori is that children need to convey the feeling of being able to
act without continually in adults, with time to be curious and creative, and learn how to
think for themselves.
THE MONTESSORI CURRICULUM
The curriculum is compartmentalised into different materials with predetermined
topics are treated only once at each level of education. In the early years, the lessons
are presented simply and concretely and are reintroduced several times in subsequent
years with increasing levels of abstraction and complexity.
The course of study uses an integrated thematic approach, linking the various
disciplines of the curriculum, in studies of the physical universe, the natural world
and human experience.
Literature, arts, history, social issues, political science, economics, science and the
study of technology all complement one another. This integrated approach is one of the
great virtues of Montessori.
For example, when students study Ancient Greece also study Greek mythology,
read stories and novels set in the Greek world, produce authentic period costumes,
build models of Greek buildings, and explore the Greek art. Study the climate,
ecosystems, flora, fauna, and natural resources in the world of the ancient Greeks. They
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make plays, festivals, and replicate their own version of the Olympic Games held
between the cities of ancient Greece.
A typical day In Montessori, the school day is divided into fixed time periods for
each subject. Atypical workday is divided into "activities" that were given to faculty
and self-managed and research projects chosen by students. Students work to complete
assignments at their own pace. Teachers closely monitor the progress of their students,
maintaining a high level of demands.
Students are encouraged to work together collaboratively, and many activities can
be resolved only as a team. Students constantly share their interests and discoveries. The
smaller daily stimulation experience their older friends, and naturally this can encourage
them to do "what the great can do."
What results can we expect if we give our child a Montessori education?
There are eight basics that generally look for in children who grew up with a
Montessori education:
Academic Preparation: Montessori prepares students for both higher
education and for life. On an academic level, Montessori helps students
acquire skills that will functionally independent adults and students for
life.
Intrinsic Motivation: Montessori Children feel an innate desire to partici-
pate in activities for pleasure and satisfaction.
Rules of Conduct internalised and Ability to work with external
authority: Montessori students feel comfortable, usually with rules of
conduct that define the limits of their interactions within the school
community. Since these rules are internalized, Montessori students
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generally learn to behave properly present or not their teachers.
Social Responsibility: Montessori children are usually sensitive to the
rights and needs of others. They tend to make positive contributions
to their community.
Autonomy: Montessori students tend to be independent, calm, and morally
autonomous.
Confidence and Capacity: Montessori students tend to be confident,
competent, introspective and therefore successful. Usually not afraid of
failure and learn from mistakes.
Creativity and Originality of Thought: Montessori students usually have
the confidence to express their own ideas and creativity. Recognise the
value of their own work, respect the creative process of others and are
willing to share their ideas regardless of the risk of
being rejected. Montessori students tend to enjoy when they are
expressed openly.
Spiritual Awareness: Montessori students generally are exceptionally
compassionate, understanding, and sensitive to the natural world and the
human condition.
Montessori children to complete their five years are usually curious
students with confidence in themselves, they crave to go to school.
Generally, committed and enthusiastic.
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Naturally, there are differences.
The curriculum in Montessori schools is usually complete and rapid that
many other kindergartens and elementary schools in the United States.
The values and attitudes of children and teachers can also be quite
different.
Learning is often focused more on tasks assigned by the adult, made from
memory, tasks done with enthusiasm and understanding.
But other families, for economic or other reasons, plan their children not to
continue in Montessori. Often wonder if there is any particular age level, which
Montessori children are particularly difficult transitions. There is no absolute answer,
because there are individual differences among children and schools which will be
available below. But in general, we strongly recommend that parents plan their children
to continue in Montessori at least through the end of kindergarten. Each year at
our winter edition, we make an article that considers the reasons behind this, in more
detail.
Ideally, families should consider making a commitment to at least the end of the
primary elementary, but I want to point out with emphasis, that is during the difficult
years of middle school, when children most need what Montessori has to offer.
Does Montessori prepare children for the real world?
1. Montessori teaches children to master the intellectual skills and knowledge
that are basic to our culture and technology. As Montessori students master a
skill level can engage in academic tasks with increasing difficulty of demand
across academic disciplines. Students tend to be reflective. Write, speak and
think carefully and clearly. They have learned to learn by doing real things in
the real world - experiential learning. They have learned to integrate new
concepts, to analyse data, and think critically. Children who grow up in
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Montessori schools tend to be cultured, well educated, highly successful in
college and in later life.
2. Montessori develops intrinsic motivation: the innate desire that causes
students to engage in an activity for pleasure and satisfaction.
3. Montessori cultivates creativity and originality. Montessori students are
generally exceptionally creative in their thinking and confident to express their
ideas. Recognise the value of their own ideas, respect the creative process of
others, and are willing to explore ideas together in search of truth or new
solutions.
4. Montessori students tend to be very confident and competent. They see
themselves as successful people, but not afraid to make mistakes and learn
from them.
5. Montessori students do not see themselves as "children", but as young
members of the world. They tend to admire their teachers and other adults as
mentors, friends and guides, rather than as unwelcome overseers who put
limits on their freedom.
6. Children who grow up in Montessori, rarely feel the need to rebel
and misbehave. Although Montessori children explore the boundaries and
challenge the determination of his parents, basically responding to a domestic
creed dignity. Generally accepted limits and common sense. Moreover, often
seek consciously to his friends and the larger community, in pursuit of ways to
help others and make appositive contribution to the world.
7. Montessori children are easily influenced by their peer group to do anything
stupid. Like all of us, children who grow up in Montessori schools want to
have friends and are affected by their interests and attitudes. Moreover, in
addition to having grown up in a culture that teaches them firmly
and follows universal values of kindness, honor, and respect, Montessori
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children tend to reason for themselves.
8. Montessori students are spiritually lively, exceptionally compassionate,
understanding, and sensitive to the natural world and the human condition.
Montessori children are usually outstanding. They have all the values and
attitudes that pays off in college and the real world. They are not afraid to
work hard. They are eager to learn, think and explore new ideas. They
enjoy people and know how to develop new friendships. Generally, follow the
rules and act responsibly. Living withal basic sense of dignity and
rarely engage in self-destructive situations. They tend to be self-
disciplined and very well organised. They usually meet deadlines, come to
class prepared, and sincerely enjoy their classes. They are the typical college
professor‟s dream, come true!
In the world after college, become students for life, are creative and efficient
employees, and very often are entrepreneurs. Montessori students tend to
be when they grow up, people of great character, someone you can trust
and who can be counted. They are warm and compassionate. Their lives
reflect both joy and dignity. It‟s the kind of men and women who wish to be
our children.
PEDAGOGY
Aside from a new pedagogy, among the premier contributions to educational
thought by Montessori are:
Instruction in 3-year age groups, corresponding to sensitive periods of
development (e.g.: Birth-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-15 year olds) with an Erdkinder (German
for "Land Children") program for early teens.
Children as competent beings, encouraged to make maximal decisions.
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Observation of the child in the prepared environment as the basis for ongoing
curriculum development (presentation of subsequent exercises for skill development
and information accumulation).
Small, child-sized furniture and creation of a small, child-sized environment
(microcosm) in which each can be competent to produce overall a self-running small
children's world.
Creation of a scale of sensitive periods of development, which provides a focus
for class work that is appropriate and uniquely stimulating and motivating to the child
(including sensitive periods for language development, sensory experimentation and
refinement, and various levels of social interaction).
The importance of the "absorbent mind," 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
characterised by the young child's capacity for repetition of activities within sensitive
period categories (e.g.: exhaustive babbling as language practice leading to language
competence).
Self-correcting "auto-didactic" materials (some based on work of Jean Marc
Gaspard Itard and Edouard Seguin).
MONTESSORI EDUCATION THEORY
Self-construction, liberty, and spontaneous activity
Montessori education is fundamentally a model of human development, and an
educational approach based on that model. The model has two basic elements. First,
children and developing adults engage in psychological self-construction by means of
interaction with their environments. Second, children, especially under the age of six,
have an innate path of psychological development. Based on her observations,
Montessori believed that children at liberty to choose and act freely within an
environment prepared according to her model would act spontaneously for optimal
development.
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Planes of development
Montessori observed four distinct periods, or "planes", in human development,
extending from birth to six years, from six to twelve, from twelve to eighteen, and from
eighteen to twenty-four. She saw different characteristics, learning modes, and
developmental imperatives active in each of these planes, and called for educational
approaches specific to each period.
First plane
The first plane extends from birth to around six years of age. During this period,
Montessori observed that the child undergoes striking physical and psychological
development. The first plane child is seen as a concrete, sensory explorer and learner
engaged in the developmental work of psychological self-construction and building
functional independence. Montessori introduced several concepts to explain this work,
including the absorbent mind, sensitive periods, and normalisation.
Absorbent mind: Montessori described the young child's behavior of effortlessly
assimilating the sensory stimuli of his or her environment, including information from
the senses, language, culture, and the development of concepts with the term "absorbent
mind". She believed that this is a power unique to the first plane, and that it fades as the
child approached age six.
Sensitive periods: Montessori also observed periods of special sensitivity to
particular stimuli during this time which she called the "sensitive periods". In
Montessori education, the classroom environment responds to these periods by making
appropriate materials and activities available while the periods are active in the young
child. She identified the following periods and their durations:
Acquisition of language — from birth to around six years old.
Order — from around one to three years old.
Sensory refinement — from birth to around four years old.
Interest in small objects — from around 18 months to three years old.
Social behaviour — from around two and a half to four years old.
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Normalisation: Finally, Montessori observed in children from three to six years
old a psychological state she termed "normalisation". Normalisation arises from
concentration and focus on activity which serves the child‟s developmental needs, and
is characterised by the ability to concentrate as well as "spontaneous discipline,
continuous and happy work, social sentiments of help and sympathy for others."
Second plane
The second plane of development extends from around six to twelve years old.
During this period, Montessori observed physical and psychological changes in
children, and developed a classroom environment, lessons, and materials, to respond to
these new characteristics. Physically, she observed the loss of baby teeth and the
lengthening of the legs and torso at the beginning of the plane, and a period of uniform
growth following. Psychologically, she observed the "herd instinct", or the tendency to
work and socialise in groups, as well as the powers of reason and imagination.
Developmentally, she believed the work of the second plane child is the formation of
intellectual independence, of moral sense, and of social organisation.
Third plane
The third plane of development extends from around twelve to around eighteen
years of age, encompassing the period of adolescence. Montessori characterised the
third plane by the physical changes of puberty and adolescence, but also psychological
changes. She emphasised the psychological instability and difficulties in concentration
of this age, as well as the creative tendencies and the development of "a sense of justice
and a sense of personal dignity." She used the term "valorisation" to describe the
adolescents' drive for an externally derived evaluation of their worth. Developmentally,
Montessori believed that the work of the third plane child is the construction of the adult
self in society.
Fourth plane
The fourth plane of development extends from around eighteen years to around
twenty-four years old. Montessori wrote comparatively little about this period and did
not develop an educational program for the age. She envisioned young adults prepared
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by their experiences in Montessori education at the lower levels ready to fully embrace
the study of culture and the sciences in order to influence and lead civilisation. She
believed that economic independence in the form of work for money was critical for this
age, and felt that an arbitrary limit to the number of years in university level study was
unnecessary, as the study of culture could go on throughout a person's life.
Education and peace
As Montessori developed her theory and practice, she came to believe that
education had a role to play in the development of world peace. She felt that children
allowed to develop according to their inner laws of development would give rise to a
more peaceful and enduring civilisation. From the 1930s to the end of her life, she gave
a number of lectures and addresses on the subject, saying in 1936,
Preventing conflicts is the work of politics; establishing peace is the work of
education.
She received a total of 6 nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize in a three year
period: 1949, 1950, and 1951.
MONTESSORI MATERIALS
The aim of the materials within the Montessori classroom is more of an internal
approach to assist the child's self-construction and psychic development. The materials
provide the child with stimuli that captures attention and the initiation of concentration.
The materials within the classroom must correspond to the child's inner needs. Children
are introduced to a variety of different materials based on age level. While observing
and experimenting with the child, the teacher then watches for concentration and
repetition of their actions with the materials. This represents whether or not the piece of
material met the child's inner needs or not. It will also represent the growth and intensity
of the stimulus represented by the child. As well as the meaningfulness of the materials,
there are several other principles that are involved in the determining of the materials in
the classroom.
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HOW ARE THE MATERIALS USED?
Montessori, for very good reasons, makes many of their own practical life and
language materials (as the students learn to do in their training), also depending on
where in the world they live. They gather practical life materials piece by piece. This is
an important process that gives a unique quality to each classroom that expresses the
culture, and ideas of beauty in each community (instead of all classrooms looking alike
with no personal touches).
Materials in the classroom, without being used correctly by a trained teacher, are
usually worthless in creating a real Montessori class. Educational materials in the
Montessori method serve a very different purpose than in traditional education where
the text books are ordered and the teacher learns how to use them. This difference is
because in Montessori the child learns from the environment, and it is the teacher's job
to put the child in touch with it, not to "teach" the child. So the creation of the
environment and selection of materials is done mostly by the teacher and is very
important.
In Montessori education having too many materials is often worse than not having
enough. It could scatter the child's energy, or waste time, clutter the environment, etc. It
is very important to choose carefully when selecting materials for using the Montessori
method of education in school or in the home.
WHAT TYPES OF MATERIALS ARE USED?
The materials within the Montessori classroom can be divided into four
categories. These categories include daily living exercises, sensory, academic, as well as
cultural and artistic. The child is first introduced to materials used to exercise daily
living. Such activities involve simple tasks which the child has already witnessed their
parents perform at home. Having witnessed these tasks in their own home, the child has
a natural desire to imitate the task. The imitation of this task is based on intellectual
knowledge based on previous observations. The activities Montessori introduced to
practice daily living exercises include washing the table, shining shoes, sweeping the
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floor, etc. Such activities promote discipline and confidence. After practical life
activities are introduced, the child is then ready to move on to sensory materials.
The sensory materials are used to refine and draw attention to the senses such as
tactile, visual, auditory, olfactory, baric, chromatic, thermic and gustatory. The use of
these materials will assist the child in the development of categorising sense perceptions
into an inner mental order. The academic materials in the classroom are used to teach
maths, writing, reading, language, science and geography. The aim for learning this
material is to satisfy the child‟s innate desire for learning. It is not to store a quantity of
knowledge in the child.
The cultural and artistic materials used in the classroom deal with the
communication of ideas and self-expression. The child will develop a sense of love and
appreciation for music. While studying music, the child will learn basic concepts of
rhythm, harmony and melody. The introduction to art and drawing is similar to the
foundation of writing. Montessori introduced exercises that develop the muscles of the
fingers and hands for holding pencils or paintbrushes for making controlled movements.
Montessori laid down the foundation for learning through these four categories. From
there, the child is free to explore.
Phases in the use of the materials:
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Isolation
The error that the child will come across while working with the materials must be
isolated within a single piece of material. The isolation of this error will help the child
perceive the problem and be able to achieve the task immediately. An example of this
would be a block tower. The tower of blocks will portray a variation in size from block
to block. The child will not be presented with more complex things such as colour,
noises, designs, etc. Another example of this would be through a block of wood in
which the child places cylinders ranging in size in the correct holes. Through control of
error, if the child has not placed the cylinders in the correct size hole, there will be one
cylinder left over. The child will then be able to realise what he or she did wrong and be
able to adjust the cylinders to fit in each hole correctly.
Range of Difficulty
The materials in the classroom are designed to progress in design and usage from
simple to more complex. An example of this would be a piece of material called Rods.
A set of rods are designed to first teach seriation varying in length only. Seriation is the
concrete operation that involves ordering stimuli along a quantitative dimension such as
length. After the child discovers the length of the rods, a second set is brought in. The
second set of rods are red and blue in colour. They are used to connect numbers and
length. In using these rods, the child will be able to understand simple addition and
subtraction equations. After working with the first two set of rods, a third set of rods is
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introduced. Due to the fact that the initial dependence on motor development and
sensory learning has been passed, the third set of rods are used for a more complicated
set of maths problems as well as the introduction to writing the numerical problems.
Preparation for Future Learning
All of the materials Maria Montessori implemented in the classroom are designed
to indirectly prepare the child for future learning. An example of indirect learning would
be the development of writing. Knobs are placed on materials giving the child the
opportunity to coordinate his/her finger and thumb motor action. Another example of
indirect learning would be the use of inset designs. Through the use of inset designs, the
child will develop the ability to use a pencil by using the insets to guide his/her
movements. The child is able to develop muscle memory and the pattern of letters by
tracing sandpaper letters. When the day comes that the child is ready to write, the child
will feel no pressure or anxiety due to the indirect learning he or she has encountered
over the year. Because the child has indirectly been preparing for this step, they have
developed a sense of self-confidence and initiate to achieve the task successfully.
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Concrete to Abstract
The materials used in Montessori classrooms start off as concrete expressions and
gradually become abstract representations. First the child will sensorily explore a
wooden triangle. After the exploration of this triangle, separate wooden triangles are
added to represent the base and sides of the triangle. Following the discovery of the
base and sides to the triangle, the triangles dimensions are then introduced. The use of
these wooden triangles are further represented to introduce different activities such as
puzzle trays, triangles coloured on paper, triangles outlined with thick heavy lines, as
well as the abstraction of triangles thinly outlined. Through these activities, the child
will be able to grasp the abstract essence of concrete material.
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MONTESSORI TODAY
In some geographical areas Montessori´s method has been extended more than in
others. Countries like Sweden, Germany, USA and Switzerland have enjoyed a
considerable expansion in proportion to its population.
We know that there are thousands, but it is difficult to know the exact number of
Montessori schools that there are in the world.
There are several centres in Spain in which Montessori´s method is being applied.
We must keep in mind that not all centres called "Montessori" apply the method and not
all centres applying the method are called "Montessori".
Some schools simply use the name "Montessori" as a tribute to this historical
educator and her legacy, but that does not mean that they are applying this method of
education in the classrooms.
To know if a center is using the method there are some factors that should not
miss:
Mixture of 3 or more ages in the classrooms.
Availability and use of Montessori´s materials to learning.
Teachers formed specifically in Montessori´s method.
Freedom of movement of students in the classroom allowing them to choose the
activities to be guided by their own motivation.
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MONTESSORI EDUCATION PRACTICES
Ages birth to three
• Infant and Toddler Programs: Montessori classrooms for children under three
fall into several categories. A "Nest", serves a small number of children from around
two months to around fourteen months. A "Young Child Community" serves a larger
number of children from around one year to two-and-a-half or three years old. Both
environments emphasise materials and activities scaled to the children's size and
abilities, opportunities to develop movement, and activities to develop independence.
Some schools also offer "Parent-Infant" classes, in which parents participate with their
young children.
Ages three to six
• Preschool and kindergarten: Montessori classrooms for children from two-and-
a-half or three to six years old are often called Children‟s Houses. A typical classroom
serves 20 to 30 children in mixed-age groups, staffed by one trained teacher and an
assistant. Activities are for the most part initially presented by the teacher, after which
they may be chosen more or less freely by the children as interest dictates. Classroom
materials usually include activities for engaging in practical skills such as pouring and
spooning, materials for the development of the senses, maths materials, language
materials, music and art materials, and more.
Ages six to twelve
• Elementary Classrooms: Classrooms for this age are usually referred to as
"Elementary", and can range in size from very small up to 30 or more children, typically
staffed by a trained teacher and one or more assistants. Classes usually serve mixed-age
six- to nine-year old and nine- to twelve-year old groupings. Lessons are typically
presented to small groups of children, who are then free to follow up with independent
work of their own as interest and personal responsibility dictate. Classroom materials
and lessons include work in language, mathematics, history, the sciences, the arts, and
much more. Student directed explorations of resources outside the classroom, known as
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"going out" in Montessori, are an integral element of the Elementary work.
Ages twelve to eighteen
• Middle and High School: Montessori education for this level is less well-
developed than programs for younger children. Montessori did not establish a teacher
training program or a detailed plan of education for adolescents during her lifetime.
However, a number of schools have extended their programs for younger children to the
middle school and high school levels.
SOME SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THE MONTESSORI METHOD
In the three-six class there is one (sometimes two if it is a full-day schedule) 3-
hour, uninterrupted, work period each day not interrupted by group activity. The "3-
hour Work Period" is vital to the success of Montessori education and often
misunderstood. It means that children have three hours to choose and carry out their
own work. It does not include any required outside play, group story time "circle time,"
music, or any other activities which take time away from the child's own choice of
activity.
During this time adults and children alike respect a child's concentration and do
not interrupt one that is busy at a task. All of the traditional group activities
spontaneously arise according to the interest of the child or a group of children during
the day, or are occasionally called by the teacher if necessary.
The environment is arranged according to subject area, and children are always
free to move around the room instead of staying at desks. There is no limit to how long
a child can work with a piece of material. At any one time in a day all subjects -- math,
language, science, history, geography, art, music, etc., will be being studied, at all
levels.
There are no papers turned back with red marks and corrections. Instead the
child's effort and work is respected as it is. The teacher, through extensive observation
and record-keeping, plans individual projects to enable each child to learn what he
needs in order to improve.
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There are no grades, or other forms of reward or punishment, subtle or overt.
Assessment is by portfolio and the teacher's observation and record keeping. The test of
whether or not the system is working lies in the accomplishment and behaviour of the
children, their happiness, maturity, kindness, and love of learning and level of work.
Requirements for age 0-6: There are no academic requirements for this age, but
children are exposed to amazing amounts of knowledge and often learn to read, write
and calculate beyond what is usually thought interesting to a child of this age.
Requirements for ages 6-18: The teacher remains alert to the interests of each
child and facilitates individual research in following interests. There are no curriculum
requirements except those set by the state, or college entrance requirements, for specific
grade levels. These take a minimum amount of time. From age six on, students design
contracts with the teacher to guide their required work, to balance their general work,
and to teach them to become responsible for their own time management and education.
The work of the 6+ class includes subjects usually not introduced until high school or
college.
MONTESSORI TEACHERS
The adult in charge of these environments requires unique preparation. The
traditional Montessori training is a full year of graduate work for each of the following
three age levels, and stages of development, of children: Birth to three years, Three
years to six years and Six years to twelve years. The Montessori middle and high school
teacher ideally has taken all three training courses plus graduate work in an academic
area or areas.
Out of a spirit of enthusiasm for following Montessori's ideas there is a wide
variety of teacher preparation. Some have taken intensive, yearlong graduate courses,
studying under experienced master teachers who have themselves undergone an
exacting teacher-training certification program of several years duration. These
Montessori teacher-trainees have earned their certification by passing rigorous practical,
written, and oral exams. Others have simply read one of Montessori's books and applied
some of her ideas in a daycare environment. Between these two extremes there are
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many other examples and no official check on the use of the word "Montessori". Due to
the wide variation of the preparation of adult there is a corresponding variety in the
success and quality of schools.
Montessori education has worked all over the world, with all kinds of children
(wealthy, poor, gifted, normal, learning disabled, blind…) and environments (from
refugee camps and slums to elegant schools in beautiful private homes). It is not the
richness of the environment that determines the success of the Montessori´s method, but
the preparation of the teacher.
Montessori learnt early in her work that the education of teachers who are able to
kindle flames rather than just fill vessels is not so easy. The Montessori´s method is
philosophically and practically different from other educational methods, and also very
different from the personal educational experience of most adults who become
Montessori teachers. The words "directress" or "guide" is sometimes used rather than
"teacher" because of the different role of the adult in relating to the child - directing him
to find the best way to learn from the environment rather than from the adult.
THE MONTESSORI METHOD VS TRADITIONAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Role of the teacher
In traditional classrooms the teacher takes the active role where as the child takes
the passive role, however, in a Montessori classroom this is not typical. Maria
Montessori stressed the importance of children taking an active role in their learning.
She did not design the classroom around the teacher, but rather around the learner. The
children are able to move freely about the classroom, respectfully explore the prepared
environment, and use the teacher as a guide. While traditional students learn to be
controllable, Montessori students learn to become interdependent and resourceful. In a
traditional setting the teacher prepares a curriculum for the class as a whole. This often
causes many problems in the classroom because not all children are at the same
developmental level nor are they ready for the same information.
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Mixed Aged Classroom Promoting Social Development
Most traditional schools have one age group for each class. On the contrary,
Montessori schools consist of children of various ages in the classroom. Montessori
proposed that having a three-year span of age grouping allows the teacher, students, and
parents to develop
supportive, collaborative, trusting relationships, and help build a community.
Research found that Montessori children exhibited superior social skills and reported an
unusually strong sense of community at their school compared to the non-Montessori
students. The younger children are able to see where their education is headed, they see
the older children with more challenging materials, and are eager to work up to the next
step. Same age or same skill level grouping can often limit the development of a
student.
The Prepared Environment
The prepared environment, the classroom, is an important aspect of the
Montessori way. Much different from traditional classrooms, Montessori was the first to
fill her class with child size furniture and materials. The artwork and classroom
decorations are at eye level for the children instead of the adults. The classroom
decoration is simple and not too overwhelming, so the children are not distracted away
from their learning. There are individual child size tables and chairs, for when the child
would like to work alone with no distractions, but there are also larger tables with many
chairs so that children can work together or interact while they work independently.
Testing
Maria Montessori did not believe that testing was the best way to assess a child‟s
learning. There are no grades, golden stars, or any other way to compare the children.
The prize and punishment are incentives toward unnatural or forced effort, and,
therefore we certainly cannot speak of the natural development of the child in
connection with them. The teacher in a Montessori classroom observes and assesses the
children individually. The children are never compared to anyone other than
themselves. Montessori stressed that children are all at different levels and learn at their
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own pace, so a grading system is only to compare other children which should never be
done. It is the duty of the teacher to help rather than to judge.
Grace, Courtesy, & Conflict Resolution
Grace, courtesy, and conflict resolution are other important aspects that are
integrated into the Montessori curriculum. Teachers set aside special group time, as a
neutral moment, to teach the children the importance of manners and problem solving.
This helps teach children appropriate social skills at a time when they can truly
internalise the information. Typically an educator will try to teach these lessons when
something has just happened, making it harder for the child to learn exactly what is
being taught because of all the emotions they are feeling. Most schools leave teaching
courtesy and grace to the parents, but a research found teachers who deliberately teach
and model nurturance and helpful behaviour increase the likelihood that the students
will express sympathy, recognise others misfortune, and actively attempt to alleviate
distress of another.
Love of Learning
Montessori‟s main goal is to foster a love of learning in each and every classroom.
Allowing children to take an active role in their own learning reinforces their
excitement to learn. Getting their hands on the materials and working with each other
helps to solidify their experiences and learning, as well as continue to foster their social
development.
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INTERVIEW
October the 25th
. As I go crazy in a taxi because the taxi driver is getting lost in
the little streets of the neighbourhood, the time goes by and I get more and more
stressed. Finally, we get to Hermosilla Street, a little, beautiful Cul-de-Sac filled with
little precious houses.
One of those houses has a wooden poster that says, Madrid Montessori School.
It is a beautiful, classic, white house, surrounded by a white fence, with a little garden
standing at the front, crowded with big trees and crowned with a dark roof.
As I get in the building, by opening a big wooden door, I arrive to the hall, full
of sleep kids, goodbye kisses and hugs from all the daddies and mummies. I ask for the
principal office and a really kind mother tells me that it should be upstairs in the third
floor.
I rush as I go upstairs, and I start counting. One, two and three doors, I wonder if
those doors would lead me into classrooms. Everything I see is made up of rough
materials, I see wicker chairs, paper lamps and wooden clothes racks, and mostly
everything keeps its natural colour, with the exception of some things painted in white.
The scene transmits peace and quiet, and something is missing, no screaming, no noises
or raised voices of teachers giving lessons. After the Interview I get the chance of going
into a class and I find out the quietness is easy to understand. The kids work alone or in
small groups, and the teachers never raise their voice, keeping easily that peaceful
environment.
I finally get to the third floor, open the only door standing and get in. Marykay
Mccabe is inside, taking a coffee and waiting for me. I apologise for the delay but she
understands perfectly the nightmare of getting there. She offers me a sit and we start the
interview.
Belén Astor: For the people who do not know what it is, could you tell us what a
Montessori School is?
Marykay Mccabe: I can tell you how a Montessori School is different from a traditional
school, a few characteristics are the mixture of children of different ages, so we have
three classes with kids from 3 to 6 years old and then we have an elementary class with
children from 6 to 9, and that could go up to 6 to 12.
The role of the teacher, the adult is completely different from the traditional classroom.
In a Montessori classroom you won’t see the adult in front of 25 children and everyone
doing the same thing at the same time. It is much smaller groups and individual
activities that the children are engaged in, and that’s one of the reasons for mixing their
ages.
There are many, many things that could be said, but basically is a philosophy, it’s a
pedagogy that is centred around the child rather than around the adult. And it is much
more concerned with processes than products.
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B.A. Does it work here, in Spain, the same way than in the rest of the world?
M.M. First of all, any school can call themselves a Montessori School legally. It’s not a
copyrighted name, so once you see a school called Montessori, then you have to locate
the website, or go and visit it, and then you see if they apply the method or not.
Some schools just use the name because it is a known name, but they do not apply the
method at all, and then, there are some schools like us, that apply the method fully.
B.A.: Could you tell us a bit more about María Montessori?
M.M.: How much? What do you want to know? I think that we would need another
interview only to talk about her.
Maria Montessori was Italian, she lived over a century ago, she first started working
with poor children in Rome, and through scientific observation and experimenting with
different techniques, she came up with what we now understand as the Montessori
Method.
She also was in politics, so she had to leave Italy, she ended up in Barcelona for 20
years, and that is something many people do not know.
She lived here in Spain until 1936, because even though she was always travelling
around the world giving courses, Barcelona was her base, until the Spanish Civil War
broke out and she had to move to Holland where she died.
B.A.: Why is it such an old system but suits with nowadays situation?
M.M.: I think is a timeless system, because the understanding that Maria Montessori
had about child development, and this is obviously talking about what she thought and
she came to understand through her lifetime, from age 0 p to age 24, not just from 3 to
6, for all development of human beings is so rich and so complex that there are a few
other thinkers that have been able to encapsulate all this ideas in one place and I
reckon that is one of the things that makes the method still really reliable. Also the fact
that it is worldwide, not that much in Spain, but worldwide it is been developed and
used over a hundred years.
B.A.:Why did you, as an educator, choose to be a Montessori teacher, where did you
get your Montessori formation?
M.M.: I am not a Montessori teacher. All the teachers in the classrooms are Montessori
teachers, I have a Ph.D. in Cultural anthropology and I used to teach at University
level. When I decided to start this school, it was with the idea that I would do the
administrative side and that I would hire trained teachers to be in the classroom.
These teachers are trained in many different places, now in Europe there are training
centres in London, Dublin, Paris, and Athens among other places.
There is no formal centre in Spain but there is the possibility of the course to be offered
by Vic University in Catalonia, starting this February.
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We are also looking forward to offering a three years to six course starting this summer
here in Madrid. I think it is important for anyone who is interested in getting the
training, that this training must be done or certificated by this organisation called AMI
(Asociacione Montessori Internazionale), because this is the only way of having the
recognised diploma.
B.A.: As an educator, what are the main differences between a Montessori School and
an ordinary school? And as a parent?
M.M.: As a teacher there are way too many differences that can only be experienced
when getting into a classroom and watching.
I think it goes far beyond the academic training, the kid gets not only the academic
learning, but in addition they get skills, such as strong self-esteem, ability to solve
problems, skills that should serve them in any context for the rest of their life. They get
the feeling of giving them much more.
B.A.: What kind of values do you teach here? Are you linked to any political, religious
or economical thought or opinion?
M.M: I don’t think we teach values per se, I think that we embody values and that is
what we are trying to transmit to children. They see from our example how to deal with
conflict, we give them the skills to deal with conflicts or arguments with their friends. It
is a very international school so the children naturally see that the world is a diverse
place, that people from here speak different many languages, they have relatives all
around the world, so cultural diversity is not something we have to teach. It is
something that is present in the school, they live it.
That is kind of the school philosophy, what we live here and what we try to transmit to
the children. Not a list of things that we put in the wall and make them memorise.
It is not only being a role model, is also teaching them the vocabulary or giving them
the tools that they need to express their emotions, to be respectful to themselves and
with each other.
We are not linked to any religious or political way of thinking; we are what I would call
a Private Independent School.
Suddenly, In the middle of Marykay‟s answer somebody knocked the door and
came in, a kid who was about 5 years old carrying a big paper with an enormous picture
on it, he had just painted it and was looking for a place to put it so it could dry. Politely,
he asked her if he could put it on the floor left it and left the room, as if he couldn‟t be
any happier.
I think this is important and it reflects Montessori‟s way of working, the fact that
this kid went upstairs by his own from the bottom to the third floor, wandering his
school up and down in an autonomous way, knowing his school to be a safe place.
B.A.: What kind of benefits does a kid get for studying in a Montessori School among
other options?
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M.M.: I have not seen any studies. A Montessori kid just gets the skills to adjust to any
system, to any work environment. The richness of the Montessori philosophy makes it
worth sticking to that one system. This is our sixth year and as staff we feel like there’s
still a lot to explore in Montessori’s system, we are just touching the surface of what it
can offer. It’s a project for many, many years.
B.A.: What is the profile of a Montessori kid?
M.M.: There are some studies made in some places in the United States, but since this
is our sixth year we do not have any kid old enough to go to the university, we are not
old enough to have that experience.
B.A.: How many kids are there in each classroom?
M.M.: It depends according to the space, one of the things about a Montessori
classroom, what makes it unique is that by mixing age groups you can actually have
more children per adult when I first started in this I always thought that it was better to
have less kids per adult, in order to give them more attention but Montessori taught me
that every time the space is enough is fine to have about 20 children per classroom.
As we finished talking a young man came into the room, Carlos was introduced
to me as a teacher from the elementary level class. Marykay explained to me that the
teachers are not allways in the class simultaneously, and that he was taking a break to
do some research and plan some activities
B.A.: Would it be possible to adapt Montessori‟s Educative system to a public school?
Why or why not?
M.M.: Yes, it is very common in the United States, where the system is developing more
and more.
B.A.: What is the main difference in teaching here, for example mathematics, or
teaching it elsewhere?
M.M.: With Montessori the kids work with a very experiential way of learning, they
touch the beads, they manipulate the objects and they get the abstract concept, rather
than the other way round, getting the abstract concept first and then trying it to make
sense. Do you agree Carlos?
Carlos: Yes, the thing is that they have the opportunity to experiment and then they find
out what they are doing. We go there and tell him, “Fine, that thing that you are doing,
putting everything together is actually called addition”, or “Look, putting that many
times would be multiplication”. Everything is the other way round.
B.A.:Do you have any subjects that do not exist in an average school?
M.M.: The curriculum is organised completely different but at the end of the day we
have the same subjects. Maybe we teach some things sooner than a regular school and
other things later.
María Montessori
38
B.A.:Can this method be used in high school as well?
M.M.: Yes, absolutely, as well as in the public schools these kind of method that is
prepared to be used up to 24 years old , this kind of project is being developed in the
USA and in some other cities in Mexico, Europe or Asia.
B.A.:When Maria Montessori created her system, New Technologies didn‟t exist, and
nowadays we know that they are very important and have to be taught. How did you
manage to put everything together without losing Montessori‟s essence?
M.M.: That is a good question, we do not teach new technologies. We are against
offering technologies in the school environment because we feel that for this generation
in particular, they are going to learn those skills so easily in their environment that we
want to use the school to teach them things that they may not learn outside. For
example, for us is more important to teach them what an encyclopedia is and to look for
information on it.
C: If I could introduce a computer in a classroom it would be to teach them about it, to
open it and explain them about the hardware, the software and other several things that
all together make it work. Explain that a computer is not a magic machine where we
can see videos or play games.
M.M.: It is not about showing them the product but also showing them how it works. It
is a reflection of Maria Montessori’s method. How she would like it to be.
María Montessori
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CONCLUSION
We are going to end with the conclusion of the work by saying that Maria
Montessori was a woman who disagreed with conventional classrooms because she said
that children should learn in a free way, in a way they could explore and learn by
themselves. She thinks that personal experiences, creativity and the capacity to decide
how they want to learn are the key. The most important characteristics of this method
are that children of three or more different ages could be in the same classroom, the
materials they use in class help them to develop their minds and their bodies, the
teachers who work in this schools have an specific formation based on her method and
the students are free to move an choose the activities to do guided by their own
motivation.
Because of its efficacy, her method has been spreading, so nowadays we can find
thousands of Montessori schools all around the world.
Talking about the interview with the principal of Madrid Montessori
School, Mary Kay McCabe, we want to thank her because of the time she has spent
with Belén doing this great interview. She has helped us a lot to understand the method
of Maria Montessori and complete our work about the school by explaining the
functioning of it, talking about Maria, the teachers, the kids and, of course, the method
itself.
María Montessori
40
BIBLIOGRAPHY
www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/m/montessori.htm
www.notablebiographies.com/Mo-Ni/Montessori-Maria.html
www.casadeibambini.info/montessori/
www.littlegemsmontessori.com/newsletter/pdf/Reasons_to_choose_a_Montesso
ri_education.pdf
www.indianmontessricentre.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&
id=46&Itemid=49
www.oise.utoronto.ca/legacy/research/edu20/moments/1907montessori.html?cm
s_page=edu20/moments/1907montessori.html
www.montessoriconnections.com/schools_online/schoolsonline01.html
www.uhu.es/cine.educacion/figuraspedagogia/0_montessori.htm#La_importanci
a_de_los_materiales_C3%A1cticos_
www.montessori.org
http://www.metodomontessori.es/el-metodo-montessori/montessori-en-el-
mundo.html
http://www.montessori.edu/info.html#teachcourses
sites.google.com/site/morningglorymontessori/materials-curri...
www.uhu.es/cine.educacion/figuraspedagogia/0_montessori.htm
www.montessorimaterials.com/index.php
María Montessori
41
WORKLOAD
Helga López: Biography.
Consuelo Fernández: First schools.
Garbiñe Aranguren: Educational Project.
Beatriz Blanco: Montessori Materials.
Alicia Rojo: Montessori Today.
Belén Ástor: Interview.
Marta Pariente: Conclusion.
Elima Benito: Bibliography and Transcribing the interview.
Richard Taylor: Revising orthography and grammar. Format and Slides
Presentation.
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