User:MatthewDBA/Montessori method

The Montessori method is an educational method for children, based on constructivist theories of child development originated by the Italian educator Maria Montessori in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is applied primarily in preschool and elementary school settings, though some Montessori middle and high schools exist.

The method is characterized by an emphasis on self-directed activity on the part of the child and clinical observation on the part of the teacher (often called a "director", "directress", or "guide"). It stresses the importance of adapting the child's learning environment to his or her developmental level, and of the role of physical activity in absorbing academic concepts and practical skills. It is also characterized by the use of autodidactic (self-correcting) equipment to introduce various concepts.

Although there are many schools which use the name "Montessori," the word itself is not recognized as a trademark, nor is it associated with a single specific organization.

History

Dr. Maria Montessori developed what became known as "The Montessori Method" as an outgrowth of her post-graduate research into the intellectual development of children with mental retardation. Building on the work of French physicians Jean Itard and Edouard Seguin, she attempted to build an environment for the scientific study of children with various sorts of physical and mental disabilities. Following successes in the treatment of these children, she began to research the application of her techniques to the education of children of average intelligence. By 1906, Dr. Montessori was sufficiently well-known that she was asked to run a day-care center in the run-down San Lorenzo district of Rome. She used the opportunity to observe the children's interactions with materials she developed, refining them as well as developing new materials with which the children could work. This materials-centered approach, in which the teacher primarily observes while the children select materials designed to impart specific concepts or skills, is a hallmark of Montessori education. Montessori's initial work was primarily with preschool-aged children. After observing developmental changes occurring in children who are just beginning elementary school, she and her son Mario began a new course of research into adapting her approach to elementary-aged children. Toward the end of her life, in her book From Childhood To Adolescence, Montessori sketched out a view of how her teaching methodology might be applied to the secondary and university levels.

Philosophy

Fundamental to the philosophy behind the Montessori method are the concepts of planes of development and universal human tendencies.

According to Montessori's understanding of human development, human development takes place not linearly, but in stages. Each stage, which Dr. Montessori termed a plane of development, is characterized by a particular schema, and one focus of Montessori teaching is the need to adapt the child's learning environment to the schema characteristic of that developmental stage. Such an environment is termed a prepared environment.

A second foundation of the Montessori method is that all human beings have specific natural adaptations to learning, which Dr. Montessori called universal human tendencies. These include the tendency to explore one's environment, to act on it, and to use environmental feedback to more successfully produce desired outcomes, among others. In order to take advantage of these adaptations, Dr. Montessori designed materials to facilitate activity focused on helping the child learn a specific task or academic concept. These materials are called auto-didactic, since their use, unmediated by adult intervention, is intended to teach the child. The role of the adult in the classroom is primarily to observe the child's activity and guide her toward activity geared to her developmental level and psychological readiness.

Implementation

Implementation of the Montessori method can vary greatly among schools. Since there is no single licensing and training organization for Montessori schools and teachers, different schools may contain classrooms arranged and taught in slightly different manners. Nevertheless, there are certain similarities shared by most implementations of the Montessori method.

As the schema of the child changes throughout development, the implementation of the method changes accordingly for each plane of development. Generally, Montessori's philosophy divides child development from birth to age eighteen into five periods. Certain implementations of the method create further subdivisions, or do not concern themselves with the later stages of development (beyond age 12).