Gimky asked for a little info and pointers of where to look to find out more about Montessori. So in my infinite big-headedness I shall attempt to describe what it's all about and give a few ideas of where to look next!
Firstly, Maria Montessori was the first woman to qualify as a doctor in Italy in around 1890. She was quickly drawn into specialising in paediatrics and became involved in caring for a ward of "subnormal" children. (I know, the language of the time can be excruciating). These children were kept in unbelievably bad, horrible conditions. I imagine the ward was rather like the orphanages of Romania when they were exposed in the 1990's. The children were dirty and wild and often rocking or self-harming. They had no toys or anything to distract themselves with. Montessori was horrified and argued that they should at the very least be treated with dignity and be kept clean and have toys to play with. She brought in a set of "Froebel's gifts" and observed how the children reacted to them. The Gifts were designed for use in a kindergarten and the children responded with huge enthusiasm.
At this time Montessori started to develop some of her best known materials, such as the Movable Alphabet and the Spindle Box. Within a couple of years these children were outperforming their "normal" peers in academic tests. Montessori believed that this showed how woeful the educational system was and how it needed to be reformed to suit the children it was supposed to be educating.
The
materials* are the most obvious and tangible part of the method and they are wonderful. Wooden, smooth, beautifully made, many with a built in control of error, encouraging independent learning and experimentation; they are addictive.
They are not the whole story.
The whole classroom (or home) is part of the teaching/learning that is going on. The children are not grouped in narrow one year bands but in wide three year bands that are 3-6, 6-9 and 9-12. This allows each child to grow from being the youngest and least experienced to being the oldest and most experienced in then classroom. Older children often teach younger children how to use a material. Younger children are allowed to watch older children and absorb the lessons naturally. When they are ready for the lesson it is already part of their experience. "Strugglers" such as my friend with the gaze problem are not made to feel a failure because they are given as much time to develop at their own pace and with children on the same level.
The teacher, or directress is an important part of the set up, but not as directly important as a mainstream teacher. Our most important role is to observe. It becomes second nature to be watching and listening to our charges rather than talking, talking, talking all day as in mainstream classrooms. We will watch as a child takes a familiar piece of work from the shelves, watch to see, does he sit with friends or alone, at a table or on a floor mat. Does he do the work as he was shown by the teacher or has he something else in mind? All of these pieces of information about this child are important and help us build up a picture of this child and what he needs.
We are busy giving lessons, demonstrating work to individuals or small groups or working with children who need a 1-1 lesson. However, we are often to be found, absolutely motionless, crouched behind a shelf so as not to be seen, watching a child working!
We also observe the whole classroom. Are there unused areas? Are there spaces where disputes break out? Are children engaging as we would hope or is there a physical barrier? If you look back to some of my September/October posts you will see we changed the layout of the classroom because it just wasn't working.
When a visitor walks into a Montessori classroom they often look around for the teacher expecting to be greeted and introduced to the class. What often happens instead is that a child will approach him/her and welcome them to their classroom, offer a cup of tea or to show them their favourite work. The visitor will eventually spot the teacher, usually sitting on the floor with a child or small group, utterly involved in the lesson. Children will be scattered around the room working alone or in groups but absorbed, self-directing and usually, fairly quiet!!! Whether there is a visitor or not, I enjoy these moments when I realise that not one child needs me, either to work with them or to sort out a dispute and I can sit and observe quietly.
The final part of the puzzle lies within each child. We call this his "inner teacher". Montessori believed that each child experienced a series of "sensitive periods" during his first six years of life when he would be obsessively interested in one particular thing. I believe she thought there was an order that all children followed, although it becomes rather spider webbish as they grow older. However, all children, given the right circumstances, do exhibit huge interest in tiny objects, language, order etc at around the same ages. The inner teacher leads the child to be SO interested in something that he cannot be distracted from it. The teacher's job is to notice this and work with it, providing more work to satisfy the interest.
The watchwords of a Montessori classroom, anywhere in the world are - follow the child. The child can be exposed to everything and anything and should be as part of the curriculum. However, the child is following his own invisible path and the teacher's job is to clear the way and not force him into "norms" or goals or targets that have been set by the government, or state or whatever, so they can prove that learning has taken place.
So - where to look next? I would start with the links down the side of my blog. All these wonderful people are practicing Montessorians either in their homes or schools and I learn from them daily. Particularly go to
What DID we do all day? and have a look down all her links down the side. I think she is pretty well comprehensive.
I have concentrated on schools but there is a whole home side to things as well. Aside form the homeschoolers there are also people like me who send their children to school (mine don't even go to a Montessori school, bad mummy!) but who have a Montessorian home!
If anyone is interested I can do a post about how to Montessori your home, particularly for older children, There is quite a lot of info out there about babies and toddlers but not much about nine year olds!
So Gimky! I hope that has got you started at least! I have, in return started finding out about Floortime and it looks quite familiar (and nicer that ABA therapy which looks to me, as an outsider, as the type of therapy some-one who was terrified of what other adults think about their child would go for. Floor time looks suitably child-centred and child-led!)
* I am in no way connected to this company, I just thought they had a good selection of lovely pictures to look at!!
