flynn088

To let the child do as he likes when he has not yet developed any power of control is to betray the idea of freedom. —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind. Dr. Montessori was very clear: we should not grant children freedom until they have learned to follow the rules. But many Montessori teachers and parents are at a loss at how to set or enforce those rules. After all, aren’t we supposed to follow the child? Following the child does not mean allowing the child to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants. When a young child is unable to control her impulses and doesn’t know what she wants, or how to do what she wants, disorder and disruptive behavior occur. This usually happens because an adult was overly permissive and didn’t establish boundaries or rules. And there are rules in the Montessori environment. Stop and think about the Montessori environments you have observed. What rules of society did you see? Children walk in the classroom. We talk with quiet voices. Chairs are tucked i...

Education, therefore, of little ones is important, especially from three to six years of age, because this is the embryonic period for the formation of character and of society, (just as the period from birth to three is that for forming the mind, and the prenatal period that for forming the body). —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 221–222. Where does the Montessori method begin? In The Absorbent Mind , Dr. Montessori tells us that “The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth.” (p. 4) But, Dr. Montessori did not begin developing her method with infants. She began with children who were between 3 and 6 years old. In the early 1900s, working parents had little choice when it came to childcare. Children who were 7 years old went to school. This meant that children 6 years and younger were left alone, caring for younger children for 8–10 hours each day. Montessori’s first school, the Casa dei Bambini, in the slums of San Lorenzo, proved to have horrendous cond...

The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences. —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 84. On my first day as a Montessori teacher, I entered the classroom with a plan already made. I had the whole first day meticulously thought out, down to the minute. The students and I would gather in a circle and get to know one another. We would tour the room and the shelves, eat snack together, and establish our classroom rules. We would also learn proper procedures for using materials, going to the bathroom, and so on. I did not foresee any real work happening for the first few days. Imagine my surprise, when, after greeting the last pupil, I entered the classroom to see 32 lower elementary students at work! Even the students who were new to Montessori had paired up with someone, and they all had mats unrolled with materials on them. They had not waited for instruction from me before they started their learning. It w...

The teacher must not content herself with merely providing her school with an attractive environment; she must continuously think about this environment, because a large part of the result depends on it. —Maria Montessori Some Words of Advice to Teachers, p. 4. The Montessori environment is specifically and intentionally prepared for the child. Everything that is placed in the classroom has a purpose. When adding a material or an item to the classroom, it is important to ask, "How does this contribute to the child’s learning?" If it does not have a specific purpose, then it probably does not belong. Recently, there have been a lot of images posted online of classrooms decorated to look like vintage carnivals or circus environments. Bulletin boards and windows are decked out in bright banners and made to look like the “big top” tents. Red and white striped popcorn buckets are used for everything from pencil holders to bookends on library shelves. These classrooms are bright an...

In a previous blog , we discussed the value of inclusion and how Montessori’s tenet of following the individual needs of the child makes it inherently inclusive. The Circle of Inclusion Project (University of Kansas) and Raintree Montessori (Lawrence, Kansas) listed 11 specific ways in which Montessori education addresses the needs of all children, including those with disabilities. Included in this list is “An emphasis on functionality within the Montessori environment.” In today’s blog, Michelle kindly shares her classroom experiences to provide real-life examples of how Montessori meets that specific goal. The first time I stepped into a Montessori environment, I just wanted to walk around the room and touch everything. I felt like the proverbial kid in the candy store! I was there to see if the school was a good fit for my kindergarten-age son, but all the works and materials called to me to come use them, too. The Montessori environment is built for children. It is not an adult e...

This idea, that life acts of itself and that in order to study it, to divine its secrets or to direct its activity, it is necessary to observe it and to understand it without intervening — this idea, I say, is very difficult for anyone to assimilate and to put into practice. —Maria Montessori The Advanced Montessori Method, p. 198. When we observe students, we take on the role of scientist. According to Paul Epstein, Montessori “understood that observation places us in three different modes of experiential knowing: empirical, rational, and contemplative.” (Epstein, 1995) Types of Observations in the Montessori Environment Empirical observations are based on a comparison of quantities. We can look at the sensorial materials, for instance, and notice that they are all based on the decimal system. There are ten blocks for the Pink Tower, ten Red Rods, ten prisms for the Brown Stair, etc. Rational observations measure experiences derived from ideas, imagination, and logic. If all students ...

They [misbehaviors] are merely his reactions to an environment that has become inadequate...But we do not notice that. And since it is understood that the child must do what adults tell him, even though his environment no longer suits his needs, if he does not comply we say that he is ‘naughty’ and correct him. Most of the time we are unaware of the cause of his ‘naughtiness.’ Yet the child, by his conduct, proves what we have just said. The closed environment is felt as a constraint … —Maria Montessori From Childhood to Adolescence Helping young children through challenging behavior can be a challenge itself. Training, knowledge, and experience all help the early childhood teacher prepare for those inevitable times when a child requires some extra support. Recently, however, there seems to be a distressing trend to expel young children who exhibit challenging behavior. The rising expulsion rates in early childhood settings are staggering. Over 8,000 public preschool children were su...

 Our work is not to teach, but to help the absorbent mind in its work of development. How marvelous it would be if by our help, if by an intelligent treatment of the child, if by understanding the needs of his physical life and by feeding his intellect, we could prolong the period of functioning of the absorbent mind! —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 38. The recognition of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) has come a long way in being recognized by the medical profession. In the 1960s, Dr. Jean Ayres introduced the term Sensory Integration Dysfunction to describe “atypical social, emotional, motor, and functional patterns of behavior that were related to poor processing of sensory stimuli.” (Miller, Cermak, Lane, Anzalone, & Koomar) Yet, even in the late 90s and early 2000s, when I mentioned that my son had been diagnosed with SPD to his doctors, I was met with shrugged shoulders. Even more frustrating was the fact that the majority of his teachers had never heard of SP...

Whoever touches the life of the child touches the most sensitive point of a whole which has roots in the most distant past and climbs toward the infinite future. —Maria Montessori     There are many things that need to be done to prepare for the new school year. Because I am a Montessori school owner as well as a teacher, I have responsibilities for the building, the classroom, the staff, and the families to ensure they are ready for a successful school year. Preparing for the New Year in a Montessori School: A School Owner's Perspective Each year the building needs inspections to ensure it is up to code for health and safety and fire regulations. Smoke detectors and fire extinguishers must be inspected and serviced. Our school puts aside some money annually to maintain the building and keep it looking well cared for. The repairs and upgrades we do each year vary from replacing windows or flooring to painting. The outdoor space also needs to be maintained. We invite our f...

Montessori teachers spend a great deal of time and effort carefully preparing materials for the Montessori environment to meet the needs of all the children. Because a Montessori classroom typically has children belonging to a three-year age range, there are numerous levels of readiness and understanding in one classroom. For that reason, the teacher needs to make certain that the classroom has all the materials necessary for each age and level of ability. How Montessori Teachers Prepare Materials for the Montessori Classroom and Prepared Environment As you would expect, the Montessori teacher ensures that the classroom contains fundamental materials expertly and precisely designed by Maria Montessori. Often, the teacher includes supplementary materials that support the Montessori curriculum. She takes time to carefully consider each material and make sure that it reflects the ideas of the Montessori method before adding it the environment. Materials should preferably be made of natura...

By its very nature, the Montessori environment is beautiful. The use of natural objects and light add peace, harmony, and balance. They also enhance the awareness of the natural world. The Montessori teacher helps extend this awareness far beyond the immediate environment to the entire universe. She presents the universe to the children as a whole concept, from the beginning of time to the present. And the children come to understand how the universe, and more specifically the earth, is ever changing. Today, with the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases, it becomes a vital piece of Montessori’s cosmic vision that we take responsibility for our impact on the earth and attempt to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible. Bringing awareness to the Montessori environment about carbon footprints There are many ways you can bring awareness of natural resources into your Montessori environment and community. Make use of natural light and turn off lights when ...

“Children become like the things they love.” — Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind , p. 101 A carefully prepared environment is central to the teachings of Maria Montessori. We often think of the Montessori environment as the classroom itself. However, the environment extends to all of the conditions that influence the physical and mental growth of the child. Studying the Works of Montessori - The Absorbent Mind, Chapter 9: The First Days of Life Dr. Montessori was very clear about the environment needed immediately after birth. She states that for the first few days the infant should be in direct contact with the mother. The surroundings must not be harsh, since this is infant’s first experience after the moderated, safe surroundings of the womb. “There must not be too much contrast, as regards warmth, light, noise with his conditions before birth, where in his mother’s womb, there was perfect silence, darkness, and an even temperature.” (Montessori, p. 98) The bond of mother and inf...