Montessori education
[4] The method was started in the early 20th century by Italian physician Maria Montessori, who developed her theories through scientific experimentation with her students.
[7][8][9][10] Maria Montessori initially resisted a career in teaching, one of only a few professions open to women in that time period.
[11]: 60 While visiting Rome's mental asylums during her schooling with a teacher, Montessori observed that confined children were in need of more stimulation from their environment.
[13] Maria Montessori was invited to hold her first course for teachers and to set up a "Casa dei Bambini" at Villa Montesca, the home of the Franchettis in Città di Castello.
In 1909, she documented her theories in Il metodo della pedagogia scientifica (later translated into English as The Montessori Method in 1912).
At the time, Gandhi was very interested in the role the Montessori method might play in helping to build an independent nation.
[19] The Montessori method was adapted for Christian education by Sofia Cavaletti and Gianna Gobbi, in The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
A typical classroom serves 20 to 30 children in mixed-age groups, staffed by a fully trained lead teacher and assistants.
A teacher's role within a Montessori classroom is to guide and consult students individually by letting each child create their own learning pathway.
Classroom materials usually include activities for engaging in practical skills such as pouring and spooning, washing up, scrubbing tables and sweeping.
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.
In addition, several Montessori organizations have developed teacher training or orientation courses and a loose consensus on the plan of study is emerging.
Montessori wrote that "The essential reform of our plan from this point of view may be defined as follows: during the difficult time of adolescence it is helpful to leave the accustomed environment of the family in town and to go to quiet surroundings in the country, close to nature.
There is some debate about the exact list, but the following are clearly identified:[40] Montessori observed four distinct periods, or "planes", in human development, extending from birth to 6 years, from 6 to 12, from 12 to 18, and from 18 to 24.
She saw different characteristics, learning modes, and developmental imperatives active in each of these planes and called for educational approaches specific to each period.
The first-plane child is seen as a concrete, sensorial 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 normalization.
[43] Montessori described the young child's behavior of effortlessly assimilating the sensorial stimuli of his or her environment, including information from the senses, language, culture, and the development of concepts with the term "absorbent mind."
She identified the following periods and their durations:[25] Finally, Montessori observed in children from three to six years old a psychological state she termed "normalization.
During this period, Montessori observed physical and psychological changes in children, and she 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 socialize 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 organization.
She envisioned young adults prepared 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 civilization.
The first issue is controlling for the variables in a live classroom while the second is determining the effect sizes of the method versus other factors such as socioeconomic status.
[51] In 1981, a review found that Montessori programs performed as well as or better than other early childhood education models in specific areas.
[52] A 2006 study found that Montessori education, when implemented faithfully, fostered social and academic skills that were equal to or superior to those seen in other types of schools.
[54] A meta-analysis in 2003 found that Montessori education had some of the strongest positive effects on student achievement compared to other comprehensive school reform programs.
While the findings suggest that Montessori education may enhance adult well-being, the authors note that unmeasured factors, such as parental influence, could also play a role.
