| What is Montessori? |
This system of education is both a philosophy of child growth
and a rationale for guiding such growth. It is based on the child's
developmental needs for freedom within limits. A carefully prepared
environment exposes each child to experiences which promote the
development of cognition in addition to physical and emotional
growth. It is designed to take full advantage of the self-motivation
and unique ability of young children to develop their own capabilities.
Children need adults to expose them to the possibilities of their
lives, but the children themselves must direct their responses
to those possibilities. |
| What are the key premises
of Montessori? |
1. Children are to be respected as different from adults,
and as individuals who differ from each other.
2. Children possess unusual sensitivity and mental powers for
absorbing and learning from their environment that are unlike
those of the adults both in quantity and capacity. |
| How did Montessori begin? |
Dr. Maria Montessori, the first woman to graduate from the University
of Rome Medical School, became interested in education as a doctor
treating children. After returning to the University for further
study; she began her work with normal children in 1907 when she
was invited to organize schools in a reconstructured slum area
of San Lorenzo, Italy. Later, she traveled all over the world
lecturing about her discoveries and founding schools. She was
written approximately fifteen volumes and numerous articles about
Education. She dies in 1952. Her medical background led Montessori
to approach education not as a philosopher or educator in the
usual sense, but as a scientist. She considered the classroom
as a laboratory for observing children, and testing and re-testing
for the validity of her ideas and practices. This open minded
attitude and the respect for the child which it implies, is the
most fundamental aspect of the Montessori education. |
| When was it introduced in
the United States? |
Montessori Education was introduced to this country in 1912,
with one of the early schools being established by Alexander Graham
Bell in his own home. After an initial enthusiastic reception,
interest in the Montessori approach soon waned as the dominant
emphasis of education shifted from development of intellectual
skills to socialization and from the need for limits in the classroom
to permissiveness. This was not typical of the response to Montessori
education in other parts of the world where it continued to flourish.
The Montessori approach was re-introduced in the United States
by Nancy McCormick Rambush in 1958. Principally because of the
changes in the psychological and educational climate, there has
followed a tremendous resurgence of interest in this system of
teaching. There are now over two thousand Montessori schools in
this country. Many schools are becoming responsive to the needs
of the times by extending their programs vertically to include
infants (18 months or younger), and older children; many others
offer daycare programs. The impact of Montessori education on
schools in the public sector had been growing. Fresh impetus was
gained in the United States from the establishment of the first
Montessori Public Elementary school open in Cincinnati in September,
1975. |
| Is it expensive? |
The cost of establishing a Montessori classroom is probably
higher than for a traditional classroom because of the precision
and quality demanded in the manufacturing of Montessori materials.
Like others, these costs are affected by inflation. About a year
of specialized training in both undergraduate and graduate levels
is required to teach in a Montessori school. |
| Is it for all children? |
The Montessori system has been used successfully with children
between ages 2 1/2 and 18 from all socio-economic levels, representing
those in regular classes as well as the gifted, the retarded,
the emotionally disturbed, and the physically handicapped. Because
of its individual approach, it is uniquely suited to public education
where children of many backgrounds are grouped together. It is
also appropriate for classes in which the student-teacher ratio
is high because children learn at an early age to work independently. |
| Is it oriented to a particular
religion? |
The Children's House of Galilee hopes to establish a link between
the Church, the home and the school environment; the Christian
faith will be presented and reinforced in a loving and nurturing
way. |
| Is the child free
to do what he chooses in the classroom? |
The child is free to move about the classroom
at will, to talk to other children, to work with any equipment
he or she understands, or to ask the teacher to introduce new
materials. The child is not free to disturb other children at
work or to abuse the equipment that is so important to the child's
development. |
| What does the teacher do? |
The teacher is working with individual children, introducing
materials, and giving guidance where needed. The primary task
is careful observation of each child in order to determine his
or her needs and to gain the knowledge needed in preparing the
environment to aid each child's growth. The method of teaching
is indirect in that it neither imposes upon the child as in
direct teaching, nor abandons the child as in a non-directive,
permissive approach. Rather, the teacher is a constantly alert
to the direction in which the child had indicated he or she
wishes to go, and actively works to help the child achieve his
or her goals. |
| What does it do for the child? |
Observers of Montessori children have described them as having
developed self-discipline, self-knowledge, and independence, as
well as enthusiasm for learning, and an organized approach to
problem solving and academic skills. The curriculum encourages
group collaboration and cooperation. |
| Why are students of different ages grouped
together? |
When students are placed in upgraded groups containing several
ages they are freer to move at their own pace. Knowledge becomes
more concrete for the older students when they help someone
younger, and the younger students are stimulated by exposure
to the work of the older students. |
| What happens when children go from a Montessori
class to a traditional class? |
Most children appear to adjust readily to new classroom situations.
In all likelihood this is because they have developed a high
degree of self-discipline and independence in the Montessori
environment, as well as because of the adaptability of children
in general. Our goal is to give our students a sold self image,
instilling in them a love of learning which they will carry
into any new situation. |
