The hands-off method that brought you Taylor Swift, Jeff Bezos, and Sergey Brin.
What is a Montessori Educational Approach?
Started by Dr. Maria Montessori, Montessori education is a popular alternative learning option. It aims to foster a sense of independence and personal development. Through self-directed, hands-on activities, children learn through their own experiences and at their own pace. Montessori is usually considered an early childhood approach for children aged 2.5 to 6 years, but some programs are available for students up to 18 years old.
The Montessori method nurtures each student’s individual interests and strengths and supports natural development. This is done through activities such as cleaning, cooking, crafting, and using tools. It is based on the idea that learning should be experiential and age-appropriate.
Rather than formal teaching methods, a Montessori approach follows the child’s natural interest. It focuses on specific learning materials and 3-hour-long blocks of activity for deep and immersive learning. The classes are mixed-age, which fosters an environment of collaborative play and growth.
When you step into a Montessori space, you will find a bright area filled with art, color, natural toys, and child-sized furniture. Students are often engaged in an activity of their choice, usually, one that stimulates the senses and ignites the imagination.
A brief history of Montessori
Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and anthropologist. She studied how children developed socially, intellectually, physically, and spiritually. Through her observations, she discovered universal patterns of development.
In 1907, Dr. Montessori was placed in charge of a group of children in Rome’s San Lorenzo slum district. This would become the first ever Montessori classroom called Casa dei Bambini. It was here that Dr. Montessori discovered the importance of a positive and nurturing environment for children’s learning.
In 1913, the first international training course was available in Italy, followed by the spread of these ideas to California in 1915. Dr. Montessori founded the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) in 1929, and the Montessori method quickly spread worldwide.
Now you can find about 20,000 Montessori schools in 110 countries worldwide.
Pillars of the Montessori Method
Like any educational approach, Montessori has guiding principles that characterize learning.
Montessori is a child-centered approach based on respect. Teachers respect students as unique individuals and help foster respect for others, nature, and the environment.
The teacher prepares the environment with activities and materials meant to engage the students. The classroom space is geared towards physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development. You may see children sitting in groups stacking blocks or working independently on a piece of art. Other students may be busy at the animal washing station or learning to tie their shoes. A highly trained teacher is present to guide learning and observe students. This teacher knows when students reach a sensitive period of learning and can tailor activities accordingly.
Freedom of choice is another essential principle of Montessori education. But, it is not freedom without boundaries. For example, children could choose between 2 different jackets before venturing outside or pick a snack based on a selection of healthy options. The Montessori approach fosters independence but uses natural and logical consequences such as being cold without the proper gear.
What does a Montessori classroom look like?
A Montessori classroom has 5 areas designed to meet the developmental needs of the students. There are spaces allowing for individual or group work and outdoor play. The space is child-centered, and furniture and equipment are child-sized. You won’t find a teacher’s desk or central whiteboard, but you will find bright colors, natural light, and engaging materials.
The Language Area encourages reading, phonics, and letters using tactile materials like sandpaper letters. The Math Area uses self-correcting tools, like number rods. The Cultural Studies Area teaches students about the world and focuses on history, science, geography, art, and music.
The Sensory Area has different materials that encourage weight, color, temperature, and texture comparisons. Thermic tablets are common in a Montessori Sensory Area. They are rectangles of material with different temperatures, like cork, glass, felt, wood, steel, and slate.
Independence is fostered in the Practical Life Area, where everything is scaled for kids and allows them to take responsibility for cleaning the classroom, tying their shoes, and laying the table.
How does a Montessori classroom work?
Montessori classrooms try to foster independence at every stage of development. The low shelving allows children easy access to toys and materials. Floor beds for infants and toddlers let them wake up and move around immediately. The kitchen area is full of child-friendly utensils, jugs of water, and glasses that allow them to prepare their own food and drink. There are also opportunities for movement with climbing equipment or rods in front of a mirror for infants.
Learning materials are displayed within their specific area from easiest to hardest, and left to right. The simplest materials are placed on the top left of the shelf, and the most complex on the bottom right of the shelf. The logical structure connects the learning areas and helps the students organize their thinking by helping to develop important pre-reading and writing skills.
The role of the teacher
A Montessori teacher is a gentle guide who plays many classroom roles. They demonstrate how to use the materials correctly and prepare the space based on the student’s unique interests and developmental needs.
Montessori encourages child-centered exploration that allows for trial and error rather than a set curriculum. The teacher knows each student’s progress and when to assist them or introduce more challenging concepts. They are careful observers and are ready to help during a child’s sensitive period. This is a time when they are ready to learn a new skill or concept.
Montessori learning is holistic, meaning it encapsulates social, emotional, and physical aspects of development and not just academics. Teachers help foster respect and collaboration through independence and boundaries. For example, a teacher may sit still and quietly during circle time and even raise their hand or place it on a child’s shoulder to get their attention. They model behavior and show students empathy, respect, acceptance, and kindness.
Discipline in the Montessori Method
The Montessori method believes in positive reinforcement and natural consequences. Montessori students use glasses and ceramic dishware, so if they drop a glass, they will learn that it breaks and the contents spill. This will encourage them to be more careful in the future. Teachers use clear, age-appropriate language to foster an attitude of ‘joyful obedience.’ This is internalized self-discipline, where students see the value in obedience to authority.
Discipline in Montessori is about respect for the student and the student’s respect for themselves and those around them. Role play is often used to model expected behavior. Teachers try to validate students’ emotions to help foster self-motivated growth.
Teachers provide freedom within a range of choices and often use ‘if-then’ phrases. For example: “If you put your hat on quickly, then we can go for a walk to the stream.” This helps students understand the value of obedience while giving them the autonomy to make their own decisions.
Benefits of the Montessori approach
Hands-on, independent learning can help students build on their skills at their own pace. Children can use sensory-based materials to explore their environment and use creativity, curiosity, and imagination to learn better.
A Montessori classroom tries to foster independence through self-directed discovery. This can lead to confident learners who aren’t afraid to ask questions and learn from their mistakes. A Montessori approach may help kids develop entrepreneurial skills such as creativity, persistence, and a growth mindset. Students have the opportunity to explore their interests and try new things.
Mixed-age classrooms offer peer-to-peer learning and growth. They are also inclusive of children with special needs through the ability to customize classrooms, curriculums, and learning materials. Since children can move around the classroom, those with mobility or sensory needs can find a space that makes them comfortable.
Drawbacks of Montessori Learning
Montessori schools might not suit everyone, and there are disadvantages to this way of learning.
Montessori schools are expensive. They use high-quality, durable materials that mimic real-world items, and the teachers require extensive training. This also means they are not accessible to everyone. Although Maria Montessori never meant her schools to be exclusionary, they are traditionally composed of white, privileged families. They are usually private, with high tuition. That makes Montessori schools more difficult for low-income students of color to attend. Admission can also be regulated due to available space, considering prior Montessori school attendance, and suitability.
The Montessori approach has a less structured curriculum than a traditional school. However, some students may struggle with the self-directed process. With this learning style, certain subjects may not be adequately covered, which could disadvantage students later in life.
Another criticism of this method is that, as adults, Montessorians are less equipped for workplace collaboration. A focus on independent learning can make integration in a structured, hierarchical workforce challenging.
Case Study: Casa dei Bambini, San Lorenzo
It might help to look at the origin story of the first Montessori-style school.
In 1907, a failed housing project in Rome’s San Lorenzo quarter had become a dangerous slum. In the hopes of improving it, some wealthy bankers renovated one of the buildings. But they were concerned about the mischief unsupervised children would cause, so the solution was to confine them.
As a medical officer of hygiene, Montessori was asked to assess the situation. The children were kept in a space with no toys and no teachers. Montessori brought toys from her experimental psychology program and hired a woman to watch over them. She visited them once a week, but the children had minimal interaction with adults.
Montessori noticed that the children became friendly, communicative, and happy as they engaged with their surroundings without outside interference.
This drastic transformation in the children spread into their homes, and people worldwide came to observe the situation. The idea that children could learn for themselves and be intrinsically motivated changed Maria Montessori’s career path.
