www.MeaningMontessori.

com
MM = Meaning Montessori
A Newborn Child is a Seed of an Unknown, Unique Species to be Nurtured and
Growna Gift to be Opened and Surprised by! You, as a Parent, can (and I think
should) enjoy Learning with your Child Who You Both Are.
Grow and Open your Child to Find Out Who You Both Are! I call this Sourcing Your
Self.
Unless you are very exceptionally fortunate, you probably have not yet Sourced
your Self, that is, understood yourself and the Human Condition; therefore, your
having a child is one of the best ways to do this: for by learning how to help your
child Source him/herself, you will be learning how to do this for yourself through
your child.
My Meaning Montessori Project is about helping my Chinese friends to Source
themselves and their children by understanding, valuing and applying the
Montessori Method of Education.
Go to the Domain Name: www.MeaningMontessori.com for further information.
***
To explain the Montessori Method is to explore the meaning of being Human. What
differentiates Humans from other Animals is that they must mainly LEARN HOW TO
LIVEit is not automatically, genetically given, as it is for all other Animals.
Therefore, I claim the Great Question should be: What Are Humans For? And my
answer is: To Be Free to Find Out. I have concluded after 70 years on this slippery,
spinning planet, that each of us IS an ANSWER to this Great Question.
Montessori, noun
A system of education for young children that seeks to develop natural interests and
activities rather than use formal teaching methods.
Montessori, Maria 1870-1952.
Italian physician and educator who proposed a method of teaching young children
that stresses the development of initiative and natural abilities.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_education

Montessori education is an educational approach developed by Italian

physician and educator Maria Montessori and characterized by an
emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a

childs natural psychological, physical, and social development.

Although a range of practices exists under the name "Montessori", the
Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and the American
Montessori Society (AMS) cite these elements as essential:[2][3]

Mixed age classrooms, with classrooms for children ages 2 or 3 to

6 years old by far the most common

Student choice of activity from within a prescribed range of options

Uninterrupted blocks of work time, ideally three hours

A constructivist or "discovery" model, where students learn concepts

from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction

Specialized educational materials developed by Montessori and her

collaborators

Freedom of movement within the classroom

A trained Montessori teacher

In addition, many Montessori schools design their programs with

reference to Montessori's model of human development from her
published works, and use pedagogy, lessons, and materials introduced
in teacher training derived from courses presented by Montessori during
her lifetime.

Montessori education theory

Montessori education is fundamentally a model of human development,
and an educational approach based on that model. The model has two
basic principles. First, children and developing adults engage in
psychological self-construction by means of interaction with their
environments. Second, children, especially under the age of six, have
an innate path of psychological development. Based on her
observations, Montessori believed that children at liberty to choose and

act freely within an environment prepared according to her model would

act spontaneously for optimal development.
Montessori saw universal, innate characteristics in human psychology
which her son and collaborator Mario Montessori identified as "human
tendencies" in 1957. There is some debate about the exact list, but the
following are clearly identified:[6]

Abstraction

Activity

Communication

Exactness

Exploration

Manipulation (of the environment)

Order

Orientation

Repetition

Self-Perfection

Work (also described as "purposeful activity")

In the Montessori approach, these human tendencies are seen as

driving behavior in every stage of development, and education should
respond to and facilitate their expression.
Montessori's education method called for free activity within a "prepared
environment", meaning an educational environment tailored to basic
human characteristics, to the specific characteristics of children at
different ages, and to the individual personalities of each child.[7] The
function of the environment is to help and allow the child to develop
independence in all areas according to his or her inner psychological
directives. In addition to offering access to the Montessori materials

appropriate to the age of the children, the environment should exhibit

the following characteristics:[8]

An arrangement that facilitates movement and activity

Beauty and harmony, cleanliness of environment

Construction in proportion to the child and his/her needs

Limitation of materials, so that only material that supports the child's

development is included

Order

Nature in the classroom and outside of the classroom

http://privateschool.about.com/od/privateschoolfaqs/f/montessori.htm

Question: What Is a Montessori School?

Maria Montessori was an Italian doctor who devoted herself to educating the
children of Rome's ghettos. She became famous for her visionary methods
and insight into how children learn. Her teachings spawned an educational
movement which is enormously popular throughout the world.
Answer: A Montessori school is a school which follows the teachings of Dr.
Maria Montessori. Since the name Montessori is not protected by any
copyright, Montessori in the name of a school does not necessarily mean that
it adheres to the Montessori philosophy of education. Nor does it mean that
it is accredited by the American Montessori Society. So, buyer beware is an
important caution to keep in mind when looking for a Montessori school.

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Montessori Classroom

Montessori Program

Montessori Montessori

The Montessori Method

Montessori School Tuition

Montessori Methodology
Montessori schools theoretically cover infant education through matriculation
from high school. In practice most Montessori schools offer infant education
through 8th grade. 90% of Montessori schools have very young children ages
3 to 6.
The centerpiece of the Montessori approach is allowing children to learn on
their own while being guided by the teacher. Montessori teachers do not
correct work and hand it back with lots of red marks. A child's work is not
graded. The teacher assesses what the child has learned and then guides him
into new areas of discovery.
This description of a Montessori school was written by Ruth Hurvitz of The
Montessori School in Wilton, CT. I am grateful to her for sharing her many
years of experience as a Montessori teacher with us.

"The Montessori School's culture is devoted to helping each child grow

toward independence by building confidence, competence, self-esteem and
respect for others. More than an approach to education, Montessori is an
approach to life. The program at The Montessori School, both in philosophy
and pedagogy, is based on the scientific research work of Dr. Maria

Montessori and on AMI Montessori training. The School respects children as

self-directed individuals and fosters their growth toward independence and
social responsibility, while creating a joyful, diverse and family-oriented
community.

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Montessori classrooms are designed in a multi-age mix from toddlers through
adolescents which allows for both individual and social development. The
classrooms are beautiful by design. They are set up in an open style, with
work areas throughout the room and materials available on accessible
shelving. Most lessons are given to small groups or individual children while
other children are working independently.
The school uses stories, Montessori materials, charts, time lines, objects of
nature, treasures from the wealth of cultures around the worlds and sometime
conventional tools to teach the children. Guided by the teacher, Montessori
students actively participate in planning their time and taking responsibility
for their work.
Committed to diversity, The Montessori School community is inclusive and
depends on the tenets of respect. The school believes in sharing what we
have with those in need and encouraging children to learn to live responsibly
in the world. At The Montessori School, students are inspired to live both
passionately and compassionately in a global community."
Montessori vs Traditional Primary Education

One of the differences between Dr. Montessori's approach to early childhood

educationand the approach found in many primary schools is the adoption of
elements of the multiple intelligences theory. Harvard professor Howard
Gardner developed and codified this theory in the late 20th century. Dr. Maria
Montessori would seem to have developed her approach to teaching children
along very similar lines.
Regardless of who thought of it first, the multiple intelligences theory posits
that children do not just learn using reading and writing intelligences. We
parents know that because that is how we nurture our babies from birth. Yet
all too often we send our children who have been taught to use all their
intelligences off to schools where they are severely restricted in what they
learn and how they learn it. If multiple intelligences are important to your
child rearing philosophy, then Montessori and Waldorf schools are worth a
look. You also will want to read about the progressive education movement
which was germinating about the same time as Maria Montessori and Rudolf
Steiner were putting their educational theories into practice.
Resources

Center for Montessori Teacher Education

Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education

Montessori Primary & Elementary Explained

Montessori Teacher Academy

Dates:

Born: August 31, 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy.

Died: May 6, 1952 in Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
Early Adulthood:
An extraordinarily gifted person with the scholarly bent of a Madame Curie and the
compassionate soul of a Mother Teresa, Maria Montessori was always ahead of her time.
She became Italy's first female doctor when she graduated in 1896. Initially she took care
of children's bodies and their physical ailments and diseases. Then her natural intellectual
curiosity led to an exploration of children's minds and how they learn. She believed that
environment was a major factor in child development.

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Montessori Classroom

Montessori Montessori

Montessori Education

The Montessori Method

Montessori Courses
Professional Life:
Appointed Professor of Anthropology at the University of Rome in 1904, Montessori
represented Italy at two international women's conferences: Berlin in 1896 and London in
1900. She amazed the world of education with her glass house classroom at the PanamaPacific International Exhibition in San Francisco in 1915. In 1922 she was appointed
Inspector of Schools in Italy. She lost that position when she refused to have her young
charges take the facist oath as the dictator Mussolini required.
Travels to America:

Dr. Montessori visited the U.S. in 1913 and impressed Alexander Graham Bell who
founded the Montessori Education Association in his Washington, D.C. home. Her
American friends included Helen Keller and Thomas Edison. In 1915 she mounted an
exhibit at the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition in San Francisco. It featured a
glass class room which allowed people to observe her teaching methods. She also
conducted training sessions and addressed the NEA and the International Kindergarten
Union.

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Training Her Followers:
Dr. Montessori was a teacher of teachers. She wrote and lectured unceasingly. She
opened a research institute in Spain in 1917 and conducted training courses in London in
1919. She founded training centers in the Netherlands in 1938 and taught her
methodology in India in 1939. She established centers in The Netherlands (1938) and
England (1947). An ardent pacifist, Dr. Montessori escaped harm during the turbulent
'20's and '30's by advancing her educational mission in the face of hostilities.
Honors:
Dr. Montessori's work garnered her Nobel Peace Prize nominations in 1949, 1950 and
1951.
Educational Philosophy:
Maria Montessori was profoundly influenced by Fredrich Froebel, the inventor of
kindergarten, and by Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, who believed that children learned
through activity. She also drew inspiration from Itard, Seguin and Rousseau. She
enhanced their approaches by adding her own deeply felt belief that we must follow the
child. One does not teach children, but rather creates a nurturing climate in which
children can teach themselves through creative activity and exploration.
Methodology:

Maria Montessori wrote over a dozen books.The most well known are the Montessori
Method (1916) and The Absorbent Mind (1949). Dr. Montessori taught that placing
children in a stimulating environment, e.g., the Children's House, will encourage
learning. She saw the traditional teacher as a 'keeper of the environment' who was there
mainly to facilitate the children's self-conducted learning process. She did not permit any
form of corporal punishment or demeaning behavior in her class rooms.
Legacy:
The so-called Montessori Method got its start with the opening of the original Casa Dei
Bambini in the slum district of Rome known as San Lorenzo. Montessori took fifty
hopelessly deprived ghetto children and awakened them to life's excitement and
possibilities. Within months people came from near and far to see her in action and to
learn her strategies. She founded the Association Montessori Internationale in 1929 so
that her teachings and educational philosophy would flourish in perpetuity.
Maria Montessori in the 21st Century:
'Help me to do it by myself!'
Dr. Montessori's pioneering work with children's education began at the beginning of the
twentieth century. One hundred years later her philosophy and approach remains
remarkably fresh and in tune with modern minds. In particular it resonates with parents
who seek to stimulate their children through creative activity and exploration in all its
forms. Children educated in the Montessori manner know who they are as people. They
are confident, at ease with themselves, and interact on a high social plane with their peers
and adults. Montessori students are naturally curious about their surroundings and are
eager to explore anything and everything. They go on to adulthood ready to make a
contribution to society rather than becoming a drain on it.
The Montessori movement has spread throughout the world. It is a shining beacon of
light in a dreary educational world. What Maria Montessori started as a scientific
investigation has flourished as a monumental humanitarian and pedagogical endeavor.
What she felt in her heart has become an international cause. Children are unique and a
most precious resource.
After her death in 1952 two members of the Montessori family continued her great work.
Her son Mario directed the AMI until his death in 1982. Recently her granddaughter
Renilde has been active as Secretary-General of the AMI. Truly Montessori education is
a family affair.

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