This Is How Montessori Helps Your Child Grow
This Is How Montessori Helps Your Child Grow
Understanding the Importance of Montessori Education in the all-round development of your child
The Montessori method of education was developed in the early 1900s in Italy by Dr.Maria Montessori, a medically trained doctor, who went on to pioneer a pedagogy that is relevant to this day. The emphasis in Montessori schools is on experiential learning. The focus is on understanding the concept and taking pride in working independently. A Montessori environment is designed and maintained in such a way that the child is free to explore and engage with people and materials independently.
Freedom of Movement and Choice in a Montessori Classroom
The classroom or environment is arranged in such a way that the materials are within the visual range of the child. The child also has enough space to move and choose the material he/she wants to work with. There is an inherent structure in this methodology that encourages children to take pride in their work. Dr. Maria Montessori believed in treating a child with the same respect as an adult. She argued that children are independent, intelligent beings who don’t need to be constantly guided by an adult. So she came up with the idea of designing materials that a child can handle and work with on their own with minimal help from adults.
The role of the adult is ideally restricted to showing the child how to work with the material through presentations. Once a presentation is given the child then works with the material based on their understanding. Corrections are not made by stopping the child if they make a mistake… rather, the adult takes note and presents the material again. This helps the child gain confidence in their abilities.
Also read: Montessori Materials – Learning Through Experience
Respecting the Other Person’s Space
With so much freedom to move and choose one may ask isn’t there room for fights breaking out among the children? Again, the beauty of the Montessori method is that very quickly children learn to respect their own and other people’s territory. Another unique aspect of a Montessori classroom is that children sit in a mixed-age group. This gives younger children the opportunity to observe older children working. It also teaches older children to be patient and respectful with little ones if they step into their territory in the process of learning. It is common in a Montessori classroom to see an older child help a younger one work with a particular material and understand a concept.
Learning to Respect Oneself
Developing self-respect is a very important aspect of growing up. Unfortunately, most of us are made more aware of the mistakes we make while growing up. This is done with the best of intentions .. the idea behind it is that if you are constantly corrected you don’t repeat the mistake. This is diametrically opposite to the Montessori philosophy which believes in self-correction and learning through experience. The importance of this in the development of a child’s respect for themselves cannot be overstated. Dr.Montessori envisaged an ideal world where children grow up to be well-rounded individuals who contribute to the making of a well-balanced society. The Montessori materials and the method used to impart knowledge using those materials help the child take pride in their work which in turn lays the foundation for respect for one’s abilities.
Also read: History of Montessori Education
To sum it up, Montessori as a pedagogy was developed with the overall growth of the child in mind. This included not just intellectual growth but also physical and emotional well-being. The challenges we face in today’s society are multifold and one of the biggest hurdles one faces in a technology-dependent world is to raise a child to interact and engage with his/her environment in an involved way. A Montessori classroom is a great place to start your child’s journey towards being a well-rounded individual.
