The Caedmon School

Maria Montessori was Italys first female physician at the beginning of the 1900s. She based her philosophy and methodology of education on her observations of young children. The essence of her philosophy developed early in the 20th century lies in a number of basic principles in four different areas:
1. Attitudes toward children:
Montessori considered childhood a separate stage of life and observed that children think and learn differently than adults. She thought it necessary to honor these differences by creating an educational program based on her observations and experience one that is centered upon the child not the adult teacher. Inherent in her approach is the absolute respect the adult has for each child as an individual.
2. Pedagogical issues related to how children learn:
Traditional schooling is designed around the subject matter to be covered rather than the child to be taught. In a Montessori environment there is an understanding that we teach children not subject matter. As a result Montessori teaching takes into account that children have individual learning styles. They progress at their own rates through the varied stages of social and cognitive development. They often display great variability in performance perhaps being well advanced in their verbal expression but not as strong with their fine motor skills. The Montessori program is individualized to take these factors into account.
Montessori observed that young children learn best when presented with new concepts using concrete materials and that the manipulation of objects in the environment directly affects their cognitive development. Her contention was that their eventual ability to conceptualize as adolescents was a result of their sensorial experience as young children. (This was later affirmed by Piaget in his theory of cognitive development and is commonly accepted today as the basis for “hands on” lessons for pre-K and elementary children.) Teaching children through the use of concrete manipulatives therefore is a major tenet of Montessoris philosophy.
3. The importance of the physical environment:
The Montessori classroom is a social and instructional “home base” where self-directed independent learning can take place. It is a carefully prepared environment in which the teacher acts as facilitator guiding the child in the discovery of new skills and comprehension by preparing learning situations and (in the elementary levels) organizing scheduled instruction in the core curricular areas. Standards for the physical appearance and aesthetic quality of the classroom are very high and the children participate in maintaining them. Materials and furniture are organized clean and well cared for. By owning their environment the children develop a whole-group identity that encourages independence self-guided learning and personal responsibility.
4. Behavior and behavior management:
It was Montessoris premise that the best behavior management was based in self-control. She believed it was necessary to educate children to manage their own behavior rather than depend on outside “discipline” to do so. She began with the presumption that children come to school unfamiliar with the appropriate ways of acting in that particular community. As such it becomes the responsibility of the teacher to teach the children what is acceptable by giving them the words showing them the actions and of course modeling the appropriate behavior. Montessori considered behavioral skills as important as reading writing and arithmetic since they create an atmosphere of respect and cooperation and enable an environment in which academic learning can readily take place.