Glog text
Maria Montessori
1870-1952
Italian Physician, Humanitarian, and Educator
Primary Works:
Montessori Education
Absorbent Mind/Sensitive Periods/Normalization
Maria Montessori adapted and created the educational approach Montessori education. Their main focus in the philosophy is to emphasis the impendence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural physiological development. Usually Montessori education is seen most often within many primary based schools worldwide in mixed age classrooms, with classrooms for children aged 2 to 3 or 6 years old. Students have a choice of activities from a within their range of options during uninterrupted blocks of work time. The constructivist model used in this education allows students to learn concepts from working with materials and not solely by direct instruction. Also, Montessori observed four different periods (planes) in human development (from birth to six years, from six to twelve, from twelve to eighteen, and from eighteen to twenty-four). These planes have different characteristics, learning models, and developmental requirements for each of these planes.
The absorbent mind approach, which was first introduced by Montessori, is seen in the first plane of development which is the plane where the child is must capable of absorbing large amounts of information about their environment through their senses (between the ages of birth to around six years old). Students in this plane acquire language, develop motor and cognitive skills, copy the social skills of adults, and learn expectations of the world will treat them. The sensitive period is the period of time when children spend more of their time and energy primarily focused on one skill or activity. This is characterized by the age such as acquisition of language is from birth to around six, order from one to three, sensory refinement is from birth to four, interest in small objects from 18 months to three, and social behavior from two and a half to four. Finally normalization is when children are actually able to focus and concentrate for long extended periods of time and have sense of satisfaction about their work (between the ages of three to six years old).
Montessori education relates to todays schools/educational system in the US because now as we move into the future especially with technology we want our students to be more independent. Just lecturing to students isn’t the best way to go about teaching them and now we must give the learning back to the students and letting them start to learn on their own through trial and error will allow us as educators to see them develop their own cognitive ability which can be molded to support the social norms of society, but the administering of facts a just seems ineffective and Montessori wants them to be kids and learn through the use of direct instruction about themselves and the education they are receiving. This philosophy agrees with UbD solely for the fact that the students are taking their learning back, and getting rid of teaching lecturing for hours. Through the use of educational activities students are assessing not only their education but applying them to real life situations within these education method institutions. This philosophy would disagree with the final assessment aspect because the final assessment shouldn’t even be a question especially since students are learning throughout the time in activities. These activities are the assessments of learning and to do one big assessment at the end would prove detrimental to the learning process.
“The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.”
“Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.”
“Little children, from the moment they are weaned, are making their way toward independence.”
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