Montessori Here and Now

By Rosa Wood

"One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness od the child."

(Maria Montessori)

 

Would you like to educate your child according to the Montessori method? The Montessori method focuses on respect for the child's spontaneity and is the first to offer an alternative to the authoritarian education of that time.

 

And today? The Montessori method is increasingly current and increasingly used throughout the world, in all cultures.

 

These two books are an unmissable opportunity to get a brand new practical guide for parents, and also take into consideration some new approaches for today's children.

 

Here are a few things you'll learn with the First book – A practical guide fot parents:

• why the Montessori method is better than the traditional one;
• why the role of parents is fundamental for the child's independence
• why it is essential to accept the child for what he is;
• why Montessori activities are stimulating for the child;
• how to create your Montessori activities;

 

And here are a few things you'll learn with the Second book – How to make home child-friendly:

• why is crucial thinking child-size;
• how to make cozy your spaces at home
• how a living room, a bedroom and other home spaces should be for your child
• how to create an outdoor play house;
• why sharing spaces are important;
• why cluttering is indispensable;

If you are a parent who cares about choosing a healthy, proven, and child-friendly method to educate your kids, this book is just for you.

 

Buy now your copy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rosa Wood
• Release date: Sep 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781386875369

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

This book will look deeply into the context of Montessori method teaching. Nowadays, the education system is flawed with many negatives that do not illustrate the proper meaning of education. Children are embedded with the memorizing culture that grossly impedes inclusivity, creativity and subjectivity of matter among the pupils. Children become casualties to brain drain and psychological disturbance that do not allow them to progress educationally. It is essential in today’s word to have a bigger picture of what is being educationally taught to the pupils so that they can develop a crystal-clear tone of education in their future careers. For instance, if an art-student is compelled to memorize the colors of a painting and without referring him to the proper and innate insight of the credentials involved in the picture, then he will be confused and sooner or later will delve into lunacy.

The Montessori Method of teaching that was invented in the year, 1907, by Dr. Maria Montessori and she began advocating it in the year 1914. In her pursuit of higher education in the field of educational history, psychology and philosophy came across every delightful nature of children. According to her, children like to work in a similar way as they like to play and therefore, she felt that children must be allowed to manifest their own educational thoughts and desires. They must be compelled to assert the social conventions of modern or post-modern era teaching. Instead, there should be a self-indulged liberating feature prevalent in their minds, regarding education, so that they can ace the primaries of life. Once they are self-independent at a primary stage, they will, later on be given more share of creativity that can navigate them through stress in a passionate way. Therefore the Montessori Method focuses on the early educational development of a child’s mental cognition and following are the sets of principles and tactics that come in the ambit of the Montessori Method.

Principles of Montessori Method

Following are the principles of Montessori Method that define the educational mindsets of a child.

1.  Individualism in a child

Montessori believed that children are habitual of making their own cognition. She would often observe children indulging in their own modes of creative art and she would deduce good educational results out of it. She believed that if children are ought to be given free platforms of learning, they can actually learn from it and can further, harness it, to the extreme level of success one can possibly imagine. For an instance, there is a class of twelve students, six students are given free discretions of choosing their educational modes of learning like they want teachers to sing for them and their own educational frameworks, given to them. On the contrary, the remaining six are taught in a traditional framework of education that is based on grueling learning and compelling memorizing. Under such circumstances, Montessori concluded that the first half of students will think more and create better things because they are not compelled to do things instead, they are able to perform their own abilities having their own discretion of it. In this way, a culture of individualism is present in a Montessori Method for teaching pupils and it can boost more individualism among the children.

2.  Pragmatic Indulgence of Students

Children are allowed to practice things by themselves instead of learning and writing. Any subject of education that is given more assertiveness is given to students for a practical notion to act. For instance, if a teacher is teaching geometry to the students and the class is assigned to draw the shapes of triangle, rectangle and circle then in a Montessori class, pupils will be emphasized to collect various shapes and lines and join to form the required shape. For a circle, the Montessori students will put all the sticks in a circular pattern and join them at an angle of 360 to reflect that it is a circle.

3.  Holistic Development of Students

Three types of developments manly affect the education of a child. The motor development, perceptual development, cognitive development, volitional development and emotional development are the developments that cater to the holistic upbringing of a child and without them a child is not able to progress in the society. The motor development is the development that defines the movement of a body and it is related to the neurotic messages that are sent from the brain to the body. How faster and quick a child is able to respond to a stimulus of any environment is the motor development and such a development becomes very apparent in the contemporary era. The perceptual development defines the core perceptions of a child that how is he able to build his perception about anything in his life. In today’s world, the perception from society to a state building narrative is very important and without any opinion, the child is not able to contribute to society. By contribution, it is not meant that a child becomes an astute politician. However, the Montessori Method defines those necessary parameters that create a perception in a child’s mind.

Cognitive development is based on the brain’s working. Cognition defines the working of the brain and the processing of all the messages that are encrypted in the mind. In a small age, the child has to learn fast and he needs an environment that can cater to this requirement effectively. He needs a plethora of words or a defined lexicon that could help him to boost his cognition. This all is provided in the Montessori Method of teaching. Volitional development is the development that caters to the decision making strength of pupils. The students that are working in the traditional method are not able to get the decision making qualities so soon and they cannot get the required outcome of it as well. Thus, the volitional development is the development that is harnessed by the power of decisions and the child is able to get this development in the Montessori Method of teaching.

4.  Meeting the Needs of the Situation

The Montessori Method of teaching believes in the mode of individualistic mode of catering to the needs. This means that the students are not brainwashed with the materialistic needs that for every action, there needs to be an award for it. They are taught that they need to be compatible and flow able like water and they must always compromise. This is a very significant principle of the Montessori Method and it defines the very tenets of success for every day children.

5.  Proper Organization of classes

A pupil’s learning classes are properly manifested to see the educational perceptions of the child. There are shelves that are elevated to the children’s height and there are many material things that are put in front of the children. Through these materials, the children are able to make proper shapes that define the mental projections of themselves and thus, children are able to manifest proper intakes of their consciousness. The organization of classes also helps the students to grow in a disciplined version as for every child’s bag; there are separate cupboards that give access to their mental satisfaction.

6.  Depiction of Positivity

In every Montessori’s class, the depiction of positivity is an essential feature to be reflected by the teachers. In this principle, the students are taught to harness and learn positivity in every endeavor, they come across. They are made societal contributors by teaching them the art of sewing, cooking and learning. To learn is not to memorize but to practically qualify for the philosophical interpretations of the content. Also, there is no exaggerate endorsement of any student’s caliber but he is applauded only when he derives positivity in a perceptual flow. Thus, the depiction of positivity is an effective tool and principle in a Montessori Pedagogy.

7.  Responsible Environments

The Montessori Method believes that students must be responsible for making their own careers and this assertion begins with simplicity. If the kids are taught to be responsible at a younger age they can later turn out to be more responsible and can possibly lead a prosperous life. The classrooms conduct regular surveys, which exhibit the responsible ratio of students input about their assigned responsibilities. The ratio defines the responsible character of any student and hence, he is given some lessons regarding responsible environments.

Therefore, with such principles and terms, the Montessori Child teaching Method induces creativity and subjectivity in students. It was the modus operandi for Dr. Mario in the heyday and it surely defines the better mental approach for students. Now, with such interesting principles, Montessori Method aims to be very different from the Traditional Method of education. How it is? The following description will describe.

Traditional Method versus Montessori Method

First and foremost, let us analyze what is the traditional Method of education all about. In the traditional method, the children are the slaves of the institution and there are ought to follow the rules that make them distant from grooming. The curriculum is not broad enough, the students are not creative enough and the institution does not empower the students with holistic developments. This thesis will be explained on an individualistic, societal and state level.

1.  Individualistic level

On an individualistic level, the students of Montessori Method are far more creative, disciplined and responsible as compare to the traditional ones. Reasons are all the afore-mentioned principles that define the aptitude of success in the children. Since their primaries, they are taught, individualistic learning, positive mindset and splendid contribution in the societies that can govern the success of the region. Also, as composed individuals, they will muster up the courage to regulate any decision with precision and stringent display of leadership. They will feel compatible and conversational in any scheme of the day and can affect the communities with their possible mindsets and interactions.

However, the traditional mode of learning is very pernicious as it diminishes any such voluntary effort from the children that could be beneficial for the country or the community. The idea of a traditional educational style is that there needs to be nothing related to educational and everything must be the blunt acquisition of academia. The students are taught to ace the primaries to reach the secondary and there is no such alternative assigned for them. Their discretions are not acknowledged and they are meant to be driven to the causes, they do not want to ascertain. Hence, on an individualistic level, the Montessori Method is producing dignified individuals while the traditional method is creating aimless donkeys that have no clue of the environment.

2.  Societal Level

Individuals make societies, as Macionis, the sociologist, wants to put and verily the Montessori and the traditional educational methods, produce distinct versions of societies. The Montessori School of taught is producing students that are more responsive and caring for the societies. These are the children, who like the helpers of their fathers and mothers and while they do, they do not complain about it. They want to be embedded with the mechanism of work and they are proud of it. When they are given free liberty and freedom while choosing their curriculums, they do not take it for granted. Instead they refer it as their working regime and they make sure that they give a proper contribution to the societies. They are materialistic. They are not pessimists and certainly they are not absolute fanatics. In this way, with such positivism, the Montessori students are able to curb the negativity in the society and they feel very rejoicing while they do it. In a nutshell, there are working citizens that give their heart and soul to the betterment of society.

On the other hand, there are lunatic pessimists prevalent in the traditional school of education. With a hopeless aim of following a corporate job, these students are not able to acquire a sustainable version of happiness through their educational brainwashing. This brainwashing is replete with moral dilemmas and the students, graduating are agonizing freaks that care less for the society and care more for the individuals. Thus, there is a culture that breeds ambitious yet selfishly driven individuals that are the culprits of societal decadence and are the harbingers of pain and frustration in the society. There are scientific students that do not term out to be productive for society but more detrimental and dangerous. Therefore, on a societal level, the entangled corporate slaves that are the results of the traditional system do not do productive for society and do not deem any work necessary for society.

3.  State-level analysis

The world of geopolitics has its staggering impact on nation-building and one individual can rise to prominence, if he is able to understand the features of politics and leadership in a comprehensive manner at an earlier age. The Montessori School of Thought enables both of these possibilities at an earlier age. When students are learning their desired features of education, they understand the working of state and they also manifest strong leadership skills in them. They learn how to compatible in tough condition and how to maneuver strange incidents. They have the choices to make good decisions and they do all these things without any reward or monetary profits. Thus, one can say, the students having a Montessori educational school of thought can affect the surroundings in a positive and compassionate manner, and also they can be astute state leaders.

However, the managerial leadership skills are absent in the traditional school of education because they are prone to do for themselves and they are not able to do things in a multi-lateral manner. For instance, the primary school, under a traditional method can be seen as a hit and run case, where the students, who are more intellectual sound intellectual less and they are more in the pursuit of their interests and motives. They have no innate idea of how the social contract between the citizen and the state institutions is formed and they just want to acquire more their self-interests at the earliest. This is not the way of responding to the demands of the society and if one is mentally aware enough then he must be responsive and responsible to an extent that he can actually do something for the state. So, the traditional educational school is producing no aware or law-abiding citizens in the status-quo while the Montessori School of thought is doing everything to cement the social contract.

Chapter 1 - THE ROLE OF PARENTS

Parents have the most important and fundamental liability when it comes to upbringing and educational nourishment of their youngest or even eldest children. The schools and the educational atmosphere, the parents put their children into; define the caliber and the momentum of children. Some parents find the hard and fast rule of sending their children to traditional schools and they do want the slightest idea of what their child is learning and is he facing any difficulty while learning so? They simply want to shrug off the responsibility of the dynamic sitting with their children or the perpetual assessment of their children that either he has, educationally, learned the aspects of academia or is he simply memorizing stuff. This question has raised many questions for the parents and there has been a precedent set by this question that either or not, parents tend to have a role?  This chapter will construct the role of parents in its descriptive analysis and will come out with recommendations that are crucial for the educational development of the child.

What can parents do to help their youngest children in their task of self-formation?

The aforementioned question is very deep and essential to answer. Parents can do a lot of things to help their youngest children in the task of self-formation. First and foremost, is the concept of self-formation? What is self-formation and how it is significant enough for children to understand. Self-formation deals with the assertion that children need to form their own characters based on the environmental stimulus. Children must adapt to societal transcendence and transformation so that they can be familiar with the evolutionary concepts of humanism and learn to survive by all necessary means. Following are some of the frameworks that parents can adopt in order to boost self-formation in humans.

1.  Giving more time and attention to children

The Montessori method believes the children must be given discretionary educational