|
"Through the child’s interaction with his environment, through the work with his
hands, through the child's spontaneous absorbing of moral, social, cultural, intellectual
aspects of the world around him, and through his independence, the child develops
his own self, his own individuality."
- Dr. Maria Montessori
|
| |
The Montessori Method of education was originally developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in Italy as a specialized educational approach based on sensory learning. In 1907 she began her career as an educator when she was invited to organize a school in a reconstructed slum area of San Lorenzo, Italy. During this period she observed that children were greatly attracted to materials designed to aid sensory perception. Dr. Montessori went on to develop highly specialized manipulative teaching aids that were used by the children in an environment suited to and respectful of the children's inherent characteristics.
The Montessori Method recognizes the uniqueness of each child and allows the child to develop according to his/her own inherent abilities and timetable. Our Montessori teachers recognize and respect these differences and structure the classroom and lessons to meet each child's individual needs and goals.
Dr. Montessori believed the goal of early childhood education should be to provide the child with an environment which cultivates each child’s natural and instinctive desire to learn; which develops the ability and motivation to work independently and which also provides the tools necessary to acquire the basic skills necessary for a well-rounded education.
The
Montessori Method is based on the fundamental premises that
- The child has a true love and need for purposeful work.
- The child possesses unusual sensitivity and mental powers for absorbing and learning from his/her environment that are unlike those of the adult, both in capacity and quality.
- The most important years of growth are the first seven or eight years of life, when the unconscious learning is gradually differentiated on the conscious level.
- Children are to be respected as different from adults and as individuals who differ from one another.
Class Lesson
|