What is Montessori Education? A Beginner's Guide

How Montessori Education Works?

 

Have you ever wondered what makes any of us great in what we do in life?

I mean, even though there is not a defined set of guidelines or checklists that we need to follow to be great in life, wouldn’t it help if there were?! All our lives are spent trying to be remembered and recognized for our distinct qualities and abilities, but none of us have a single clue where to start or how to get started in being a better version of ourselves. This is where Montessori Education comes into play. But before we get into that, let’s understand our predicament.

Our parents did their best in raising us and providing us with all the basic necessities in life and truth be told, those were simpler times. They worked hard every day to give us a better chance in life than they had, and for that we would always be grateful. However, with time passing by constantly; things have changed so much. Life is no longer a simple affair. Everything relates to everything else and we are presented with the question of what can we do better for our children so they can excel and do better for their children?!

This reminds me of the conversation that I would like to share, I was having with an industry expert. Discussing the topic of early childhood and montessori education, I asked the expert if there could be any way of early childhood education that might give that child all the brain development needed to excel in life and become a master of his or her craft. The expert responded in a thoughtful way and said that, it is completely alright if a child doesn’t become a master of his or her craft in life. And, this particular statement somewhere made me accept the fact that it is definitely okay if we don’t chase larger than life goals and have the need to accomplish bigger things in life to be accepted and loved for who we really are.

It’s deep, I know but the point I am trying to make is that we should let our children who they decide to become in life rather than handing out to them a list of requirements and a bucket list they need to fulfill to be entitled to our affection, care, love and acceptance. 

But, what if there was a way that could help our children choose better for themselves in life?! And, what if that could give them a boost from early childhood?!

What if, I tell you that it is absolutely possible and there’s scientific backing to it. This is not a new discovery or foundation, it has been common knowledge to us (not to everyone but to some of us) and it is the philosophy of education presented to the whole world by Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and educator. She believed that every child is curious and has the ability to learn independently at their own speed. Therefore, she emphasized on individualized instruction and self-paced learning. 

So, let’s dive deep into what Montessori Education is and the impact it has on a toddler!

 

What is Montessori Education and how does it work?

 

 

Dr. Maria Montessori’s theory is based on several guiding principles that help a child to be more adaptive to the world around him or her. The guiding principles of Montessori Education are:

• Independence: 

In Montessori Education, children are given the independence to complete their tasks on their own. It could be anything starting from dressing themselves up or managing themselves on their own. These tasks build self-reliance and they also get a sense of accomplishment.

• Order: 

To have mental peace in life there should be an order to everything in life. To foster a sense of calm, the classrooms are set up and organized in a predictable and calming environment in a Montessori classroom.

• Choice: 

Montessori methods allow children to have the freedom to choose the activities they want to partake in. It allows them to follow their own interests and learn things at their own pace.

• Freedom: 

Without the freedom of learning, education gets challenging. Therefore, the children are given the freedom to roam about the classroom and engage themselves with whatever piques their interests and curiosity. This is one of the highlights of Montessori Education.

• Mixed age classes: 

To foster social development within the children, the children are classed together with other children belonging from a different age group, in a Montessori classroom. This helps in peer learning, where the older children act as role models for the young ones.

• Bodily Movement: 

In Montessori Education children are involved in learning activities that make them move around or chores that involve physical movement. This promotes physical development and focus in the child.

• Correcting Mistakes: 

Mistakes are the stepping stones to success if one learns from those mistakes. Montessori methods aim to instill the learning from one’s mistakes and correcting those mistakes on their own.

• Adult’s Guidance: 

The adult present in the Montessori classroom serves as a guide and facilitator, monitoring the children and offering them support.

 

One of the crucial factors of Montessori education is the specially designed classroom environment. The environment of the classroom helps in supporting the guiding principles of the Montessori method. These Montessori classrooms are organized in such a way that fosters independent learning and curiosity in the children.

 

The furniture presented in the montessori classroom is specially designed keeping in mind the necessities of a child. The materials are built in an interesting and fascinating way that catches the attention of the children and keeps them engaged. The montessori classroom is of ample space that lets the children move freely and choose their own activities or materials to learn about. This allows the children to pursue their interests and learn things at their own pace.

This results in keeping the children more engaged and motivated, helping them to develop essential life skills such as creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking under the guidance of montessori teaching.

Montessori Education believes there are four planes of developments a person requires to live up to their potential. These four planes of developments are:

 

• The first plane of development in montessori starts at birth and continues to around till the age of six because it is the stage where the human mind is in its absorbent state. This is the right time for the child to have their physical and psychological development.

 

• The second plane of development in montessori education begins from the age of six years and continues till twelve years of age. This is the age where a child becomes an adolescent. The days of adolescence are filled with exploration and higher intellectual activity, helping their social development as in these years the mind enhances its reasoning ability.

 

• In the third plane of development, montessori teaching ranges from the adolescent years to early adulthood. In this phase, the human mind learns and grows mature as it develops an understanding of humanity. 

 

• Last but not the least, the fourth plane of development in montessori education is the most crucial plane of development as this phase starts from matured adulthood. In this stage the human mind finds its own identity and place in the world as it is in its specialist stage. 

Each of these four planes of development of montessori education present its own unique benefits and opportunities.

Now that we have an understanding of the Montessori method and the developmental stages, let us now focus on the benefits it brings to Toddlers.

 

What are the benefits of Montessori Education for Toddlers?

 

If you want to evaluate the benefits of Montessori Education for your toddler, here are the aspects that will be developed and improved by Montessori guidance - 

 

Builds Self-reliance and Confidence: 

The self-directed activities in a montessori education like dressing up by oneself and also pouring their own water or managing themselves on their own can help the toddlers to develop a sense of self-reliance and confidence in themselves.

 

Develops Motor Skills: 

Montessori education is crafted in a way that makes a toddler pick up their own learning materials that engages their intellect which in turn helps develop their motor skills.

 

Elevates Sensory Development: 

In a montessori education setup, the five sense organs of a toddler get a boost when they partake in the various sensorial activities that includes smelling of jars, touching the textures of objects or even matching sounds of things help them get a higher stimulation of the world. 

 

Enhance Language Skills: 

Montessori Education promotes spoken language in their classrooms through verbal communication with teachers and classmates. This exposure helps the toddler to have rich vocabulary and learning songs that builds the foundation of groundwork for future growth.

 

Instil Social Skills: 

From an early age, in montessori teaching, toddlers are taught to involve themselves in activities that teach them to learn and collaborate, take turns and share during their learning activities and playing time.

 

Sparks a Curiosity for Learning: 

The ability to pick and choose learning activities of a montessori curriculum fosters a sense of curiosity and a natural desire to learn and experience new things.

Case Study on Montessori Education (2006)

 

To put the theory of benefits of Montessori Education to test, here’s a case study. This case study was published on September 29th, 2006 by Dr. Angeline Liliard, Psychology Professor in the University of Virginia. The study was conducted on two different groups of children who belonged to the primary age group of 3- to 6-year-olds and the elementary age group of 6- to 12-year-olds. Half of both the age groups had been Montessori trained and the other half was being trained in normal educational philosophies.

 

All the children (both montessori trained and not montessori trained) came from similar family backgrounds who had similar income levels (an average of $20,000 to $50,000 per year). Both the age groups of children were tested for their cognitive and academic abilities, and for their social and behavioural adeptness.

 

Dr. Liliard reported that they found significant improvement for the Montessori students in these tests for both the age groups. The truly remarkable finding was the positive social impacts of Montessori education.

 

When the 5-year-olds were tested, it was observed that Montessori students were significantly better and prepared for elementary school in reading and mathematical skills than the non-Montessori students. They also performed higher in “executive function,” the skill to adapt to the changing and more complex problems of life, which is an indicator of future life success.

 

The Montessori students also showed better abilities on the social and behavioural challenges, exhibiting a greater sense of justice and fairness in all situations. And even on the playground they were more enthusiastic to engage in playing with peers, emotionally and compassionately.

 

With the 12-year-olds from both groups, the Montessori students, in cognitive and academic tests, wrote essays that were regarded as “significantly more creative” and these essays had more sophisticated sentence structures than their counterparts. Both the Montessori and non-Montessori candidates had a similar score on spelling, punctuation and grammar. Other than that there was not much notable difference in academic skills between the two groups.

 

In social and behavioural tests, the 12-year-olds Montessori students were more likely to opt for a “positive response” while dealing with the unpleasantries of social situations. They also displayed a “higher sense of community” at school. They were respectful of their peers, helped and cared about them.

 

The conclusion of the study was that students who undergo Montessori Education had better social and academic skills that are equivalent or somehow superior to those who go through other types of learning.

Everything in life is an admixture of good and bad. Nothing in this world is absolutely good as much as anything in this world, that is purely bad. All goodness is accompanied by some bad aspects and vice versa. And, it goes the same for Montessori Education. It’s not like there’s a side effect to Montessori Education but there are a few drawbacks.  

 

• Cost Factor: 

The fees and charges of Montessori schools can be a tad bit expensive if compared to the expenses of traditional public schools.

• Accessibility Issues: 

The limited availability of Montessori schools in all areas of the country can prove to be challenging.

• Lack of Structure and Discipline: 

The montessori teachings may focus and prioritize on giving freedom to toddlers can be perceived as a lack of structure by some parents who would rather a more traditional approach to discipline and schooling.

• Transcending to Traditional Education: After going through Montessori training some children might face it difficult to match with a more teacher-directed environment.

 

What does a parent need to keep in mind while choosing Montessori Education?

 

If you are a parent and you are in search for finding the right fit for your child then here are some factors that you need to keep in mind when enrolling your child in a Montessori education program:

Matching your values:

• Teaching Philosophy: The first thing that you need to determine is if your values also resonate with the Montessori’s philosophy of self-directed, independence, and hands-on exploration learnings?
• Learning Style: You also need to determine if your child would thrive in a hands-on, self-directed montessori learning environment with opportunities for exploration and choice or not?

• Child’s Developmental Stage: How adaptable is your child to learning and experiencing new things? Depending on your child’s perceptibility of learning and understanding, you should find the right montessori match that would suit your child the best.

• Accreditation and Affiliation: Check for the schools if they are genuinely accredited by reputable Montessori organizations or not..
• Qualifications of Teachers: Before enrolling your child to a Montessori school, make sure that the teachers in that school have proper Montessori training and experience. This is a vital aspect.
• Safety and Security: Check out the school premises and ensure if the school environment is safe, secured, clean, organised, and well-maintained or not? Because well organised and well maintained classrooms are a primary aspect of Montessori classrooms.
• Class Strength and Ratio: If the montessori class sizes are small then it would mean a lower student-teacher ratios, which will mean for more individualised attention.

• Distance and Travelling: The location of the montessori based preschool is of paramount importance because it will be a year long affair and that means, considering all the factors and issues of travelling.
• Sibling Benefits: You can also check for if there are any sibling policies or discounts or programs in that particular montessori school, so that you can enroll all your children in the same school.

Your child’s education is your responsibility so to provide the best education to your child, you need to keep in check all the factors affecting that. Now, if you are a parent you might want to know which age would be the perfect age for your child to get into Montessori Education? Fret not, we got you covered on that as well.

What is the ideal age for a child to get into Montessori Education?

When it comes to education and learning there is no ideal age, because the sooner or earlier a child can start learning or being educated, the better they get with time. With Montessori education, a child can get into the stage more suited to his or her age. The Montessori age group starts from the age of 6 months to 15 years. Here's a breakdown:

• Infant (6-18 months): There are some Montessori programs that cater to the infants and their caregivers. The focus of these programs is on creating a nurturing environment that would support the infant's natural cognitive development through movement and exploration.
• Toddler (2.5-6 years old): This age group is the most popular entry point for Montessori schooling. The curriculum for this age group emphasises on practical life skills, sensory experiences, and language development within a learning environment.
• Elementary Years (6-12 years old): The elementary programs of Montessori Education are built upon the foundation set in earlier years curriculums. Children get deeper into academic subjects and social studies through project-based experiences and independent preferences.
• Teenage Years (12-15 years old): The Montessori middle school curriculums prioritize research and critical thinking skills in the  teenagers.

• Early Adulthood (15-18 years old): The montessori curriculum for this age group is critical as the focus is on helping the children find their own unique voice, identity and place in the society and how they can benefit the society they are in.

 

But if you are a parent or someone who thinks that you might have missed out your chance to get into Montessori Education as a student then don’t be disheartened. Just because you cannot be a student doesn’t mean you cannot become a Montessori Trained teacher.

Perhaps, you can have a deeper impact as a teacher to society by being a Montessori certified teacher. To be a Montessori Certified Teacher, you can enroll today for either the Graduate Diploma Certification or the Post Graduate Diploma in Montessori Certification.

Here are the courses offered by International Institute of Montessori Teacher Training (IIMTT):

 

Graduate Diploma Course:

This is a 9 month Diploma course in Montessori Teacher Training for aspiring Montessori directors who want to build a career as a Montessori Director or an early year’s educator in India and abroad. This Diploma course has international validation of IIMTT and can help aspiring educators to get started in the education industry leveraging IIMTT’s strong global recognition.

 

• Eligibility Criteria – College Graduation
  Course Duration – 6 months  to 1 Year
  Course Timings  –
• Weekday in-class program
• Weekend in-class program
• Online Program

 

Certification – UK Level 4 Qualification: A Global Certification by a government regulated awarding body in the UK.

 

To enroll now, click here - Contact

 

Post Graduate Diploma Course:

This is a 15 months Post Graduate Diploma course in Montessori Teacher Training. This certification is a must for all aspiring early childhood educators and Montessori Directors, who want to have in-depth knowledge and expertise in Montessori Teaching. This certification course is also recognised by the UK Government regulated awarding body in the UK.

• Eligibility Criteria – College Graduation
  Course Duration – 9 months - 15 months
  Course Timings  –
• Weekday in-class program
• Weekend in-class program
• Online Program

Certification –UK Level 5 Qualification: A Global Certification by a government regulated awarding body in the UK.

To enroll now, click here - Contact