Maria Montessori? I barely know her!

That was my reaction when I first signed up to do my Education Contributors project on Maria Montessori. I knew the name "Montessori Schools" only from hearing snow closing delays on the radio as a kid. Now that I have read about her and her work, I am certainly happy that I chose her.

Maria Montessori was born in Chiaravalle, Italy in 1870, and spent her early childhood growing up in Rome. Her mother valued education, and therefore made sure Maria received a good one. Maria enrolled in an all boys technical institute at the age of 13 to persue engineering, but for college chose medical school. After becoming one of Italy's first female physicians, she quickly turned her studies towards educational psychology. Maria made strides in special education as early as 1910, and by 1930 her methods had already spread worldwide.

Maria Montessori would be considered a constructivist, and developed her own method of teaching, the Montessori Method. This method uses group work, mixed age groups, and large class sizes. Students engage in activities where they are in charge of their own learning. A teacher would guide them in making center choices that are appropriate for them, but then would allow them to complete the task. By mixing the age groups in the classroom, younger students are able to learn from older peers, while the older students are practicing what they have already learned. Also, working in groups like this bolsters students social skills. They are able to interact with their peers in an education setting that prepares them for the real-world.

Maria believed children passed through  four sensitive periods, shown below, where they were more susceptible to different types of learning. For example, in early childhood, students would use sensory-motor materials, and would participate in activities that engaged all of their senses (hearing, touching, tasting, seeing, smelling and motion).

I think the Montessori is definitely something I would use in my classroom. I love the idea of making sure students are actively participating in a lesson, and are experiencing the material. I know that in some cases, direct instruction will happen, but exploratory learning is so important for students to apply their knowledge. Finding ways to make topics applicable to real-life situations is the best method for making learning meaningful, and memorable for students.

Here are links for my full PowerPoint and emaze presentations on Montessori so you can read more and find out how to become a fully trained Montessori teacher!