The Montessori Method
The Montessori method was developed by Dr Maria Montessori and focuses
strongly on the needs, talents, gifts, and special individuality of each child.
Because each child is treated as an individual and activities are self-contained
this is a popular method of homeschooling.
Maria Montessori was a pioneer in many ways and was the first female Italian doctor. After qualification she was charged with educating the "idiots" of Rome, a description she abhorred. Her experience with these impoverished and often uncared for children led her to develop a new method of teaching in which they flourished in an atmosphere of love and respect. She opened her first school, in Rome, in 1907.
Philosophy
The central tenet is the unique individuality of each child and the belief that children learn best when they are allowed to progress at their own pace. The method aims to foster a natural joy in learning, encouraging self-reliance and independence. The result will be a well rounded, confident individual thinker with a clear sense of purpose.
Exams and assessments which compare a child's progress to norms or standards are discouraged.
In spite of the fact that most people associate Montessori with very young children, the method is suitable for learners of all ages and in a home schooling situation can be used to educate older children as well.
Goals
The main aim of a Montessori education is to allow a child to explore and learn free of fear, encouraging life-long learning through the pleasure of mastering new skills.
Practical Implementation
In Montessori education children learn from practical experience - by seeing, doing and experimenting. Everything is child oriented, with the parent or teacher acting as a facilitator. The teacher must listen to and respond to signals from the child as to what direction learning should take, guiding them but never dictating.
With young children the emphasis is on discovering the world through the senses, developing the child's observation skills and encouraging them to learn through their own experience. The materials used are designed to activate the senses and a lot of emphasis is placed on getting out and about to discover more about the world.
Older children are encouraged to move at their own pace to a more abstract way of thinking, again learning by doing, with reading, writing and numeracy skills taught through interaction with nature, art, music, literature rather than by rote learning.
While children are encouraged to learn for themselves, their teachers must observe them very closely, watching for signs of interest in a particular direction and then providing the means to pursue the interest to its conclusion.
More Information
You need to be very careful when researching Montessori on the internet, as the name is not protected and the vast majority of sites exist just to sell you something and many give the impression that they have some legal status or special expertise when this may not be the case.
The best site to use for further research is the Montessori Index, which is non-commercial and careful to provide supporting information for all its content.
Materials and Supplies
Montessori Door-to-door sells a range of Nienhuis toys and equipment from its base in Co Cavan. Nienhuis makes some of the most respected equipment for Montessori education, including The Pink Tower, Bead Frames and Grammar Boxes. The company was established with the support of the Montessori family.
Michael Olaf Montessori in the USA carry a huge range of books, equipment and other material and will deliver to Ireland.