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MONTESSORI CIRCLE

Dr.Maria Montessori


Introduction to Montessori 

                               This book is an earnest attempt to understand the Montessori way of education and help others who want to do so. It also discusses the relevance of the methodology to the current scenario and how it could be a solution to a number of education-related issues. I am open enough to say in advance that my approach to Montessori is not critical, except with respect to how some people treat it. Four decades ago, I started my career as a tutor for a group of young people who had dropped out of school and then continued their education in private. It was an opening for me to materialize my passionate dream of becoming a teacher. As time went by, I started my school organization. However, instead of being a satisfied teacher to many outstanding students, several unresolved issues that I had to face as a teacher or as the school manager haunted me. I knew that this was not my only concern, but every educator involved must face it although the intensity varies. The general conclusion that something is wrong with the system was unacceptable to me. And so, I continued my search for a solution for the set of issues that I thought most important. If I sum them up, they are 1. Generally, pupils are not interested in school, although school is an inseparable part of their life. They look happy when they're not in school. 2. School activities are not student-centred, and so a variety of other concerns conflict and collide in school-events to spoil the real purpose. 3. The life of a student seems unbearable when you look at the teaching-learning process from the perspective of the students. 5 4. A slow learner remains a backbencher throughout his education, although his teachers have identified him in his kindergarten level. 5. The lessons they learn in schools and universities are not meant to solve real-life problems. I read as many books as possible, attended seminars and had discussions with like-minded people, but I did not find a satisfactory solution. I thought I was looking for something unattainable. The reading of ‘The discovery of the child’ and ‘The Absorbent mind’, both written by Dr Maria Montessori was an eye-opener to me. Eventually, I felt I could reach the pedagogical philosophy that I was searching for. The philosophy suggested a fairly simple relief for all the issues that I took to be extremely complicated. How simple was that? I was sceptical for a while to the idea of whether it would work. I saw that it was supported and promoted by renowned scientists such as Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, psychologists such as Sigmund Freud and Jean Piaget, the Nobel laureate as Rabindranath Tagore. The critic was also one of the leading figures of the time, William H Kilpatrick, a renowned student of Professor John Dewey, Dr Montessori's contemporary educational philosopher. Anyway, I decided to see it myself, took an online course, got a diploma, brought Montessori materials, and started the 'Montessori House of Children'. All that is mentioned in this book is based on my learning, understanding and experience on the subject, Montessori. I tried to express the things I wanted to say in a coherent way, but the breadth of the subject prevented me from cataloguing them in perfect order. I apologize if that breaks legibility. But it is useful in a way that a reader may take little by little, which he or she thinks convenient. As such, it would require no sophistication from the reader's side. Take the topic as the title 6 indicates and you can continue without responsibility or burden. I split my opening comment into two questions. Why is this book? Who is this book aimed at? First, the Montessori method is scientific, just and student-centred, but not the government-sponsored due to a myriad of reasons. Therefore, brief handbooks are not available. It took me two years and long reading sessions to develop a sense of Montessori as a teaching methodology. Books weren't available either, thanks to online platforms, but now it's handy. Then I thought a book as a gateway that describes the philosophy and practice of the method would be useful for one who wants to get a synoptic awareness. The Montessori method really deserves promotion. Many people think the same, but do not have the know-how to begin or run a 'Montessori House of Children'. The limited number of training-facility in this country prevents the teachers from getting trained. This book may work as a guide for them too. Second, I think that a debate about the relevance of the subject is the need for time, especially when a sort of stagnation has crept into the system. You may think of this book as an initiative in this regard. For a beginner, it may be useful to know certain uses or phrases related to the Montessori method. Among them, the first is the House of Children. This is a well-planned and prepared environment where a child's education begins within the Montessori system. Children from three to six years are admitted for primary education. There will be no grading or division of rank between them. Then comes "Montessori equipment". These are educational materials designed to educate children (most of which are designed by Dr Maria Montessori). ‘Montessori teacher' is a qualified teacher of the Montessori method. The general use of the term “teacher” in this book refers to “Montessori teacher”. The didactic aids are 7 categorized into some sections according to the type of work. They are known as 1. Sensorial materials 2. Practical life materials 3. Mathematical materials 4. Language materials 5. Geography and Biology materials 6. Art and music materials... Throughout this book, the pronoun 'he' is used for a child. It's not because of any gender bias, but 'it' seems to be a little inanimate for a child and 'she' is reserved for mother nature and teacher. One more thing, there is a confusion of the usage of ‘Montessori’ as the same is used for the method and its inventor. Here, in this book, simple notation of Montessori refers the method and Dr Montessori denotes the founder Dr Maria Montessori. I, broadly and for convenience, assimilated twelve principles of Montessori philosophy to pen this book. Follow the child. Nature has encrypted the laws of development and programmed the child, and the child intrinsically knows how to decode it and use it for his growth. And only the child possesses the key to open it. Therefore, the primary duty of adults and educators, particularly is to follow the child. Any sort of domination, persuasion or imposition will harm the child’s growth both mentally and physically. Cognition through movement. The capacity for voluntary movement is the very quality of the human being as a species has played a crucial role in its development. And this is the secret of his being supreme among other creatures. This acted as the core agent for the development of his cognitive powers. Movements under infinite forms therefore continue to be the basis of child development. Freedom to select. Contrary to what we think, a child does not have to be under the command of someone. That means that 8 the choice of action should be reserved for the child rather than his or her guardian. Freedom of choice is nothing else but his birthright. So, a child can have his choice to do or not do something. Peer learning and teaching. Clustering of children, if necessary, should be based on developmental stages, not age or size. This enables them to maintain social relations that are essential to their development. This way of working together also provides many opportunities for learning and teaching among peers. In a learning environment, such as Montessori, this is inevitable for better and natural learning. Development from within. A child is not an excellent piece of stone to be chiselled out a beautiful statue by an eminent sculptor, but an animate integrated being to develop fully. Thus, the most minute development that takes place in a child should be an intrinsic affair. Exclusion of awards and punishment. A reward, as well as a punishment, is restricted, as both are harmful to child development. All sorts of impositions, regardless of the objectives, do more damage than help. Refusing to do something does not mean that he completely rejected it, just that he does not want to do it at that time. Likewise, his initiative is an indication of his interest. Subverting the plan by offering a reward or punishment has only negative consequences. Self-education. Every child can explore this world, understand it, and find his or her place and cosmic duty. Besides, his spontaneity and intuition should be his credible source of education. Thus, 'let him learn' is the best attitude of guardians and teachers towards a child. It does not mean leaving the child to his fate, but to provide him with the appropriate environment that meets his needs. Learn context from material to abstraction. Education is not a matter of lecturing, listening, reading, and writing, but understanding one’s world and oneself. Abstraction of ideas 9 becomes the core objective. Verbal discourse does not lead much to this, but experiential activities are the only educational process. In Montessori, we always go from concreteness to abstraction as a learning process. Fairy-tale free. A child of young age is not capable to imagine something as he engages with only real things, interacts with only reality. So, unreal, like fairy tale characters, epic heroes and even the Gods of religions, will harm his rational thinking process. Orderliness, physical and psychical. Nature is so because it's in perfect order. So, the order is the foremost thing to be achieved in a place of education. It doesn't mean discipline imposed by any other agencies, but keeping natural orderliness. Sensitive periods. A sensitive period is a period that causes a significant change within the life cycle of a living being. Nature makes its subjects able to achieve something very important in that particular time frame. For example, a child acquires and speaks a language before he is three years old. Each of his accomplishments is easy for him as he is influenced by a sensitive period. If the language acquisition does not take place in the period, the child may not speak, as this development is supposed to happen in the sensitive period. Child psychology. Child psychology was a set of theories based on speculations and assumptions of adults' conveniences and conventions before Dr Montessori. However, she came across something new and unprecedented about a child and his mind. Her educational system is also built on the psychology of the child, the absorbing mind. To those who may read this book, unlike other topics, you cannot read if you position yourself firmly in relation to your convictions especially when you are new to Montessori. In case you are a stringent Montessorian too, you may disagree with some of the ideas that I put forward. My point: here, we 10 need a transition from the philosophical mode to the scientific approach that can lead us to reality prevails. When we depend philosophy alone, I think, we are sometimes moving away from reality. For example, educational philosophies are concerned, they are aimed at teachers and schools but they are not decision-makers, that the State really determines curricula and not educators and institutions. Then how do we move then ignoring that factor? Epistemology may be amalgams of philosophies but, in my view, should not stand for eternal subtlety. Subtlety does not exist in ideas, but the distant quality of matter is the one true being. I think any debate on education should aim for social change, not just a philosophical exercise. So, let's get into this book without prejudice, without ideological commitment and without big expectations.