Maria Montessori, MD 1870

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Maria Montessori, MD1870 1952

• Human teachers can only help the great work
  that is being done, as servants help the master.
  Doing so, they will be witnesses to the unfolding
  of the human soul and to the rising of a New Man
  who will not be a victim of events, but will have
  the clarity of vision to direct and shape the
  future of human society.
• Maria Montessori, Education For A New World

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Background

• Born in Chiaravalle, Italy August 31, 1870
• First Female to Graduate from University of Rome
  Medical School (1896)
• Left job teaching as Anthropology professor to
  open Childrens House in San Lorenzo, Rome.
  (housed sixty learning disabled children from
  poor families in a child friendly environment)
• 1913 first trip to U.S. founded Montessori
  Educational Association in Washington D.C.
  (Backed by Alexander Graham Bell)
• 1929 founded Association Montessori International
  in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• 1936 moved to Spain, after being exiled by
  Mussolini for refusing to compromise her values.
• As a result of Spanish civil war, returned to
  Netherlands where she lived until her death.
• Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize 1949, 1950,
  1951

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PEDAGOGY Follow The Child

• Children are competent human beings capable of
  both self-directed learning and making maximal
  decisions.
• Childrens Rights The value and importance of
  childrens work to develop themselves into adults
• Children learn differently than adults

• Teachers control the environment not the child
• Observation of the child in the environment as
  the basis for ongoing curriculum development
• Small, child sized furniture and creation of a
  small, child-sized environment (microcosm) in
  which each can be competent to produce overall a
  self-running small children's world

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Continuing to Follow the Child

• Instruction of children in 3-year age groups,
  corresponding to 4 sensitive periods of
  development (example Birth-3, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12
  year olds with an Erdkinder (German for "land
  children") program for early teens
• The importance of the "absorbent mind," the
  limitless motivation of the young child to
  achieve competence over his or her environment
  and to perfect his or her skills and
  understandings as they occur within each
  sensitive period. (Ex. Repetitive babbling as
  language practice leading to language competence)
• Parent participation to include basic and proper
  attention to health screening and hygiene as a
  prerequisite to schooling

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Age of Prudence (0-6 years)

• Sensorial explorers
• Construction of the Physical
• Concrete Plane
• Learns with Absorbent Mind (0-3 yrs. unconscious
  learning, 3-6 yrs. conscious learning)
• Fundamental for the formation and character of
  the individual
• Basis for other virtues, helps us to accomplish
  good in the practical order

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Age of Temperance (6-12 years)

• Conceptual explorers
• Construction of the Intelligence
• Cosmic Plane
• Learns through reasoning with imagination and
  logic
• The Bridge to abstraction intellectual mind
  is organized
• Wants to learn about the Universe and its
  creation
• This virtue develops a sense of moderation and
  appreciation of the worlds gifts.

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Age of Justice (12-18 years)

• Humanistic explorers
• Construction of the social/moral
• Cultural/Moral
• Social find place in society
• Creation of the adult
• Erdkinder Children of the Land
• Virtue that forms the consciousness of fairness
  and honesty to do right

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Age of Fortitude (18-24 years)

• Specialized explorers
• Construction of the spiritual
• Conscience Discernment Plane
• Find ones place in the world
• Virtue that enables one to stand up and do what's
  good and true

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Where is Montessori today?

• There are at least 4,000 certified Montessori
  schools in the US and 8,000 worldwide.
• Approximately 200 public schools in the U.S. and
  Canada offer Montessori programs, and this number
  is growing every year.

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Criticisms

• Leaves children too free.
• Montessori education either too literal or too
  diluted.
• Very Little Homework assigned, materials are
  highly specialized.
• No traditional letter-grade system. Report
  cards issued based accomplishments and concepts
  that need improvement.
• Perceived to be elitist and only for the rich.

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Products of a Montessori Education

• Anne Frank
• George Clooney
• Sean Combs (P-Diddy)
• Julia Child
• Helen Hunt
• Larry Page/Sergey Brin (Founders of Google)
• Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon.com)
• Prince William and Prince Henry
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

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Works Cited

• The previous information was taken from the
  following websites
• http//www.webster.edu/woolflm/montessori2.html
• http//www.casadimir.org/index.htm?montessoriphilo
  sophy.htm
• http//www.cmsaa.org/famous.html
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori
• http//www.michaelolaf.net/FAQMontessori.html
• http//www.montessori-ami.org/

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Montessori Grammar Bingo

• Flip the top card over and read the part of
  speech.
• Both players place the appropriate marker over
  examples of the part of speech shown on the card
• i.e. Place the noun marker over all nouns on
  your card.
• The first person to get three grammar symbols
  appearing on the top, middle, or bottom row wins.

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Discussion Questions

• What do you think about the game? Would it be
  useful or not?
• Would you want to teach in a Montessori school?
  Why or why not?