The Montessori Method

The Montessori Method was coined by the Italian physician Maria Montessori. After completing her medical training, she began to study mental disorders in children, which allowed her to create a new approach to education. In a tenant building in Rome, Montessori started her first classroom. This experience acted as a catalyst for her observation-based work and experimentation with the classroom environment. She also published a book with the support of the Franchetti Barons of Citta di Castello. It was called “Method Franchetti-Montessori” and aided in the spread of Montessori’s education method throughout the world. In 1912, the Montessori method reached the United States and could be found in popular publications. Soon enough, Montessori schools began to pop up around the nation. Montessori education also spread to parts in Southeast Asia, such as India.

So what is the Montessori Method of Education?

For one, there is a big emphasis on letting children choose and learn. In a classroom, we would see a shift away from direct instruction, and a shift towards creating a range of options kids can choose from. There is also the implementation of a constructivist model, where students will learn through trial and error, and eventually discovery. In a classroom, we would also see a mix of ages. The ages would not range by more than three years, as any more of an age difference would place kids in different stages of development together. Other things Montessori saw fit were continuous time slots of work, approximately three hours. Having natural textiles in classrooms, as opposed to plastic, were favored. Essentially, the Montessori method grants the students freedom within boundaries.

What are the benefits?

According to a study in the Milwaukee Public Schools, children who were educated by a school following the Montessori Method from the ages 3-11, outperformed their classmates in high school in mathematics and science. In a 1981 study by Young Children, they sought to evaluate the kids in Montessori programs. They found that the kids were equal or better in certain areas compared to kids not in a Montessori program.

However, it has been found that Montessori classrooms are not always homogenous in their implementation of the Montessori method. Also because the term ‘Montessori’ was ruled to have a generic significance, ‘Montessori’ can be used freely. This has ultimately led to many schools claiming to use Maria Montessori’s methods, but then having immense variation in practice.

Maria Montessori did so much for the way we view education. Her use of scientific observation has allowed us to rethink how we try to educate children. It also highlights a want to allow kids to be creative while learning structure. She teaches that we do not have to abandon one to have the other, but we can find a happy compromise. Overall, her methods attempt to develop kids in all the ways that Jean Piaget models: physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

By Ariana