Montessori Philosophy

The foundation of Dr. Maria Montessori's approach is respect for the child as a worthy individual occupied by the task of developing himself as a mature, productive adult. She observed children's needs for independence, for self-confidence, for control over their impulses, emotions and a natural curiosity and desire to learn.

She observed in young children the phenomenon she called the "absorbent mind". Children are capable of absorbing information from their environment without conscious, tedious effort. Learning does not and should not be forced upon them. If the environment is orderly, beautiful and readily accessible and if the child is free to work through his own cycles of activity at his own pace, he can learn to read, write and calculate in the natural way that he learned to walk and talk.

Dr. Montessori wrote, "the most important period of life is not the age of University studies but the period from birth to age six." It is now commonly accepted that from conception to age four, the individual develops 50% of his mature intelligence; from ages four to eight he develops another 30%. This indicates the rapid growth of intelligence in the early years and the importance of the early environment on this development. It is also true that children mature at a very different rate and their periods of readiness for academic subjects vary a great deal. Montessori observed that a young child has periods of fascination for developing various skills such as climbing stairs and counting. During these "sensitive periods" it is easier for the child to acquire particular skills than at any other time in his life. The Montessori classroom allows each child freedom to select activities that correspond to his own periods of interest and readiness.

By answering the child's needs as they arise, some children in a Montessori classroom begin to read and calculate at an early age. Early learning, however, was not Dr. Montessori's objective. Her ideal was that the learning experience should occur naturally and joyfully at the proper moment for each child. "It is true we cannot make a genius", she wrote; "we can only give each individual the chance to fulfill his potential possibilities to become an independent, secure and balanced human being".

Montessori education provides an exceptional opportunity for the child's intellectual, social, emotional and creative development. Each child is embraced as an individual and is provided with learning opportunities to meet his changing needs. Montessori recognized that the only valid impulse to learning is the self-motivation of the child. The Guide prepares the environment, and then acts as a dynamic link between it and the child. She offers support, encouragement, friendship and guidance but it is the child that learns for himself; the child who is motivated through the work itself to persist in a given task.

The classrooms are bright, colourful and equipped with high quality learning materials arranged on accessible shelves in sequence from simple to complex, and from the most concrete to those that are most abstract. As children progress through the materials they are exposed to broad curriculum, learning about the world in a holistic, inviting approach.

Within the limits of social discipline, the children are free to move around, to work with one another or on their own and to pursue a chosen activity for as long as they desire. A mixed age group provides a social setting with special opportunities for personal growth. As children discuss their activities and learn from each other, they develop the basis of cooperation, sharing and relating to one another.

Older children develop sensitivity, pride and reinforce their knowledge by helping their younger classmates. Younger children are eager to progress as they admire the achievements of their role models. This and the individual programming allow each child to find comfort in their abilities and pace, without the challenges of a competitive environment. As the child's skills increase, he is introduced, through concrete experiences the areas of language, mathematics, history, science, geography, music and art. The materials that make these experiences tangible to him serve as touchstones in his memory for many years to clarify the abstract terms he meets within his future learning experiences.

Top of Page