Introduction to Montessori

Imagine an environment especially prepared for your child to thrive based on their individual curiosities and desires. One where your child can safely move about and navigate independently – touch and explore everything, within their reach – and a place where mishaps are practically encouraged. Are you picturing their bedroom, a shelf, or a play space you specifically designed for them with their safety in mind? Or maybe you are having a hard time thinking of a space specifically designed for your child. The Montessori classroom is a safe haven for children to freely explore, specifically curated with your individual child in mind and one where life is designed to happen just the way it does, through hands-on learning. Here, you will read just how the Montessori method was carefully crafted, how Maria Montessori empowers educators through the lens of the child, and how science continues to support the very principles developed by Maria Montessori herself over a hundred years ago.

The Montessori Method in Development

Maria Montessori was born in 1870. While coming from well-educated parents, she wasn’t exactly encouraged by her father to pursue her big dreams of being a doctor. It was her mother, who was well-educated as a woman of her time, that embraced Montessori’s curiosity in science. Montessori studied and became a doctor. While navigating the medical field she became increasingly curious about the field of education and continued on with a second degree in education, experimental psychology, and anthropology. Before long, Montessori was solely focused on her personal research in education. She worked hard observing and curating environments for students, who otherwise were not given the chance to thrive. Her observations and practices became strong and soon Dr. Maria Montessori’s methods were put to practice in Italy, Germany, India, the United States, and elsewhere. For a fascinating look at Montessori’s timeline of study, click here. 

Montessori faced historical challenges in her efforts to mainstream her educational method. She was forced out of places, her methods were removed and the political climate was a constant navigation – political regimes and wars were among some of her biggest hurdles. Montessori’s son later joined Maria Montessori in her efforts to continue to spread the Montessori method, and to this day, we see Montessori schools around the globe. So what made Montessori’s method so intriguing, even before education became a requirement in the United States? 

Teacher as Guide: Guide as Scientist

Unlike a traditional school, where a teacher presents information to an entire class and organizes work to meet the objective taught, Dr. Maria Montessori’s method is so deeply rooted in student observation. We call this practice of observation “Following the Child.” In this, the staff’s goal is to guide the student to follow their own path of learning. To break this down further, Following the Child means using the child’s current skill sets and abilities to determine how staff (otherwise known as Guides) should respond to them. The Guides determine information they need to give to the child, what appropriate boundaries and expectations the Guide needs to uphold, and how the Guide should prepare them for the next constructive step in their development. 

A Montessori guide acts as a scientist by systematically observing children to understand their individual learning needs and developmental stages, much like a scientist observes a subject in an experiment. Adjustments to the environment are made to meet each student’s needs. These adjustments can look as small as changing the physical placement of a material or presenting the material in a different way on an open shelf or table. Adjustments to the environment can be as big as displaying work for the student to discover that is beyond the student’s skill set, but drives interest in the material to cultivate the intrinsic motivation to study the materials leading up to the big work they independently determined they want to learn. 

Hands on Learning

Montessori’s method was designed in her belief that there is a hand-brain connection. She wrote, “The hands are the instrument of Man’s intelligence.” Today we live in a much more science-backed world than Montessori did. With our in-depth studies of neuroscience, studies have found profound connections between the hand and the brain, supporting Montessori’s method that there is a staunch connection between doing with our hands and learning. 

Montessori developed hands-on materials to support her theory. These materials change as one moves through the four Planes of Development outlined in the Montessori method. Montessori’s first materials included: the Seguin Boards (or Tens Boards); the Brown Stair; and the Short Bead Stair. As Montessori further developed her method, she added: Geometric Solids, Red and Blue Rods (which are also called Measuring Rods), the Botany Cabinet and the Sandpaper Letters. All materials were designed for students to explore through the hand-brain connection. Montessori carefully studied and developed the materials to be touched and maneuvered in ways where children can physically feel and see the concepts being introduced to them. Each material begins as a foundational concept and later expands into larger concepts used all through a child’s educational years. 

In today's Montessori classroom, you will find physical materials to teach lessons ranging from practical life, sensorial, language, mathematics and cultural studies, including science, geography, history and art. These materials are always presented in beautiful ways, often using natural materials such as wood, glass and metal. The presentation of materials plays an integral role in the learning process, as it is designed to catch the eye of the learner, in order to pull a sense of curiosity out of them, around the material's subject. 

Children are often placed in an adult world without the correct tools to foster their very desire to learn and do independently. You can safely believe that here, in our Montessori environment at Goldenrod Montessori, your child feels a sense of belonging in their environment, which is curated precisely for them. Our experience in following the child and appreciation for the Planes of Development foster every move we make here. To learn more about the seven original Montessori materials still used in our classrooms today, please follow us on social media, sign up for our newsletter, and watch for our next blog post.