Professional Documents
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Montessori 101 & Guided Tour
Montessori 101 & Guided Tour
org
I
ts the beginning of a new school year for thou-
sands of Montessori students around the world.
For some, it will be their first experience in a
Montessori classroom; for others, it will be a re-
turn to the learning environment that they have
There are more than four thousand Montessori schools in the United
States and Canada and thousands more around the world. Montessori
schools are found throughout Western Europe, Central and South
America, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and much of Asia.
The movement is widespread in countries such as the Netherlands,
known for years. the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, Sri Lanka, Korea, and Japan, and it is
Dr. Maria Montessori opened her first school, beginning to expand into Eastern Europe, the republics of the former
Casa dei Bambini, in Rome, Italy more than a Soviet Union, and China.
century ago. There is tremendous diversity within the community of Montessori
After one hundred years, the Montessori ap- schools. Despite the impression that all Montessori schools are the same,
perhaps a franchise, no two Montessori schools are alike.
proach has proven that it is still vibrant and Across the United States and Canada, we can find Montessori schools
adaptive to the challenges of the 21st century. in almost every community. They are found in church basements, con-
As parents and educators, who have spent verted barns, shopping centers, former public schools, and on expansive
years around Montessori children, we know campuses, with enrollments of
that Montessori works! Despite the proof of
more than one hundred years of positive re-
hundreds of children and the
air of stature and stability.
The
sults, questions remain: We can find them in subur-
Many
ban and inner-city public-
What is Montessori?
school systems. Montessori
schools are often found in
Faces of
How is it different than traditional education? charming homes the out-
come of the individual vision
Mon t e
s s o
r
i
Will it work for my child? of the owner/director. Many
are found in affluent commu-
in North
Isnt Montessori a very structured environ- nities, but just as many serve
Ame r
i c
a
ment? working-class
neighborhoods
Do Montessori classrooms have structure? and the poor. We
can find
Normalize my child? Montessori in
Head Start pro-
Are we crazy to enroll our child in a grams, child-care
Montessori school? centers in our in-
ner cities, migrant-
Is Montessori just for young children? worker camps,
Can our child adjust to a traditional educa- and on Native
American reserva-
tion after years in Montessori?
tions.
How can we find/create an elementary or sec- Some
ondary Montessori program for our children? Montessori
schools pride
themselves on re-
For more than forty years, Ive tried to help par- maining faithful to
ents sort all this out, so they could reassure them- what they see as
selves that Montessori isnt going to leave their Dr. Maria
children academically handicapped and unable Montessoris origi-
to make it in the real world. Its still not easy to nal vision, while others appreciate flexibility and pragmatic adaptation.
put Montessori into context, when the rest of the Each school reflects its own unique blend of facilities, programs, personal-
ity, and interpretation of Dr. Montessoris vision.
world seems so completely committed to a very
Most Montessori schools begin with three-year-olds and extend
different approach to raising children. Montessori through the elementary grades. Every year, more schools open middle-
101 was written to help parents begin to discover school and infant-toddler programs, and Montessori high schools are be-
and reconfirm what Montessori children know ginning to appear more frequently.
Montessori works! Montessori schools offer a wide range of programs. Many are focused
on meeting the needs of the working family. Others describe themselves
Tim Seldin, President as college-preparatory programs. Public Montessori programs pride them-
The Montessori Foundation selves on serving all children, while many independent schools work hard
co-author of The Montessori Way, to find the perfect match of student, school, and family values. The
The World in the Palm of Her Hand, Montessori Foundation and The International Montessori Council (IMC)
and Celebrations of Life; author of How to celebrate the diversity to be found among Montessori schools. Just as
each child is unique, so are the schools.
Raise an Amazing Child.
Mon t e s s o r i to be taught.
Montessori challenges and sets high ex-
pectations for all students, not only those
t
e
s
s
o
r
i
Myth #3
Myth #2
Montessori is for all children. Since
Montessori preschools begin working
with three-year-olds in a prepared learn-
ing environment, Montessori students
learn to read, write, and understand the
world around them in ways that they can
easily express. To the casual observer,
Mon t e s s o
r
i Montessori students may appear ad-
is just for vanced for their age, leading to the as-
sumption that the schools cater to gifted
gif
t e d children.
In reality, a Montessori school offers
kid s . children of differing abilities ways to ex-
press their unique personalities, through
activities using hands-on materials, lan-
guage, numbers, art, music, movement
and more. Montessori schooling helps
each child develop individuality in a way
that accentuates his or her innate intelli-
gence. Montessori schools can help make
all kids gifted kids.
Myth #4
When looking at a Montessori classroom you may see 25 or more children involved in
individual or small group activities. It is possible that each child will be doing some-
thing different. At first glance, a classroom can look like a hive of bumblebees.
If you take the time to follow the activities of two children, over the course of a
three-hour work period, you should observe a series of self-directed activities. The
Mon t e
s s o r i children arent running wild. They are each involved in self-selected w o r k, designed to
is affiliat- build concentration and support independent learning.
Choosing what you do is not the same as doing whatever you want. A well-known
ed with anecdote, about Montessori students doing what they like, comes from E.M.
the Standings book, Maria Montessori Her Life and Work:
A rather captious and skeptical visitor to a Montessori class once buttonholed one of the children a
Cat h o l i
c
little girl of seven and asked: Is it true that in this school you are allowed to do anything you like? I
Chu r c h . dont know about that, replied the little maiden cautiously, but I do know that we like what we do!
Like many preschools,
some Montessori pro-
grams may be sponsored
Myth #6
by a church or synagogue,
but most Montessori
schools are established as Montessorians are
independent entities. Conversely, a school
might be housed in a church building and a selective clique.
not have any religious affiliation. Since
Montessori refers to a philosophy, and not
an organization, schools are free to have One definition of a clique is: an exclusive circle
relationships with other organizations, in- of people with a common purpose. Many
cluding churches. Montessori teachers could be accused of this
Some of the first Montessori programs because of their intense desire to be of service
were sponsored by Catholic or other reli- in the life of a child, coupled with the teachers
gious organizations. Dr. Montessori was knowledge of child development. And while
Catholic and worked on developing reli- many schools have tight-knit communities, they
gious, educational, hands-on learning ex- are not exclusive. You should look for a school
periences for young children. The where you and your family feel welcomed.
Montessori movement, however, has no For many years, Montessori training pro-
religious affiliations. grams were only available in a few larger cities.
Montessori schools all over the world Becoming certified required prospective teach-
reflect the specific values and beliefs of the ers to be determined and dedicated, as relocat-
staff members and families that form each ing for a year of study was often required. Now
school community. Around the world, Montessori teachers training is mainstream and
there are Montessori schools that are part more accessible, with colleges and universities
of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and other re- offering graduate programs in Montessori edu-
ligious communities. cation, in conjunction with Montessori training
dren how to use the materials by giving as Jedi light sabers. Obviously, sword
concept of work as play as overly struc- individual lessons. The child is shown a fights with the Red Rods are a danger
tured. The activities in the classroom are specific way to use the materials but is to other children, as well as damaging
referred to as work, and the children are allowed to explore them by using them to the rods, which cost over $200.00 a
directed to choose their work. However, in a variety of ways, with the only limita- set.
the childrens work is very satisfying to tions being that materials may not be In cases where materials are being
them, and they make no distinction be- abused or used to harm others. abused or used in a way that may hurt
tween work and play. Children almost For example, the Red Rods, which others, the child is stopped and gently
always find Montessori activities both are a set of ten painted wooden rods up and kindly redirected to other work.
interesting and fun. to a meter long and about an inch thick, Unfortunately, some parents see
Each Montessori classroom is lined are designed to help the child learn to this limitation on the use of the materi-
with low shelves filled with materials. perceive length in ten centimeter incre- al as too structured, since it may not
The teacher, or guide, shows the chil- ments. The Red Rods arent to be used allow for fantasy play.
Play consists
of whatever a
body is not
obliged to do.
~ Mark Twain
In the Montessori classroom each child creates his or child selecting his or her activity, doing it, and returning the
her own cycle of work based on individual interests. This activity to the shelf. After the successful completion of a task,
cycle of self-directed activity lengthens the childs attention there is a period of self-satisfaction and reflection, then the
span. The teacher, instead of directing a group of children child chooses the next activity.
in one activity, quietly moves from child to child, giving in- Montessorians call this rhythm of activity a work cycle.
dividual lessons with materials. The teacher or assistant Stephen Covey, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,
may lead a few small-group activities, such as reading a refers to the habit of a work cycle as creating an upward
book out loud, cooking, or gardening with two to six chil- spiral of growth and change. Covey describes a spiraling
dren. process of learn commit do that empowers us to move
The Montessori classroom is a vibrant and dynamic toward continuous improvement, both as children and
learning environment, where structure is created by each adults.
With our adult eyes, we can observe the
Myth #9 childs joyful work and expressions of
deep satisfaction as the child experi-
ences work as play.
Consider this. You start a new job.
Mon
t
e
s
s
o
r
i You arrive the first day, full of enthusi-
asm, and ready to contribute to the suc-
schools dont cess of your work group. Youre met at
allow for play. the door by your new boss and told,
Go outside and play. Well let you know
when its time for lunch and time to go
home.
Ouch!
Montessorians refer to the childs activi- But thats exactly what we do to our
ties in the classroom as work. The chil- children when we dismiss their desires
dren also refer to what they do in the to contribute to their own well-being
classroom as their work. When your and to the common good of home or
three-year-old comes home from school school. Montessori schools create envi-
talking about the work he did today, he ronments, where children enjoy work-
can sound way too serious for a kid you ing on activities with grace and dignity.
just picked up at preschool. Montessori children often describe feel-
What adults often forget is that chil- ings of satisfaction and exhilaration
dren have a deep desire to contribute upon completing tasks that we might
meaningfully, which we deny when we have considered as only play.
Mon
Myth #10
t e
s s o r i
doesnt
allow for
cre a
t i v i t
y
.
Creativity means to bring something into existence. First we have an idea. Then
we use our imagination, thoughts, and skills to bring these ideas into being. The
Montessori classroom nourishes the creative skills of writing, drawing, painting,
using scissors, modeling clay, gluing, etc. to enable children to express their
thoughts and ideas in genuine and unique ways.
When I was in kindergarten, we were all given a coloring sheet of a caboose. I
colored my caboose green. My teacher told me that cabooses were red. As I looked
around, all the other childrens cabooses were red. My classmates laughed at my
green caboose. I felt the tears in my chest.
Twenty-four years later, I saw another green caboose, attached to the end of a
Burlington-Northern train. Yes! I wanted to shout back to my kindergarten class.
There are green cabooses.
What does a green caboose have to do with creativity?
I wasnt trying to be creative with my green caboose. I was trying to express my-
self, because I had seen a green caboose.
Montessori classrooms allow for safe self-expression through art, music, move-
ment, and manipulation of materials and can be one of the most creative and satisfy-
ing environments for a child to learn to experiment and express his or her inner-
self.
If Montessori is
so great, why
ing serenely around her infant
Montessori classroom. She sure didnt arent former
act that way at home.
As I observed Danas infant-toddler students better
class in action, I saw the power of this
child-friendly environment. As the chil-
known?
dren moved from activity to activity, day
by day their skills and confidence grew.
Most of us associate our career success with
Lessons in grace and courtesy helped
our colleges. Not too many people come out
the children with social skills, as please,
and say, When I was three years old I went
thank you, and would you please be-
to Hometown Montessori School, and that
came some of these toddlers first
made all the difference.
words.
Here are a few well-known people who
When Dana was three, one of her fa-
remember their Montessori school connec-
vorite activities was the green bean cut-
Myth #11 tions and consider their experiences there
ting lesson. After carefully washing her
vital.
hands, she would take several green
Julia Child, the cook and writer, who
beans out of the refrigerator, wash
taught Americans to love, prepare and pro-
them, cut them into bite-sized pieces
Kids cant be with a small knife, and arrange them on
nounce French dishes, attended Montessori
school.
kids at a child-sized tray. She carried the tray
Peter Drucker, the business guru, who
around the classroom, asking her class-
Mon
t e
s
s
o
r
i . has been said to be one of the most impor-
mates, Would you like a green bean?
tant thinkers of the 20th century, was a
As they looked up from their work, the
Montessori student.
other children would reply, Yes, please,
Somehow, our expectations as parents, Alice Waters, the chef of Chez Panisse
or No, thank you.
having witnessed temper tantrums in fame and creator of The Edible Schoolyard
Dana, now in her mid-twenties, still
restaurants and stores, create a view of project, was a Montessori teacher.
remembers that work with deep satis-
children as naturally loud, prone to vio- Anne Franks famous diary was a natural
faction. Children show us, when given a
lent behavior, disrespectful of others, extension of Annes Montessori elementary
prepared environment, a knowledge-
clumsy, and worse. school experience.
able adult, and a three-hour work cycle,
In a well-run Montessori classroom, Annie Sullivan, Helen Kellers teacher,
the natural state of the child is to be a
though, one might be prone to think corresponded with Maria Montessori about
happy, considerate, and contented per-
that kids arent being kids. teaching methods.
son. A kid is most like a kid when he or
When you see twenty-five to thirty Larry Page and Sergei Brin, founders of
she is engaged in the work of the Mon-
children acting purposefully, walking Google, Jeff Bezos founder of Amazon, and
tessori classroom.
Steve Case of America Online all credit
Montessori schooling to their creative suc-
cess.
Montessori schools are focused on help-
ing children become self-directed individu-
als, who can, and do, make a difference in
their families, in their communities and in
their world famous or not.
And thats not a myth.
by
Maren S. Schmidt &
Dana C. Schmidt
Work Cycle
Sensorial
ing activity to master.
This all begins with the child choosing,
each year, Montessori teachers
doing, returning to order, feeling satisfac- have spent many hours preparing
tion, then choosing again. Each activity
contributes to an upward spiral of success-
ful learning within the child.
Five-year-olds in a Montessori class-
Grace & Cou r t e s y the environment. Materials that
were carefully stored in boxes dur-
ing vacation time are brought out
room usually begin to establish a second and unwrapped. Wooden shelves
three-hour work cycle in the afternoon.
by Tim Seldin, that were stacked in the far corner
Summary of the room to allow for a thorough
President
We hope this vocabulary guide will help
cleaning of the carpet are pulled
you feel comfortable with the Montessori
The Montessori Foundation into position. Plants and classroom
lingo in your childs school. Also, if there is
some idea or concept you dont under-
& pets that spent their vacation at the
teachers home are brought in
stand, please contact your childs teacher Joyce St. Giermaine,
or school administrator. They are in a sen- from the car.
sitive period for helping parents. Editor A similar scene is repeated in
Tomorrows Child Montessori schools around the
1. academic excellence
2. character development
Shoelaces learn to be tied; however, knots do happen. Liquids get spilled during pouring.
Maria Montessori
Spooning exercises might run amok at the beginning with beans or marbles strewn on the
floor. But thats OK in a Montessori classroom. Its not failure; its an opportunity to practice
and refine skills, while taking responsibility for restoring order and caring for the classroom
environment.
Anatomy of a Lesson
ronically, I missed the session of my
Step 2: Apron Step 3: Montessori teacher training when
Collecting we were given the lesson on how to
wash tables. I remember doing it as a
Materials Montessori child. How hard could it be? I
for Lesson was just getting out of my first career in
the restaurant business, and someone
was going to teach me how to wash a
table? I had washed and set tables for
the rich and famous. I had cleaned more
tables than everyone in that class com-
bined. I was, in fact, relieved to miss this
day. The summer training session ended,
with my teacher-trainer reminding me
that I still needed to have a lesson on
table washing.
A month later, about three weeks
Step 4: Step 5: Getting Water into the school year at Island Village
Preparing Montessori School in Venice, FL, where
I was doing my internship, my head
Materials teacher, Ms. Wilfriede, a wonderful, ex-
perienced Montessorian, invited me to
join her while she gave a review lesson to
one of the returning students on table
washing. Great, I thought! This was my
opportunity to receive the lesson, seem-
ingly without missing a beat. About twen-
ty minutes later, I found myself sitting
In Montessori, children learn to listen to their bodies. When they are hungry, they prepare a
snack, cleaning up after themselves when they are finished. You will often see young students
cutting fresh fruit for themselves and their friends.
Left: Walking the line, heel to toe, helps children develop balance and control of their bodies,
allowing them to move carefully and gracefully around the room. Once they have developed
basic line-walking skills, children are then challenged to carry items that should not be dropped,
such as Montessori materials, small flags, or a tray of cups.
The Brown Stair, which is sometimes called the Broad Stair, is made up of ten rec-
tangular prisms, with bases that have exactly the same graduated measurements as the cubes
of the Pink Tower, but which are uniformly 20 centimeters long. The child is challenged to
scatter them around her rug and then sort them by size to place all ten prisms in proper order
from thickest to thinnest. This results in a graduated series of rectangular prisms that resem-
bles a little stairway. Because the squared sides of each prism correspond to the dimensions of
the cubes of the Pink Tower, the two materials are often used together for all sorts of exploration
and designs.
The Verb Command Cards and so on. Once they can read these
one-word command cards, later sets will
One of the early reading exercises in- use complete sentences to command
troduced to Montessori children once them to, Bring me the smallest cube
they have begun to read are the Verb from the Pink Tower, or, Waddle
Command Cards. This is a set of red across the room like a duck.
cards on which a single one-word Command Cards are used with older
command (a verb) is printed. children to suggest specific challenges
Typically, two or three children will in every area of the curriculum. For ex- The Verb Command Cards have a simple
do this work together as a little game. ample, in Geography, a Command Card one-word command (verb) printed on
They pick a card, read it, and perform might challenge the child to look in the them. (Above) This little boy has just read
the command: hop, smile, yawn, atlas to find the location of the largest in- the word wave and is acting out the com-
sleep, clap, sit, stand, wave, eat, drink, land lake on the Earth. mand.
Literature
(Above) The Multiplication Checkerboard is another more advanced material that intro-
duces Long Multiplication.
Imaginary Island al- the test. I explored the notion that all kinds
of plants, vegetables, and trees would exist
on this island, though I would not allow the
This assignment taught me so much.
Reflecting back on it, perhaps it taught me too
much. Still, I appreciate that I could, as a child,
I
remember that a smile swept across my gave me comfort and security. The family hope. I believe we, as Montessori children, can
face as I received the instructions for system, for example, I recall resembled my foster these changes and create them, both big
our next class assignment: Imaginary own familyfairly complicated but extreme- and small. We must encourage our children to
Island was written in bold letters at the ly accepting, loving, and understandingal- continue to use their imaginations and creativity
top of the page. As we were directed, we lowing that phrase it takes a village to raise to make such differencesand we can.
would be responsible for creating an entire is- a child to really exist. I also remember the As I received my project back, I was most as-
land which owed its entire existence directly to government being optimalin that, it repre- tounded and appreciative to have received
whatever I proposed. sented the interests of all the people, not compliments on my assignment (yes, this Type-
I was in the sixth grade, and I had always just those that had more advantages than A, perfectionistic girl still remains). But, still to
had an overactive imagination, so, when our others. I didnt even think about the fact this day, I have an argument to pick a certain
teachers actually assigned us a project that not that everyone should have quality health- teacher was a bit skeptical about my chosen
only allowed us to be creative, but assumed care because, at that age, I thought everyone transportation system: a belly-button trans-
that we were creative, I thought I had struck had healthcareit was the only world I porter system that magically warps people from
gold. knew, and I liked it that way. I believed in one place to another in seconds. It made sense
Little did I know, however, that making this work, still do, but believed that those who to mestill does. If now, I can only find a way
so- called island was far harder than just decid- could not work, for whatever reason, would to make it work. Yes, imagination still exists
ing where the island would be located and choose to foster it and embrace it.
Education Program
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The Teaching Clock (above)
Te rra Ceia, FL 34250
Before a child can begin to understand history, she needs to
begin to grasp the concept of time. The child pictured above is
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learning to tell time, along with the other concepts of the pas-
sage of time, such as: How long is a minute, an hour, a day, a
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Tomorrows Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue www.montessori.org 65
These students (right and
below) are working with
the Land and Water
Forms, a set of three-di-
mensional models that
represent, in very simple
terms, the nature of basic
geographic features. This
is also a pouring exercise,
as the child adds water to
the tray to create a higher
level of sensory impres- Birthdays are celebrated
sion. Here she explores by a walk around the sun
the idea that an island is a holding a globe of the
body of land surrounded Earth to mark each year
by water, while a lake is a of the childs life.
body of water surrounded on all sides by land.
The children learn to name each form, match the model with a photo of a real
lake or island, place the correctly printed label underneath each form, then prepare
their own labels. They also learn the defini-
tions of each land form, continue to learn
about the largest lakes or islands in the
world, and research facts about specific
places.
The first set includes such geographic
forms as an isthmus, peninsula, cape, bay,
and strait. Advanced exercises introduce
more complex geographic features, such as
mountains, mountain ranges, volcanoes,
archipelagos, foothills, cliffs, mesas, prairies,
river valleys, and river deltas.
Science
ture of one element, placing
protons and neutrons in the
nucleus and electrons in the
outer shells.
Working with this unique
teaching version of Men-
delevs Periodic Table of the
the
Elements (above), elemen-
tary children begin to learn
about the more complex
elements, their symbols,
and how various ele-
ments are grouped
Montessori
together according
to their properties.
At the same time,
children are looking
for examples of
common elements
in their daily envi-
Way
ronment and begin-
ning to research
information about
the characteristics
and uses of the ele-
ments.
The Solar System The young lady below is researching the planets of
our Solar System, using reference materials and
models of the planetary bodies. Child-sized plan-
ets(left) show the location and size of the planets in
comparison to the sun.
The
crafts. Some Montessori
schools will employ the talents
of an art specialist, and many
schools expand on their art
programs through special af-
Arts
ter-school workshops.
Older students will incor-
porate art into their lessons
when studying history, science,
math, and international cul-
tures. Art and music apprecia-
tion are re-introduced in
greater depth throughout the years, and students of all ages enjoy performing in dramatic and musi-
cal productions for their families and at special school-wide celebrations.
Mon t e s s o r i
FOU
THE
D
A
T
I
O
N