Abstract/Notes: Formerly entitled The Montessori Method: Scientific Pedagogy as Applied to Child Education in the Children's Houses. This book was first published in 1909 under the title 'Il Metodo della Pedagogia Scientifica Applicato all'Educazione Infantile nelle Case dei Bambini' ('The Montessori Method: Scientific Pedagogy as Applied to Child Education in the Children's Houses) and was revised in 1913, 1926, and 1935. Maria Montessori revised and reissued this book in 1948 and renamed it 'La Scoperta del Bambino'. This edition is based on the 6th Italian edition of 'La Scoperta del Bambino' published by the Italian publisher Garzanti, Milan, Italy in 1962. M. J. Costelloe, S. J. translated this Italian version into the English language in 1967 for Fides Publishers, Inc. In 2016 Fred Kelpin edited this version and added many footnotes. He incorporated new illustrations based on AMI-blueprints of the materials currently in use.

Language: English

Published: Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company, 2017

ISBN: 978-90-79506-38-5

Series: The Montessori Series , 2

Language: English

Published: [S.I.]: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1995

Language: German

Published: Wien, Austria: Jugend & Volk, 2020

ISBN: 978-3-7100-4362-8 3-7100-4362-X

Language: English

ISSN: 0039-8837

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/0034408800750308

ISSN: 1547-3201, 0034-4087

Abstract/Notes: The debate about whether or not religious education should be included in early childhood education is a longstanding one. Even those who believe that Religious education should be included in early childhood programs cannot agree about the content or method for including it. The phenomenon of religious education in Montessori pre-primary schools in the Western Cape Province of South Africa is explored in this study, using a qualitative research approach. More specifically, the study explored the goals of their religious education; the level of awareness of Montessori's approach to religious education and finally looked at how they were implementing religion in their schools. A sample of 4 pre-schools were selected from the 90 Montessori pre-schools in the Western Cape. These included a Non-Denominational, Muslim, Christian and a Jewish School. The Muslim and Non-Denominational schools are full Montessori schools, while the Christian and Jewish schools have incorporated Montessori alongside other curriculums, namely the Jubilee Excellence School Curriculum and Reggio-Emilia approach, respectively. A collective case study approach was adopted and data was collected through observations and interviews. While the findings cannot easily be generalized, it is significant in providing a starting point to understanding the phenomenon of religious education in Montessori pre-schools in the Western Cape. The study highlighted Dr Montessori's personal and professional struggle with religion and found that the struggles Dr Montessori faced in terms of Religion have still not been resolved today. The schools in the Western Cape still grappled with the essence of Montessori's struggle, i.e. where to place religion and how to integrate it in the Montessori method and philosophy. Dr Montessori's beliefs about the importance of spirituality in the early years were found to be consistent with the contemporary views of scholars around the world. The religious schools followed guidelines of their own religions when deciding on which values to focus on. At the Jewish school, the focus was on the community, while at the Muslim school the focus was on the individual and selfetiquette. The focus of the Christian school was on discipline and obedience. The schools had various commitments to spiritual and ethical development of the children. Finally, the study found that the Montessori method was ideal for teaching the practices of religion, but when schools delved into issues of faith or love of God, they switched to other modes of teaching (e.g. preaching). This disjuncture between teaching faith and practices was ultimately Dr Montessori's reason for abolishing religious education from her method.

Language: English

Published: Cape Town, South Africa, 2017

Language: Korean

Language: Italian

Published: Rome, Italy: Fefè Editore, 2011

ISBN: 978-88-95988-34-4

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/01416200.2011.595925

ISSN: 0141-6200, 1740-7931

Language: Korean