Abstract/Notes: This article describes the general principles of the philosophy of Montessori education. The basis of Montessori education is a student-centered learning environment--one that includes provision for an inquisitive, cooperative, safe, and nurturing atmosphere for learning. Students' psychosocial needs must be addressed before their cognitive needs, so that students will enjoy learning and become life-long learners. Montessori education has developed two sets of practices with regard to teacher preparation and classroom environment that facilitate student-centered environments. Montessori teacher education programs focus on training teachers in observational skill and child development. Teachers are educated in developmental levels and in matching appropriate skills and activities to levels. Appropriate materials facilitate the development of physical, intellectual, and social independence. Characteristics of the Montessori classroom include: teachers who are educated in the Montessori method; partnership with the family; a multi-aged, multi-graded, heterogeneous grouping of students; a diverse set of Montessori materials, activities, and experiences; a schedule that allows time for problem solving; connections between knowing and creating; and a classroom atmosphere that encourages social interaction for cooperative learning, peer teaching, and emotional development. The paper concludes with comments regarding the positive aspects of multi-age grouping.

Language: English

Published: New York City, NY: American Montessori Society, Oct 1991

Pages: 7 p.

Abstract/Notes: The history of education is mainly a history of male educators and their ideas and systems of education, whereas the history of early childhood education is to a large extent a field of history where women have been the actors and to some extent also the writers about early childhood education. But this history is coloured by the withdrawn and to a large degree subordinate status of women, which is also reflected in the way history is written: A history of invisibility and anonymity, which also may have affected the place early childhood education has had in general educational history...

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/BF03174635

ISSN: 0020-7187, 1878-4658

Abstract/Notes: Maria Montessori’s position on scientific pedagogy and her method involves two problem areas: firstly, the necessity to clarify and define the relationship between scientific pedagogy and other sciences, particularly anthropology and physiological and experimental psychology, and, secondly, the necessity to delineate a research method and objectives. She explicitly recognised the importance of these new fields of experimental science, defining them not coincidently as corner stones of new pedagogy referring above all to their contribution to the development of observation procedures for the discovery of children’s psychological and morphological characteristics.

Language: English

ISSN: 2281-8375

Language: English

Published: London, England: Gordon & Breach, 1990

ISBN: 2-88124-769-5

Language: English

ISSN: 0040-7887

Language: English

ISSN: 0010-700X

Language: Japanese

ISSN: 0913-4220

Language: Hungarian

Published: Szeged, Hungary: Ablaka G. Könyvnyomdája, 1938

Language: English

Language: German

Published: Weinheim, Germany: Beltz, 1994

Edition: 2nd ed.

ISBN: 3-407-25140-8 978-3-407-25140-4