Who is Dr. Maria Montessori?
Montessori initially worked in psychiatric clinics for children, where she argued that a lack of stimulation was leading many patients to be hospitalised for mental and emotional issues that could be improved through changes in their environment.
Her developing approach demonstrated her use of the scientific method to investigate how individuals think and learn. While in these hospitals and clinics, Montessori observed children at play, noticing how they engaged with games and toys to aid their learning.
These early insights inspired her to establish her first school in Rome, known as the Casa dei Bambini or "Children’s House." In this innovative setting, children practised dressing themselves with buttons, ties, and laces, taught each other to read and write using movable cut-out letters, and explored counting and mathematics through tactile glass beads.
Montessori observed that children were fascinated by the activities they saw in their homes, such as sewing clothes or washing floors. Engaging in these tasks fostered their independence and became a defining feature of the Montessori philosophy, which is still evident today.
Her original classrooms, with their child-sized furniture and intriguing games, captured global attention. However, it wasn't just the furniture that piqued interest; children in her classrooms exhibited a remarkable calmness, a sense of peace, and a cooperative spirit that was rare in educational settings. Their initiative and the purposeful nature of their activities were particularly striking.
Although Montessori developed her method over a hundred years ago, her insights into development and learning still offer innovation and promise for children all over the world.
During her life, the Montessori Method was introduced on every inhabited continent on earth.
In the decades since her death, the Montessori Method has continued to expand and evolve, based on a core principle that reflects both Montessori’s life as a scientist and her deep respect for the nature of childhood: follow the child.
"The education of a small child does not aim at preparing him for school, but for life."
The Montessori Curriculum
Activities of Every Day Life
Practical equipment and activities that help to build the child's independence and self-care and involves opportunities for the child to look after themselves and the environment around them.
Sensorial
The equipment in this area supports the child's need for order, trial and error, self-correction and quiet reflection. It also indirectly prepares for later mathematics and language work as much of the equipment enables the child to order, classify, separate and describe sensory impressions in relation to length, width, temperature, mass and colour.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
A wide range of beautiful materials that allow the children to gain an appreciation of biology, geography, simple science and history. Each of these areas allow the children to explore and experiment with concepts such as metamorphosis, life cycles, land formations, the planets and time lines.
Literacy
Equipment and activities are used for early literacy development, such as mark-making with insets-for-design, and phonetic awareness such as singing and rhyming. Later literacy involves teaching children phonics and writing, with specific learning techniques at different stages.
Mathematics
The mathematical concept is presented firstly in a very concrete form followed by the abstract written version. The materials for mathematics introduce the concept of quantity and the symbols 1 through to 10. Then, using a variety of beads and symbol cards, the child becomes familiar with the numbers as a decimal system by means including concrete experiences with the operation of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Do we still follow the EYFS?
Yes! We use the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework. 'Foundation Years' offer this useful guide for parents on understanding your child's development.
Have more questions?
Visit our FAQ's page.
