What is Montessori?
Dr. Maria Montessori (1870 - 1952) believed that the goal of early childhood education should be to foster a real love for knowledge by allowing a child to experience the excitement of learning by his or her own choice, and to help the child perfect all his or her natural tools for learning. The Montessori philosophy encourages children to develop and learn naturally through spontaneous, self directed activities.
The Montessori technique is a unique cycle of learning designed to take advantage of the child's sensitive years between the ages of three to six. In this period of the "absorbent mind", the child who acquires foundation skills in a natural way, has the advantage of beginning his or her education without drudgery, boredom, or discouragement. The resulting gift is an enthusiasm for learning and high self esteem.
Montessori is a highly hands-on approach to learning. It encourages children to develop their observation skills by doing many types of activities. These activities include use of the five senses, kinetic movement, spatial refinement, small and large motor skill coordination, and concrete knowledge that leads to later abstraction.
Every activity has its place in the classroom and is self-contained and self-correcting. The original didactic materials are specific in design, conforming to exact dimensions, and each activity is designed to focus on a single skill, concept, or exercise. In addition to this, material is intended for multiple uses. For example, manipulative materials initially used to allow the child to analyze sense impressions are also designed to improve fine motor coordination needed for writing.