Elements of Montessori Education
Elements of Montessori Education
Montessori education is a child centric method of education that caters to the complete development of the child. The three key elements of the Montessori method are - The adult (Directress), Prepared environment & Montessori materials.
The adult (Directress)
The Montessori directress plays an important role in the development of the child. She needs to offer the child what he needs, but unobtrusively & indirectly. She should stimulate the child to work for his self formation. For this she needs to understand her responsibility & prepare herself. The preparation of the directress in on three levels – spiritual, mental & physical; all done simultaneously.
On spiritual preparation, she has to be suitable to guide the children & prepare a secure & loving atmosphere for the child. 1. The first task of the directress is to forgo her ego & prejudices & meet the child without any pre-conceived notions about his abilities & potentials. 2. She should accept that the child is her only guide & in order to help him, she must follow and understand him & be willing to learn what the child reveals. 3. She should patiently observe the child & ask herself what she needs to do next to help the child. 4. She should love the child in truest sense & not expect anything in return. This love comes from a deep respect & understanding that children will absorb her movements, actions, calmness & integrity just by watching her & not follow or do what they are told to do. 5. She should be a mature adult with a smile on her face & not bring her personal problems in the class. 6. She should be humble & offer help to the child without crushing his spirit. She should understand that she cannot mould the child but can only help him to follow his inner urges. 7. She should not judge herself by the child’s work, but should constantly attempt to better herself in the awareness of the needs of the child. She should awaken her true
Montessori education is a child centric method of education that caters to the complete development of the child. The three key elements of the Montessori method are - The adult (Directress), Prepared environment & Montessori materials.
The adult (Directress)
The Montessori directress plays an important role in the development of the child. She needs to offer the child what he needs, but unobtrusively & indirectly. She should stimulate the child to work for his self formation. For this she needs to understand her responsibility & prepare herself. The preparation of the directress in on three levels – spiritual, mental & physical; all done simultaneously.
On spiritual preparation, she has to be suitable to guide the children & prepare a secure & loving atmosphere for the child. 1. The first task of the directress is to forgo her ego & prejudices & meet the child without any pre-conceived notions about his abilities & potentials. 2. She should accept that the child is her only guide & in order to help him, she must follow and understand him & be willing to learn what the child reveals. 3. She should patiently observe the child & ask herself what she needs to do next to help the child. 4. She should love the child in truest sense & not expect anything in return. This love comes from a deep respect & understanding that children will absorb her movements, actions, calmness & integrity just by watching her & not follow or do what they are told to do. 5. She should be a mature adult with a smile on her face & not bring her personal problems in the class. 6. She should be humble & offer help to the child without crushing his spirit. She should understand that she cannot mould the child but can only help him to follow his inner urges. 7. She should not judge herself by the child’s work, but should constantly attempt to better herself in the awareness of the needs of the child. She should awaken her true