What are the discoveries of Dr. Maria Montessori?
2. What are the discoveries of Dr. Maria Montessori?
Dr. Maria Montessori, internationally renowned child educator, was originally a medical doctor who brought the scientific methods of observation, experimentation, and research to the study of children, their development and education. As a doctor, Montessori came to believe that many of the problems of the children she was working with were educational rather than medical. In examining education she felt that children were not achieving their potential because education was not based upon science. Her first step, then, was to attempt to abandon preconceived ideas about education and to begin to study children, their development and the process of learning through scientific methods of observation and experimentation. In doing so, she made what she considered to be a number of startling discoveries. Through her research, she discovered that children possessed different and high qualities than those we usually attribute to them. Among these qualities are:
a) Amazing Mental Concentration: Previously it was believed that children had short attention spans. Dr. Montessori was amazed to observe the length of time that very young children would choose to attend to tasks which interested them. When spontaneous repetition of an activity is done with interest the natural result is concentration. But concentration is not the end product of education, it’s only the beginning. Any true learning happens only with concentration. The children reveal that they can work with concentration when they find the right conditions.
b) Love of Repetition: On their own, children would choose to practice things they were trying to master over and over again. When something answers an inner need meets with the inner urge the spontaneous interest is kindled. When this interest finds suitable conditions to work spontaneous repetition is resulted. When this spontaneous repetition of an activity is done with interest the natural result
Dr. Maria Montessori, internationally renowned child educator, was originally a medical doctor who brought the scientific methods of observation, experimentation, and research to the study of children, their development and education. As a doctor, Montessori came to believe that many of the problems of the children she was working with were educational rather than medical. In examining education she felt that children were not achieving their potential because education was not based upon science. Her first step, then, was to attempt to abandon preconceived ideas about education and to begin to study children, their development and the process of learning through scientific methods of observation and experimentation. In doing so, she made what she considered to be a number of startling discoveries. Through her research, she discovered that children possessed different and high qualities than those we usually attribute to them. Among these qualities are:
a) Amazing Mental Concentration: Previously it was believed that children had short attention spans. Dr. Montessori was amazed to observe the length of time that very young children would choose to attend to tasks which interested them. When spontaneous repetition of an activity is done with interest the natural result is concentration. But concentration is not the end product of education, it’s only the beginning. Any true learning happens only with concentration. The children reveal that they can work with concentration when they find the right conditions.
b) Love of Repetition: On their own, children would choose to practice things they were trying to master over and over again. When something answers an inner need meets with the inner urge the spontaneous interest is kindled. When this interest finds suitable conditions to work spontaneous repetition is resulted. When this spontaneous repetition of an activity is done with interest the natural result