Pedagogy
Montessori Pedagogy
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori, founder of the Montessori pedagogy, was born in Italy in 1870. In her adolescence, she wished to become an engineer, but later she abandoned this idea to pursue medical studies. She became one of the first female doctors in Italy. She continued her career in the field of mental health, where she came into contact with children diagnosed as pedagogically below the norm and excluded from the educational system. She designed specific materials to help them learn through movement and achieved remarkable results.
Environment
This word has a reality and importance in Montessori pedagogy, to the extent that it has become a concept. It gradually becomes synonymous with classroom but with a particular connotation. By creating learning environments that correspond to the needs and characteristics of children, they demonstrate a great capacity for concentration during the exercise of their activities. Not only do they learn academic concepts with ease and enthusiasm, but they also develop self-esteem, self-discipline, respect for others and their environment, and adopt a calm and centered disposition. The classroom revolves around workshops made available to the children, and the atmosphere is naturally calm and silent. Each workshop is specific to a learning objective.
- As a result, in 1907, she agreed to take charge of the children of the very poor neighbourhood of San Lorenzo in Rome and set up the first "Children's Home". San Lorenzo district of Rome and set up the first "Children's Home". There too, she the material she had designed and observed the children very closely, adapting to their their developmental needs. She discovered that her method was also suitable for It was a revelation! In response to requests for explanations of her revolutionary 'method', she began to to write about her discoveries and to train people to work with children following her pedagogy. From then on, education became her life and she continued to theories to adapt to what she observed in children.
- She devoted the rest of her life to training, teaching and lecturing all over the world. all over the world. Through this effective education of the next generation, she became increasingly convinced that universal peace could become a reality. generation, that universal peace could become a reality. Maria Montessori has left us a wonderful legacy: a philosophy of life, a unique educational approach, self-learning materials and a school for teachers that produces teachers who produce adults who are attentive to the needs of the child, to his or her overall development and concerned with providing a solid foundation for life. Like Maria Montessori we want children to flourish and become the architects of a better world. world.
The atmosphere must meet two objectives
Help me to do it by myself" is the motto in Montessori education, where the work towards achieving this goal is based on developing skills and self-confidence. The environment must promote independence. The educator, through the arrangement of the environment and the materials provided, assists the child in building their independence. The materials are proportioned and adapted to the child's size and strength, just like the furniture. This material offers the child the opportunity to practice movements that will lead to independence. In the environment, the child acts alone and performs autonomous actions. The educator is there to offer simple, clear, and precise gestures to the child. These gestures allow the child to organize their life and acquire gestures specific to their social group. Hence, the real importance of practical life activities. These activities must be adapted to the country or region where the Children's House is located. Practical life exercises work on two levels: autonomy and independence. "Help me to be myself" is another aspect, where the work towards achieving this goal is based on character development and self-esteem. The child will be able to choose their work according to their desire and interest. This free choice is not immediate and only appears gradually; it is on the path to the child's inner freedom. To be able to choose, one must be developed and have the ability to make choices. If you wish to learn more about Montessori pedagogy, you can visit the website of the Montessori Association of Switzerland: http://www.montessorisuisse.ch