‘Follow the child’ in Montessori lingo is described in context with ‘prepare the environment’ and ‘observe without judgement or interference’. When you understand the latter two statements then following the child makes coherent sense. Montessori believed that a child is born with and develops [insert appropriate pronoun] own interests, thoughts, ideas and purpose naturally. Adults […]
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Both the powerhouse that is the educator and physician Dr Maria Montessori’s and psychologist Jean Piaget’s stages and planes of cognitive development are quite insightful and useful to understand when parenting, teaching or involved with children in any capacity. Although Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development are more widely referenced in education, Montessori’s Planes of Development
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First of all you can’t teach character. Let’s start there! “The human personality forms itself by itself…” Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood, p. 31 Children are born with their own unique character; it is not something that anyone outside of self can develop. It can however be nurtured and supported by the environment surrounding the
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“It is a most unnatural and cruel thing to put people of the same age together. It is one of the most cruel things we do to children…” Page 331. Uh oh! What did Maria Montessori mean by this blanket statement? “In most schools there is first the separation of the sexes and then that
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“Is not nature full of magic, full of miracles ?” (Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, page 39) Imagine entering a whole new world; new sights, new smells, tastes, sounds, experiencing new sensations and having the journey of figuring it all out including the vehicle that you entered this new world in; your body. Everything you encounter
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Critical thinking includes, amongst other things, the ability to: analyse, interpret, draw inference, explain, self-regulate and problem-solve; the results of which enhance a child’s creativity, decision-making abilities and curiosity about the world they live in. Whilst ruminating on how Montessori practices support the development of this skill, it was apparent that it is intricately and
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