Guest Author - Meg Grooms

An Introduction to Montessori-style Education
Montessori is a popular style of teaching children, especially in the younger years. Many preschools tout themselves as utilizing “The Montessori Method” and Montessori education has found its way into the homeschool world as well. What is Montessori education and should you consider it?

Montessori education is based on the teaching style of Maria Montessori, born in 1870. Dr. Montessori was the first Italian woman to earn a medical degree, specializing in psychiatry and educational development. Her belief was against the “blank slate” philosophy, rather, she felt that each child is born with unique talents and each child has a potential best fit for them and the role of an educator is to help children discover, reach and exceed this potential.

The basics of a Montessori education
Today most Montessori educators teach preschool and elementary students, but there are a few Montessori high schools.

Montessori styles and techniques often prove well in the homeschooling household, especially if you are interested in extending the education style beyond the elementary years.

Montessori is not trademarked, nor is it defined specifically. Any school can label themselves Montessori without regard to their actual practices.

Montessori educators believe that children think differently than adults, and they work from this perspective with the children. Montessori educators also believe that they should wait to be invited into play with a child, they should not jump into a child’s game and play as they think the game should be. In other words, if the child is using a boy doll as the mommy, let them and simply observe until you are invited to join in, and don’t change the child’s rules!

The Montessori belief is that children of all ages are self-directed learners, meaning they will learn what they feel they need to learn when they feel they are ready. In other words, there is no forcing reading skills upon five year olds, and if a child would rather study science their wish is honored. The parent or teacher acts as a facilitator, providing the child with various resources and assistance when asked for. The belief is that children learn much more readily when they are motivated by their interests and desires rather than a scope and sequence planned by a stranger.

Montessori education is hands-on, full of manipulatives and experimentation, ensuring that all five senses are involved in each activity. Child-size chairs and tables, tactile letter blocks, doll houses, blocks, art supplies, living plants, a classroom pet and other items that encourage children to learn naturally.

Generally, in a true Montessori education, the children are split into classrooms with a 3-4 year age range. This splitting accommodates the indivdual pace of each child and allows the younger students to learn from the older students, and vice versa. Children are encouraged to share knowledge with other children in their classroom, which is especially easy to do in a homeschool family with more than one child.

To learn more about the Montessori method please visit the links on the right.