Assignment Module 01

Discuss the life and works of Dr. Maria Montessori and why is she referred to as a
lady much ahead of her time?

Dr. Maria Montessori is a founder of Montessori Method of teaching. She was a very
confident and strong lady of her time. She is well known of introducing the Montessori
Method and also the early childhood education.

She was born on 31st August 1870 to an educated middle class family. Her father was a
conservative military man and her mother was liberal lady who always encouraged her
daughter to pursuit her education.

EDUCATION:

Her early education was in Florence and then Rome. At the age of thirteen, she went to
secondary, technical school. She graduated with a very good grades examination result.
After that, she graduated with highest honors from medical school of the University of
Rome. She became the first lady doctor in the history of Italy. She was a brilliant student
throughout her academic career.

WORK WITH SPECIAL CHILDREN:

Montessori was well known for her contributions in education. She became the director of
the “deficient and insane” children in the University of Rome. She started working with
these mentally disabled children. She discovered that her children need purposeful
activities to do in order to get sense and mind and she successfully achieved her goals.

Inspiration from Itard and Seguin:

Maria was so much inspired by the work of two French doctors who had also worked with
children who had some physical and mental disorders. They attempted basic skills in their
work for example reading, writing or alternative methods which were helped full for
children. Maria had keenly observed their methodology and figure out that children could
learn the same things as the normal children. After the success, she started working with
normal children.

Casa dei Bambini:

Montessori started her first school with normal children named Casa dei Bambini (the
house of children) which was inaugurated in 1907. At the beginning of the school, there
were only fifty students and one untrained teacher. In her school, she introduced exercises
of practical day living for example cleaning, dressing; gardening etc. she noticed that
children took great interest in doing these kinds of activities. These kinds of activities made
the independent and more efficient. When she found out that the job of the teacher is to
serve the children, she believed that the urges of the children are universal and that is in
the nature of the child to perform such activities. The children of the school of Casa dei
Bambini had showed outstanding progress in their academic and practical work. They
learnt a lot of activities related to writing and reading etc. her school became famous due to
the progress of these young angel whom people consider they can’t do anything until they
sent to public schools.

WORLDWIDE RESPONSE:

Her school became famous all over the world in a very short time. After first school, she
started numerous schools. People from all over the world visited her and appreciated her
effort and discoveries. Her methodology was started to practice all over the world.

HIGHEST RECOGNITION AND AWARDS:

She became so much successful as she was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize thrice. She was
even pictured on the Italian 200 lire coins and through 1990s on the 1000 lire bills.

DEATH:

Montessori died on 1952 in the Netherlands. Her name would always alive because of her
extraordinary contribution in the field of education.

LADY A HEAD:

Montessori is referred to lady a head because her discoveries are being practiced all over
the world. She is immortal through her methods which are still being practiced now and
will in future also. She lived in old days but was definitely “A woman much Ahead of her

Which are the main requirements to be considered to start a House of Children?

How to you implement them?

Montessori is the place where children can do whatever they want and meet their needs
and interest. Therefore, one has to be very particular and consider numerous things when
start the house of children. It is the most difficult task to start it. There are several
requirements which one should be keeping in mind.

1) Class room design is the most important place where children have to stay. Montessori
educational apparatus, tables and shelving, and related activities equipment should be
appropriate and several in number so that children could approach them.

2) The number of students in the classroom should not be exceeding more than 30
students.

3) The size of the classroom should allow minimum of 20 square feet per students at the
early level, 30 squares for the elementary level and 40 squares would be for secondary
level.

4) Montessori house should be child-sized where he could enjoy his age. A child sized
kitchen, science lab, an art studio, bath rooms, hobby workshop, everything should be
according to the size of a child. They lead him to fulfill his desires and enjoy his own world.
5) A house should be design in such a way that the child could face outdoor environment.
There must be window through which the children could face sunlight at a daytime and
become a natural source of ventilation.

6) There must be the children garden where child can grow vegetables and fruits of their
choice. It leads them to close to their natural environment.

7) There should not be any prohibition of doing something which the student is not
allowed at his home. “Prohibition is sweet or bitter, prohibition is prohibition.”

8) Children are usually not allowed to do by themselves what they want at their home so
Montessori room should provide them this opportunity.

These are some factors which should consider while starting any house of children.

HOW TO IMPLEMENT:

Considering requirements are very important but implementation is more important than
them because implementation is something which we have to implement and how it works
is based on it. There must be a lot of things which should be implement those are:

 Respect for the children.

 Focus on individual child
 The prepared environment
 Polite behavior of the teacher
 Parent- teacher meeting.

RESPECT FOR THE CHILDREN:

Respect is the basic thing which everybody requires. Every child needs respect. Parents try
to force them to follow the parents without regarding their needs and interest. Therefore,
first we should take great care of the respect of the child.

FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL CHILD:

Every child is different from one another. Teacher should focus on individual child as his
learning progress, growth and understanding is different from other children.

THE PREPARED ENVIRONMENT:

Prepared environment is very important. When they have prepared environment, they are
able to do what they want. The material is available for the child which they can easily
access and do whatever their interest.

POLITE BEHAVIOR OF THE TEACHER:

The teacher is the role model for the student. Her behavior should be polite towards
students. As the teacher is the spiritual mother of the students, they learn a lot from them
after their mother. So, her behavior and attitude should be very good.

PARENT- TEACHER MEETING:

There must be parent-teacher meeting as parents should know the progress and
development of their student and the most important about the attitude and the nature of
the student. Montessori teacher can guide them according to the nature of their children.

CONCLUSION:

To sum up, the house of the children is the place where children can meet their needs and
interests. So, these requirements should keep in mind when starting the school.

What are the discoveries made by Maria Montessori by observing the child?

Dr. Maria Montessori’s, educational approach based on observation and experimentation.

She used a scientific approach. She worked tirelessly observing children, analyzing results
and developing new materials. In start she worked with mentally disabled children and
achieved astonishing results. After that she thought to work with normal children. She
believed the ‘secret of childhood’ that every child have a potential and it’s the responsibility
of adults to help them and flourish this potential. Montessori was the revolutionary who
created her method from observation, not just from old theories.

Here are some of her observations that have the most importance for early learning
activities:

 She carefully observed the inclination of child’s interest and developed the
materials/activities accordingly.

 She observed that child whose concentration on graded wooden cylinders was so
strong that efforts to distract him were useless. And when the child had finished
he seemed rested and happy. The child’s ability for deep concentration and love
towards the work was phenomenal.

 She also observed the child’s need for repetition which fulfilled a child’s need. She
then decided to give children the freedom to be able to accomplish their work.

 Maria Montessori also observed that children had a great sense of order. Children
put things back to where it belonged. She respected this and allowed them to do it
by placing the materials in an open cupboard rather than locked cupboards as it
was initially done. This cemented the way for the freedom of choice for the child to
choose their work. She observed that real discipline comes through freedom.

 When Montessori gave a lesson on blowing the nose she received great cheer from
the children. Children are always being practised about keeping their nose clean
but no one has calmly taught them how to do it. This made her realize that even
small children had a sense on personal dignity. Montessori always emphasized the
respect for even the youngest child.
 She observed that her children have more interest in academic activities instead of
toys. She noticed that children preferred work over play, especially in school
timings.

 She observed that young children are highly energetic activity powerhouses,
always seeking out experiences that will help them grow and develop. She
observed that children have the ability to select their own work/activity. They are
not work for any incentives or rewards. Their inner motivation is fair enough to
motivate them for a particular work.

 She observed that a child can learn almost everything in early childhood, as it was
previously thought, that many things are too complex for children.

 She observed and believed that real obedience comes through love, respect and
faith. Elders/ teachers should be polite and sharp enough to understand the child’s
behavior.

 She believed that the child’s behavior depends on the environment. A child can be
disobedient, stubborn etc. or a child can be disciplined, happy and healthy. It
depends on the environment. If proper, healthy and interactive environment
provided to children and their rightful needs fulfilled, they behave normal
otherwise not. The second condition is called deviation.

 She noticed that children are willing to do their work by their own. They feel
happy and satisfied while doing daily household activities. Like cleaning, washing
etc. She concluded that children want to learn “Help me do it myself” strategy.

 After continues research and observation she came to know the traffic patterns of
the room arrangements for children. Room should not be congested and over
loaded. Children love to sit on floor during many activities so there should be rugs
or floor mats for them.

 She noticed that children are more comfortable with their sized furniture and
things. So whole building and rooms are designed according to children interest
and comfort ability. The furniture, washrooms etc. are designed and sized for
children. Windows low to the ground and low shelves used so that children can
have the outside view and used things from shelves.

 She discovered that for building child’s complete personality, they need to do
activities regarding sensorial concepts, physical activities, languages, math, art,
culture and many more.
After all these observation and changes first “Casa dei Bambini” (House of Children) came
out. The fame of Maria Montessori, her House of Children and method quickly spread all
over the world.

What does “PILES” stand for when talk of human development Discuss the Physical,
Lingual and intellectual development taking place during the 3 to 6 years of age?

When we talk of human development “PILES” stand for:

P = Physical, I = Intellectual, L = Language, E = Emotional and S = Social Development in 3

to 6 years is a sub-phase of a first stage of development of children. In this phase child
bring his learned, observed and watched activities into practical format. He wants a
freedom to practice them all by himself. Adults/teachers over helped or prohibition are a
great hindrance for his development at this time. Research shows that at the end of 6 years
child’s personality completely developed.

Physical Development during 3 to 6 years of Age: At this stage child is very active,
energetic and imaginative. The value of physical development and the role they play in a
child's entire life is very important. A young child's physical growth first begins as muscles
gain strength with use and children gradually develop coordination. The development of
muscular control is the first step in this process. It also involves activities such as:

 Running around outside

 Jumping on the bed
 Grasping a parent's finger
 Balance on one foot for sometime
 Washes and dries hand with assistance
 Is able to use spoon without spilling
 Can torn pages in a book one by one
 Kick, bounce and throw ball
 Can put on and take off coat
 Jump from low steps
 Pedal and steer a tricycle
 Walk and run forward
 Walk on tiptoe
 Move large toys easily
 Go upstairs like adults, but still placed both feet on coming down
 Able to sit crossed legs
 Dance on music
 Touch toes while legs straight
 Full of energy
 Love for outdoor games

Lingual Development during 3 to 6 years of Age: Language skills also continue to

improve during early childhood. Language is an outgrowth of a child's ability to use
symbols. The more words a child uses in sentences, the more sophisticated the child's
language development. Language develops in sequential form, phrases with inflections,
simple sentences, and complex sentences. Children learn many new words all the time.
Parents, siblings, peers, teachers, and the media provide opportunities for children to
increase their vocabulary. Parents are children's very first teachers and when it comes to
language development, parents who actively engage their babies and children in
conversation can have a great impact on the child's ability to communicate verbally.
Talking to babies is a wonderful way for them to begin understanding the rhythm of
speech, laying the groundwork for later verbalization. Reading to babies and children, as
well as enjoying music with them are other ways that young kids can internalize speech
patterns, tone, and inflection, paving the way for them to become expert speakers. Most
important lingual skills learn at this stage are:

 Tell name, age, address and sex

 Love sing rhymes and songs
 Reading stories again and again
 Sentence structure improved rapidly
 Grammar also improves continuously
 Happy to engage in conversations
 Understand nouns and plurals
 Always in a questioning mode
 Able to start counting, and know the alphabets, numbers, shapes and colors
 Feeling happy after listening humorous stories
 Have some difficulty in pronunciation of v, r or th.
 Vocabulary increases
 Speak native language correctly, sometime more than one languages

Intellectual Development during 3 to 6 years of Age: Children change more quickly than
elder’s. It seems that you can blink your eyes and your child has grown and developed. At
one moment they are throwing balls in the box the next moment they are flipping the pages
of a story book. Then they start reading of their own choices story books. Different
activities and games can enhance their intellectual development.

 May blow bubbles in drinks

 Know colors and different shapes
 Use children’s scissors
 Interested in playing with peers, understand rules and roles
 Count objects and recognize them
 Matches shapes, colors, alphabets and numbers
 Solve puzzles
 Hold pencil properly
 Draw shape (circle etc), alphabets and features (head, face, legs, and arms) very
brilliantly
 Likes to paint and colors
 Can build a high brick tower and bridges
 Knows primary colors
Write a comprehensive note on the role of a teacher in the Montessori classroom?

A Montessori teacher is considered to be a guide, facilitator or a directress. Her role in

teaching Montessori students is very distinct and significant. In order to have a better
understanding of a role of teacher we have two types of art of teaching.

1. Productive Art
2. Cooperative Art

PRODUCTIVE ART:

It refers to an “art in which the activity of an artist is the principle and the only cause of
production” i e. shoemaker or tailor. They both have end product as shoemaker have shoes
and tailor stitches the clothes.

COOPERATIVE ART:

In this type of art, the end product is not predefined. There are three cooperative arts
which are: farming, healing, and teaching. Montessori teacher’s main concern is with
teaching under this art.

ROLE OF A TEACHER IN MONTESSORI CLASS:

There are numerous roles of a teacher in the Montessori classroom. She has to be a role
model for children as they imitate her actions. The important Roles of the teacher in a
classroom are given below.

PROVIDE APPROPRIATE MATERIALS:

A Montessori directress should provide appropriate material which meets the needs of the
Montessori students to develop their interest in different fields of education and practical
life.

PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENT:

A Montessori mentor should prepare the best learning environment where a child could
easily select his own work which is according to his interest. It should be put in low shelves
where the child could easily explore and place it in order.

OBSERVING THE CHILDREN:

A directress should observe all children individually. She should deal with them according
to their interest and provide materials or activities but there must be a dynamic link
between children and the prepared environment. She should observe her student very
keenly in order to interpret his need.

GIVING LESSONS:
Montessori teacher’s lesson should be brief and interesting therefore their attention should
not be diverting elsewhere. She should provide simple and necessary information to the
child to do the work on their own pace.

EVALUATE A STUDENT:

A directress should evaluate her student in such a way; she should able to know about the
needs and effectiveness of her student. She should evaluate her children performance
individually.

A GOOD COMMUNICATOR:

As we know that a teacher is a role model for a student; she should be a very good
communicator and help the children to learn how to be a good communicator and
communicate their thoughts to adults.

MORAL SENSE DEVELOPER:

The role of Montessori guider is to develop moral sense in children. She should develop the
sense of courtesy, calm, grace and respect.

DIAGNOSTICIAN:

Diagnostician’s mean concerns are with psycho-educational assessment. A Montessori

teacher is a diagnostician as she can figure out the growth, development, and behavior of
the children and guide their parents about their children habits.

PROTECT STUDENT’S INDEPENDENCE:

A directress should give space to students and let them to work according to their own
interest. She should respect and protect their freedom. She may present interesting and
relevant lesson and then free them to work according to their interest and generate new
ideas and meet their needs.

SUPPORTIVE:

The teacher should be supportive, offering warmth, security, stability, and non- judgment
acceptance to each child. She should support her student to learn or generate new ideas
and work independently.

To sum up, Montessori directress is more than a teacher. Her ultimate goal is to facilitate
Montessori children. She works as a guide, directress, and teacher or mentor in order to
retain curiosity, creativity and intelligence in students.