Pakistan Montessori Council

Q1. Discuss the life and works of Dr. Maria Montessori and why is she referred
to as a lady much ahead of her time?
Answer.
LIFE OF DR. MARIA MONTESSORI:
Maria Montessori was born on the 31st August 1870 in Ancona, Italy. She was the only
child of her parents. Her father, Alessandro Montessori was a conservative military
man, and her mother, Renidle Montessori, was a liberal lady and had a passion for
reading. Her father’s frequent transfers gave Maria a chance to have education in big
cities throughout Italy.
Almost whole of the Europe, in those days was very conservative in its attitude
towards treatment of women. Italy was no exception but Montessori pursued medical
and scientific education. Despite many years of opposition from her father, teachers,
and male fellow students, she graduated with highest honours from the Medical School
of the University of Rome, becoming the first physician in Italy in1896. Thus
Montessori holds the title of being the first lady doctor in the history of Italy

WORK OF DR. MARIA MONTESSORI:

Soon after her medical career began, Dr. Maria became involved in the women’s rights
movement. She became known for her high levels of competency in treating patients,
but also for the respect she showed to patients from all social classes. In 1897, Dr.
Montessori join a research programme at a psychiatric clinic of the University of Rome.
This work initiated a deep interest in the needs of children with learning disabilities. In
particular, the work of two early Frenchmen, Jean Marc-Itard, who had made his name
working with the’ wild boy of Aveyron’, and Edouard Seguin, his student. Dr.
Montessori was appointed as co-director, of a new institution called the Orthophrenic
School.
At the age of twenty eight Montessori began advocating her controversial theory that
lack of support for mentally and developmentally disabled children was the cause of
their delinquency. The notion of social reform became a strong theme throughout
Maria’s life, whether it was for gender roles, or advocacy of children.
In 1901 Montessori began her own studies of education philosophy and anthropology,
lecturing and teaching students. In this period, the development of Rome meant that
children were left at home as their parents worked. The number of children needing a
guide and role model presented Maria with an opportunity to work with children with
normal development and push her ideas into the mainstream. Dr Montessori opening
her CASA Dei Bambini in Rome, in 1907 bringing some of the educational materials
she had developed at the Orthophrenic School.
Dr. Montessori put many different activities and other materials into the children’s
environment but kept only those that engaged them. What she came to realize was
that children who were placed in an environment where activities were designed to
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support their natural development had the power to educate themselves. By 1909 Dr.
Montessori gave her first training in her new approach to around 100 students. Her

notes from this period provided the material for her first book published that same year
in Italy.
MONTETESSORI PRIME TIME
During her life time we may rank the period from the opening of the first Children’s House in 1907
until the 1930s as her prime productive period. She continued her study of children,
and developed a vastly expanded curriculum and methodology. She even gave up her
medical practice and devoted herself to her mission of REGENERATING MANKIND.
A period of great expansion in the Montessori approach now followed. Montessori
societies, training programs and school sprang to life all over the world, and a period
of travel with public speaking and lecturing occupied Dr. Montessori, much of it in
America, but also in the UK and throughout Europe.

DEATH OF Dr. MARIA MONTESSORI

Dr. Maria Montessori left the world in the Netherlands in 1952, but would always stay
alive as she lives as an immortal through her method, which has helped and would
continue to help children of all times to be better human beings. She lived in old days
but was definitely “A Woman Much Ahead of Her Time”.

Q2. Which are the main requirements to be considered to start a house of

children? How do you implement them?
Answer.
Montessori is the place where children can do whatever they want and meet their
needs and interests. 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. Following
are the several requirements which one should be keeping in mind.
1. Classroom design is the most important place where the 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 class should not exceed more than 30 students.
3. The size of classroom should allow minimum of 20 square feet per students at
early level, 30 squares for elementary level and 40 squares 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, bathrooms, hobby workshop, everything
should be according to the size of the child. They will lead him to fulfil his desires and
enjoy his own world.
5. A house should be designed 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 becomes the natural source of ventilation.
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6. There must be a children garden where child can grow vegetables and fruits of
their choice. It leads them to get closer to their natural environment.

7. There should not be any prohibition of doing something which the student is not
allowed at his home.
8. Children are usually not allowed to do by themselves what they want at their
home so Montessori room should provide them this opportunity.

How to implement:
Considering requirements is very important but implementation is more important
because implementation is something which we have to do and how it works id based
on it. There are a lot of things which should be implemented those are:
 Respect for the children
 Focus on individual child
 The prepared environment
 Polite behaviour 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 then to follow without regarding their needs
and interests. Therefore, first we should take great care of the respect of the child.
Focus on individual Child: Every child id different from one another. Teacher should
focus on individual child as his learning progress, growth and understanding is
different from other children.
Prepared Environment: The Prepared environment is very important. As when they
have everything available, the child can access the material and do whatever is their
interest.
Polite behaviour of the teacher: Teacher is the role model of the students. Her
behaviour should be polite towards students. As the teacher is spiritual mother of the
students, they learn a lot from them. So their behaviour should be very good.
Parent-teacher meeting: There must be a Parent-teacher meeting periodically so that
parents should know the progress and development of their children and most
importantly about the attitude and nature of the children.
Conclusion:
To sum up, house of the children is the place where children can meet their needs and
interests. So these requirements should be kept in mind before starting a school.

Q3.What are the discoveries made by Dr. Maria Montessori by observing the
child?
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Answer: Dr. Maria Montessori’s, educational approach was based on observation and
experimentation. She used a scientific approach. She worked tirelessly observing
children, analysing 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:
1. She carefully observed the inclination of child’s interest and developed the
materials/activities accordingly.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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 behaviour.
8. She believed that the child’s behaviour 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.
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9. 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.

Q4. What does”PILES” stand for when we talk of human development? Discuss
the physical, lingual and intellectual development taking place during 3 to 6
years of age.

Answer: When we talk of human development “PILES” stands for:

P=Physical
I=Intellectual
L=Language
E=Emotional
S=Social
Development in 3 to 6 years of age is a sub phase of a first stage of development of
children.in this phase the child bring his learned, observed and watched activities into
practical format. He wants a freedom to practice them all by himself. Adults/teacher
over help or prohibition is a great hindrance for his development at this time. Children
are very curious and want to explore the world in this age. In this phase, there is a
great development in their lingual, physical, and intellectual development. Research
shows that at the end of 6 years child’s personality is completely developed.
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT:
Physical development is very important and rapid in the phase. A child is very active,
imaginative and energetic. He wants to conquer the world in this phase of age. Their
muscles get strength first then gradually develop coordination. In this age, the physical
activity involves many energetic activities. The physical development progresses with
the age.
At the age of 3 years:
 A child is Skilled at running, jumping, walking on tiptoes and kicking balls.
 He can move his tricycle by the use of pedals and steers it well.
 He jumps off or upstairs in an adult style.
 He is able to sits at the bottom with crossed ankles.
At the age of 4 years:
 He can bend down and climb up trees in this age.
 He becomes more good in kicking and catching balls and playing other games.
 In this age, he is able to run upstairs with full efficiency.
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 He can cross his legs and balances one foot for a long time.
At the age of 5 to 6 years:
 At the age of five a child becomes more strong and energetic.
 He can dance and play all kinds of games.
 His balance is improved and he is able to walk along a thin line.
 He can swim, climb, and slide.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT:
Language starts developing when a child is born. But in this age, his language
develops and achieves more sense more efficiently. He can easily make full
sentences. He becomes advance in development in this age group. The child is able
to understand about objects and relationships.
At the age of 3 years:
 A child can ask many questions and recite names, age and sex.
 Their sentences are easily understandable and they have simple conversations
with others.
 Their grammar is not development totally but they have an understanding of I,
you, me, him, her etc.
 They can recite songs and rhymes of different poems and want to read stories
over and over.
At the age of 4 years:
 Their grammar becomes perfect in this age.
 Loves to have jokes
 They not only like stories but also love to tell to others.
 They are still confused in pronouncing the letters K with T And R with W, or TH
with F
At the age of 5 to 6 years:
 They start asking meanings of different words as their vocabulary builds up.
 They start reciting the address, name and age.
 They start to sing more songs and rhymes.
 They now, in this age only confuse with S with TH, or F with TH.

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT:
The child’s intellect also improves with the passage of time. In different age, the child
strengthens his intellectual power.
At the age of 3:
 He can name all colours.
 He uses child’s scissors for cutting
 He can hold pencil properly in this age.
 Can copy a circle.
At the age of 4:
 He can draw a house
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 He is able to build ten bricks tower.
At the age of 5 to 6 years:
 Now able to draw figures with all features including head, body, arms etc.
 He can copy a square, circle, a triangle etc.
 He is now able to relate time of day corresponding to everyday activities.

Q5.Write a comprehensive note on the role of a teacher in a Montessori

classroom.

Answer.
ROLE OF A MONTESSORI TEACHER:
A Montessori teacher is a guide, a facilitator and does not consider herself to be the
primary cause of learning that occurs in her students. To understand the role of a
teacher better let’s look at the types of arts. There are two types of arts namely,
Productive and cooperative.

PRODUCTIVE ARTS:
This is the art in which the activity of the artist is the principal and the only
cause of production, such as shoemaker, carpenter, tailor, etc.

COOPERATIVE ARTS:
To define the cooperative arts, we can say that in such arts the activity of the artist is
neither the principal, nor the only cause of production. There are three very common
cooperative arts, which includes:
Farming:
The art of raising plants and animals.
Healing:
The art of curing. (This includes doctors, physicians, surgeons, nurses etc.)
Teaching:
The third one is what we are concerned with.

A Montessori teacher’s normal classroom practices involves:

 Preparation of the environment
 Observing the children
 Giving lessons.
 Primary goal of the teacher.

PREPARATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT:

Montessori teachers would prepare the environment for the children which means to
facilitate the children’s independence and ability to select the material of their own
choice and they will select the activities that will appeal their interests and keeping the
environment in perfect condition.

OBSERVING THE CHILDREN:

Montessori teachers are carefully observes the children’s progress, needs and their
sensitive periods. They don’t just keep the track of all these developments but act as
a dynamic link between children and prepared environment. They are constantly
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experimenting, modifying the environment to meet their perceptions of each child’s
needs and interests and then noting the results.

GIVING LESSONS:
Montessori teachers keep their lessons as brief as possible. Their goal is to bring the
children in a state of mind, so they will come back on their own for further work with
the materials. These are some points which are necessary for the teachers:

Observing the child while he is exploring the materials on low shelves. Going to the
child and taking consent to work with that material. Taking the material to the
workplace with the help of a child, and specifying its place. Telling ground rules for
use. Giving the live demonstration of what can be done with it. Leaving the child to
work himself with concentration and without obstruction.

PRIMARY GOAL OF THE TEACHER:

Montessori teachers are taught to nurture and inspire the human potential, leading
children to ask questions, think for themselves, explore, investigate, and discover.
Help them to learn how to learn independently, retaining the curiosity, creativity and
intelligence with which they were born.
Montessori teachers do not simply present lessons; they are facilitators,
mentors, coaches, and guides.

ROLE OF A TEACHER:
Anne Burke Neubert, in a Way of Learning (1973), listed the following elements in the
special role of the Montessori teacher
 Montessori teachers are the dynamic link between children and the Prepared
Environment.
 They systematically observe their students and interpret their needs.
 They are constantly experimenting, modifying the environment to meet their
perceptions of each child’s needs and interests, and objectively noting the
results.
 They prepared an independent environment in which the children will able to
freely select their work of their choice.
 They carefully evaluate the effectiveness of their work and the design of the
environment every day.
 They observe and evaluate each child’s individual progress.
 They respect and protect their student’s independence. They must know when
to step in and set the limits or lend a helping hand, and when it is in a child’s
best interests for them to step back and not interfere
 They are supportive, offering warmth, security, stability, and non-judgmental
acceptance to each child.
 They facilitate communication among the children and help the children to learn
how to communicate their thoughts to adults.
 They interpret the children’s progress and their work in the classroom to
parents, the school staff, and the community.
 They present clear, interesting and relevant lessons to the children. They
attempt to engage the child’s interest and focus on the lessons and activities in
the environment.
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 They model desirable behaviour for the children, following the ground- rules of
the class, exhibiting the sense of calm, consistency, grace and courtesy and
demonstrating respect for every child.
 They are peace educators, consistently working to teach courteous behaviours
and conflicts.
 They are diagnosticians who can interpret patterns of growth, development and
behaviour in order to better understand the children and make necessary
referrals and suggestions to parents.