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Q1: Write a biographic note on Dr. Maria Montessori in your

own words.
Ans: Biography:
Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and educator who developed the
approach of education that carries her name. She opened the first Montessori
school over a century ago in Rome, and today there are several schools all over
the world which follow her way of teaching. As an educator Montessori felt that
the education system for children during her time was too rigid. She believed that
children would thrive and learn better in an environment where they were
educated according to their psychological and intellectual capabilities and allowed
a degree of independence. The foundation for Maria’s future career had been laid
when as a child she was encouraged to study and observe the world around her.
Her mother was well educated for her times and she motivated her daughter to
do well in life. Maria was bright as a student and held high aspirations for her
future. Her father wanted her to become a teacher but Maria had set her eyes on
becoming a doctor. Medicine was primarily a male dominant field during the late
19th century and she was often discriminated against being a woman.
Nevertheless, the gutsy lady completed her education and embarked on a career
as an educator eventually developing the educational approach which came to be
known as Montessori education.

➢ Education:
Maria was a sterling student, confident, ambitious, and unwilling to be limited by
traditional expectations for women. At age 13 she entered an all-boys technical
institute to prepare for a career in engineering. In time, however, she changed
her mind, deciding to become a doctor instead. She applied to the University of
Rome’s medical program, but was rejected. Maria took additional courses to
better prepare her for entrance to the medical school and persevered. With great
effort she gained admittance, opening the door a bit wider for future women in
the field. When she graduated from medical school in 1896, Maria was among
Italy’s first female physicians. Though she was not the first female medical school
graduate, as reported by many of her biographers, it does not detract from her
accomplishment. Defying conventions, norms, and expectations to successfully
make her way in this rigorous, male-dominated field required tremendous
strength, dedication, and perseverance.

➢ Career
• Following her graduation as a medical doctor she was employed as an
assistant at the San Giovanni Hospital attached to the University. During
this time she also started private practice. In late 1896 she became a
surgical assistant at Santo Spirito Hospital in Rome.
• During her early medical career she worked mostly with the poor and
children. She had a deep interest in education as well as psychiatry and
used to observe the ways in which children were educated. She felt that
children could do better if some changes were made to the existing
education system.
• She extensively read the works of the 19th century educators Jean Marc
Gaspard Itard and Edouard Seguin and was greatly inspired by their ideas.
She decided to focus her future work on children with learning difficulties.
• She was appointed as a councilor to the newly formed National league for
the Protection of Retarded Children in 1899. She lectured on special
methods of education for retarded children and also wrote several articles
on this topic.
• Her studies on retarded children inspired her to test her theories on normal
children. The Government of Italy gave her this opportunity and in 1907 she
opened the Casa dei Bambini or Children’s House enrolling around 50-60 children
from poor backgrounds.

• She implemented several changes to the existing norms of children’s

education in her school. She redesigned the classroom settings and made it
more child-friendly. The children were given autonomy and their natural
desire to learn was encouraged.
• Her first school became a great success and soon schools all over Italy
began following this model. The idea of the “Montessori” educational
approach gained in popularity all over the world and soon Montessori
schools were sprouting up in countries like America, Germany, France,
China, and India, among other nations.
• The immense popularity of her way of teaching led to Montessori traveling
to several countries all over the world, lecturing and guiding educationists
on her approach. From 1915 to 1939 she covered countries like Spain, the
Netherlands, and the U.K. In 1939 she went to India where she would stay
for seven years before returning home.

➢ Major Works:
She is most famous for developing the Montessori system of education in which
each child is treated as an individual in his own right. Children are encouraged to
learn at their natural speed in a child friendly environment which whets their
curiosity to learn. Today this approach to education is very popular all over the
world.

➢ Awards & Achievements:

She received the French Legion of Honor and was made an Officer of the Dutch
Order of Orange Nassau in recognition of her invaluable works in the field of
education. She was nominated thrice for the Nobel Peace Prize .

➢ Personal Life & Legacy:

She formed a relationship with Giuseppe Montesano, a fellow doctor. A son,
Mario, was born in 1898 as a result of their union. Montessori and Montesano did
not get married and their relationship ended when Montesano married another
woman. Her son would collaborate with his mother on many of her later works.
She lived a long life and was active in the field of education till the very end. She
died in 1952 at the age of 81.

Q2: Write a note on the first Casa dei Bambini. Also explain how
Montessori Method developed there.

Ans:

➢ Casa dei Bambini:

In 1942, on 6 January Maria Montessori shared the story of San Lorenzo and the
first Casa dei Bambini with her students:
“Today is the anniversary of the opening of the first Casa dei Bambini. Quite often
people ask if this method is suitable for poor children, so let me share the
miraculous way in which all of this came about. Many years ago Rome was a
capital that was rapidly developing, which manifested itself in frenzied building
activities. Every small bit of space that could be found was built up for the
growing population. One of the few spaces left was bordered on one side by old
Roman walls and on the other side by a cemetery. This plot was the last to be
built up, possibly because of the superstitions surrounding the dead, for fear of
ghosts and also hygienic reasons. One building society decided to take the plunge
and they built 5 apartment blocks. It turned out to have been too ambitious a
project and the scheme fell through. So what stood were walls, a kind of skeleton
buildings without plumbing. It became a hiding place for homeless people; and
those who wished to hide found shelter within those walls; even the police was
not keen to go into this area as the place became a breeding place for crime and
infectious diseases. This San Lorenzo Quarter was talked of with abhorrence and
seen as the shame of Italy. At some stage, another bold building society took on
the challenge to renovate the buildings and allocated the flats to married couples.
There were some 50 young children who lived unsupervised in these buildings,
prone to mischief. The solution found was to gather them all in a room during the
day and they looked for a gutsy person who would be willing to take on the social
problems and work with the children. I was approached as a medical officer of
hygiene to take an interest in this work. Before I could agree I stipulated that
certain conditions needed to be met in the way of hygiene, food and sanitation. It
was quite fashionable among ladies in society to take an interest in efforts to
elevate the people and some of these were prepared to support the
project. Although the lot of the poor was taken seriously, the children had been
overlooked. There were no provisions for them, no toys, no teacher, nothing. I
managed to find a woman of forty years whose help I asked, and who was willing
to take charge of the children. It was on the 6th January 1907 that this room was
inaugurated.”

❖ Develop the Montessori method:

The Casa dei Bambini was unique because it focused on educating each child
based on his or her development stage. Dr. Montessori encouraged children to
take ownership of what they wanted to learn and worked with each child to
create a personalized education that played to that child's strength.

Children’s House, Italian Casa dei Bambini, preschool for children between three
and six years old established by Maria Montessori.

Having developed a method for teaching intellectually disabled children,

Montessori wanted to apply it to those without learning disabilities. In 1906 she
was offered rooms in an apartment building in the slum-ridden San Lorenzo
district of Rome. This building had been intended as a model residence for poor
families but was in disrepair because of vandalism by residents’ unattended
children. She accepted the offer, named the rooms Casa dei Bambini, and
collected toys, building blocks, and games. When the school was opened in 1907,
about 50 children attended. With minimal supervision, they found the challenge
of building and fitting to be more fun than their previous destructive activities. A
second Casa was opened in San Lorenzo a few months later and one in Milan in
1908. Switzerland’s Italian-speaking canton of Ticino designated its public
preschools as Children’s Houses and ordered them to follow Montessori methods.
Similar schools were also founded in Vienna and Geneva. Although many
Children’s Houses and other Montessori schools were closed by the Italian fascist
government in 1934 after Montessori objected to a government decree, new
schools were opened in 1947 after the end of World War II. Since Montessori’s
death in 1952, thousands of preschools based on her model have opened
throughout the world.

Q3: Elaborate the discoveries made by Dr. Maria Montessori by

observing the child?
Ans:

➢ Discovery of the child:

Maria discovered that children really need an order in their life. She found out
when she saw her children putting their things back to their places; same in the
case of values, functions and other human activities. The child wants to learn by
practice that is the truth, the need to see it being practiced.

Let’s discuss some amazing discoveries she had made during her groundbreaking
work with the children;

❖ Children prefer Academic Materials over Toys:

The concepts of games and toys have a very important role in children’s lives. It
contributes to the development of cognitive, motor, psychosocial, emotional, and
linguistic skills. It also plays a key role in raising self-confident, creative, and happy
children. Therefore, attention should be paid to the concepts of games and toys,
which are so important for the child to be a part of society as a healthy individual
at every stage of his development. On the other hand, providing playgrounds
where children can play comfortably and safely are essential in reducing the risk
of accidents related to toys. All health-care components, especially pediatricians
and family physicians, should take an active role in ensuring that these play
processes, which are the most beautiful parts of childhood, are healthy and safe.

❖ Inner Need for Freedom and Constructive Work:

Freedom means being able to choose what is good for oneself. All people want
what is good for themselves, yet freedom also comes with responsibility.
Children need the guidance and patience of the adults around them to develop
self-discipline. Discipline is the inner awareness and control over one’s
reconciliation between one’s own needs and the environment’s needs.
Without discipline, a person is ultimately unable to do what he wants. As such,
freedom and discipline are considered two sides of the same coin. Without
one, you cannot genuinely have the other.

❖ Ability to Select Activities:

Montessori activities are self-motivated. Each child is free to follow their
interests, choose their own work, and progress at their own pace. As Doctor
Maria Montessori stated: “I have studied the child. I have taken what the child
has given me and expressed it and that is what is called the Montessori method.”

Montessori activities promote self-sufficiency, independence, critical thinking,

and fine motor development. Most importantly, Montessori activities are tailored
to children’s interests and developmental needs .

❖ Naturally Motivated & Do not Need Reward:

Children love to work purposefully. If it corresponded with the inner
developmental needs, they get naturally motivated without the need for any
rewards. Adults, on the other hand, work for incentives, but children do not. They
work because of their inner drives, natural motivation and predispositions.
 ❖ Children Need Order:
Maria Montessori said that order is essential to the development of a child (as
young as an infant). This need for order peaks in the first 3 years of life &
internalizes by around 5-6 years of age. The child's external environment (with
materials appropriate for her natural development) must be attractive with
everything in a consistent place. This predictability (of knowing where to find
things) allows the child to feel secure and to trust herself & the world she lives in.
It also helps the child to organize the information around her. The need for order
is a natural human tendency. It enables one to recognize a pattern, a cause &
effect, & a sequence. It provides security & allows children to make predictions &
assumptions based on experience & strengthens their development of reasoning.
Children in the 6-12 age groups are not as sensitive to external order unlike the 0-
6-year-old child but rather, to intellectual order. Order doesn't confine itself to
the child's physical environment. It is also when she is provided with consistent
routines and freedom to refine her movements & express herself. This is because
a child feels safe knowing what she can expect from her environment.

❖ Purposeful Activities Lead to Normalization:

Children are inherently curious. Encouraging a child to engage deeply in
something that interests them strengthens their desire to ask questions and learn
new things. Along with the uncertainty of the new school year should come a
reminder that, when given the opportunity, each individual child can lead the way
through their learning and become normalized through work? Normalization is
the term Maria Montessori used for the process of internalizing multiple skills
through coordination and organization. It is something that spontaneously
happens when children have meaningful work to do. Given freedom, a child may
choose to do things that adults may not initially choose for them. If we can step
back and observe, many times we will see the purpose and merit in their actions.
 ❖ Children Need Activities in Multiple Areas to Develop
Fully:
Dr. Maria Montessori found that the child needs a wide range of activities and
experience from develop fully and prepare himself for life. She developed on
amazing range of materials and activities in multiple areas ranging from sensory
stimulation, language and literacy, arithmetic, art, culture, mathematics and
sciences to exercises of practical life. She did not impose her materials on
children, rather discovered that they had natural inclinations and sensitivities to
work repeatedly with certain activities in order to acquire certain skills.

❖ Children are Naturally Well-Behaving:

Dr. Montessori discovered that the children are often perceived to behave in a
certain manner- destructive, disorderly, stubborn, disobedient, etc. but in her
scientifically prepared environment they show orderly, responsible and caring
behaviour. She witnessed this grandeur of human normality in her children. The
first perception is seemingly real, but she found that the second instance is the
natural one. The first is the result of the child not finding the right conditions. In
other words, the child is destructive, disorderly and / or uncooperative if suitable
conditions are missing. She called it “deviation.” However, under the right
circumstances, the child naturally behaves otherwise. She called it “normality.”

❖ All Efforts to Grow are Efforts to Be Independent:

In the earliest years at school, children focus on what we refer to as practical life
skills. This may include learning to prepare simple snacks, putting on their own
shoes or coats, or caring for classroom plants and animals. Children are given
endless opportunities to practice these skills. Another facet of independence at a
Montessori school involves choice within limits. Children are able to decide what
work they are interested in. Teachers carefully prepare the classroom
environment so that all choices are safe and desirable, but within those
boundaries the child is free to explore.
As children get older (the elementary years and beyond), they must meet certain
academic expectations. Teachers use a variety of tools to help students work
independently while still meeting their goals, including work plans and time
management strategies. Research becomes of great interest at this time, and
children are given ample opportunity to deeply explore topics they choose.

❖ Environmental Engineering:
St. Catherine University’s Montessori STEM (MSTEM) Graduate Certificate, a 3-
course certificate program, was developed for in-service Montessori educators to
offer enrichment of existing Montessori content in Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. All the courses were developed
and co-taught by a science or engineering content area expert and a Montessori
pedagogical expert. The engineering course in particular greatly impacted existing
Montessori curricular content by deepening connections across disciplines,
informing Montessori pedagogy, and addressing the requirements for new
engineering content in Minnesota state standards. While engineering presented a
new and very effective method of problem-solving to teachers and students alike,
it also provided a crucial link between two foundational Montessori concepts: the
fundamental needs of all humans and the evolution of human ingenuity.
Engineering proved to be a perfect fit in the Montessori system of education.
Montessori education also proved to be an excellent fit with engineering
education at the elementary levels. Montessori education is holistic in nature and
uses developmentally appropriate, hand-on, didactic materials to inspire
engagement and learning in children. Inquiry is fostered through initial
experiences (lessons) that offer both inspiration and instruction, and through the
follow-up work (assignments) that encourage children to deepen their
understanding through continued exploration and application of the materials
and concepts. Design is an essential element of the Montessori environment. A
key message in Montessori education is gratitude for those who came before,
linking students’ modern lifestyles back to the many nameless engineers who
came before. Additionally, Montessori education inspires students to think about
the gifts that they have to offer to the future generations. Our work with
engineering today in the classroom is sure to bear fruit in cultivating the
engineers of tomorrow.

❖ Children Needs Respectful Treatment:

In today’s crowded world of power struggles and ego trips, the Montessori
method serves as a guide to raising unselfish, self-regulated, caring human beings
who are problem solvers and have the self-confidence to lead successful lives by
their own efforts, rather than at the expense of their fellow citizens. The world
needs as many people with these qualities as possible to shift the balance away
from the good-of-the-few mentality that plagues many cultures today. The world
needs Montessori. Dr. Maria Montessori believed that a child not only needs to
be loved, nurtured and cared for, but also respected. Demonstrating respect for
your child early on helps them grow to be courteous, kind, thoughtful, and
compassionate. That’s why Apple Montessori Schools focuses on building a child’s
emotional and social skills from the outset by creating a respectful, loving, and
safe environment in which to learn. Children learn civility, patience, tolerance,
and respectfulness of others by observing and modeling the behaviors of their
parents and caretakers. Simply stated, they learn to treat others as they are
treated. First and foremost, demonstrating respect begins with how you speak to
your child and others in your family. While an infant or toddler may not
understand the words you use, they do perceive your tone, emotions, and
intensity of engagement. Always take the time to speak with your child patiently
and attentively. Simple gestures such as explaining what you are doing for them,
asking how they are feeling, and being understanding of their behavior and
moods in calm, peaceful manner goes a long way in building a trustful, respectful
relationship.
 ❖ Real Obedience:
Real obedience is based on love, respect, and finish. When obedience leads to
inner satisfaction of the child, it becomes real obedience.

❖ Children are Underestimated:

Maria Montessori first began developing her methods in the early 20th century
while she was training to become Italy’s first female physician. She was assigned
to observe a ward of children who had been classified as mentally retarded by the
government. These children were being raised without the benefit of outside
stimuli or toys of any kind. Montessori saw that the little children were so
desperate for activity that they picked up crumbs from the ground and rolled
them about in their fingers, just to have something to do. Montessori spent the
next few months of her life providing these children with her basic educational
materials and at the end of that time, the children were able to pass national
tests, and even to test higher than so-called ‘normal’ peers. Montessori learned
that adults are prone to underestimate the intelligence of children in general. In
today’s world, toys, games and educational materials are dumbed down for the
child ‘consumer’ to a never-before-seen low level. We don’t simply give a child a
set of wooden blocks or a book. We give him or her flashing cartoons and
flickering video games with a deafening explosion per minute. As a result, we
have youngsters who are unable to concentrate, focus, play on their own,
understand the rights of peers, or pay attention to anything that isn’t being
spoon-fed to them via the dubious medium of constant, unceasing entertainment.

Q4: Explain Sensitive Periods and write short notes of the

following;
Ans:

➢ Sensitive Period for Language:

The sensitive period for language is from 7 months in utero up to 5.5 to 6 years of
age. There are several aspects of language from spoken language, to written
language and reading. This is an integral part of a child’s life to be able to use
words to use words or language in order to communicate. It is the progression
from babbling to single words to phrases to two or three word sentences, with a
continuously expanding vocabulary and comprehension. A second language is also
learnt very easily at this time. The sensitive period for learning to speak is from is
from 7 months to 2.5-3 years of age. The prenatal influence on language
development is important. By age three the child is ideally speaking 2-3 word
sentences. The environment we prepare for this child is speaking to them in clear
language, reading to them and allowing them to speak their needs and not
anticipating their needs too much that there is no need for the child to try to
communicate verbally. This can be a common occurrence that adults are often
not aware as we try to be helpful at all times to the needs of children. The
sensitive period for learning how to write is from 3.5 to 4.5 years of age. This
occurs with the preparatory work of the child using the alphabet. For reading, a
child is learning intensely from 4.5 to 5.5. From the basis of writing they can learn
to read. It is important then that a child is read to at least once a day if possible
for about 20 minutes not necessarily continuously especially for younger children
but accumulated.

➢ Sensitive Period for Mathematics:

The human mind is by nature mathematical. From birth we learn the meaning of
phrases such as “how old are you?” and “we’re leaving in one hour.” The
capabilities of the mathematics mind are present in the mind of the child. An
infant is able to understand the difference between one and many. A toddler is
able to sensorial distinguish between small and large quantities. A preschooler is
able to identify the symbols for numbers and begin to physically quantify ‘how
many’ that symbol means. Numbers themselves cannot be easily defined, but
come to be understood from experiences with concrete objects that eventually
become abstract ideas. Doctor Maria Montessori believed that children come to
absorb mathematical concepts naturally. She recognized that there were specific
sensitive periods in a child’s development whereby the acquisition of
mathematical concepts were eagerly explored through repetition of activities
with concrete, scientifically developed, didactic materials. Doctor Maria
Montessori designed concrete mathematical materials to represent all levels of
quantities and mathematical concepts after she observed that children who are
interested in counting, like to move items as they enumerate them. In the
Montessori learning environment, the children not only sees and learns the
symbol for a number, they hold the quantity in their hand. For most children, the
sensitive development period for learning mathematical concepts is between the
age of four and six years. Through the Montessori Curriculum areas of Practical
Life, Sensorial and Mathematics, children experience the concepts of order,
measurement, calculations, numeric symbol recognition, counting, and exactness.
There are six key skill areas within the Montessori Mathematics Curriculum,
including: numeration (numbers 1 – 10), the decimal system, the tradition names,
the arithmetic tablets, and the passage to abstraction and fraction. In order to
help each child achieve their full mathematical potential, it is the role of the
Montessori teacher to set up and organize the materials in a way that is
progressive and sequential. Young Montessori students learn about precision and
exactness by measuring how many water drop it takes to fill a vessel (i.e. ice cube
tray). These Practical Life activities not only help children to gain independence,
but also provide indirect foundations for higher level math’s skills.

As Doctor Maria Montessori said: “This system in which a child is constantly

moving objects with his hands and actively exercising his senses, also takes into
account a child’s special aptitude for mathematics. When they leave the material,
the children very easily reach the point where they wish to write out the
operation. They thus carry out an abstract mental operation and acquire a kind of
natural and spontaneous inclination for mental calculation. ”

➢ Sensitive Period for Movement:

The sensitive period for movement can be divided into different classifications.
For acquisition of gross and fine motor (walking and the use of the hands) is from
0-2.5 years of age. The environments we prepare for this is the opportunities for
the child to crawl, pull up, encourage to walk with or without assistance and not
just left to sit by themselves. A child is also given toys/materials that allow their
hands to hook, bat, touch, turn, insert and grasp small items within their abilities.
We have to give them toys or materials that improve the movement of the hand,
and improve eye/hand coordination. These opportunities given to them need to
be repeated in order for these skills to be refined. Refinement/coordination of
movement is from 2.5 to 4.5 years of age. This is when the child may start using
both hands in coordination of fine movements, being able to hold small items
with pincer grip and release voluntary. Gross motor can be coordination of
walking, running, balancing while carrying a jug of water and jumping. The child
acquires this coordination through repetition of purposeful motor activity.
Regular visits to the park or outdoor environment is likely to help this sensitive
period.

Q5: Write short notes on the following core concepts of

Montessori education;
Ans:
a) Mixed Age Group:
Dr. Montessori’s “planes of development,” for mixed-age classrooms. Students
are grouped eighteen months to 2.5 years; 2-6 years old; 6-9 years old; and 9-12
years old. In our mixed-age classrooms, we “follow the child” as they progress at
different rates in varying areas. Teachers guide children to move along to the next
stage of the curriculum when they are ready. We provide a span of materials and
activities that allow each child to work at the pace and level best suited for their
individual interests and abilities.Dr. Montessori research focused mainly on the 3-
6 age groups. This, and the fact this age group is a period of rapid brain
development and opportunity for the refinement of the senses in preparation for
life and learning, is the reason Montessori primary programs are the most
common. The skills, learning habits, and enjoyment of learning following the
primary years (3-6) follow children throughout their academic careers, whether
they remain in a Montessori program or not.

✓ Infant (0-18m)
✓ Toddler (18m-3 years)
✓ Children’s House (3-6 years)
✓ Lower Elementary (6-9 years)
✓ Upper Elementary (9-12 years)
✓ Middle School (12-15 years)
✓ High School (15-18 years)

You will notice that, starting at the age of 3, each age group spans a full 3 years.
The reason for this is that Montessori utilizes mix-age classrooms to achieve a
full 3-year-cycle, in which children explore, experiment, and become experts. If
you are only familiar with traditional methods of education, you may be
wondering about the benefits of a mixed-age classroom/ 3- year-cycle. For those
new to this concept, the thought of a 3-year-old working alongside a 6-year-old
might give rise to thoughts of the younger child feeling inferior or the older child
feeling bored. So, what are the benefits of having children with such an age gap
learning in the same space?

❖ The benefits of Mixed-age classrooms within the

Montessori age groups:
Mixed-age classrooms are wonderful places that hold many benefits for children.
Here are several of these benefits.

❖ Self-paced learning:
Children can work at their own pace. If a child has mastered a particular concept
and they are ready to move on, the materials and corresponding presentations
are available to them. If a child is struggling with an activity, they are able to
continue working at it without feeling “left behind” while the rest of the class
moves on. Children of all abilities can flourish in a mixed-age classroom.

❖ Comfort:
Switching classrooms every year is stressful, especially for very young children.
Children in a mixed-age classroom get to stay in the same room with the same
teacher for 3 years. The teacher also gets a chance to know her students well as
far as interests, strengths, and struggles and she gets the chance to learn the
nuances of their personalities. When the teacher and students are familiar with
each other and the classroom, it creates a very comfortable environment for
everyone.

❖ Community:
Children learn to help and ask for help from their peers. Cooperation is innate in
this type of environment and because of this; social skills are refined within the
Montessori age groups. Children in these classrooms learn to care for, and about,
each other.

❖ Children get the chance to be experts:

Younger children learn and look on and older children get the chance to teach,
reinforcing their own learning. The children who have been in the classroom the
previous year(s) are familiar with the setting and routine and get to be role
models for the newcomers. This is great for the development of self-esteem.

❖ A more well behaved classroom:

It has been shown that mixed-age classrooms operate with fewer behavior
incidents. This is likely due to a combination of the sense of community, comfort,
and lack of pressure that comes with self-paced learning.

b) Spiritual Embryo:
Maria Montessori describes the baby born as a spiritual embryo after completing
its development in the womb. The period between 0-3 years is the stage of
spiritual embryos. Physically, he/she needs someone else, he/she can’t move on
his own, he/she can’t stand or eat. But deep inside he/she has got the power of
the person he/she will be in the future, has got an active spiritual dynamic. This is
one of the basic terms of the Montessori philosophy. There are 2 embryonic
periods in humans, the first is the prenatal period, the second is the postpartum
period. Long-term infancy in humans distinguishes it from animals. In the animals,
the newborn animal begins to act on its own in a short period of time, while in
humans there is a long inadequacy. Each individual is different from the other, has
a unique soul. The child is born with a unique spirit and has a unique personality
development. The child hides his/her personality in essence and has a
development plan to follow.

For the development of the spiritual embryo, there is a need for an external
environment which is supported by love, respected, and helping the its
development, as in the physical embryo. What an adult supposed to do is to
respect this spiritual embryo, try to understand the spiritual needs of the child
and to prepare an environment for him/her. The adult’s greatest responsibility is
to support the development of the child’s natural spirit. There is a relationship
between the environment and the individual. The child slowly discovers his/her
environment, adapts to it, develops it and uses his/her environment to reach
his/her personality.

c) Absorbent Mind:
The absorbent mind is one of the most important ideas in early childhood
education. Maria Montessori presented this fundamental concept to the world
more than a hundred years ago from her initial observations of children.
The absorbent mind makes our adult lives possible. The absorbent mind is the
sponge-like capacity to absorb from the environment what is necessary to create
an individual from his or her specific culture. It is the quality of the child’s mind up
to the age of about six, when there is a transition to the reasoning mind we have
as adults. The absorbent mind is more like the camera. What the child takes in
during the absorbent mind period is taken in effortlessly and remains as the
foundation of his or her personality. What the child takes in later in the reasoning
mind is taken in through conscious work and memory, and is not so foundational
to the personality.

d) Prepared Environment:
The Montessori classroom is referred to as the prepared environment. It is a
meaningfully structured learning space where everything has a purpose and a
place. Furniture is light and child-sized, learning materials are designed to fit in
children’s hands, and everything is designed to be open and accessible. The
prepared environment activates a love of learning through curiosity, stability, and
the freedom to choose
 ✓ Order:

The prepared environment is a calm and structured learning space where children
know what to expect. There are dedicated shelves of materials for

each curriculum area, designated space to work at a table or on the floor, an area
for meal times, and the ellipse where the children gather together. There is an
organic flow for movement, learning, and exploration.

✓ Child-Sized:

Doctor Montessori observed that children experience frustration in an adult-sized

world. This is why she designed child-sized furniture, accessible low open shelves,
and learning materials that easily fit in a child’s hand. Everything in the prepared
environment is purposefully designed to support children’s independence and
self-mastery.

✓ Beauty:

Montessori classrooms are clean, orderly, and have a neutral color palette. The
environment is largely crafted from natural materials, organized, and beautifully
displayed with care and thought. There are minimal vibrant colours on the wall,
art is neatly displayed in a dedicated space, and there is no central focal point.

✓ Stability:

The Montessori classroom is a stable learning environment that rarely changes.

Shelves and furniture rarely move so that children always know where to find
them and where they belong. This stability assists children in developing a sense
of security and familiarity with the environment. The core Montessori
materials do not change; however, new activities, particularly in the area of
practical life, are often introduced to reflect children’s interests.
e) Focus on Individual Progress:
Our child’s interests and needs guide her or his teachers in preparing the
classroom environment and learning activities. We respect individuality while
balancing individual needs against those of the group. Dr. Maria Montessori
referred to each child’s individuality as the “secret of childhood.” She wrote, “This
secret that children have is nothing so very mysterious. It is the principle of their
own growth which they cannot possibly explain to anyone.”

Every day children are surrounded by an impressive display of learning activities.

The independent choices they make reveal their individual needs, curiosities,
interests, and motivations. Montessori teachers are trained to closely observe
what children choose and also what they do with the learning objects. Their
explorations and inquires with the materials indicate their learning approaches
and styles. Their explorations also lead to deep understanding and lasting concept
formation. A child needs time to learn how to articulate her own genuine
interests, take action, make real choices, use resources to pursue those interests,
and express her discoveries. Each learning activity is an investigation and inquiry
into both new knowledge and yourself. “I can do it!” is the excited cry of the
young child successfully dressing herself. It’s the cry of an older child solving a
geometric, spatial computer-based problem. Dr. Montessori wrote, “Whatever
task the child may choose it will be all the same, provided he persists in it. For
what is valuable is not the work itself, but the work as a means for the
construction of the inner being.”

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