NAME: SUNDUS FARASAT

ROLL NO.: D14898

Assignment module 1
1. Discuss the life and works of Dr. Maria Montessori and why is she referred to
as a lady much ahead of her time?

LIFE OF DR. MARIA MONTESSORI

Dr. Maria Montessori is a daughter of military man. Her mother was more liberal so she
pursued her studies. She born in Italy and was first lady doctor in the history of Italy.
She specialized in the field of pediatrics and psychiatry. She served unwilling in
education field because at the time only three traditional roles women can play in
society. But she is known more for her work in education field. With short span of four
years she did degree in medicine as well.

UNIVERSITY OF ROME
She taught at the medical school in university of Rome. she provided there her free
clinics and came in contact with many children. She found that intelligence is not rare, it
is present in many forms rather those recognized by traditional schools.

ORTHOPHRENIC SCHOOL
She was appointed as a medical director in the orthophrenic school attached to the
university of Rome. She worked there with special children who were mentally disabled
or autistic children. Children were kept there as prison. She and her colleagues started
a new wave of reform. She designed purposeful activities for them to stimulate their
minds and senses. She dismissed all nurses from there. She made possible at least
less disturbed children could take care of themselves. After two years, even disabled
children were able to pass standards examination taken by Italian schools. Children
also learn to perform their everyday tasks preparing meals and maintaining the school
surroundings. Her next finding what normal children left them behind in the exams. She
suggested basically intellectual potential of new born human was barely developed by
school. She was reformer and actively support different children movements. She was
also invited as guest speaker throughout Europe.

INSPIRATION FROM ITARD AND SEGUIN

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During her hunt for successful work previously done in the education of disabled
children, she got inspired by two French doctors Jean marc Gaspard Itard and Edouard
Seguin. Itard work gave two important implications,
1. Every child has sensitive periods of development
2. Furtherance is possible in handicapped children
Seguin work was more organized and specific. He gave small steps of skills through
methodical approach. Teen and tens board were designed by Seguin. He also provided
ideas for everyday education of disabled children.

CASA DEI BAMBINI

In 1907, she was appointed as a medical director for day care center for working
parents those kids were too young to attend public school. The first day care center
named Casa dei bambini (house of children). In start there was only one untrained
teacher to handle class of fifth children of age 2 to 5 years. Montessori started her work
by teaching older kids first. She made older kids to do their everyday tasks themselves.
She provided hand on material, puzzles, eye hand manipulative exercises to children
there.th normal children were more interest to them. They began showing more and
more constructive activities. She also introduced the exercises of learning everyday
practical skills like cleaning, gardening, dressing etc. Then older kids began take caring
of school. Later they were urged to learn reading and writing. Even mathematically
inclined doctors provided a series of math learning materials. Children also start
showing their interest in other field like geography, geometry, natural science and
history. They were more interested in academic tasks rather than toys. Montessori kept
improving her method through trial and errors. She placed low open shelves to kids as
she found out kids were capable of selecting their own work.

WORLDWIDE RESPONSE
Montessori’s Casa dei bambini were became famous in the worldwide in a very short
span of time. Her model center was start replicate everywhere. The Montessori method
is the most systemic system of education replacing old fashioned schools in Europe
Asia and north America. Scientists of all disciplines praised the dr. Maria’s works and
her education foundation.

LADY MUCH AHEAD OF HER TIME

Many so called modern schools reflects Montessori’s ideas. the current trends about
multiple intelligence, mental health importance, grouping, attractiveness of the
classroom use of manipulative material in teachings are the examples of dr. Maria
methodology. Montessori education is the right system of education for all times and
cultures being children born of same nature. She left this world in 1952 but her work
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help would continue to help children of all times to be better human beings. she lived in
old time but she was known A WOMAN MUCH AHEAD OF HER TIME.

2. Which are the main requirements to be considered to start a House of

Children? How do you implement them?
House of children is the place where children can explore and perform different
activities under appropriate circumstances. The house which provide safe, secure and
home liked environment to children. They learn from different activities and living
manners to become good human beings. Following are the requirements to be
considered to start a House of Children:
i. Number of students in class
The ideal class size is of 25 to 30 students at the early childhood level representing
a three-year age range.
ii. Sufficient area for each kid
PMC recommends minimum ratio of 20 square feet for each student. This is
sometimes impractical to apply due to crowded places but one should make sure to
provide shaded or semi-shaded outdoor environment for performing different
activities.
iii. Self-sufficient environment
House of Montessori children makes sure to provide kid sized places like small
library, child size kitchen, table chairs, bathroom. Lower racks must be placed in
class for Montessori students. This kind of environment boost child’s independency
and freedom. In this way, children follow their inner urge and interests.
iv. Approach to the outdoor environment
There should a good size of garden to conduct functions, sport activities and kid
friendly play area.
v. Windows
Large windows must be in class for usage of daylight and ventilation. Children can
also look outside the window with ease.
vi. Children’s garden
There should also a small garden to perform farming and other activities.
vii. Classroom walls
Animated cartoons, eye catching educational poster and traditional school posters
should not hang on the walls of classrooms. They should a notice board to pin kid
classroom works and drawings. Only themed related charts must be hanged.
viii. Lighting
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Lighting must be soft for kids by using floor and table lamps. Avoid harsh and bright
light for kids.
ix. Floors
The floor of each class should balance between carpeted and tiled flooring.
Sufficient carpeted area must be provided to do work and while listening stories.
x. Community awareness programs
Community awareness program must be conduct to provide sufficient information of
Montessori education to the people.
xi. Montessori teachers
Teachers must be train and aware of their duties. Direct education is discouraged at
this level of education. Teacher should also never reward to kids to completion of
any tasks. They should be good communication between children and parents
related to the progress and performance of children.
xii. Cleanliness
Helpers, maid and cleaner must also be train to maintain the cleanliness of the
premise.
xiii. Security
Pick up card must be provided by the school to ensure the safety and security of
kids. Parents must show those cards at the home time.
xiv. Respect of child
Teachers should show respect to every child. They help them on the base of non-
judgmental approach.
xv. Introducing other subjects
Dr. Montessori also encourage the introduction of other subjects to gain more
knowledge. Children are like absorbing machines. Their brain can store more and
more information at this early ages than older ages.
Implementation
Dr. Maria Montessori provide whole method of Montessori education. So I implement all
to start the house of children. Above all are requirements to fulfil for the beginning of
school. Parents must be taken in confident. The aim of school is the provision of healthy
and peace loving human being to cope with community. Moreover, classes must be
conduct for parents who sending their kid first time at Montessori school. In these class
parents come and learn to handle kids at home. Like correct sound of letters, correct
ways of addition and subtraction and many other confusions should resolve in these
classes. Children must make self-sufficient to perform exercises of practical life. Further
two Montessori teachers should appoint for each class. Parent teacher meeting should
conduct at regular basis. Class discipline is attained by providing freedom to children
rather than forcing them. It helps the kid to develop in themselves urge to keep quiet,
calm and discipline. They also learn to take care of their things and the environment.
There are always make sure to keep children busy by the providing materials for
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hundreds of activities. Children would select and take interest in those activities which
fulfil their inner needs for development and learning under the supervision of teachers.

3. What are the discoveries made by Dr. Maria Montessori by observing the
child?
Dr. Maria Montessori was able to test again and again the different aspects of child, due
to a group of friends who performed different methods in various places and report back
her. So some of the discoveries she had made during her work.
1. Children love to work purposefully
Children work out for their inner urge and they love to work to reach their goals. Adults
work for incentives but children do not. Nature drive of child make him to select and
focus on tasks which are for their development.
2. The inner drive is sufficient
Child can work in various activities at specific times based upon their inner drive and
awareness come to him naturally. Even teachers are not allowed to give rewards to
children due to possibility of children to work for incentives ignoring their inner urge to
perform tasks.
3. Fulfilling the inner needs meets the child’s eyes spontaneous interest is kindled
When children take interest to work, spontaneous repetition of a work take place.
Naturally this develops the concentration and here the learning begins. She discovered
children can perform task with concentration under right conditions.
4. Very young children need order
She discovered children need order with things in the environments, values, functions
and other human activities. Children need consistency in all aspects to build his
personality which lasts for his lifetime. It takes a while for them to understand that things
can also be different.
5. Normality
During the early childhood the behavior rectification is possible to bring back child to
normality. The activity is essential to rectify by the child working individually at the
developmental freedom.
6. Developmental activities to build personality
Activities involving sensorial concepts, language, arithmetic, art, culture were found
necessary for child early education. These activities bring intelligence, will and voluntary
movements of the personality to the child.
7. Other areas of knowledge
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Several other topics were brought by Dr. Maria for the total development of child.
Children can assimilate the knowledge normally considered too high for the children of 3
to 5 years if present in rightful conditions.

8. Freedom
Discipline must come from inside rather imposing from outside. True discipline is born in
freedom. enough freedom must be provided to manage their manner of speaking,
moving, handling, interacting with others. They should discover quiet. orderliness,
attitude of work for perfection, responsibilities themselves.
9. Obedience
Obedience of inner satisfaction leads to real development.
10. Deviation
If suitable conditions are not provided to the children, they become stubborn,
destructive, disorderly and disobedient, which she called it deviation. On other hand,
under rightful circumstances the children behave well called normality.
11. Observation
Most of the activities provided to the children in Montessori house are based of
observing the child. The silent activity, practical life exercises and walking on the line
are some of the example.
12. Independence
All the help offer to the child to become independent in his social life.
13. Environment
She discovered environment itself important for development of child. She learned to
design entire school around the size of the children.
14. Traffic patterns of the rooms
She discovered the pattern of furnishing must define children work area and minimize
congestion and tripping. She used the rugs for children to work and sit on floor.
15. Environmental engineering
She carried engineering throughout the school building and outside environment, child-
sized sinks toilets, lower the windows and shelves, miniature hand and tools of all sorts.
Dr. Montessori discoveries calls upon all humans to learn humanity from the child in
order to become a healthy human being.
 NAME: SUNDUS FARASAT
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4. 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.
“PILES” are the several key areas of development of the children. PILES stands for

 P = physical
 I = intellectual
 L= language
 E=emotional
 S=social

These above developmental areas are for child from age of 3 months to 5 years. Each
child shows different development. One can be faster in one area and slower in another
or one could be slower than average in start and then catch up and advance later on.
PILES is a rough guide to decide Montessori materials and activities for specific age
groups of children. Following are the physical, lingual and intellectual development of 3
to 6 years old child,
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
3 YEARS
 Can balance on one foot for a moment
 Getting skillful for outdoor equipment
 Can walk on tiptoes
 Jump on stairs
 Throw the ball
 Use pedals on a trike
 Runs round obstruction with ease
 Kicks ball
 Can hold big toy
4 YEARS
 Can bend down to pick toy with straight legs
 Can use ladders and climb up tree
 Get better with ball games
 Good on a trike
 Run upstairs
 Run on tiptoe
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 Run well round obstruction and corners

 Able to sit cross-legged
 Can hops around and balance on one leg for longer

5 – 6 YEARS
 Can dance
 Can play all sort of ball games
 Balance improve
 Hops for longer
 Balance on either foot easily for about 10 seconds
 Able to walk along line
 Touches toe
 Strong grip with both hands
 Softly run on tiptoes and skips
 More energetic and lively
 Expert at all outdoor activities such as swinging, climbing and sliding.
LINGUAL DEVELOPMENT
3 YEARS
 More questioning
 Recite name, age and sex
 Can recite number up to 10 but count only 3 objects
 Sound childlike
 Sentences are now understandable
 Can do simple conversations
 Do self-talk while playing
 Want to listen favorite stories again and again
 Can sings some songs
 Can recites more rhymes
 Understand and can use you, me, I, him, her, she, he and plurals
 Grammar not totally correct
4 YEARS
 Always asking questioning such as what does that mean?
 Loves to have joke
 Likes long stories also tells stories
 Occasionally mistakes reality with imaginings
 Use correct grammar
 Can count 4 or 5 objects
 Can recite up to 20
 Can sing several songs and rhymes
 Knows own name, age and address
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 Still confuses letters in speech such as K with T, R with W or TH with F

 Can recall latest happenings with others

5 -6 YEARS
 Ask meaning of words
 Loves listening stories and use them as in play later
 Can recite own name, address, age and knows birthday
 Know more songs and rhymes and loves to sing them
 Takes pleasure in funny stories
 Confuses S with TH or F with TH now.
INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
3 YEARS
 May name all colors
 Can thread the big beads
 Can built 9 block high tower and small bridge
 Likes to paint but unrecognizable pictures and decide it after painting
 Can use children’s scissor
 Can hold a pencil properly
 Can draw head of person and sometimes other features
 Can copy circle V, T, H and a cross
4 YEARS
 Skillful at holding pencils
 Can draw a house
 Can draw people with heads, bodies, legs, arms and fingers too
 Can decide before drawing or painting
 Can build 10 bricks high tower, bridges and can copy 6-brick steps
 Copies X, T, H, V and O
 Knows primary colors
5 -6 YEARS
 Detailed drawings and painting
 Can copy 10-brick step model
 Can draw figures with all features
 Can count fingers
 Can draw a detailed house
 Can color within lines
 Great at jigsaws
 Knows more about colors
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 Can match well

 Excellent handling of pens and pencils
 Can now copy a square, a triangle and L, H, V, Y, X, T, O, U, C and A
 Can relate to the time of day corresponding to everyday activities

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

A Montessori teacher is a guide, a facilitator, mentor and friend. basically the word
directress was used by dr. Montessori. They are not themselves the primary cause of
learning occurs in students.

ROLE OF TEACHER IN A MONTESSORI CLASSROOM

1. COOPERATIVE ARTS

The type of art in which neither artist is the main nor he or she is the cause of
production. Teaching is the cooperative art in which learner’s mind show the process of
learning. The job of teacher is to facilitate the process of learning under the provision of
appropriate circumstances.

2. PREPARATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

The main role of teacher to prepare the environment that appeal children interest,
facilitate their independence, adding the learning material at specific time and removing
them from time to time.

3. OBSERVATION OF CHILDREN

Montessori teachers are keen observers of children’s progress, their needs and
sensitive periods. They are constantly experimenting to get the end result and goal.

4. CONDUCTING LESSONS

Montessori teachers conduct their lesson to children in simpler form. They attempt to
engage the child’s interest and focus on the lessons and activities in the environments.
They initially demonstrate the procedure and then encourage them to explore
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independently. After these children repeat same task for many days, weeks and months
until they become master.

5. GOALS OF THE TEACHER

The primary of the Montessori teacher is to make child work independently to retain
their intelligence and creativity. They carefully evaluate the effectiveness of their work
and design of the environment every day.

6. STUDENTS INDEPENDENCE

Montessori teachers know their set limits to help children and when it is best to step
back as soon child shows his/her interest in work. They always respect and protect
children independence.

7. ACCEPTANCE OF ALL STUDENTS

They are always supportive, offering warmth, faith, stability, security and non-
judgmental acceptance to each child.

8. COMMUNICATION

They encourage child to communicate with other children and convey his/her thoughts
to adults.

9. CHILDREN’S PROGRESS

They show the children’s progress and their work in class to parents the school staff
and the community.

10. PEACE EDUCATORS

They are the peace educators. They work to teach children to be courteous and when to
conflict.

11. DIAGNOSTICIANS

They are diagnostician of their children who can present the growth patterns,
development and behavior of them to better understand and suggestion for parents.
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12. MODIFICATION

They are constantly modifying the environment to meet the interest of child’s need and
interests.

INTRODUCTION TO
MONTESSORI