MODULE # 1

Name: Ms Shamsa KANWAL Roll Number: D9709

Q1: Discuss the life and work of Dr. Maria Montessori and why is she referred to as a lady
much ahead of her time?

LFE OF DR MARIA MONTESSORI

Birth and family

Montessori was born on August 31, 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy. Her father, Alessandro Montessori, 33 years old
at the time, was an official of the Ministry of Finance working in the local state-run tobacco factory. Her
mother, Renilde Stoppani, 25 years old, was well educated for the times and was the great-niece of Italian
geologist and paleontologist Antonio Stoppani While she did not have any particular mentor, she was very
close to her mother who readily encouraged her. She also had a loving relationship with her father, although he
disagreed with her choice to continue her education.[

1883–1896: Education

Early education

The Montessori family moved to Florence in 1873 and then to Rome in 1875 because of her father's work.
Montessori entered a public elementary school at the age of 6 in 1876. Her early school record was "not
particularly noteworthy" although she was awarded certificates for good behavior in the 1st grade and for
"lavori donneschi", or "women's work", the next year.

Secondary school

In 1883or 1884, at the age of 13, Montessori entered a secondary, technical school, Regia Scuola Tecnica
Michelangelo Buonarroti, where she studied Italian, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, accounting, history,
geography, and sciences. She graduated in 1886 with good grades and examination results. That year, at the
age of 16, she continued at the technical institute Regio Istituto Tecnico Leonardo da Vinci, studying Italian,
mathematics, history, geography, geometric and ornate drawing, physics, chemistry, botany, zoology, and two
foreign languages. She did well in the sciences and especially in mathematics.

She initially intended to pursue the study of engineering upon graduation, an unusual aspiration for a woman in
her time and place. However, by the time she graduated in 1890 at the age of 20, with a certificate in physics–
mathematics, she had decided to study medicine instead, an even more unlikely pursuit given cultural norms at
the time.

University of Rome—Medical school

Montessori moved forward with her intention to study medicine. She appealed to Guido Baccelli, the professor
of clinical medicine at the University of Rome, but was strongly discouraged. Nonetheless, in 1890, she
enrolled in the University of Rome in a degree course in natural sciences, passing examinations in botany,
zoology, experimental physics, histology, anatomy, and general and organic chemistry, and earning her
diploma di licenza in 1892. This degree, along with additional studies in Italian and Latin, qualified her for
entrance into the medical program at the University in 1893.

She was met with hostility and harassment from some medical students and professors because of her sex.
Because her attendance of classes with men in the presence of a naked body was deemed inappropriate, she
was required to perform her dissections of cadavers alone, after hours. She resorted to smoking tobacco to
mask the offensive odor of formaldehyde.[ Montessori won an academic prize in her first year, and in 1895
secured a position as a hospital assistant, gaining early clinical experience. In her last two years she studied
pediatrics and psychiatry, and worked in the pediatric consulting room and emergency service, becoming an
expert in pediatric medicine. Montessori graduated from the University of Rome in 1896 as a doctor of
medicine. Her thesis was published in 1897 in the journal Policlinico. She found employment as an assistant at
the University hospital and started a private practice.

WORK OF DR MARIA

1896–1901: Early career and family

From 1896 to 1901, Montessori worked with and researched so-called "phrenasthenic" children—in modern
terms, children experiencing some form of mental retardation, illness, or disability. She also began to travel,
study, speak, and publish nationally and internationally, coming to prominence as an advocate for women's
rights and education for mentally disabled children.

On 31 March 1898, her only child – a son named Mario Montessori (March 31, 1898 – 1982) was born. Mario
Montessori was the result of a love affair with Giuseppe Montesano, a fellow doctor who was co-director with
her of the Orthophrenic School of Rome. If Montessori married, she would be expected to cease working
professionally; instead of getting married, Montessori decided to continue her work and studies. Montessori
wanted to keep the relationship with her child's father secret under the condition that neither of them would
marry anyone else. When the father of her child fell in love and subsequently married, Montessori was left
feeling betrayed and decided to leave the university hospital and place her son into foster care with a family
living in the countryside opting to miss the first few years of his life. She would later be reunited with her son
in his teenage years, where he proved to be a great assistant in her research.

Work with mentally disabled children

After graduating from the University of Rome in 1896, Montessori continued with her research at the
University's psychiatric clinic, and in 1897 she was accepted as a voluntary assistant there. As part of her work,
she visited asylums in Rome where she observed children with mental disabilities, observations which were
fundamental to her future educational work. She also read and studied the works of 19th-century physicians
and educators Jean Marc Gaspard Itard and Édouard Séguin, who greatly influenced her work. Maria was
intrigued with Itard's ideas and created a far more specific and organized system for applying them to the
everyday education of children with disabilities. When she discovered the works of Jean Itard and Édouard
Séguin they gave her a new direction in thinking and influenced her to focus on children with learning
difficulties. Also in 1897, Montessori audited the University courses in pedagogy and read "all the major works
on educational theory of the past two hundred years".

Public advocacy

In 1897 Montessori spoke on societal responsibility for juvenile delinquency at the National Congress of
Medicine in Turin. In 1898, she wrote several articles and spoke again at the First Pedagogical Conference of
Turin, urging the creation of special classes and institutions for mentally disabled children, as well as teacher
training for their instructors. In 1899 Montessori was appointed a councilor to the newly formed National
League for the Protection of Retarded Children, and was invited to lecture on special methods of education for
retarded children at the teacher training school of the College of Rome. That year Montessori undertook a two-
week national lecture tour to capacity audiences before prominent public figures. She joined the board of the
National League and was appointed as a lecturer in hygiene and anthropology at one of the two teacher-
training colleges for women in Italy

Orthophrenic School
In 1900 the National League opened the Scuola Magistrale Ortofrenica, or Orthophrenic School, a "medico-
pedagogical institute" for training teachers in educating mentally disabled children with an attached laboratory
classroom. Montessori was appointed co-director. 64 teachers enrolled in the first class, studying psychology,
anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, anthropological measurements, causes and characteristics of
mental disability, and special methods of instruction. During her two years at the school, Montessori developed
methods and materials which she would later adapt to use with mainstream children.

The school was an immediate success, attracting the attention of government officials from the departments of
education and health, civic leaders, and prominent figures in the fields of education, psychiatry, and
anthropology from the University of Rome The children in the model classroom were drawn from ordinary
schools but considered "uneducable" due to their deficiencies. Some of these children later passed public
examinations given to so-called "normal" children.

1901–1906: Further studies

In 1901, Montessori left the Orthophrenic School and her private practice, and in 1902 she enrolled in the
philosophy degree course at the University of Rome. (Philosophy at the time included much of what we now
consider psychology.) She studied theoretical and moral philosophy, the history of philosophy, and psychology
as such, but she did not graduate. She also pursued independent study in anthropology and educational
philosophy, conducted observations and experimental research in elementary schools, and revisited the work of
Itard and Seguin, translating their books into handwritten Italian. During this time she began to consider
adapting her methods of educating mentally disabled children to mainstream education [Montessori's work
developing what she would later call "scientific pedagogy" continued over the next few years. Still in 1902,
Montessori presented a report at a second national pedagogical congress in Naples. She published two articles
on pedagogy in 1903, and two more the following year. In 1903 and 1904, she conducted anthropological
research with Italian schoolchildren, and in 1904 she was qualified as a free lecturer in anthropology for the
University of Rome. She was appointed to lecture in the Pedagogic School at the University and continued in
the position until 1908. Her lectures were printed as a book titled Pedagogical Anthropology in 1910.

AS LADY AHEAD HER TIME

The impressive results of the natural learning method founded by Montessori soon brought fame and
invitations to travel. Dr. Montessori visited the United States for the first time in 1913. She had strong
supporters in America including Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Helen Keller. In 1915, she spoke
at Carnegie Hall and was subsequently invited to the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, where she
set up a glass-walled classroom for four months. Spectators were invited to observe the 21 children who were
in the classroom, all of whom were new to the Montessori method. The exhibit earned two gold medals for
education and the attention of the world was now focused on Montessori's visionary method of developing the
innate potential of the child.

Dr. Montessori began conducting teacher training courses and speaking to internationally known educational
organizations. Societies were formed to promote her methods. She was invited to open a research institute in
Spain in 1917. In 1919, she began teaching training courses in London. Although she remained highly
regarded in Italy, she was forced to leave in 1934 because of her opposition to the fascism of the Mussolini
regime. After initially traveling to Spain, she subsequently lived in the Netherlands and continued on to make
her home in India in 1939, at the invitation of the Theosophical Society of India. Although detained in India
because of the war, Montessori went on to develop a series of training courses and create a strong foundation
for the Montessori method in India. Her son Mario, born in 1898, assisted her to develop and conduct these
classes in India.

In her later years, Dr. Montessori conducted training courses in Pakistan, London and the Netherlands.
Montessori traveled worldwide for over 40 years, establishing training courses, lecturing, writing and
promoting her principled method of learning.
She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times. She moved once again to the Netherlands in 1949
and lived out the remainder of her years there, passing away in Noordwijk aan Zee in 1952.

Dr. Montessori leaves behind not only an outstanding body of research work and observation of children and
their abilities to grow and learn, but also a system of education which promotes the freedom of the child to
become more concentrated, creative and imaginative as he develops intellectually and emotionally. Her
lifetime work studying child development and education remains well known internationally, numerous
organizations promote her methods and Montessori schools are prevalent in both the United States and many
other countries.

On January 6, 2007, the ascended lady master Maria Montessori spoke through David C. Lewis to spiritual
seekers about the education of the children of the seventh root race:

When I contemplated all that was inspired unto me in the way of discerning how the inner truths of the soul
may be brought forth in a very ordered pattern through materials and through an environment that allowed the
inner genius and creativity of the child-man-in-becoming/the child-woman-in-unfolding [to blossom, I saw
the] miracle whereby through the guided instruction naturally presented to that child, the very Christic patterns
of [that one's] own soul could harmonize with that which [her] own Higher Self would bring forth. Therefore,
blessed ones, it is not so much a teaching or an impartation of wisdom as a natural unfolding of that innate
wisdom from within the one for whom the teacher is a servant.

Each of you may take the very principles that I was privileged to encapsulate in what has been called the
Montessori method and apply them in other areas of your life-in business, in commerce and even in the
organization of your Hearts Centers and the establishing of your communities. For these principles are
universal in nature and when fully embraced and understood will allow that floral gift of virtue and of the
Buddhic pathway to emanate through all that you do, all that you perceive, blessed ones.

Q2. Which are the main requirements considered to start House Of Children? How do you
implement?

Requirements to be considered to start a House of Children

The main requirements to be considered to start a House of Children are:

1. In adult’s world (Home) child feel himself like an alien.

2. Our Homes are designed according to adults. Children cannot access anything freely and comfortably.
3. Children used to listened word “No” many times in a day. “Prohibition is prohibition, either sweet or
bitter.”
4. Adults try to teach children by their orders or by their words, they usually not practice themselves.
5. Adults are sometime so busy that they have no proper time for children
6. Children can’t find proper work/activity to spend their time.
7. Providing over and extra help to children, ignoring that they want many of work done by their own
selves.
8. Children are usually not allowed to “Let me do it myself” strategy.

These are some basic problems which every child faced in their homes. So children need a proper place
where they can learn, play and get experienced.
How Do I implement:
I am a mother of two kids. I am already trying and practicing few activities from Montessori Method
of learning, achieving an astonishing results and development in my kids. As kids start learning very after from
their birth and for their better growth, development and education it’s our responsibility as a parent/elder to
provide them healthy, effective and fruitful environment. When environment meets all of the needs of children,
 they become, without any guidance by the adult, physically healthy, mentally and psychologically fulfilled,
extremely well-educated, and filled over with joy and kindness towards each other. Children who have better
experiences at proper time develop more effectively as compared to other who has less opportunities and
experience.

In House of Children I will prefer to implement following thing:

1. Respect for the child

2. Everything should be child sized
3. The absorbent mind
4. Sensitive periods
5. The prepared environment
6. Focus on individual child
7. Polite and reasonable behavior of teachers
8. Parents – Teachers meeting

RESPECT FOR THE CHILD:

Respect for the child is the keystone on which all other Montessori principles based. As Montessori said, “As
a rule, however, we do not respect children. We try to force them to follow us without regard to their special
needs. We are overbearing with them, and above all, rude; and then we expect them to be submissive and well-
behaved, knowing all the time how strong is their instinct of imitation and how touching their faith in and
admiration of us.”
Teachers show respect for children when they help them do things and learn for themselves. When
children have choices, they are able to develop the skills and abilities necessary for effective learning
independence, and positive self-esteem.
EVERYTHING SHOULD BE CHILD SIZED:

Furniture, equipment, and supplies that children could access/used should be child sized so that they
can work all by themselves, they were self-motivated to explore, experiment, and reach new understandings.
THE ABSORBENT MIND:
Children are born to learn, and they have remarkable learning systems. Children learn because they are
thinking beings. But what they learn depends greatly on their teachers, experiences, and environments. We
need to understand that children can’t help learning, simply by living, children learn from their environment.
SENSITIVE PERIODS:
Sensitive periods vary from children to children some children are more susceptible to certain
behaviors and can learn specific skills more easily others may not. Although all children experience the same
sensitive periods (e.g., a sensitive period for reading), the sequence and timing vary for each child. One role of
the teacher is to use observation to detect times of sensitivity and provide the setting for best result.
THE PREPARED ENVIRONMENT:
 Environment is extremely important at any level of the development of child. Children learn best in a
prepared environment, a place in which children can do things for themselves. It makes learning materials and
experiences available to children in an orderly format and they can easily access them. Freedom is the essential
characteristic of the prepared environment. Since children within the environment are free to explore materials
of their own choosing, they absorb what they find there.
FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL CHILD:
Teachers should focus on individual child as each child is a unique entity. Each child’s learning
progress, growth, understanding, achieving a mastery of particular skill and requirements are different.
POLITE AND REASONABLE BEHAVIOR OF TEACHERS:
Children learn a lot firstly from their mother’s then from their teachers. The behavior and attitude of
the teacher should be polite, reasonable and helpful towards children.

PARENTS – TEACHER MEETINGS:

There should be a close interaction between parents and teachers. Parents should know the progress,
work and activities of a child so that they can practice same in homes as well if they want.

TEN POINTS FOR IMPLEMENTTATION

1. Do a total Montessori program.

Montessori cannot be done piecemeal; it is a total curriculum approach that is integrated and sequential. Full
benefits can be achieved only if the dynamic of the total program is understood by a Montessori-
trained teaching staff that shares a common educational philosophy. Montessori programming should be
implemented in its entirety with minimal interruption from auxiliary classes or services

2. Provide Montessori-trained teachers and quality teacher assistants.

The name "Montessori" is not copyrighted, and there are many independent Montessori training programs with
differing standards. A 1988 NAMTA survey of public Montessori programs indicates that the majority require
the credentials of either the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) or the American Montessori
Society (AMS). Sponsorship of trainees to national institutes in good standing may be accomplished using
sabbaticals and with foundation grants and parent fundraising in addition to district funds. Sponsorships
usually cost between $5,000 and $10,000 per trainee for tuition and related expenses. There is a limited
availability of experienced Montessori-trained teachers; therefore strategies for recruitment of staff or staff
sponsorship require advance planning. It is suggested that school administrations recruit well in advance for
trainees, and that funds be set aside for sponsorship. Also, school representation at national Montessori
conferences builds national visibility and connections necessary for good recruitment.

The 1988 NAMTA survey indicates that Montessori public schools usually maintain one teacher and one
paraprofessional assistant per classroom for preschool levels. Elementary classes, on the average, work with
one teacher and a part-time assistant. Class numbers range from twenty-five to thirty students.
Montessori training is intensive and imparts an attitude as well as information. The training includes
Montessori child psychology, educational theory, material demonstrations, supervised practice with Montessori
apparatus, observation of Montessori classrooms, supervised practice teaching, and extensive written and oral
exams

Montessori training is recognized by selected colleges and universities at both the graduate and undergraduate
levels. Generally the academic phases require either two summers plus an additional two months or one full
academic year to complete. Many districts send existing faculty for Montessori training.

Short, in-service workshop sessions cannot substitute for recognized pre-service training.

3. Progress slowly and phase in each progressive level.

Montessori programs conventionally start at age three with multi-aged groups of three-, four-, and five-year-
old children. The elementary curriculum builds as the children move through the program one year at a time.
Though it is optimal for programs to start at the preschool level, some schools have successfully begun
programs at the kindergarten level. In this situation, private Montessori schools may provide some Montessori-
prepared students for the public kindergarten. With parent lobbying and financial support, the three- and four-
year-old levels should be added as soon as possible.

Orientation of new students at the beginning of each academic year should include the gradual integration of
small groups over several weeks—never all at once

Admission of children over age four without Montessori background should be limited

4. Use multi-aged groupings, which are an essential part of Montessori education

Montessori programs group children as follows

Preschool: Ages 3-6+

Elementary I: Ages 6-9
Elementary II: Ages 9-12

Multi-aged clusters enhance the Montessori dynamic by reducing competition, maximizing curriculum options
available to any one child, providing a family atmosphere that plays a vital role in socialization, and permitting
older children to model advanced work for younger children. Because one set of materials suffices for three
grades, multi-aged clusters are cost effective.

5. Purchase the full complement of Montessori materials for each classroom from authorized
manufacturers

The costs of funding an ongoing Montessori program will not exceed costs associated with the operation of
any other elementary school program, apart from the initial set-up costs for each emerging level.

Funds must be raised in this regard in priority basis.

6. Hire a Montessori coordinator with curriculum knowledge and authority.

Someone in a position of program leadership, whether administrator or "teacher on special assignment," must
have experience and Montessori training, ideally at both the preschool and elementary levels. The Montessori
specialist is often hired to supervise ordering and preparation of Montessori materials, parent education,
expanding levels of Montessori, staff development, program evaluation, and curriculum implementation. It is
also important that the district be made fully aware of correlations between Montessori and district curriculum
expectations.

7. Build a consensus among staff regarding curriculum goals in relation to pupil progress.

Teachers of various Montessori persuasions in the same school need to come to common understanding of
their lesson planning and curriculum scope and pace. Expected levels of student achievement should be
developed school-wide. The budget should allow teachers to attend at least two local continuing education
events and one national conference per year. (Estimated cost: $1000 per teacher per year.)

8. Use Montessori-specific progress reporting mechanisms.

The Montessori program utilizes a unique approach to education that defines specific skill objectives
differently than does district curriculum. Parents and teachers need a reporting and record keeping system that
accurately reflects the child's progress within a Montessori environment. Grades and number scores on report
cards are not compatible with Montessori philosophy.

9. Involve parents and the community.

Community forums that deal with aspects of Montessori parent education are recurring events for increasing
public awareness and keeping parents informed of ways to bring Montessori into their homes. Parent
volunteerism is vital to school fundraising and other school-related projects. Research confirms that academic
achievement is directly proportional to parent involvement in the Montessori program.

The Montessori private sector should be consulted for its Montessori expertise and guidance. Long-term
success of the public school program is based on a policy of mutual respect between private and public
Montessori institutions from the start.

10. Align assessment techniques with Montessori curriculum.

Although Montessori children have historically tended to score well on standardized tests, too often the
increased emphasis on state and district competency-based testing may permanently alter Montessori attitude
and content.

With the increasing availability of alternative assessment instruments, better alignment of assessment and
Montessori curriculum can be attained. It is important that Montessori goals and standards be assessed so that
newly trained Montessori teachers are given incentives to practice Montessori education.

Assessment should seek to measure external conditions such as parent satisfaction, parent participation, and
desegregation, as well as intrinsic Montessori standards and values. Follow-up studies will play a critical role
in future recognition of Montessori effectiveness.

Q3. What are the discoveries made by Dr. Maria Montessori by observing the child?

The Discovery of the Child by Maria Montessori

It does sound incredible when we say that Dr. Montessori discovered the child. But this is true. She was a keen
observer of children. She studied them scientifically. If she saw some unusual behavior in a child, she would
say, “I won’t believe it now… I shall, if it happens again”. Thus, it was providential that the child revealed
himself to her. And she had the genius of observing it and coming to conclusions. She did not stop there. She
studied the conditions under which the children performed those actions, re-created them in different parts of
the world. Only when she found that children acted in a certain manner under certain circumstances without
any interference from the adults, she could accept that it was the child’s true nature.

It does sound incredible when we say that Dr. Montessori discovered the child. But this is true. She was a keen
observer of children. She studied them scientifically. If she saw some unusual behavior in a child, she would
say, “I won’t believe it now… I shall, if it happens again”. Thus, it was providential that the child revealed
himself to her. And she had the genius of observing it and coming to conclusions. She did not stop there. She
studied the conditions under which the children performed those actions, re-created them in different parts of
the world. Only when she found that children acted in a certain manner under certain circumstances without
any interference from the adults, she could accept that it was the child’s true nature.

Inner Need for Freedom & Constructive Work

The children were given some educational material to use for certain duration of time but she found out that the
children were keen to go on even after it was time to give it back. This happened so repeatedly that Dr.
Montessori was compelled to believe that children loved to do constructive work provided it suited the age and
stage of development. As a moral response to what the children showed she had to give them the freedom to
work as long as they wanted. She observed that the children worked with great interest and repeated the
activities on their own to reach a state of concentration

Ability to Select Activities

On a day when the assistants were not around, the children opened the cupboards and had taken whatever they
wanted to work with. When the assistants arrived, they were surprised to see the children busy with various
activities of their choosing. This was when Dr. Montessori made the great finding that the children are capable
of choosing their own activity suitable to their capacity.

Dr. Montessori was herself surprised at what the children showed her. She says that she set the work like a
peasant woman stirring some clods of earth to sow seeds and instead of earth she found gold. She felt a moral
responsibility towards this section of humanity (children). She decided to follow the child. Thanks to the
revelations and the freedom she allowed to the children, the attitude of the assistants also changed. Materials
were alerted, modified, some rejected and some newly introduced to suite the requirements of the children.

Other Discoveries

Similar incidents led Dr. Montessori to discover several aspects of the child and childhood. Being the one with
a scientific bent of mind she needed to test whether every child who had such opportunities would manifest
these types of behavior. She was able to test these again and again because of a good group of friends who
could try out the methods in various places and report back. Slowly, her concepts of child education caught on
and houses of children sprung up all around the world. Dr. Montessori continued with her work of observing
and studying the child. After nearly twenty two years of such experimentation Dr. Montessori could say that
she had found a method of helping children in their educational pursuits. This, later on, came to be known as
the Montessori Method of education, which is aimed at helping the child for life. It may be worthwhile to
enumerate some of the discoveries she had made during her work.

1. Children love to work purposefully. If it corresponded with the inner developmental needs, they
worked until they reached their goal. Adults, on the other hand, work for incentives, but children do not. They
work out of a natural drive, which makes them select and concentrate on tasks which are appropriate for
development.

2. The inner drive is sufficient. The adults need not to be motivators or conventional teachers but only
have to provide the necessary conditions. They just have to follow the child, who is following a purposeful
inner urge. Total development is possible only when the child can work in various fields of human activity at
specific times, whose awareness and urge comes to him naturally. Montessori teachers/guides are not even
allowed to give rewards to children for the possibility of children beginning to work for incentives ignoring
their inner urge to do work on some other activities.

3. When something that answers the inner needs meets the child’s eyes spontaneous INTEREST is
kindled. When this interest finds suitable conditions to work spontaneous repetition is the result. When the
spontaneous REPETITION of an activity is done with interest the natural result is CONCENTRATION. But
concentration is not the end product of education, it is only the beginning.

True learning happens with concentration. The children revealed that they could work with concentration when
they found right conditions.

4. Very young children need order for their development. The proof of it came to Maria when she found
that children put things back at their places. This order needs not to be only with things in the environment but
also with values, functions and other human activities. The child needs to see human values like ‘Say the
Truth’ being practiced. But the adults do not practice in every day life. The child gets confused and this can
create wrap in his development. Similarly any object in the environment being used for a purpose other than
what it is meant for creates disturbance (e.g. the other end of a tea spoon used as a screwdriver). Contrary
instructions about behavior muddle his decisions – how some action is allowed at some time and not allowed at
some other time (for example when a visitor is there). The examples can go on multiplying but the important
factor that we need to remember is that a young child is in the process of building his personality which lasts
for his lifetime. He needs consistency in everything in his environment. It takes a while for him to understand
that things can also be different.

5. Normality depends on all the human powers working in unison, in collaboration. Very often children
deviate from this normality because they do not find the conditions necessary for their development. Dr.
Montessori says that during the early childhood it is possible to rectify any developmental errors and bring the
child back to normality. The rectification can be made possible only by the child’s working individually at the
developmental freedom. ACTIVITY was essential.

6. These developmental activities belonged to areas that the child needed for building his personality.
Activities involving sensorial concepts, language, arithmetic, art, culture were found to be necessary for the
child’s education. The introduction of the exercises of practical life as developmental activities was Dr.
Montessori’s contribution to education. She found out how the children needed to perform these activities
especially because they brought the intelligence, will and voluntary movements of the personality to the child.
Dr. Montessori realized that these activities were very well understood by the children and mobilized their
intelligence to the fullest participation.

7. Several other topics, that were considered too high and too out of reach for the children of 3 to 5 years
were brought into the house of children. Dr. Montessori found out that these areas of knowledge are necessary
for the child’s total development rather than being subjects to be learnt or perhaps, memorized. The children
showed that they could assimilate the knowledge, normally considered to be too complex for the child, if it is
presented in rightful conditions.

8. In the house of children, discipline that is a problem in educational institutions came in a new form.
The children managed their individual life – their manner of speaking, moving, handling material, interacting
with other children. The children revealed quiet, orderliness, remarkable work attitude striving for perfection,
sense of responsibility towards themselves and the environment and also others in the community. Above all
they showed independence, control of errors, love for silence and indifference with regard to reward or
punishments. This made her believe that discipline did not have to be enforced. She discovered that real
discipline comes through freedom. This suggested that discipline must come from within and not imposed
from outside because true discipline is born in freedom. Freedom and discipline are two faces of the same coin.

9. Real obedience is based on love, respect and faith. When obedience leads to inner satisfaction it
becomes real obedience and hence it leads to real development.

10. Dr. Montessori discovered that the children are often seen to behave in a certain manner – destructive,
disorderly, stubborn, disobedient, etc. but in specially prepared environments and with specially trained adults
they show orderly, responsible, loving behavior… both are seemingly real. But why is the contradiction? Dr.
Montessori says that the second instance is the natural one and first is the result of the child not finding the
right conditions for development. This discovery was possible because she could witness this grandeur of
human normality. In other words, the child is destructive, disorderly, stubborn and disobedient if suitable
conditions are missing. She called it deviation. However, under rightful circumstances the children behave
otherwise. She called this normality.

11. Most of the activities presented to the children in Montessori houses of children are results of observing
the child, and therefore, may be constructed as discoveries – The silence activity, exercises of practical life and
walking on the line are some of the examples.

12. All the help we offer should lead the child to independence in his individual and social life. “Help Me
Do it Myself” is what every child wants to tells us… we just don’t listen to it.

13. Montessori discovered that the environment itself was all-important in obtaining the results that she had
observed. Not wanting to use heavy school desks, she had carpenters build child-sized tables and chairs. She
was the first one to do so, recognizing the frustration that a little child experiences in an adult-sized world.
Eventually she learned to design entire schools around the size of the children. She had miniature pitchers and
bowls prepared and found knives that fit a child’s tiny hand. The tables were lightweight, allowing two
children to move them alone. The children learned to control their movements, disliking the way the calm
atmosphere was disturbed when they knocked into the furniture.

14. Montessori further studied the traffic pattern of the rooms, arranging the furnishings and the activity
area to minimize congestion and tripping. The children loved to sit on the floor, so she bought little rugs to
define their work areas and the children quickly learned to walk around work that other children had laid out
on their rugs.

15. Montessori carried this environmental engineering throughout the entire school building and outside
environment, designing child-sized toilets and low sinks, windows low to the ground, low shelves, and
miniature hand and garden tools of all sorts.

Montessori Method bases itself on these and various other discoveries Dr. Montessori made while she worked
with children. We might conclude by saying that Dr. Montessori calls upon every human being to develop the
humanity to learn from the child in order to create a healthy human being.
Q4. What does PILES stand for when you talk about human development?
Physical, intellectual, language, emotional and social.

At the age of three, your child is rapidly growing the ability to communicate his ideas and feelings.

This is often the year of tantrums, imaginative fears and nightmares.

He is very energetic... runs about easily and climbs on to furniture and up and down stairs quite easily.

 His Physical Development

 Benefit Of Physical Development To Your Child
 Your Role To Help His Physical Development
 Toys And Equipment To Help With His Physical Development
 His Social And Emotional Development
 Your Role To Help With His Social And Emotional Development
 His Cognitive/Intellectual Development
 Activities And Equipment To Help His Cognitive Development
 His Language Development
 Best Way Of Promoting Your 3 Year Old Child Showing Developmental Delay

His Physical Development

Physical development is the changes which your 3 year old acquires by the direction of his actions. He would
have discovered all the simple skills that he needs by the age six or seven.

Later he becomes more skilled at exploiting his actions… for instance… he may go into a direction to be able
to run quickly or exploit many of his skills at a time.

He uses smaller actions that he needs when he writes, draw or join together a jigsaw puzzle. These actions
develops his fine manipulative skills.

When his fine manipulative skills are well developed he...

 Washes and dries hand with assistance

  Is able to use spoon without spilling
 Can torn pages in a book one by one
 Holds crayon and may draw a face
 Can put on and take off coat.

As he's becoming more active, he uses his whole limbs in order to walk, run and jump... developing his gross
manipulative skills. Developed gross manipulative skills allow him to...

 Jump from low steps

 Pedal and steer a tricycle
 Walk and run forward
 Walk on tiptoe
 Throw a large ball.

Benefit Of Physical Development To Your Child

Physical development is of great value for your child’s total development for two main reasons…

 It permits additional growth to take place… for example if he discovers one skill, he may establish and grow
on that skill.
 It influences his confidence and self-esteem. If he’s able to ride a bicycle he may feel proud about himself.

Your Role To Help His Physical Development

Your 3 year old child is beginning to enjoy playing together with other children and challenging one another.

You need stimulating activities that will permit him to grow smaller actions, for instance painting, cooking as
well as chances to take part in pretend or deceive play.

Toys And Equipment To Help With His Physical Development

 Puzzles
 Large outdoor equipment
 Paints and crayons
 Play dough
 Sand and water
 Tricycles
 Prams
 Dressing up clothes
 Musical instruments
 Balls etc.
His Social And Emotional Development

Social and emotional development forms a foundation for your child discovering growth. The growth of
independence, concentration skills and having the skill to understand easy instructions are important for him to
be calm and efficient later in his school years.

During this age he...

 Likes to do things without your support

 Takes joy in family mealtimes
 Is able to reason about things from somebody else’s point of view
 Indicates love for younger siblings
 Frequently develops fear for instance… darkness, as he becomes efficient of pretending and imagining
 Is having the knowledge of being boy or girl and is growing a sex role
 Head towards friends and are fond of having friends
 Is willing to share toys with other children and is starting to take turns when playing
 Takes joy in assisting you when tidying up.

Your Role To Help With His Social And Emotional Development

You must create a good "emotional" surrounding around your 3 year old child.

This can be achieved by putting up his work around the home, giving him stickers and badges for attempts, but
most importantly by supporting and constantly praising him in an unconditional way.

His Cognitive/Intellectual Development

Cognitive/intellectual development is about the way your 3 year old child's thinking changes as he grows.

It's about ways in which he makes arrangements for his thoughts and arrive at realising his surrounding.

With a developed intellectual ability, your 3 year old child...

 Finishes a three piece puzzle

 Copies a circle
 Joins three colours
 Understands primary colours… blue, red, yellow and green
 Can name three shapes
 Can count up to ten objects with help.

Activities And Equipment To Help His Cognitive Development

Child Development 3 Years Activities And Equipment Chart:

Types Of Cognitive Skills

What He Learns
Toys Developed

He learns about shape and space. Will also try to

Dividing puzzles into
sort and match. But as he becomes older, trail and
Puzzles groups, attention and
error learning will be reduced as he begins to use
concentration.
thinking skills to work out the order of the pieces.

Sorting He's able to sort, arrange and divide objects into Dividing objects into
 groups in an appropriate manner of colour, shape groups, attention and
Objects
and size. concentration.

Dividing into groups,

Sewing
He practices about patterns and colours. attention and
Cards
concentration.

He practices about space, shape and organises. He

Dividing into groups,
also participates in matching and sorting as well as
Duplo attention and
being inspired with confidence to reason about
concentration.
size.

Assists him to sort and match. It assists his memory Dividing cards into
Matching as he finds a matching card as cards are put face groups, attention,
Games down. He may select a card and find out where the concentration and
other pair is. memory.

Dividing into groups,

He's inspired with confidence to exploit his senses
Feely Bags attention concentration
to find out what object is in a bag.
and memory

His Language Development

As his vocabulary grows and becomes more fluent he's ready for longer books with a simple story. He's
beginning to enjoy and repeat rhymes and songs.

He...

 Uses personal pronouns and plurals correctly and can give his own name and sex, and age sometimes
 Carry on simple conversations and able to describe briefly present activities and past experiences
 Learns to speak more than one language if he hears more than one language spoken around him as he grows
 Talks to himself when playing
 Enjoy listening to and making music
 Counts up to ten or more by repetition.

Best Way Of Promoting Your 3 Year Old Child Showing Developmental Delay

 Select activities that are practical for him

 Ensure that activities are suitable for his recent level of realizing
 Go over activities very often with him
 Separate concepts and activities into smaller orders
 Search for more different ways of introducing the same concept to him
 Prevent him from becoming upset and bored by an activity
 Praise and encourage him for his attempts

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

The Montessori Teacher and Her Role: Learning More About The Method
"The teacher, when she begins to work in our schools, must have a kind of faith that the child will reveal himself through
work. She must free herself from all preconceived ideas concerning the levels at which the children may be. The many
different types of children . . . must not worry her. . . . The teacher must believe that this child before her will show his
true nature when he finds a piece of work that attracts him. So what must she look out for? That one child or another
will begin to concentrate" (The Absorbent Mind, p. 276).

One of the most notable differences between Montessori teachers and traditional teachers is the enormous trust
Montessori teachers place in the developmental abilities of the children. It takes a tremendous amount of faith to
“follow the child”. It is so much easier to say to the children, follow where I lead and no one will get lost. Nonetheless,
with careful observation and planning, Montessori teachers remain constantly alert to the direction each child is
heading and actively works to help them succeed.

Montessori teachers are not the center of attention in the classroom. Their role centers on the preparation and
organization of learning materials to meet the needs and interests of the Montessori children. The focus is on children
learning, not on teachers teaching.

The Montessori Teacher and Her Role: Learning More About The Method

Working as a guide and facilitator, the Montessori teacher creates a well-prepared Montessori environment and an
atmosphere of learning and inquisitiveness designed to move students from one activity and level to the next. A
Montessori teacher often steps back while the children are working, allowing them to learn from their own discoveries
and draw their own conclusions. Rather than supplying children with answers, the Montessori teacher asks them how
they would solve the problem, actively engaging children in the learning process and enhancing critical thinking skills. In
most cases, children learn directly from the environment and other children, rather than the teacher.

Dr. Montessori believed that the teacher should focus on the child as a person rather than on the daily lesson plans.
Although the Montessori teacher plans daily lessons for each child, she must be alert to changes in the child’s interest,
progress, mood, and behavior.

Subjects are interwoven and the Montessori teacher must be facile at presenting and understanding history, art, music,
math, astronomy, botany, zoology, chemistry, physical geography, language, physics, geometry, and practical life
works. The Montessori teacher is trained to give one-on-one or small group lessons and spend little time giving large
group lessons. Lessons are brief and precise, meant to intrigue the minds of children so that they come back to learn
more on their own. Montessori lessons center around the most basic information necessary for the children to do the
work: the name of the materials, where it can be found in the classroom and on the shelf, how to use the materials,
and what can be done with them.

Montessori teachers are scientific observers of children. They avoid using rewards and punishments for good or poor
work. Montessori teachers never criticize or interfere in a child’s work. It is only in a trusting atmosphere that a child’s
personality has room to grow. Children must have the freedom to choose their own activities and learn to behave
without restriction. Dr. Montessori thought this was real work and that the child would reveal his/her true nature once
he/she found work that commanded his/her full attention.

In The Absorbent Mind (pp. 277-81), Maria Montessori offered some general principles of behavior for teachers in the
Montessori classroom.

 "The teacher becomes the keeper and custodian of the environment. She attends to this instead of being
distracted by the children's restlessness. . . . All the apparatus is to be kept meticulously in order, beautiful and
shining, in perfect condition. . . . This means that the teacher also must be. . . tidy and clean, calm and dignified.
. . . The teacher's first duty is therefore to watch over the environment, and this takes precedence over all the
rest. Its influence is indirect, but unless it be well done there will be no effective and permanent results of any
kind, physical, intellectual or spiritual."
 "The teacher must. . . entice the children. . . . The teacher, in this first period, before concentration has shown
itself, must be like the flame, which heartens all by its warmth, enlivens and invites. There is no need to fear
that she will interrupt some important psychic process, since these have not yet begun. Before concentration
occurs, the [Montessori teacher] may do more or less what she thinks best; she can interfere with the
children's activities as she deems necessary. . . . She can tell stories, have some games and singing, use nursery
rhymes and poetry. The teacher who has a gift for charming the children can have them do various exercises,
which, even if they have no great value educationally, are useful in calming them. Everyone knows that a lively
teacher attracts more than a dull one, and we can all be lively if we try. . . . If at this stage there is some child
who persistently annoys the others, the most practical thing to do is interrupt him . . . to break the flow of
disturbing activity. The interruption may take the form of any kind of exclamation, or in showing a special and
affectionate interest in the troublesome child."
 "Finally the time comes in which the children begin to take an interest in something: usually, in the exercises of
Practical Life, for experience shows that it is useless and harmful to give the children Sensorial and Cultural
apparatus before they are ready to benefit from it. Before introducing this kind of material, one must wait until
the children have acquired the power to concentrate on something, and usually . . . this occurs with the
exercises of Practical Life. When the child begins to show interest in one of these, the teacher must not
interrupt, because this interest corresponds with natural laws and opens up a whole cycle of new activities. . . .
The teacher, now, must be most careful. Not to interfere means not to interfere in any way. This is the moment
at which the teacher most often goes wrong. The child, who up to that moment has been very difficult, finally
concentrates on a piece of work. . . . Praise, help, or even a look, may be enough to interrupt him, or destroy
the activity. It seems a strange thing to say, but this can happen even if the child merely becomes aware of
being watched. . . . The great principle that brings success to the teacher is this: as soon as concentration has
begun, act as if the child does not exist. . . . The duty of the teacher is only to present new things when she
knows that a child has exhausted all the possibilities of those he was using before."

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 result.
 They prepare an environment meant to facilitate children’s independence and ability to freely select work that
they find appealing, selecting activities that will appeal to their interests and keeping the environment in
perfect condition, adding to it and removing materials as needed.
 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 students' independence. They must know when to step in and set 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.
 They model desirable behavior for the children, following the ground-rules of the class, exhibiting a sense of
calm, consistency, grace and courtesy, and demonstrating respect for every child.
 They are peace educators, consistently working to teach courteous behaviors and conflict.
 They are diagnosticians who can interpret patterns of growth, development, and behavior in order to better
understand the children and make necessary referrals and suggestions to parents.