Maria Montessori was an Italian doctor and educator in the early 1900's. Through her work with able and disadvantaged children in Rome, she developed the Montessori Method and philosophy which is still used globally in both Pre-school, primary and secondary schools.
Dr Maria Montessori believed that the most important time in a child's life is from birth to six years. This is the time when neural pathways are being formed in the brain. It is the quantity of functional pathways which will ultimately determine "ability". The ability for reading, writing, languages, maths, sport, music, muscular control, social interaction etc depend on a child being routinely exposed to these activities. With repetitive exposure the neural pathways form in the brain and remain there. With an abundance of these pathways in place children already hold the psychological and physiological blueprint of how to conduct these activities. If the child is not repetitively exposed to activities including physical touch the pathways die off and these activities including the ability to relate to others are very difficult to learn. This age bracket is crucial in developing fundamental skills for the future. The Montessori programme is not designed to accelerate children academically but to give them the opportunity to develop and learn at their own pace. Children are led by their interests so they are inspired to learn and discover ensuring that their full potential is realised.
As the child enters the Montessori classroom they enter their own domain. It is their classroom for which they are responsible. They work in it, help take care of it and grow in it.
The classroom is a specifically prepared environment designed to allow the child to move, to touch, manipulate and explore the resources in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. Montessori materials are specifically designed to encourage the development and refinement of the child's senses as well as increasing their knowledge about the world.
While individual work is important, the mixed age group encourages social development with children helping and learning from each other. Older children are encouraged to help care for the younger children and the younger children in turn learn from the older children. By working under the Montessori philosophy, the children in the class learn to respect and to care for each other, their work, and their environment.
