What Is Montessori?

Observation Of Children As A Basis…

Developed by Maria Montessori, the method involves always observing first and then devising the teaching, taking the lead from the child.

She developed the theory of sensitive periods in development, saying that “children pass through definite periods in which they reveal psychic aptitudes and possibilities which afterwards disappear”.

That is why at particular epochs of their life, they reveal an intense and extraordinary interest in certain objects and exercise, which one might look for in vain at a later age.

During such a period the child is endowed with a special sensitivity which urges him/her to focus his/her attention on certain aspects of his/her environment to the exclusion of others.

Such attention is not the result of mere curiosity, it is more like a burning passion. A keen emotion first rises from the depths of the unconscious and sets in motion a marvelous creative ability in contact with the outside world, thus building up consciousness.”

She considered two to four years the sensitive period for order, two and a half years the special stage for sensation and three and a half to four years the best age to learn to write. She geared the presentation of materials and instruction to the periods, believing that readiness was one of the most important factors in the learning situation.