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Maria Montessori

Early childhood education owes an enormous debt to the pioneering work of Dr. Maria Montessori. Many practices now taken for granted within the domain of early education have their origin within her method. Montessori was born in Chiaravalle, Ancona, Italy in 1870; she was the only child of civil servant Alessandro Montessori and his wife Renilde Stoppani. From an early age she showed a thirst for knowledge and an aptitude for mathematics. Having studied physics, mathematics and the natural sciences at the University of Rome she went on to study medicine. In 1896 she graduated as the first female medical doctor in Italy. For a number of years Dr Montessori specialized in the area of psychiatry but in 1907 her work shifted to developing a new educational method for children in their early years.

Dr Montessori demonstrated a great concern for the welfare, education and rights of the child. She lived through two world wars and having seen the destruction wrought by these cataclysms on humanity and civilization she became ‘an agent for peace’ and an advocate of peace education. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1949 and counted Gandhi amongst her friends. To this day peace education forms a key element of Montessori teacher education. Maria Montessori died in Amsterdam in 1952.

The Montessori Method
The Child

Montessori’s approach to education was deeply rooted in her classroom observation of children. For her the starting point for educational theory was the child. She focused on the needs of the individual child and then helped that child develop her/his full potential at her/his own rate of development. Fundamentally she believed that all children are born good. It is we as adults who corrupt the child through our lack of respect and understanding for them. Before the time of Dr. Montessori little emphasis had been placed on education for children under the age of six. Montessori realized through her observations and study that the period from birth to six is crucial and is the most important period in the development of the individual personality. Now taken for granted, in 1907 this idea was radical.

Montessori regarded the child under six years of age as having an ‘absorbent mind’. The mind of the child from birth to three years of age is active yet unconscious of what is being learned. A good example of this is the acquisition of language. From three to six we see the child enter the period of the ‘conscious absorbent mind’ now the child consciously and actively absorbs information from the environment and from experience. The child comes to know the world through the senses. In addition to this quality of an absorbent mind the child has what Montessori referred to as ‘sensitive periods’. These are periods when the child is drawn to certain aspects of the environment. The sensitive periods include a sensitive period for learning language, refining the senses, learning to perfect movement and walking, a love of order in the environment and an attention to details i.e. the development of concentration. The child is drawn to develop social skills and the community of the classroom facilitates this need.

The Environment

Responding to the child’s absorbent mind and sensitive periods Montessori devised an environment which she referred to as ‘the prepared environment’. This environment assists the development of the child in a holistic manner. She designed child sized tables and chairs, now standard in all nurseries. Shelves were at a height accessible for the child. With teaching materials displayed at the child’s height she/he is free to go to a shelf and choose a material to work with. She firmly believed that the child was attracted to simplicity and beauty; there is no need for walls covered in pictures not of the child’s making or friezes of famous fantasy characters from film or fiction!

The Teacher (Directress)

The role of the teacher is to guide or direct the child in this prepared environment. It is essential that the teacher is correctly trained and understands the importance of observation. In preparing the learning environment for the child the teacher is facilitating the education of the child in a holistic manner. Montessori spoke of the prepared environment as being ‘the gift of the teacher to the child.’

Montessori teachers currently work in a variety of settings both public and private. The method can be adapted to work with children who have special or additional needs.
The enormous potential for a teacher’s creativity is summed up in the words of Dr Montessori:
‘The teacher, when she begins work in our school, 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 child may be’.

Liberties College Montessori Programme

It is important when seeking a Montessori training programme to evaluate the standing and legitimacy of any course. Always ensure that a course is properly accredited and is recognised by the wider Montessori community. The Liberties Montessori training programme is accredited by The Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE). This is an international accrediting body formed in the United States to regulate and standardise teacher training internationally. We are also affiliated with the American Montessori Society or AMS. Through membership of these organisations we ensure that our students and graduates receive the recognition they deserve.

The Liberties College has a commitment to quality in education and this is made manifest in our Montessori Mission Statement:
The primary aim of the Montessori teacher-training programme in Liberties College is to facilitate the development of skilled and professional Montessori educators. Liberties College is committed to providing students with a firm grounding, in both theory and practice, in the Montessori Method. The Montessori principles of freedom and respect for the individual are inculcated and form key elements of the individual's formation as a teacher. It is envisaged that this is best achieved in a climate which values critical thinking and research.