HAPPY MONTESSORI EDUCATION WEEK!

This is such a great time to be a Montessori teacher.

With school reform being discussed so heavily in the media, isn't it great to know that Montessori's ideas are still current and cutting edge?

Children's human tendencies need to be met at school in order for them to see success at school. 

Those tendencesies are:

• exploration
• orientation
• order
• imagination
• manipulation
• repitition
• precision
• control of error leading to prefection
• communication

Through these tendencies we get students who will become:

inquirers

knowledgeable

thinkers

communicators

principled

open-minded

caring

risk-takers

balanced

reflective

Chapter 2

Montessori believed that the young child changes the physiology of the brain through interaction with the environment at specific stages of development. (pg. 26)

Thinking of this fact reminds me of how important our environments are and the fact that what we do inside them is equally important. We have such a huge responsibility to ensure our classrooms are prepared and that we expose our students with all of the rich lessons and materials that Montessori created for student discovery.


Thoughts?

Montessori's educational plan contains three essential elements: (pg. 21)

1. a prepared environment
2. a prepared adult
3. freedom with responsibility

The first two, although very complex, seem easier  to define.  The last one has me thinking about today's pressures of accountability. Sometimes that freedom can be threatened by parent pressure, school pressure, the untrained teacher or one who is not completely sold on the philosophy.


Thoughts?