María Montessori

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BIOGRAPHY

Maria Montessori was born the 31st of August in 1870 in Chariavalle, Italy.

She graduated in medicine in the University of Rome, and she was the first

woman in Italy to do it. Maria Montessori‟s determination to become a doctor was

proved on two occasions:

-One was that there was one lecture that most of her colleagues did not attend to,

but she was very interested in it and the teacher continued the lecture just for her.

The second one was the countless hours that she had to sacrifice to be able to

dissect a body night alone. During her time it was not allowed for a woman to dissect

corpses in the presence of men.

Her father, at the beginning, did not support Maria because in those ages it was

not normal that a woman study this career; but his father changed his mind in Maria

Montessori‟s graduation (1896) when everyone congratulated him for the job of his

wonderful daughter. In the same year she represented the women of Italy in a feminist

congress.

After graduating she worked in the psychiatric clinic of the University of Rome as

an assistant, she became interested in the educational problems of mentally retarded

children. She observed them, and she noticed that when children finished their meals,

they started to play with the food because they did not have toys to manipulate and play

with. It was then when she realized that there had to be more than medicine to be able to

help these children.

For ten years she continued her studies in education, philosophy and psychology.

In 1907 Montessori opened the first “Children‟s House” (Casa dei Bambini), in the San

Lorenzo slum district of Rome, which was a school for children ages from three to six;

and there she applied her method to children without special needs. It was a success, so

in the next forty years she travelled all around Europe, India and the United States

writing, lecturing and establishing teacher- training programs. In 1922 she became

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government inspector of schools in Italy, but in 1934 she left the country because of the

Fascist rule; then she settled in Netherlands.

She travelled to Barcelona and she was rescued by a British ship in 1936 during

the Spanish Civil War. In 1938 in the Nederland, Montessori opened the “Training

Centre en Laren”.

In 1947 she opened the “Montessori Centre” in London. She was nominated for

the Nobel prize in 1949, 1950, and 1951.

In 1951 she retired from her life of lecture. After 14 years of exile, she went back

to Italy to reorganise schools and to become a teacher at the University of Rome.

Montessori started from the most fortuneless parts of Rome to change the society

and make it better.

Montessori depreciated conventional classrooms because she said children were

not free to learn, they were imposed to follow some methods and that was the only way

to learn. She supports the idea of learning in a free way, where children explored and

learned by themselves.

Montessori died in 1952 in Noordwijk (Holland), after she introduced in the

pedagogy‟s world a new method and new materials to teach in the pre-scholar world.

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MONTESSORI. FIRST SCHOOLS

HOW IT STARTED

When she opened her first school, Casa dei Bambini, in 1907 the results were so

outstanding for both the children involved and their families, that it caused an enormous

amount of interest, both

in Italy and in many other places. She was as astonished as everyone else by the

children's progress, both social and intellectual, and realised that she had uncovered

something extraordinary about their learning abilities. This then became the focus of her

life‟s work and the Montessori Movement was formed.

In January 1907 the first Montessori school, Casa dei Bambini which means „The

Children‟s House‟, opened its welcoming doors in San Lorenzo, Rome. It was a slum

clearance re-housing programme where the developers wanted to keep the children of

working parents off the streets and at the same time keep the new buildings looking new

and nice rather than being soiled by children who had nothing to do while their parents

were at work. These children would be referred to, what we would call it today,

deprived children. The first Montessori school was thereby born in a large tenement

house in San Lorenzo, providing for deprived children aged from three to seven years

old.

It was soon evident that, regardless of these poor children‟s backgrounds, they

began to learn successfully. At Casa dei Bambini the Montessori philosophy and

curriculum thus continuously developed, where Montessori‟s approach in educating

young children began to spread rapidly around the world. Fame and recognition now

came quickly to Montessori. Visitors were travelling from all parts of the world to see

for themselves the successful and stimulating teaching and learning that took place at

Casa dei Bambini. The visitors left inspired from what they saw and the Montessori

movement was triggered all around the world.

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FIRST SCHOOL: CASA DEI BAMBINI (CHILDREN'S HOUSE) 1907.

At Casa dei Bambini, Maria developed her system of education through scientific

observation of the children's almost effortless ability to absorb knowledge from their

surroundings, as well as their tireless interest in manipulating materials. Every piece of

equipment, every exercise, every method Maria developed was based on what she

observed children were doing "naturally" by themselves, unassisted by adults. Children

teach themselves. This simple but profound truth inspired Maria Montessrori's lifelong

pursuit of educational reform methodology, psychology, teaching and teacher's training,

all based on her dedication to furthering the self-creating process of the child.

Since 1907, Montessori Schools have been established in over fifty countries.

After her death in 1952, her works have achieved greater popularity than ever before,

and the growth of Montessori schools in North America is reaching phenomenal

proportions. Ottawa Montessori Schools have retained the purity of Dr. Montessori's

principles in education. More and more, psychological research is confirming

Montessori's observations about the unfolding of learning in the child. Her method of

instruction was a carefully organised one that followed her discovery of the patterns of

human growth and development.

FIRST PROYECTS

In 1909 Montessori imparted the first course of Montessori Guides, waiting just to

have students from Italy.

Surprisingly, many people from different foreign countries and different

professions attended the course.

In 1912 Alexander Graham Bell and his daughter invited Maria Montessori to

America, and they opened the first children's house in USA. By 1917 there was an

intense interest in her method in North America, which later waned, largely due to the

publication of a small booklet titled "The Montessori System Examined" by William

Heard Kilpatrick - a follower of John Dewey. (Nancy McCormick Rambusch

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contributed to the revival of the method in America by establishing the American

Montessori Society in 1960).

In 1926 the "Real Escuela del Método Montessori" is founded, with the support of

Benito Mussolini. The training schools and centres rose up in Italy, and they started to

develop in countries like Germany. Later on, Montessori rejected the help of Mussolini,

whose aspirations consisted in forming the kids to become tools of his war plans,

something that was not compatible with the idea of freedom that predominated in

Montessori's philosophy. The Duce ordered to close all the schools, and so did Hitler in

Germany. In that situation, Montessori abandoned Italy and went to Barcelona at the

age of 64, when she had to start all over from the beginning (1934).

In 1929 she founded the AMI (Association Montessori International), which

would preserve the legacy of Maria Montessori. The see was placed in Holland, and is

directed by some of her descendants, as Mario Montessori and Renilde Montessori. In

2007 the president was André Robertfroid, who was later on director of UNICEF.

In 1939 she lived in India, and she developed the work with "niños de taller" . She

initiates the Montessori Primary Education.

The Association Montessori International. 1929

The Association Montessori International is the oldest Montessori organisation in

the world. Dr. Maria Montessori established AMI in 1929, with the headquarters in

Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The international head office of AMI is still located in

Amsterdam. The organisation was founded to maintain the integrity of her life's work

and to ensure that it would be perpetuated after her death: "The AMI was to function not

only as organiser of courses and overseer of teacher training, not only as a way of

keeping the various worldwide Montessori schools and societies in touch one with each

other and disseminating information about the movement's ideas and activities, but also

as a firm controlling rights to the publication of Montessori's books and the manufacture

and sale of the materials as well as recipient of training-course fees."

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Mario Montessori, Maria‟s son and personal assistant, was given the task of

safeguarding the Montessori movement after Maria Montessori's death. "At

[Montessori's] death she appointed Mr. Montessori as her successor in the task of

directing and coordinating the work of the Association Montessori International... A

responsibility laid upon Mr. Montessori's shoulders was the delicate task of

safeguarding the integrity of the Montessori movement, in the many countries where it

is active, by recognising under the aegis of the Association Montessori International

only such "Montessori" schools and training courses as faithfully interpret, both in spirit

and practice, the Montessori principles."

Mario Montessori sent Margaret Elizabeth Stephenson to the United States in

1961. A trainee of Maria Montessori herself, Miss Stephenson (as she is referred to),

first operated as Mario‟s personal representative in the United States. As the movement

grew, Mario granted her request to set up a branch office of AMI in the United States.

AMI/USA was founded in 1972 and directed for its first ten years by Karin Salzmann.

In 1988, Virginia McHugh succeeded Jon Osterkorn as Executive Director of

AMI/USA.

Today there are thousands of Montessori schools across the United States,

however, "there is no litmus test for calling a school a Montessori school. Even if one

uses an accredited school, the different Montessori organisations have very different

accreditation criteria, with some adhering more closely to Dr. Maria Montessori's

methods than others... In this book, I describe Montessori education as conveyed in Dr.

Montessori's writings and in the training courses of the Association Montessori

International. Although most Montessori schools surely support many of these

principles, implementations vary widely."

The past twenty years have seen a vast increase in the amount of scientific

research confirming the Montessori method: "Maria Montessori, through observation of

children, developed materials that engage both the hands and the mind of the child.

Science and research, especially in the past twenty years, have come to prove that

Montessori's observations accurately describe the learning needs of children and have

shown as well that the principles Dr. Montessori envisioned do create joyful learners."

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The American Montessori Society (AMS) . 1960.

In the late 1950s Nancy McCormick Rambusch, a young teacher who had

undergone Montessori training in London, became inspired with the idea of reviving

Montessori education in America. Initially conducting classes from her New York

apartment, she soon founded and became headmistress of Whitby, a lay-Catholic

school in Greenwich, Connecticut, which became the flagship school of the American

Montessori revival.

Rambusch and Whitby gained reputation and supporters; they and the Montessori

method soon became the subjects of articles and interviews in both Catholic and secular

journals and magazines. They also attracted the attention of the Association Montessori

Internationale (AMI), the guardian and promulgator of Maria Montessori's ideals under

the directorship of her son, Mario, who authorised Rambusch to act as AMI's

representative in America. This led, in 1960, to the founding of the American

Montessori Society (AMS), with Rambusch as its first president. During the early years

the fortunes of AMS and Whitby School were intertwined; the two institutions even

shared Board members. Although Rambusch was active in Catholic circles, she

recognised that Montessori had to transcend religious boundaries and would have to

acquire non-sectarian appeal if it was to succeed in the United States. She also firmly

believed that aspects of the Montessori method had to be modified to accommodate the

culture of mid-twentieth-century America and its children, and that the movement

should not be confined to private institutions.

These ideas strained relations with AMI, which felt that Dr. Montessori's

principles were universal and could not be modified without destroying their integrity.

Despite good-faith attempts on both sides, the philosophical differences could not be

reconciled, whilst additional controversies over finances and control deepened the rift.

Ultimately, in 1963, AMI withdrew its recognition of AMS as a Montessori society, and

from that point until the present AMS has existed independently of AMI.

Nineteen-sixty-three was a critical year for AMS. Nancy McCormick Rambusch

had been travelling around the country tirelessly promoting Montessori and drumming

up support among educators and parents. The results were overwhelmingly positive: the

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number of Montessori schools in America increased and the AMS office in Greenwich

was flooded with requests for information about the method and about how to open

Montessori schools. The society was weakened, however, by conflicts not only with

AMI but within AMS itself.

Moreover, the administrative affairs of the office were in chaos, and the

organisation was in danger of disintegrating. This situation was remedied when Cleo

Monson was hired in January 1963 as Executive Secretary to reorganise AMS's office,

but her administrative abilities soon rendered her indispensable as the coordinator of

virtually all the society's activities. In 1973 she became the first National Director, a

position of pivotal importance that she essentially created and that she held until her

retirement in 1978. In her own way she was as responsible as Nancy McCormick

Rambusch for the existence of AMS.

In 1963, six months after Monson arrived, Rambusch resigned as president and

embarked upon a distinguished career in children's education that continued until her

death in 1994. Also in 1963, the national office of AMS moved from Greenwich to New

York, where it has since remained.

Following the turbulence of these early years, AMS found firmer footing and

began to flourish. As the society grew, it had to cope with the practical issues that face

all organisations, including fund-raising, formation of policies, codification of

professional standards and ethics, and public relations, both within and without the

Montessori community. Various committees and programs sprang into existence to

meet these needs, and this required the talents and resources of members willing to

organise and direct these important activities. Within a decade of its existence AMS's

internal structure necessarily increased in complexity. Yet the society continued to

avoid bureaucracy as much as possible by using the main office in New York as a

coordinating hub.

Because Montessori schools were not required to affiliate with the national

organisation, AMS sought to establish relationships with local schools through various

forms of outreach. It published literature about the Montessori method and AMS,

collected research, some of which appeared in the society's various journals and

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newsletters, and established the Consultation Program, in which trained consultants

would visit affiliated schools, observe classes and the physical environment, and offer

suggestions and feedback. AMS developed standards for teacher training and

certification as well as pedagogical resources to meet Montessori educational needs.

AMS's seminars and conferences also served to foster communication,

professional growth, and a shared sense of identity among Montessori teachers. A

national seminar was held annually, and several regional conferences took place each

year. These meetings featured lectures, workshops, presentations, and exhibits, and

allowed members to network, exchange ideas, and develop or hone their teaching skills.

Portions of these seminars were recorded or filmed to serve as future resources.

The society was very proud of the success of its firstInternational Symposium,

held in Athens in 1979, which featured as speakers several internationally renowned

educators and scholars.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, AMS constantly sought to widen its appeal. Its

ties with the Comite Hispano Montessori, for instance, enabled the Montessori method

and resources to thrive in Spanish-speaking communities in the Americas and the

Caribbean. AMS collected literature from and established relationships with other

educational groups and organisations, including the National Association for the

Education of Young Children and the Child Development Associate Consortium, and

concerned itself with home schooling, day care, and alternative educational methods

such as the Waldorf Institutes. In this way it attempted to keep abreast of contemporary

developments in children's education and resist parochialism by entering into dialogue

with those who shared AMS's concerns for the educational welfare of children.

AMS succeeded in reviving the Montessori method in the United States and

gaining recognition for it as a valid educational system. The society has become the

foremost resource in America for Montessori education and teacher training. Through

its varied activities it continues to provide information, support, and advice to schools,

teachers, and parents, and to integrate the ideas of Maria Montessori and her many

followers into the structure of American education.

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MONTESSORI AROUND THE WORLD

Since María Montessori opened the first "Casa dei Bambini" in Rome (1907), the

Montessori'sschools have not stopped growing all over the world. In some countries the

Montessori method have spread and developed more than in others. Countries like

Sweden, Germany, USA or Switzerland have enjoyed a considerable expansion,

proportionally to its population.

We know there are thousands, but is hard to know exactly the number of

Montessori' schools that are working around the world nowadays.

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MARÍA MONTESSORI EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

CHILDREN’S LEARNING TO MARÍA MONTESSORI

Knowledge should not be introduced into the head of children. By contrast, using

knowledge of existing information must be perceived by them as a result of his

reasoning.

The most important thing is to motivate children to learn with ease and enable

them to satisfy the curiosity and experience the pleasure of discovering your own ideas

instead of receiving the knowledge of others.

Allow the child to find the solution of problems, unless it is very necessary not to

provide new knowledge from outside. Allow them to be built based on their experience.

With regard to competition, this behaviour should be introduced only after the

child has confidence in the use of basic knowledge. Among his writings he will

show: “Never let the child risk failure until you have a reasonable opportunity to suc-

ceed.”

Considered geniuses could not be created, but to give each individual the oppor-

tunity to fulfill their potential to be a human being independent, secure and balanced.

Another of his innovative concepts was that each child sets own learning pace or speed,

and these times must be respected.

TEACHERS IN THE MONTESSORI SYSTEM

The role of teachers is to teach each child individually. The highlight is that it

imposes no lessons to anyone; their work is based on guiding and helping each child

according to their needs, and cannot intervene until they need it, to direct their psychic

activity.

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Maria Montessori called the teacher, principal, which must be prepared internally

(spiritually) and externally (methodologically). Environment has to be organised in an

indirect way to help children to develop a "structured mind."

Children are full of possibilities, but those who are responsible for showing the

way for their development is the "principal," who has to believe in the ability of each

child respecting the different rates of development. This allows integrated into a single

group with other disabled children and those with whom they have a higher level.

The idea of Montessori is that children need to convey the feeling of being able to

act without continually in adults, with time to be curious and creative, and learn how to

think for themselves.

THE MONTESSORI CURRICULUM

The curriculum is compartmentalised into different materials with predetermined

topics are treated only once at each level of education. In the early years, the lessons

are presented simply and concretely and are reintroduced several times in subsequent

years with increasing levels of abstraction and complexity.

The course of study uses an integrated thematic approach, linking the various

disciplines of the curriculum, in studies of the physical universe, the natural world

and human experience.

Literature, arts, history, social issues, political science, economics, science and the

study of technology all complement one another. This integrated approach is one of the

great virtues of Montessori.

For example, when students study Ancient Greece also study Greek mythology,

read stories and novels set in the Greek world, produce authentic period costumes,

build models of Greek buildings, and explore the Greek art. Study the climate,

ecosystems, flora, fauna, and natural resources in the world of the ancient Greeks. They

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make plays, festivals, and replicate their own version of the Olympic Games held

between the cities of ancient Greece.

A typical day In Montessori, the school day is divided into fixed time periods for

each subject. Atypical workday is divided into "activities" that were given to faculty

and self-managed and research projects chosen by students. Students work to complete

assignments at their own pace. Teachers closely monitor the progress of their students,

maintaining a high level of demands.

Students are encouraged to work together collaboratively, and many activities can

be resolved only as a team. Students constantly share their interests and discoveries. The

smaller daily stimulation experience their older friends, and naturally this can encourage

them to do "what the great can do."

What results can we expect if we give our child a Montessori education?

There are eight basics that generally look for in children who grew up with a

Montessori education:

Academic Preparation: Montessori prepares students for both higher

education and for life. On an academic level, Montessori helps students

acquire skills that will functionally independent adults and students for

life.

Intrinsic Motivation: Montessori Children feel an innate desire to partici-

pate in activities for pleasure and satisfaction.

Rules of Conduct internalised and Ability to work with external

authority: Montessori students feel comfortable, usually with rules of

conduct that define the limits of their interactions within the school

community. Since these rules are internalized, Montessori students

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generally learn to behave properly present or not their teachers.

Social Responsibility: Montessori children are usually sensitive to the

rights and needs of others. They tend to make positive contributions

to their community.

Autonomy: Montessori students tend to be independent, calm, and morally

autonomous.

Confidence and Capacity: Montessori students tend to be confident,

competent, introspective and therefore successful. Usually not afraid of

failure and learn from mistakes.

Creativity and Originality of Thought: Montessori students usually have

the confidence to express their own ideas and creativity. Recognise the

value of their own work, respect the creative process of others and are

willing to share their ideas regardless of the risk of

being rejected. Montessori students tend to enjoy when they are

expressed openly.

Spiritual Awareness: Montessori students generally are exceptionally

compassionate, understanding, and sensitive to the natural world and the

human condition.

Montessori children to complete their five years are usually curious

students with confidence in themselves, they crave to go to school.

Generally, committed and enthusiastic.

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Naturally, there are differences.

The curriculum in Montessori schools is usually complete and rapid that

many other kindergartens and elementary schools in the United States.

The values and attitudes of children and teachers can also be quite

different.

Learning is often focused more on tasks assigned by the adult, made from

memory, tasks done with enthusiasm and understanding.

But other families, for economic or other reasons, plan their children not to

continue in Montessori. Often wonder if there is any particular age level, which

Montessori children are particularly difficult transitions. There is no absolute answer,

because there are individual differences among children and schools which will be

available below. But in general, we strongly recommend that parents plan their children

to continue in Montessori at least through the end of kindergarten. Each year at

our winter edition, we make an article that considers the reasons behind this, in more

detail.

Ideally, families should consider making a commitment to at least the end of the

primary elementary, but I want to point out with emphasis, that is during the difficult

years of middle school, when children most need what Montessori has to offer.

Does Montessori prepare children for the real world?

1. Montessori teaches children to master the intellectual skills and knowledge

that are basic to our culture and technology. As Montessori students master a

skill level can engage in academic tasks with increasing difficulty of demand

across academic disciplines. Students tend to be reflective. Write, speak and

think carefully and clearly. They have learned to learn by doing real things in

the real world - experiential learning. They have learned to integrate new

concepts, to analyse data, and think critically. Children who grow up in

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Montessori schools tend to be cultured, well educated, highly successful in

college and in later life.

2. Montessori develops intrinsic motivation: the innate desire that causes

students to engage in an activity for pleasure and satisfaction.

3. Montessori cultivates creativity and originality. Montessori students are

generally exceptionally creative in their thinking and confident to express their

ideas. Recognise the value of their own ideas, respect the creative process of

others, and are willing to explore ideas together in search of truth or new

solutions.

4. Montessori students tend to be very confident and competent. They see

themselves as successful people, but not afraid to make mistakes and learn

from them.

5. Montessori students do not see themselves as "children", but as young

members of the world. They tend to admire their teachers and other adults as

mentors, friends and guides, rather than as unwelcome overseers who put

limits on their freedom.

6. Children who grow up in Montessori, rarely feel the need to rebel

and misbehave. Although Montessori children explore the boundaries and

challenge the determination of his parents, basically responding to a domestic

creed dignity. Generally accepted limits and common sense. Moreover, often

seek consciously to his friends and the larger community, in pursuit of ways to

help others and make appositive contribution to the world.

7. Montessori children are easily influenced by their peer group to do anything

stupid. Like all of us, children who grow up in Montessori schools want to

have friends and are affected by their interests and attitudes. Moreover, in

addition to having grown up in a culture that teaches them firmly

and follows universal values of kindness, honor, and respect, Montessori

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children tend to reason for themselves.

8. Montessori students are spiritually lively, exceptionally compassionate,

understanding, and sensitive to the natural world and the human condition.

Montessori children are usually outstanding. They have all the values and

attitudes that pays off in college and the real world. They are not afraid to

work hard. They are eager to learn, think and explore new ideas. They

enjoy people and know how to develop new friendships. Generally, follow the

rules and act responsibly. Living withal basic sense of dignity and

rarely engage in self-destructive situations. They tend to be self-

disciplined and very well organised. They usually meet deadlines, come to

class prepared, and sincerely enjoy their classes. They are the typical college

professor‟s dream, come true!

In the world after college, become students for life, are creative and efficient

employees, and very often are entrepreneurs. Montessori students tend to

be when they grow up, people of great character, someone you can trust

and who can be counted. They are warm and compassionate. Their lives

reflect both joy and dignity. It‟s the kind of men and women who wish to be

our children.

PEDAGOGY

Aside from a new pedagogy, among the premier contributions to educational

thought by Montessori are:

Instruction in 3-year age groups, corresponding to sensitive periods of

development (e.g.: Birth-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-15 year olds) with an Erdkinder (German

for "Land Children") program for early teens.

Children as competent beings, encouraged to make maximal decisions.

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Observation of the child in the prepared environment as the basis for ongoing

curriculum development (presentation of subsequent exercises for skill development

and information accumulation).

Small, child-sized furniture and creation of a small, child-sized environment

(microcosm) in which each can be competent to produce overall a self-running small

children's world.

Creation of a scale of sensitive periods of development, which provides a focus

for class work that is appropriate and uniquely stimulating and motivating to the child

(including sensitive periods for language development, sensory experimentation and

refinement, and various levels of social interaction).

The importance of the "absorbent mind," the limitless motivation of the young

child to achieve competence over his or her environment and to perfect his or her skills

and understandings as they occur within each sensitive period. The phenomenon is

characterised by the young child's capacity for repetition of activities within sensitive

period categories (e.g.: exhaustive babbling as language practice leading to language

competence).

Self-correcting "auto-didactic" materials (some based on work of Jean Marc

Gaspard Itard and Edouard Seguin).

MONTESSORI EDUCATION THEORY

Self-construction, liberty, and spontaneous activity

Montessori education is fundamentally a model of human development, and an

educational approach based on that model. The model has two basic elements. First,

children and developing adults engage in psychological self-construction by means of

interaction with their environments. Second, children, especially under the age of six,

have an innate path of psychological development. Based on her observations,

Montessori believed that children at liberty to choose and act freely within an

environment prepared according to her model would act spontaneously for optimal

development.

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Planes of development

Montessori observed four distinct periods, or "planes", in human development,

extending from birth to six years, from six to twelve, from twelve to eighteen, and from

eighteen to twenty-four. She saw different characteristics, learning modes, and

developmental imperatives active in each of these planes, and called for educational

approaches specific to each period.

First plane

The first plane extends from birth to around six years of age. During this period,

Montessori observed that the child undergoes striking physical and psychological

development. The first plane child is seen as a concrete, sensory explorer and learner

engaged in the developmental work of psychological self-construction and building

functional independence. Montessori introduced several concepts to explain this work,

including the absorbent mind, sensitive periods, and normalisation.

Absorbent mind: Montessori described the young child's behavior of effortlessly

assimilating the sensory stimuli of his or her environment, including information from

the senses, language, culture, and the development of concepts with the term "absorbent

mind". She believed that this is a power unique to the first plane, and that it fades as the

child approached age six.

Sensitive periods: Montessori also observed periods of special sensitivity to

particular stimuli during this time which she called the "sensitive periods". In

Montessori education, the classroom environment responds to these periods by making

appropriate materials and activities available while the periods are active in the young

child. She identified the following periods and their durations:

Acquisition of language — from birth to around six years old.

Order — from around one to three years old.

Sensory refinement — from birth to around four years old.

Interest in small objects — from around 18 months to three years old.

Social behaviour — from around two and a half to four years old.

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Normalisation: Finally, Montessori observed in children from three to six years

old a psychological state she termed "normalisation". Normalisation arises from

concentration and focus on activity which serves the child‟s developmental needs, and

is characterised by the ability to concentrate as well as "spontaneous discipline,

continuous and happy work, social sentiments of help and sympathy for others."

Second plane

The second plane of development extends from around six to twelve years old.

During this period, Montessori observed physical and psychological changes in

children, and developed a classroom environment, lessons, and materials, to respond to

these new characteristics. Physically, she observed the loss of baby teeth and the

lengthening of the legs and torso at the beginning of the plane, and a period of uniform

growth following. Psychologically, she observed the "herd instinct", or the tendency to

work and socialise in groups, as well as the powers of reason and imagination.

Developmentally, she believed the work of the second plane child is the formation of

intellectual independence, of moral sense, and of social organisation.

Third plane

The third plane of development extends from around twelve to around eighteen

years of age, encompassing the period of adolescence. Montessori characterised the

third plane by the physical changes of puberty and adolescence, but also psychological

changes. She emphasised the psychological instability and difficulties in concentration

of this age, as well as the creative tendencies and the development of "a sense of justice

and a sense of personal dignity." She used the term "valorisation" to describe the

adolescents' drive for an externally derived evaluation of their worth. Developmentally,

Montessori believed that the work of the third plane child is the construction of the adult

self in society.

Fourth plane

The fourth plane of development extends from around eighteen years to around

twenty-four years old. Montessori wrote comparatively little about this period and did

not develop an educational program for the age. She envisioned young adults prepared

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by their experiences in Montessori education at the lower levels ready to fully embrace

the study of culture and the sciences in order to influence and lead civilisation. She

believed that economic independence in the form of work for money was critical for this

age, and felt that an arbitrary limit to the number of years in university level study was

unnecessary, as the study of culture could go on throughout a person's life.

Education and peace

As Montessori developed her theory and practice, she came to believe that

education had a role to play in the development of world peace. She felt that children

allowed to develop according to their inner laws of development would give rise to a

more peaceful and enduring civilisation. From the 1930s to the end of her life, she gave

a number of lectures and addresses on the subject, saying in 1936,

Preventing conflicts is the work of politics; establishing peace is the work of

education.

She received a total of 6 nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize in a three year

period: 1949, 1950, and 1951.

MONTESSORI MATERIALS

The aim of the materials within the Montessori classroom is more of an internal

approach to assist the child's self-construction and psychic development. The materials

provide the child with stimuli that captures attention and the initiation of concentration.

The materials within the classroom must correspond to the child's inner needs. Children

are introduced to a variety of different materials based on age level. While observing

and experimenting with the child, the teacher then watches for concentration and

repetition of their actions with the materials. This represents whether or not the piece of

material met the child's inner needs or not. It will also represent the growth and intensity

of the stimulus represented by the child. As well as the meaningfulness of the materials,

there are several other principles that are involved in the determining of the materials in

the classroom.

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HOW ARE THE MATERIALS USED?

Montessori, for very good reasons, makes many of their own practical life and

language materials (as the students learn to do in their training), also depending on

where in the world they live. They gather practical life materials piece by piece. This is

an important process that gives a unique quality to each classroom that expresses the

culture, and ideas of beauty in each community (instead of all classrooms looking alike

with no personal touches).

Materials in the classroom, without being used correctly by a trained teacher, are

usually worthless in creating a real Montessori class. Educational materials in the

Montessori method serve a very different purpose than in traditional education where

the text books are ordered and the teacher learns how to use them. This difference is

because in Montessori the child learns from the environment, and it is the teacher's job

to put the child in touch with it, not to "teach" the child. So the creation of the

environment and selection of materials is done mostly by the teacher and is very

important.

In Montessori education having too many materials is often worse than not having

enough. It could scatter the child's energy, or waste time, clutter the environment, etc. It

is very important to choose carefully when selecting materials for using the Montessori

method of education in school or in the home.

WHAT TYPES OF MATERIALS ARE USED?

The materials within the Montessori classroom can be divided into four

categories. These categories include daily living exercises, sensory, academic, as well as

cultural and artistic. The child is first introduced to materials used to exercise daily

living. Such activities involve simple tasks which the child has already witnessed their

parents perform at home. Having witnessed these tasks in their own home, the child has

a natural desire to imitate the task. The imitation of this task is based on intellectual

knowledge based on previous observations. The activities Montessori introduced to

practice daily living exercises include washing the table, shining shoes, sweeping the

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floor, etc. Such activities promote discipline and confidence. After practical life

activities are introduced, the child is then ready to move on to sensory materials.

The sensory materials are used to refine and draw attention to the senses such as

tactile, visual, auditory, olfactory, baric, chromatic, thermic and gustatory. The use of

these materials will assist the child in the development of categorising sense perceptions

into an inner mental order. The academic materials in the classroom are used to teach

maths, writing, reading, language, science and geography. The aim for learning this

material is to satisfy the child‟s innate desire for learning. It is not to store a quantity of

knowledge in the child.

The cultural and artistic materials used in the classroom deal with the

communication of ideas and self-expression. The child will develop a sense of love and

appreciation for music. While studying music, the child will learn basic concepts of

rhythm, harmony and melody. The introduction to art and drawing is similar to the

foundation of writing. Montessori introduced exercises that develop the muscles of the

fingers and hands for holding pencils or paintbrushes for making controlled movements.

Montessori laid down the foundation for learning through these four categories. From

there, the child is free to explore.

Phases in the use of the materials:

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Isolation

The error that the child will come across while working with the materials must be

isolated within a single piece of material. The isolation of this error will help the child

perceive the problem and be able to achieve the task immediately. An example of this

would be a block tower. The tower of blocks will portray a variation in size from block

to block. The child will not be presented with more complex things such as colour,

noises, designs, etc. Another example of this would be through a block of wood in

which the child places cylinders ranging in size in the correct holes. Through control of

error, if the child has not placed the cylinders in the correct size hole, there will be one

cylinder left over. The child will then be able to realise what he or she did wrong and be

able to adjust the cylinders to fit in each hole correctly.

Range of Difficulty

The materials in the classroom are designed to progress in design and usage from

simple to more complex. An example of this would be a piece of material called Rods.

A set of rods are designed to first teach seriation varying in length only. Seriation is the

concrete operation that involves ordering stimuli along a quantitative dimension such as

length. After the child discovers the length of the rods, a second set is brought in. The

second set of rods are red and blue in colour. They are used to connect numbers and

length. In using these rods, the child will be able to understand simple addition and

subtraction equations. After working with the first two set of rods, a third set of rods is

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introduced. Due to the fact that the initial dependence on motor development and

sensory learning has been passed, the third set of rods are used for a more complicated

set of maths problems as well as the introduction to writing the numerical problems.

Preparation for Future Learning

All of the materials Maria Montessori implemented in the classroom are designed

to indirectly prepare the child for future learning. An example of indirect learning would

be the development of writing. Knobs are placed on materials giving the child the

opportunity to coordinate his/her finger and thumb motor action. Another example of

indirect learning would be the use of inset designs. Through the use of inset designs, the

child will develop the ability to use a pencil by using the insets to guide his/her

movements. The child is able to develop muscle memory and the pattern of letters by

tracing sandpaper letters. When the day comes that the child is ready to write, the child

will feel no pressure or anxiety due to the indirect learning he or she has encountered

over the year. Because the child has indirectly been preparing for this step, they have

developed a sense of self-confidence and initiate to achieve the task successfully.

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Concrete to Abstract

The materials used in Montessori classrooms start off as concrete expressions and

gradually become abstract representations. First the child will sensorily explore a

wooden triangle. After the exploration of this triangle, separate wooden triangles are

added to represent the base and sides of the triangle. Following the discovery of the

base and sides to the triangle, the triangles dimensions are then introduced. The use of

these wooden triangles are further represented to introduce different activities such as

puzzle trays, triangles coloured on paper, triangles outlined with thick heavy lines, as

well as the abstraction of triangles thinly outlined. Through these activities, the child

will be able to grasp the abstract essence of concrete material.

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MONTESSORI TODAY

In some geographical areas Montessori´s method has been extended more than in

others. Countries like Sweden, Germany, USA and Switzerland have enjoyed a

considerable expansion in proportion to its population.

We know that there are thousands, but it is difficult to know the exact number of

Montessori schools that there are in the world.

There are several centres in Spain in which Montessori´s method is being applied.

We must keep in mind that not all centres called "Montessori" apply the method and not

all centres applying the method are called "Montessori".

Some schools simply use the name "Montessori" as a tribute to this historical

educator and her legacy, but that does not mean that they are applying this method of

education in the classrooms.

To know if a center is using the method there are some factors that should not

miss:

Mixture of 3 or more ages in the classrooms.

Availability and use of Montessori´s materials to learning.

Teachers formed specifically in Montessori´s method.

Freedom of movement of students in the classroom allowing them to choose the

activities to be guided by their own motivation.

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MONTESSORI EDUCATION PRACTICES

Ages birth to three

• Infant and Toddler Programs: Montessori classrooms for children under three

fall into several categories. A "Nest", serves a small number of children from around

two months to around fourteen months. A "Young Child Community" serves a larger

number of children from around one year to two-and-a-half or three years old. Both

environments emphasise materials and activities scaled to the children's size and

abilities, opportunities to develop movement, and activities to develop independence.

Some schools also offer "Parent-Infant" classes, in which parents participate with their

young children.

Ages three to six

• Preschool and kindergarten: Montessori classrooms for children from two-and-

a-half or three to six years old are often called Children‟s Houses. A typical classroom

serves 20 to 30 children in mixed-age groups, staffed by one trained teacher and an

assistant. Activities are for the most part initially presented by the teacher, after which

they may be chosen more or less freely by the children as interest dictates. Classroom

materials usually include activities for engaging in practical skills such as pouring and

spooning, materials for the development of the senses, maths materials, language

materials, music and art materials, and more.

Ages six to twelve

• Elementary Classrooms: Classrooms for this age are usually referred to as

"Elementary", and can range in size from very small up to 30 or more children, typically

staffed by a trained teacher and one or more assistants. Classes usually serve mixed-age

six- to nine-year old and nine- to twelve-year old groupings. Lessons are typically

presented to small groups of children, who are then free to follow up with independent

work of their own as interest and personal responsibility dictate. Classroom materials

and lessons include work in language, mathematics, history, the sciences, the arts, and

much more. Student directed explorations of resources outside the classroom, known as

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"going out" in Montessori, are an integral element of the Elementary work.

Ages twelve to eighteen

• Middle and High School: Montessori education for this level is less well-

developed than programs for younger children. Montessori did not establish a teacher

training program or a detailed plan of education for adolescents during her lifetime.

However, a number of schools have extended their programs for younger children to the

middle school and high school levels.

SOME SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THE MONTESSORI METHOD

In the three-six class there is one (sometimes two if it is a full-day schedule) 3-

hour, uninterrupted, work period each day not interrupted by group activity. The "3-

hour Work Period" is vital to the success of Montessori education and often

misunderstood. It means that children have three hours to choose and carry out their

own work. It does not include any required outside play, group story time "circle time,"

music, or any other activities which take time away from the child's own choice of

activity.

During this time adults and children alike respect a child's concentration and do

not interrupt one that is busy at a task. All of the traditional group activities

spontaneously arise according to the interest of the child or a group of children during

the day, or are occasionally called by the teacher if necessary.

The environment is arranged according to subject area, and children are always

free to move around the room instead of staying at desks. There is no limit to how long

a child can work with a piece of material. At any one time in a day all subjects -- math,

language, science, history, geography, art, music, etc., will be being studied, at all

levels.

There are no papers turned back with red marks and corrections. Instead the

child's effort and work is respected as it is. The teacher, through extensive observation

and record-keeping, plans individual projects to enable each child to learn what he

needs in order to improve.

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There are no grades, or other forms of reward or punishment, subtle or overt.

Assessment is by portfolio and the teacher's observation and record keeping. The test of

whether or not the system is working lies in the accomplishment and behaviour of the

children, their happiness, maturity, kindness, and love of learning and level of work.

Requirements for age 0-6: There are no academic requirements for this age, but

children are exposed to amazing amounts of knowledge and often learn to read, write

and calculate beyond what is usually thought interesting to a child of this age.

Requirements for ages 6-18: The teacher remains alert to the interests of each

child and facilitates individual research in following interests. There are no curriculum

requirements except those set by the state, or college entrance requirements, for specific

grade levels. These take a minimum amount of time. From age six on, students design

contracts with the teacher to guide their required work, to balance their general work,

and to teach them to become responsible for their own time management and education.

The work of the 6+ class includes subjects usually not introduced until high school or

college.

MONTESSORI TEACHERS

The adult in charge of these environments requires unique preparation. The

traditional Montessori training is a full year of graduate work for each of the following

three age levels, and stages of development, of children: Birth to three years, Three

years to six years and Six years to twelve years. The Montessori middle and high school

teacher ideally has taken all three training courses plus graduate work in an academic

area or areas.

Out of a spirit of enthusiasm for following Montessori's ideas there is a wide

variety of teacher preparation. Some have taken intensive, yearlong graduate courses,

studying under experienced master teachers who have themselves undergone an

exacting teacher-training certification program of several years duration. These

Montessori teacher-trainees have earned their certification by passing rigorous practical,

written, and oral exams. Others have simply read one of Montessori's books and applied

some of her ideas in a daycare environment. Between these two extremes there are

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many other examples and no official check on the use of the word "Montessori". Due to

the wide variation of the preparation of adult there is a corresponding variety in the

success and quality of schools.

Montessori education has worked all over the world, with all kinds of children

(wealthy, poor, gifted, normal, learning disabled, blind…) and environments (from

refugee camps and slums to elegant schools in beautiful private homes). It is not the

richness of the environment that determines the success of the Montessori´s method, but

the preparation of the teacher.

Montessori learnt early in her work that the education of teachers who are able to

kindle flames rather than just fill vessels is not so easy. The Montessori´s method is

philosophically and practically different from other educational methods, and also very

different from the personal educational experience of most adults who become

Montessori teachers. The words "directress" or "guide" is sometimes used rather than

"teacher" because of the different role of the adult in relating to the child - directing him

to find the best way to learn from the environment rather than from the adult.

THE MONTESSORI METHOD VS TRADITIONAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Role of the teacher

In traditional classrooms the teacher takes the active role where as the child takes

the passive role, however, in a Montessori classroom this is not typical. Maria

Montessori stressed the importance of children taking an active role in their learning.

She did not design the classroom around the teacher, but rather around the learner. The

children are able to move freely about the classroom, respectfully explore the prepared

environment, and use the teacher as a guide. While traditional students learn to be

controllable, Montessori students learn to become interdependent and resourceful. In a

traditional setting the teacher prepares a curriculum for the class as a whole. This often

causes many problems in the classroom because not all children are at the same

developmental level nor are they ready for the same information.

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Mixed Aged Classroom Promoting Social Development

Most traditional schools have one age group for each class. On the contrary,

Montessori schools consist of children of various ages in the classroom. Montessori

proposed that having a three-year span of age grouping allows the teacher, students, and

parents to develop

supportive, collaborative, trusting relationships, and help build a community.

Research found that Montessori children exhibited superior social skills and reported an

unusually strong sense of community at their school compared to the non-Montessori

students. The younger children are able to see where their education is headed, they see

the older children with more challenging materials, and are eager to work up to the next

step. Same age or same skill level grouping can often limit the development of a

student.

The Prepared Environment

The prepared environment, the classroom, is an important aspect of the

Montessori way. Much different from traditional classrooms, Montessori was the first to

fill her class with child size furniture and materials. The artwork and classroom

decorations are at eye level for the children instead of the adults. The classroom

decoration is simple and not too overwhelming, so the children are not distracted away

from their learning. There are individual child size tables and chairs, for when the child

would like to work alone with no distractions, but there are also larger tables with many

chairs so that children can work together or interact while they work independently.

Testing

Maria Montessori did not believe that testing was the best way to assess a child‟s

learning. There are no grades, golden stars, or any other way to compare the children.

The prize and punishment are incentives toward unnatural or forced effort, and,

therefore we certainly cannot speak of the natural development of the child in

connection with them. The teacher in a Montessori classroom observes and assesses the

children individually. The children are never compared to anyone other than

themselves. Montessori stressed that children are all at different levels and learn at their

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own pace, so a grading system is only to compare other children which should never be

done. It is the duty of the teacher to help rather than to judge.

Grace, Courtesy, & Conflict Resolution

Grace, courtesy, and conflict resolution are other important aspects that are

integrated into the Montessori curriculum. Teachers set aside special group time, as a

neutral moment, to teach the children the importance of manners and problem solving.

This helps teach children appropriate social skills at a time when they can truly

internalise the information. Typically an educator will try to teach these lessons when

something has just happened, making it harder for the child to learn exactly what is

being taught because of all the emotions they are feeling. Most schools leave teaching

courtesy and grace to the parents, but a research found teachers who deliberately teach

and model nurturance and helpful behaviour increase the likelihood that the students

will express sympathy, recognise others misfortune, and actively attempt to alleviate

distress of another.

Love of Learning

Montessori‟s main goal is to foster a love of learning in each and every classroom.

Allowing children to take an active role in their own learning reinforces their

excitement to learn. Getting their hands on the materials and working with each other

helps to solidify their experiences and learning, as well as continue to foster their social

development.

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INTERVIEW

October the 25th

. As I go crazy in a taxi because the taxi driver is getting lost in

the little streets of the neighbourhood, the time goes by and I get more and more

stressed. Finally, we get to Hermosilla Street, a little, beautiful Cul-de-Sac filled with

little precious houses.

One of those houses has a wooden poster that says, Madrid Montessori School.

It is a beautiful, classic, white house, surrounded by a white fence, with a little garden

standing at the front, crowded with big trees and crowned with a dark roof.

As I get in the building, by opening a big wooden door, I arrive to the hall, full

of sleep kids, goodbye kisses and hugs from all the daddies and mummies. I ask for the

principal office and a really kind mother tells me that it should be upstairs in the third

floor.

I rush as I go upstairs, and I start counting. One, two and three doors, I wonder if

those doors would lead me into classrooms. Everything I see is made up of rough

materials, I see wicker chairs, paper lamps and wooden clothes racks, and mostly

everything keeps its natural colour, with the exception of some things painted in white.

The scene transmits peace and quiet, and something is missing, no screaming, no noises

or raised voices of teachers giving lessons. After the Interview I get the chance of going

into a class and I find out the quietness is easy to understand. The kids work alone or in

small groups, and the teachers never raise their voice, keeping easily that peaceful

environment.

I finally get to the third floor, open the only door standing and get in. Marykay

Mccabe is inside, taking a coffee and waiting for me. I apologise for the delay but she

understands perfectly the nightmare of getting there. She offers me a sit and we start the

interview.

Belén Astor: For the people who do not know what it is, could you tell us what a

Montessori School is?

Marykay Mccabe: I can tell you how a Montessori School is different from a traditional

school, a few characteristics are the mixture of children of different ages, so we have

three classes with kids from 3 to 6 years old and then we have an elementary class with

children from 6 to 9, and that could go up to 6 to 12.

The role of the teacher, the adult is completely different from the traditional classroom.

In a Montessori classroom you won’t see the adult in front of 25 children and everyone

doing the same thing at the same time. It is much smaller groups and individual

activities that the children are engaged in, and that’s one of the reasons for mixing their

ages.

There are many, many things that could be said, but basically is a philosophy, it’s a

pedagogy that is centred around the child rather than around the adult. And it is much

more concerned with processes than products.

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B.A. Does it work here, in Spain, the same way than in the rest of the world?

M.M. First of all, any school can call themselves a Montessori School legally. It’s not a

copyrighted name, so once you see a school called Montessori, then you have to locate

the website, or go and visit it, and then you see if they apply the method or not.

Some schools just use the name because it is a known name, but they do not apply the

method at all, and then, there are some schools like us, that apply the method fully.

B.A.: Could you tell us a bit more about María Montessori?

M.M.: How much? What do you want to know? I think that we would need another

interview only to talk about her.

Maria Montessori was Italian, she lived over a century ago, she first started working

with poor children in Rome, and through scientific observation and experimenting with

different techniques, she came up with what we now understand as the Montessori

Method.

She also was in politics, so she had to leave Italy, she ended up in Barcelona for 20

years, and that is something many people do not know.

She lived here in Spain until 1936, because even though she was always travelling

around the world giving courses, Barcelona was her base, until the Spanish Civil War

broke out and she had to move to Holland where she died.

B.A.: Why is it such an old system but suits with nowadays situation?

M.M.: I think is a timeless system, because the understanding that Maria Montessori

had about child development, and this is obviously talking about what she thought and

she came to understand through her lifetime, from age 0 p to age 24, not just from 3 to

6, for all development of human beings is so rich and so complex that there are a few

other thinkers that have been able to encapsulate all this ideas in one place and I

reckon that is one of the things that makes the method still really reliable. Also the fact

that it is worldwide, not that much in Spain, but worldwide it is been developed and

used over a hundred years.

B.A.:Why did you, as an educator, choose to be a Montessori teacher, where did you

get your Montessori formation?

M.M.: I am not a Montessori teacher. All the teachers in the classrooms are Montessori

teachers, I have a Ph.D. in Cultural anthropology and I used to teach at University

level. When I decided to start this school, it was with the idea that I would do the

administrative side and that I would hire trained teachers to be in the classroom.

These teachers are trained in many different places, now in Europe there are training

centres in London, Dublin, Paris, and Athens among other places.

There is no formal centre in Spain but there is the possibility of the course to be offered

by Vic University in Catalonia, starting this February.

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We are also looking forward to offering a three years to six course starting this summer

here in Madrid. I think it is important for anyone who is interested in getting the

training, that this training must be done or certificated by this organisation called AMI

(Asociacione Montessori Internazionale), because this is the only way of having the

recognised diploma.

B.A.: As an educator, what are the main differences between a Montessori School and

an ordinary school? And as a parent?

M.M.: As a teacher there are way too many differences that can only be experienced

when getting into a classroom and watching.

I think it goes far beyond the academic training, the kid gets not only the academic

learning, but in addition they get skills, such as strong self-esteem, ability to solve

problems, skills that should serve them in any context for the rest of their life. They get

the feeling of giving them much more.

B.A.: What kind of values do you teach here? Are you linked to any political, religious

or economical thought or opinion?

M.M: I don’t think we teach values per se, I think that we embody values and that is

what we are trying to transmit to children. They see from our example how to deal with

conflict, we give them the skills to deal with conflicts or arguments with their friends. It

is a very international school so the children naturally see that the world is a diverse

place, that people from here speak different many languages, they have relatives all

around the world, so cultural diversity is not something we have to teach. It is

something that is present in the school, they live it.

That is kind of the school philosophy, what we live here and what we try to transmit to

the children. Not a list of things that we put in the wall and make them memorise.

It is not only being a role model, is also teaching them the vocabulary or giving them

the tools that they need to express their emotions, to be respectful to themselves and

with each other.

We are not linked to any religious or political way of thinking; we are what I would call

a Private Independent School.

Suddenly, In the middle of Marykay‟s answer somebody knocked the door and

came in, a kid who was about 5 years old carrying a big paper with an enormous picture

on it, he had just painted it and was looking for a place to put it so it could dry. Politely,

he asked her if he could put it on the floor left it and left the room, as if he couldn‟t be

any happier.

I think this is important and it reflects Montessori‟s way of working, the fact that

this kid went upstairs by his own from the bottom to the third floor, wandering his

school up and down in an autonomous way, knowing his school to be a safe place.

B.A.: What kind of benefits does a kid get for studying in a Montessori School among

other options?

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M.M.: I have not seen any studies. A Montessori kid just gets the skills to adjust to any

system, to any work environment. The richness of the Montessori philosophy makes it

worth sticking to that one system. This is our sixth year and as staff we feel like there’s

still a lot to explore in Montessori’s system, we are just touching the surface of what it

can offer. It’s a project for many, many years.

B.A.: What is the profile of a Montessori kid?

M.M.: There are some studies made in some places in the United States, but since this

is our sixth year we do not have any kid old enough to go to the university, we are not

old enough to have that experience.

B.A.: How many kids are there in each classroom?

M.M.: It depends according to the space, one of the things about a Montessori

classroom, what makes it unique is that by mixing age groups you can actually have

more children per adult when I first started in this I always thought that it was better to

have less kids per adult, in order to give them more attention but Montessori taught me

that every time the space is enough is fine to have about 20 children per classroom.

As we finished talking a young man came into the room, Carlos was introduced

to me as a teacher from the elementary level class. Marykay explained to me that the

teachers are not allways in the class simultaneously, and that he was taking a break to

do some research and plan some activities

B.A.: Would it be possible to adapt Montessori‟s Educative system to a public school?

Why or why not?

M.M.: Yes, it is very common in the United States, where the system is developing more

and more.

B.A.: What is the main difference in teaching here, for example mathematics, or

teaching it elsewhere?

M.M.: With Montessori the kids work with a very experiential way of learning, they

touch the beads, they manipulate the objects and they get the abstract concept, rather

than the other way round, getting the abstract concept first and then trying it to make

sense. Do you agree Carlos?

Carlos: Yes, the thing is that they have the opportunity to experiment and then they find

out what they are doing. We go there and tell him, “Fine, that thing that you are doing,

putting everything together is actually called addition”, or “Look, putting that many

times would be multiplication”. Everything is the other way round.

B.A.:Do you have any subjects that do not exist in an average school?

M.M.: The curriculum is organised completely different but at the end of the day we

have the same subjects. Maybe we teach some things sooner than a regular school and

other things later.

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B.A.:Can this method be used in high school as well?

M.M.: Yes, absolutely, as well as in the public schools these kind of method that is

prepared to be used up to 24 years old , this kind of project is being developed in the

USA and in some other cities in Mexico, Europe or Asia.

B.A.:When Maria Montessori created her system, New Technologies didn‟t exist, and

nowadays we know that they are very important and have to be taught. How did you

manage to put everything together without losing Montessori‟s essence?

M.M.: That is a good question, we do not teach new technologies. We are against

offering technologies in the school environment because we feel that for this generation

in particular, they are going to learn those skills so easily in their environment that we

want to use the school to teach them things that they may not learn outside. For

example, for us is more important to teach them what an encyclopedia is and to look for

information on it.

C: If I could introduce a computer in a classroom it would be to teach them about it, to

open it and explain them about the hardware, the software and other several things that

all together make it work. Explain that a computer is not a magic machine where we

can see videos or play games.

M.M.: It is not about showing them the product but also showing them how it works. It

is a reflection of Maria Montessori’s method. How she would like it to be.

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CONCLUSION

We are going to end with the conclusion of the work by saying that Maria

Montessori was a woman who disagreed with conventional classrooms because she said

that children should learn in a free way, in a way they could explore and learn by

themselves. She thinks that personal experiences, creativity and the capacity to decide

how they want to learn are the key. The most important characteristics of this method

are that children of three or more different ages could be in the same classroom, the

materials they use in class help them to develop their minds and their bodies, the

teachers who work in this schools have an specific formation based on her method and

the students are free to move an choose the activities to do guided by their own

motivation.

Because of its efficacy, her method has been spreading, so nowadays we can find

thousands of Montessori schools all around the world.

Talking about the interview with the principal of Madrid Montessori

School, Mary Kay McCabe, we want to thank her because of the time she has spent

with Belén doing this great interview. She has helped us a lot to understand the method

of Maria Montessori and complete our work about the school by explaining the

functioning of it, talking about Maria, the teachers, the kids and, of course, the method

itself.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/m/montessori.htm

www.notablebiographies.com/Mo-Ni/Montessori-Maria.html

www.casadeibambini.info/montessori/

www.littlegemsmontessori.com/newsletter/pdf/Reasons_to_choose_a_Montesso

ri_education.pdf

www.indianmontessricentre.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&

id=46&Itemid=49

www.oise.utoronto.ca/legacy/research/edu20/moments/1907montessori.html?cm

s_page=edu20/moments/1907montessori.html

www.montessoriconnections.com/schools_online/schoolsonline01.html

www.uhu.es/cine.educacion/figuraspedagogia/0_montessori.htm#La_importanci

a_de_los_materiales_C3%A1cticos_

www.montessori.org

http://www.metodomontessori.es/el-metodo-montessori/montessori-en-el-

mundo.html

http://www.montessori.edu/info.html#teachcourses

sites.google.com/site/morningglorymontessori/materials-curri...

www.uhu.es/cine.educacion/figuraspedagogia/0_montessori.htm

www.montessorimaterials.com/index.php

María Montessori

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WORKLOAD

Helga López: Biography.

Consuelo Fernández: First schools.

Garbiñe Aranguren: Educational Project.

Beatriz Blanco: Montessori Materials.

Alicia Rojo: Montessori Today.

Belén Ástor: Interview.

Marta Pariente: Conclusion.

Elima Benito: Bibliography and Transcribing the interview.

Richard Taylor: Revising orthography and grammar. Format and Slides

Presentation.