Academics
Dr. Maria Montessori, The Montessori Philosophy
Dr. Maria Montessori (1870 - 1952)
Dr. Montessori was the first woman in Italy to qualify as a physician. She developed an interest in the diseases of children and in the needs of those said to be 'uneducable'. Maria Montessori developed a teaching program that enabled 'defective' children to read and write. She sought to teach skills not by having children repeatedly try it, but by developing exercises that prepare them. These exercises would then be repeated: Looking becomes reading; touching becomes writing.
The success of her method then caused her to ask questions of 'normal' education and the ways in which failed children. Dr. Montessori had the chance to test her program and ideas with the establishment of the first Casa dei Bambini (Children's house or household) in Rome in 1907. This house had been built as part of a slum redevelopment. This house and those that followed were designed to provide a good environment for children to live and learn. An emphasis was placed on self-determination and self-realization. This entailed developing a concern for others and discipline and to do this children engaged in the exercise of daily living. These and other exercises were to function like a ladder allowing the child to pick up the challenge and to judge their progress. 'The essential thing is for the task to arouse such an interest that it engages the child's whole personality' (Dr. Maria Montessori - The Absorbent Mind: 206).
This connected with a further element in the Montessori program - 'child centered learning' not teacher centered learning. The teacher was the 'keeper' of the environment. While children got on with their activities the task was to observe and to intervene from the periphery. The focus on self-realization through independent activity, the concern with attitude, and the focus on the educator as the keeper of the environment (and making use of their scientific powers of observation and reflection) - all have some echo in the work of informal educators. However, it is Dr. Montessori's notion of the Children's House as a stimulating environment in which participants can learn to take responsibility that has a particular resonance.
The Montessori Philosophy
MMS utilizes the Montessori Method of education and materials developed by Dr. Maria Montessori. We adopt the basic educational framework outlined by the Saskatchewan Educational Curriculum guide. All of our educators present the Saskatchewan Curriculum in a meaningful way that completely intertwines the Montessori philosophy.
Dr. Montessori believed that children learn best by doing, not by passively accepting other people's ideas and pre-existing knowledge. Believing that the young child had more potential than educators realized, she began to develop this potential by teaching the young child through their natural interest in exploring the world. The child's developmentally appropriate approach was designed to individually accommodate each child's unique abilities. Montessori devoted her life to the education of children. Her teaching techniques are presently used in public and private school classrooms all over the world.
The goal of an MMS education is to help children become responsible, self-motivated learners competent in all areas of life. Each of our classrooms encourage this natural appetite of the child by offering age-appropriate materials to satisfy the child's intense desire for knowledge. A child who acquires the basic skills of reading and mathematics in this natural way has the advantage of beginning their education without pressure, boredom or discouragement. By pursuing his or her individual interests in our Casa classroom at an early age, they gain an early enthusiasm for learning, which is the key to becoming a truly educated person. The Directress works toward developing the child's sense of order, concentration and coordination. The MMS Elementary program builds on the Casa, Early Childhood experience with the child's own questions providing the basis for exploration of the world. The MMS environment promotes self-esteem, encourages fundamental motivation, spontaneous activity and self-education. MMS education teaches a child respect for one's self, others, and the environment. The Montessori method allows each child the ability to obtain a good self-image enabling them to feel secure, independent and self-confident. The fundamental motivation of a Montessori education is to guide the child to grow in knowledge and strength as a whole person and thus gain the practical skills and insight into initiating his success in their future life.
Dr. Maria Montessori
Dr. Maria Montessori
