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Montessori Philisophy Essay Introduction The child at birth appears almost nothing. He cannot walk, cannot talk and he can’t even eat on his own. The same child within two years learns so much. He can walk, run, talk continuously. Maria Montessori calls the child during this formative period, â€Å"a Spiritual Embryo†. The human being is provided with two embryonic periods. One is pre-natal and another one post-natal. The pre-natal period is the period when the physical development takes place. All beings have only pre-natal period. But the human being has another embryonic period which is post-natal. Any animal immediately after birth starts to walk, eats on his own and it will be a complete animal whereas the man has a prolonged infancy in order to become independent. Montessori biography An Italian educator of the early 20th century Maria is remembered as the founder of the famous Montessori Method of education Maria Montessori was born in the town of Chiaravalle in the province of Ancona, Italy on 31 august; 1870She developed interest and biology became her great passion. She persisted and became the first woman in Italy to earn the degree of doctor of medicine. She was appointed at the psychiatric clinic in the University of Rome. She worked with special need children and became deeply interested in their education. In 1904 she was appointed as professor of anthropology at the university. She died in 1952. Birth of a method In 1906, she was appointed as a co-director of a new training institute for special education teacher. Her studies led her to observe the method of teaching children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Many of the children made unexpected gains and the program was proclaimed success. In 1907, Maria accepted a new challenge to open infant school in a slum clearance rehousing program in Rome. The first school, in sanLorenzo, It was called Casa dei bambini, a quality learning environment for young children. Utilising scientific observations and experience gained from her earlier work from young children she designed learning materials and environment that foster the children natural desire to learn. In 1910, the Montessori Method became worldwide creating a new education. New Education The new education is a revolution; but a revolution without violence. It is the non-violent revolution†. (Maria Montessori, The Absorbent mind, Translated from Italian by Claude A.claremont.Newyork,1967,p.215)   Dr. Maria Montessori called for a revolution in society to human development and education. According to ‘the philosophy of new education’ character building is a question of auto construction and children must be helped in their own work of constructing their character. â€Å"There is only one problem, and it is human development in its totality; once this is achieved in any unit-child or nation everything else follows spontaneously and harmoniously† (Maria Montessori, To Educate the human potential, kalashetra publication,adyar,madras,1961,p 13.) The aim of education is the balanced development of personality-the whole personality, the integrated personality. Spiritual embryo Montessori compared the process of psychological and spiritual development to the physical unfolding of human organism. This post natal work is a constructive activity which is carried on the baby what may be called the â€Å"formative period† and it makes the baby into a kind of spiritual embryo. A new born child has no hereditary models of behaviour to follow nevertheless he has â€Å"potentialities â€Å"able to bring about his development, and these are done by making use of outer world. â€Å"The times have changed, turning its attention and energies to the discovery of the child and the development of the great potentialities of the human personality in course of construction† (Maria Montessori, Discovery of the child, ABC-clio ltd,1948) Maria Montessori called these potentialities as â€Å"nebulae† as they are the creative energy which guides the child to absorb from his environment. The growth and psychic of child’s development are driven by an will power and a vital force called â€Å"horme† that makes the child to do what he needs to develop. Only nature, which has established certain laws and determined the needs of the human being in course of development, can dictate the educational method to be followed. According to Montessori there are eight natural laws. Law of work Montessori describes through work the urge of child is met and his concentration to activity also increases and the child reaches a psychic integration state of normalisation Law of independence The child conquest of independence is the basic step in what is called his natural law of development. At birth the child leaves his mother womb and this makes him independent of his bodily process. To be independent the child must function without the help of others. Development of will Montessori believes that decision made by the child on any activity and action taken by the child is the basic for will development. There are three stages of development in will. In first stage the inner urge directs him to do the activity several times by which he gains control over himself and his environment. In second stage he gains power over himself and gets disciplined and accepts the responsibility for his action. In third stage the child gains power to obey. The child turns his power of obedience towards someone else. Power of attention When the child is placed in a environment favourable to his spiritual growth, the child fix his attention upon an object, will use it for the purpose for which it was constructed and will continue to repeat the same exercise .In fact, the attention of the little child was not artificially maintained by a teacher, it was an object which fixed that attention, corresponding to some internal pulse. Development of intelligence According to Montessori, Intellectual development is important as it helps a child to know as well as explore the environment. Through the developing senses, a child is endowed with the necessary mechanism of interacting with the environment Development of imagination and creativity Imagination helps provide understanding to knowledge; it is a fundamental facility through which child makes sense of the world, and it also plays a key role in the learning process. A basic training for imagination is the listening to storytelling. The things that we touch, see and hear coalesce into a picture via our imagination. Imagination is the power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality. That is the spiritual embryo self-constructs him to become a unified personality. This self-construction is aided internally (mentally) and externally. Internal aid includes the absorbent mind and the sensitive periods. Absorbent mind Montessori observed that young children learn in a unique way from prenatal life to about six years old. Since the neonatal has to learn everything, (he has no tools other than reflexes to survive)he must acquire his survival skills in some other way. A child absorbs knowledge directly into his psychic life. A child learns by taking in everything around him and constructs himself. Using his senses he creates himself without thought or choice. This mentality of child is absorbent mind. Montessori saw absorbent mind in two phases. Unconscious mind (0-3 yrs) At birth, the spiritual embryo has no knowledge or impression in him, it is totally empty. It has to start from nothing. At this stage the child absorbs all impressions from his environment unconsciously. (I.e. the child does not know that he has taken all this with in him) To do this he has no other tools other than his reflexes to survey. At this point the child is like a sponge. He absorbs all information’s without any filters. This process takes place naturally without any thought or choice. This is called unconscious mind or unconscious creation mind. Once these information are incorporated in his schemas, it will be end of his third year, and he has developed his mental muscles. This preparation of the unconscious mind is used for later development and activity, after three years, a trans takes place from unconscious mind to another phase called conscious mind or conscious work mind. Conscious mind (3-6 yrs.) In this stage the child’s ability to focus, use his energy, and capacity to absorb, information in tremendous. This helps in developing emotions and intellectual aspects. From three years of age he moves to the conscious mind using the impressions developed and created during his first three years. This memory which absorbs images into individual’s life is called gifted memory or mneme. Any impedance which lessons the creativity in this age reduces the perfections. At this age they have a good creative power and imagination. He learns how to understand, ability the reasons and his mathematical mind compels him, to perfect himself. Sensitive periods Montessori observed a cognitive plan which determines the unique emotional and intellectual qualities of each child. These qualities develop through what Montessori referred to as the sensitive periods. Montessori identified six different sensitive periods from birth through age six. Sensitivity to order During this period there is a need for a precise and determined environment, which can be observed by the joy which children show at seeing things in their proper places. The presence of this period is more evident when the order is somehow interfered with. â€Å"Order is one of the needs of life which, when it is satisfied, produces a real happiness† (Montessori, The Secret of Childhood. Ballantine Books, 1973, 52). Learning through their five senses Child is sensitized to sensory order in other words, to the difference s things, that some are soft or hard, that objects have colour, different colours, and shapes of the same colour. He needs to freely explore his prepared world so he can differentiate these qualities There is nothing in the intellect which was not first in some way in the senses, and senses being explorers of the world, opens the way to knowledge.† Maria Montessori. Sensitive to movement The sensitive period for movement is most intense during the first year of life. By about twelve months many babies take their first steps. An infants need to walk is so strong that he becomes upset if he is impeded. The childs rhythm is so much slower than our own. He walks to perfect his walking; whereas we walk with purposeful intent. Sensitive to language During sensitive period for language, no one teaches the child to talk. His language develops naturally like a spontaneous creation of all auditory stimulation surrounding the baby, it is the human voice that he deeply hears and imitates. By six months, he is uttering his first syllables, and by about two years old he explodes into language. He talks and talks non-stop. Sensitive to small object A child has the urge to pay attention to small objects from two years of age. Sensitivity to small objects is an important development because it helps widen the child’s power of observation and allows the child concentrate his intellectual power on a specific problem. Principles of Prepared Environment â€Å"The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult†. (Maria Montessori. The Secret of Childhood: Fides Publishers, 1966.) Her life and work,cosmo publication.newdeldi,2009,p246) Montessori’s idea of the prepared environment was that everything the child came in contact with would facilitate and maximize independent learning and exploration. Children are free to choose and work on activities at their own pace. There are generally six aspects, or principles, to the Prepared Environment, Freedom, Structure and Order, Beauty, Nature and reality, Social Environment, Montessori materials. Freedom Montessori believed that a child must be free to explore and follow his own natural impulses, thus developing his potential and increasing his knowledge of the world around him. â€Å"Young people must have enough freedom to allow them to act on individual initiative. But in order that individual action should be free and useful at the same time it must be restricted with certain limits and rules that give the necessary guidance.’’ (Montessori, M. (1994). From Childhood To Adolescence, Oxford: Clio press, p73) Within the prepared environment, the child must experience freedom of movement, freedom of exploration, freedom to interact socially, and freedom from interference from others. Structure and Order Structure and Order in the Montessori classroom accurately reflect the sense of structure and order in the universe. By using the Montessori classroom environment the child begins to internalize the order surrounding him, thus making sense of the world in which he lives. If there is not order to his environment, the child’s sense of reason may be off since he will not be able to validate his findings. Atmosphere and Beauty Montessori environments should be beautiful, reflect peace and tranquillity. The environment should invite the learner to come in and work. This atmosphere is easily seen by the attitude of those working there, both child and adult. Nature and Reality Montessori believed that we should use nature to inspire children. She continually suggested that Montessori teachers take the children out into nature, rather than keeping them confined in the classroom. This is why natural materials are preferred in the prepared environment. It is here where child-size real objects come into play. Furniture should be child-size so the child is not dependent on the adult for his movement. Social Environment As children develop, they become more socially aware, preparing to work and play in groups. This social interaction is supported throughout the environment and is encouraged with the nature of multi-age classroom settings. A prepared environment only with a Montessori teacher becomes a whole. The children and the teacher unite to form education whole which is dynamic and continuous process of development for both of them. Montessori materials The materials must aid the internal formation of the child. The material must correspond to the child’s inner needs. This means that materials must be presented at the right moment of the child’s development. Periods of development The four Planes (or phases) of development is an overall vision of Montessori’s developmental psychology from infancy to adulthood. 3 9 15 21 Birth first 6 second 12 third 18fourth 24 24 First period (0-6 years) This period is marked by rapid and intense changes in the overall development physical, cognitively, socially, emotionally. Second period (6-12 years) Montessori observed changes in children focus and direction in their development. Children’s focus change from one of self-creation to the development of social being. Third period (12-18 years) Montessori regarded adolescence as a period of great vulnerability and a period of self-construction. The Role of the Teacher Dr. Montessori believed that the teacher should focus on the child as a person rather than on the daily lesson plans. Although the Montessori teacher plans daily lessons for each child, she must be alert to changes in the child’s interest, progress, mood, and behaviour. Child [observer][Provider] Teacher Environment [Preparer] Teacher and child has two folds of role to play. Teacher is an observer observing the child in the environment. Preparer-prepares the friendly environment for the child.Maria Montessori offered some general principles of behaviour for teachers in the Montessori classroom. The teacher becomes the custodian of the environment. All the apparatus is to be kept meticulously in order, perfect condition the teacher also must be tidy and clean, calm and dignified When the child begins to show interest in any activity, the teacher must not interrupt, because this interest corresponds with natural laws and opens up a whole cycle of new activities exist. The duty of the teacher is only to present new things when she knows that a child has exhausted all the possibilities of those he was using before. Montessori teachers are the dynamic link between children and the Prepared Environment. They systematically observe their students and interpret their needs. They are constantly experimenting, modifying the environment to meet their perceptions of each childs needs and interests, and objectively noting the result. They prepare an environment meant to facilitate children’s independence and ability to freely select work that they find appealing. They observe and evaluate each child’s individual progress. They respect and protect their students independence. They are diagnosticians who can interpret patterns of growth, development, and behaviour in order to better understand the children and make necessary referrals and suggestions to parents. Conclusion From birth to adulthood a child undergoes development and transformation within him. To be able to develop themselves fully, children need a special inner tutor which Montessori referred to as absorbent mind and sensitive period. The natural laws that govern the child normal psychic developmentsduring the varies period of development are revealed during his construction. With his inner potentials, and the sensitive periods with a prepared environment and a teacher, the childhood period undergoes varies transformation. By this the child gets normalised and become an unified personality in the society.