Montessori method, early development system of Maria Montessori

In modern pedagogy, parents can find many original methods of raising a child from the cradle. However, the developmental program of the Italian scientist Maria Montessori is rightly considered the most popular. Her method, of course, with an eye to new achievements in pedagogy, is actively used in numerous development centers and kindergartens in many countries around the world. What is the secret of such popularity?

Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori came to children's pedagogy through medical practice, in which for 10 years she taught mentally retarded children, including teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. In a psychiatric clinic, M. Montessori worked with her lover (they were never married) D. Montessano, who was also a doctor. There is a myth that Montessori abandoned her child, but this is not entirely true. In Catholic Italy of the last century, a child born out of wedlock was illegitimate. Such a situation could become a big problem in the lives of both parents, so the child was raised in the family of distant relatives of the husband in the village until the age of 10, and only after this time was he reunited with his mother.

In her methods of teaching mentally retarded children, Montessori adhered to the views of the French doctors Seguin and Itard, which were based on the development of sensory organs in sick children. She herself wrote about it this way:

“Ten years of my own work can in a sense be considered as a summing up of the forty years of work of Itard and Séguin.”

The Montessori method was originally created for children from 3 to 6 years old (the period of preschool childhood in Italy), but was later extended both up to 3 years old and throughout the entire school period. In Russia there are several Montessori schools with primary classes. In our review we will reveal the classic Montessori program for 3-6 years.

A little history...

The founder of the famous technique is the first woman in Italy to master the profession of a doctor. Working with children with developmental disabilities, the author developed her own rehabilitation course, which was highly appreciated in the teaching community.

In 1907, the “Children's Home” opened its doors for the first time for healthy preschoolers and schoolchildren. It was in this institution that the very methodology that we are talking about today was applied.

Subsequently, the method became widely known - Montessori gave a large number of lectures, published several unique books and many teaching aids. Preschool educational institutions appeared all over the world in which teachers used this method, and a little later experimental schools appeared. For more than a hundred years, it has remained at the peak of popularity among parents and teachers.

Philosophy of the Montessori method

Any development method is, first of all, the values of the author and his views on education. The exercises themselves are only means of achieving these values. The main goal that a child should achieve according to Montessori is to join adult society, mastering its inherent qualities.

“With us, a child learns to move, and not sit motionless in one place, he acquires behavioral skills not for school, but for future life, thanks to habit and practice, he learns to easily and correctly perform simple actions necessary for life in society.”

The Montessori method is based on accepting the nature of the child, who from birth acts as an inquisitive and free explorer who strives to actively explore the world and master skills. An adult should under no circumstances interfere with the child’s activity. As M. Montessori herself warns:

“We can only guess about the consequences of suppressing the child’s spontaneous actions during the period when he is just learning to be active: perhaps we are suppressing life itself in him... It is necessary to resolutely reject everything that interferes with the child’s spontaneous manifestations and forces him to do something. Of course, here we are not talking about useless and dangerous actions that should be stopped.”

The Montessori method provides an individual approach to the child, where he independently chooses his own activities and their duration, thus he develops at his own rhythm based on his own desires. Classes take place in a specially created Montessori environment, which mainly consists of didactic Montessori material (we will talk about this a little later).

What the Montessori environment does not have are heavy, fixed desks, which, in her opinion, “shackle the souls” of children, forcing them to study. There are also no grades or all kinds of encouragement from adults: treats, certificates, awards, etc. A child in a free environment acts based on his own interests and the interests of his development, and external rewards are only a mockery of his feelings and personality. Therefore, in this technique there are no rewards from other people, but there is pleasure from independently satisfying your desires.

Many parents think that Montessori development means providing the child with Montessori materials and leaving him alone. But Montessori is, first of all, a free child and an observant adult. How many parents are ready to give their child freedom and make an effort not to take it away? And also just monitor the child’s activities without teaching or interfering with it?

Useful literature about the Montessori development system

Parents who decide to teach their child at home using the Montessori system will find it useful to read the following publications:

Montessori M. Help me do it myself. - M. 2000
Montessori M. Children's home: Method of scientific pedagogy. - Gomel, 1993.
Montessori M. The importance of the environment in education // Private school. - 1995. - No. 4.
Montessori M. Teacher training: // Almanac “MAMA”: Scientific and methodological publication of the Interregional Alternative Montessori Association. — Vol. 1. - M., 1994.
Dichkovskaya I.N., Ponimanskaya T.I. Education for life: the Montessori educational system. - M., 1996.
Montessori M. The mind of a child // Montessori. - M., 1999.
Afanasyeva T. Teach according to Montessori. - M., 1996.
Boguslavsky M.V., Sorokov D.G. Yulia Fausek: Thirty years of the Montessori method. - M., 1994.
Hiltunen E. Author's program of education and training in Russian Montessori kindergarten and primary school. - M., 2000.
Pedagogy M. Montessori: Course of lectures. — Parts 1–2. - M., 1992–93.
Doubtful K.E. How to help a child build himself? (Conversations about Montessori pedagogy). - M., 1999.
Doubtful, K. E. Montessori Home School. 2 years / K. E. Doubtful. - M., 2014.
Dance, Marie-Helene 60 lessons with a child using the Montessori method / Marie-Helene Place. - Moscow, 2014.
Orlova, Daria The Big Book of Montessori / Daria Orlova. - M., 2011.
Hainstock, Elizabeth Genius is taught from birth. Montessori system at home / Elizabeth Hainstock. - M., 2012.

Freedom of the child and the role of the educator

By the role of a teacher we will understand not only employees of child care institutions, but also the child’s parents and other adults who decided to use this method.

Montessori invites the teacher to master the consciousness of a scientist. Take on a more specialized role as an observer of the child (like a scientist in a laboratory observing microorganisms through a microscope) rather than simply monitoring his safety and assigning tasks.

“I firmly believe that we should cultivate in our teachers the spirit of a scientist, and not instill in them the skills of mechanical work.”

The teacher's task is to meaningfully monitor the child. The teacher should not impose knowledge or purposefully teach the child. He can sometimes only slightly direct the child’s actions (without nevertheless allowing him to feel his presence). And he can help only at the request of the child himself.

"Wait and watch." This is the motto of the teacher. Let's wait and be always ready to share with the child his successes and difficulties. He himself will ask us for help, and then we will have to respond joyfully. Let us be patient as we watch his slow progress. And we will show joy and enthusiasm when the child wants to share his successes with us. If we could say, “We have respect and interest in the actions of our children, we treat them as we would like to be treated,” then we would certainly understand the great principle of education and would undoubtedly become a model good teachers."

The child himself is given the task of being free and doing whatever he wants in the environment, without disturbing other children. But even so, the teacher should not be a passive observer, but should be an active scientist:

“The freedom of the child must have a limitation, the criterion of which is the collective and its interests, and a form that is commonly called good upbringing. To do this, you need to study each child individually, finding out what in his behavior can cause offense and irritation to others, and what inclinations can subsequently lead to rude behavior. In all other respects - in all manifestations that have some benefit - whatever they may be and whatever form they are expressed in - everything should be allowed, but with mandatory supervision from the teacher.”

In such a free environment, the child learns and develops independently, through Montessori materials (parents call them “Montessori toys”), which contain self-learning functions.

The classic Montessori group consists of children from 2 years 8 months to 6 years. All children study in the same group, not separated by age. This is a good solution, since the younger ones learn from the older ones, take from them examples of behavior, actions with objects, etc.; and the elders learn to teach the younger ones, showing sensitivity and care, they take on the role of leader and mentor. This interaction helps establish a friendly atmosphere in the group.

Classes using the Montessori method

In a Montessori group, special didactic exercises that have a psychological basis are conducted every day at the same time.

One of these activities is a children's circle. Children stand in a circle drawn or lined with ribbons on the floor and follow the teacher. The teacher shows hand movements and accompanies with rhymes. Children perform breathing exercises.

“Silence lessons” are conducted as part of a children’s circle or as a separate exercise. For a few minutes, the teacher invites the children to be silent and listen to the silence. In this case, you need to close your mouth, you can close your eyes. Then the teacher asks who heard what. This could be a creaking sound, voices from other rooms, your own breathing or heartbeat, or the wind outside the window. This exercise perfectly disciplines children, teaches them to focus on their own thoughts, to control their state, akin to meditation.

One of the classic Montessori exercises is pouring water. The teacher slowly pours water from a watering can into a cup or jar to a certain level. Then he takes a rag and wipes the drops on the table. Then he pours the water back into the watering can. This may continue several times, but the teacher must do it slowly and with interest. Children watch the actions. Then the teacher offers to repeat his actions: carefully pour the water. The exercise teaches coordination of movements and accuracy.

Another exercise is a variation of the modern bodyboard. Various straps, straps, bows, ropes, buttons, and loops are attached to the wooden frame. They can be different in structure and color. Children are asked to fasten their seat belts, tie a beautiful bow, and fasten their buttons. Tying a bow or lace is a very difficult exercise for a child. It develops coordination and motor skills well.

Independence

In addition to freedom, Montessori places great emphasis on independence and calls for giving children the opportunity to do independently everything that they can do:

“Our duty towards the child is to help him independently master useful skills provided by nature itself. A bad mother is one who feeds her child from a spoon and does not make the slightest effort to teach him to hold the spoon independently or bring it to his mouth, and who does not even eat herself in front of the child so that he can see how it is done. Such a mother insults the human dignity of her baby - she treats him like a doll, and not a person entrusted by nature to her care.”

When a child acts independently, his internal forces are freed, which gives him not only autonomy from parents and adults, but also the opportunity to independently explore the world.

The developing Montessori environment is also aimed at developing independence through the following actions:

Self-care (for example, getting dressed, eating, or bringing yourself water for drawing);
Personal hygiene and toilet;
Maintaining cleanliness and order, etc.

All Montessori materials (“Montessori toys”) are intended for independent use.

Montessori in Russia. Pros and cons of the technique.

In Russia, the first Montessori kindergarten was opened in 1913 by Russian teacher Yulia Fausek. After the 1917 revolution, there were attempts to use the Montessori method in the Soviet education system. This was facilitated by public figure A.V. Lunacharsky. However, these ideas did not find support from I.V. Stalin. Soviet teacher S.I. In 1923, Hesse criticized M. Montessori’s methodology for insufficient attention to the creative development of students. Interest in the Italian technique was revived in Russia only at the end of the 20th century. Currently, there are several dozen Montessori gardens in Russia, including in Moscow, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Voronezh, Chelyabinsk, and Dubna.

However, not all parents are in a hurry to send their children to a specialized kindergarten. The technique has both pros and cons.

The positive aspects include:

The ability of a child to explore the world around him independently without pressure from adults,
Nurturing personal freedom in a child,
Lack of assessments, judgments, competitive moments,
Game forms of learning.

The disadvantages of the technique include:

Different age groups,
Lack of creative development,
Lack of role-playing games
Rapid loss of interest of children in typical gaming materials.

According to reviews from parents whose children attended Montessori kindergartens, the method has another significant drawback: it is not adapted for hyperactive and shy children. It is difficult for energetic restless people to practice the “lesson lesson” with everyone else. Shy and modest children, being left to their own devices in one of the areas of the children's room, will not always be able to choose logical toys and materials on their own, they will be embarrassed to ask, and will not find a common language with their lively peers when choosing materials.

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Hygiene

Much attention in Montessori pedagogy is paid to hygiene. This is due to the fact that “Children’s Houses” (kindergarten for residents of apartment buildings) were opened, although in rebuilt, but in the poorest areas of Rome, where the low strata of society lived, crime, debauchery and violence reigned, and in an apartment they could live up to 20-30 people and there was water only a few hours a day. In his main book, “My Method,” Montessori describes these areas at length, but we will limit ourselves to just one phrase:

“Where in the dark no one risks going out without a weapon.”

In such an area, after some “renovation”, the first “Children’s Home” opened. When organizing it, the issue of hygiene became a big problem. Therefore, the first and main rule of this institution was:

“Mothers are obliged to send their children to the orphanage clean.”

Thus, due to social problems, one of the main provisions of Montessori pedagogy appeared.

From the first visit to kindergarten, a child learns to wash his hands and clean his nails, clean up after himself, etc. All this leads to the fact that the child monitors his appearance, actions in every possible way and tries to behave carefully.

Basic principles of training

The basic principle of Montessori pedagogy is, up to one year and older, not to force a child to do anything that he does not want himself. It becomes possible to carry it out thanks to the conditions that naturally develop in the Montessori system:

every child strives for equal participation in life with adults;
over time, children understand that this requires learning and gaining their own experience;
also, kids soon realize that the more and faster they learn, the faster they can get into the adult world;
The teacher takes a neutral position, does not show his attitude to this or that activity, but only provides assistance at the request of the child.

You can also name a few more basic principles of the Montessori education method:

The child is the center of the pedagogical process. All work is structured depending on his desires, aspirations, capabilities and characteristics.
Environment is a fundamental condition for child development. It should be so rich and useful that every child can choose his own place in it and find something interesting to do.
An adult is a person who helps only upon the request of a child. If this is absent, then it does not interfere in any way with its natural development process.
Children are allowed to move freely around the classroom.
Children independently choose materials for classes and study them.

Lessons in Silence

As we have already said, in a Montessori environment there are no heavy or fixed desks. Instead, lightweight desks and chairs are offered that move easily and make sound. But this is not done for the sake of creating noise, but just the opposite. A Montessori garden is a quiet place where every child is enthusiastically busy with their work. And when a child, getting up from the table, makes noise, it distracts other children, they pay attention to the silence breaker. The child who made the noise finds such attention unpleasant, and next time he tries to do it as quietly as possible so as not to disturb other children. All this develops not only grace and skill in getting up from the table unnoticed (and also walking quietly), but most importantly it makes you aware of the value of other people’s feelings, which are so easy to interfere with and disrupt their concentration.

In addition, M. Montessori developed special silence lessons, where children learn to control their behavior and be more organized. For example, one of the silence lessons goes like this: the teacher leaves the children alone, and she goes into another room and from there, in a barely audible whisper, calls one of the children by name. The child’s task is to hear his name and get up very quietly, without making noise, and go to the teacher in another room.

Creation

A very important feature of creative activity in a Montessori environment is that the child is not taught to create this or that image, they are not given templates, but rather are taught to use different creative techniques. There can be many options for creative work, the main thing is to offer your child a variety of materials and give him the freedom to create his own work.

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Montessori environment

A Montessori garden is divided into a number of zones in which the child can freely spend time and study. Each zone contains Montessori material - a didactic tool created specifically for each zone and aimed at developing certain qualities and abilities in the child.

1. Practical Life Exercises . In this zone the child develops skills:

Personal care (dressing, washing, cooking, cleaning).
Caring for the environment (caring for plants and animals).
Movement skills (line walking, silence and grace exercises).
Social skills (communication and manners).
Sometimes modeling, classes with clay and a potter's wheel are added.

2. Zone of sensory development . With the help of Montessori materials, a child develops his senses - vision, hearing, smell, touch, taste. This is the main zone, according to M. Montessori, for the development of a child, as he learns the world with the help of his senses.

The materials highlight mainly one sign (for example, the feeling of the mass of an object), and the child learns to concentrate only on it, isolating other senses (children may have their eyes covered with a blindfold). This concentration helps the child understand the main difference between objects and learn this quality, for example, that objects are heavier or lighter. All this is aimed not only at developing the accuracy of discrimination, but also at understanding the logical connections between objects.

Touch zone materials:

To determine the size - cylinder blocks, towers, stairs, red bars, geometric shapes.

To develop the tactile sense - rough plates and various fabrics.

To distinguish colors - color plates with 64 shades. Montessori used “muted” colors in her methodology (unlike mass toy manufacturers), which are calmer and introduce a more refined taste.

For hearing development - noise cylinders and bells.

To develop the stereognostic sense (sense of the shape of an object) - geometric bodies, a magic bag (a bag with various objects to be identified by touch), sorting, bars of different weights.

To develop the sense of smell - sets of jars with oils, bags with different herbs, spices, etc. for inhaling and distinguishing aromas.

To develop taste - “taste bottles”, a set of bottles with pipettes, each with its own taste (bitter, sweet, sour, salty). The child tries each taste in turn.

3. Zone of mathematical development . The foundation is built on sensory material, which is very good because the child does not have to abstractly comprehend the concept of numbers. This makes it easier for your child to understand numbers and mathematical operations.

Materials used:

For counting within 10 - number bars, number plates (rough and tactile), spindles.

For getting acquainted with multi-digit numbers, this is the “golden” material.

For counting up to 100 - beads, Segan boards, colored chains.

To get acquainted with arithmetic operations - stamps, dot games, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division tables.

And a few others for understanding fractions and geometric figures.

4. Native language zone . Here children learn to read and write through tactile materials, making learning easier.

Materials:

Expansion of vocabulary - cards depicting objects.

For teaching writing - frames for shading, rough letters, outlines of letters, movable alphabet.

For learning to read - boxes with figures, captions for environmental objects.

We'll talk more about reading and writing below.

These are 4 classic Montessori zones created by the author himself. In addition to them, you can find a “space education zone”, in which children are encouraged to study the world around them. As a rule, training takes place on specific material, sometimes with demonstrations by the teacher. The materials include various tables, cards, maps, diagrams, calendars, experimental sets, etc., on the topic: geography, biology, history, science.

We have provided photographs of only part of the material for your reference.

Tips for organizing home activities with children of different ages

It is advisable to divide recommendations for parents on homework by age.

Up to a year

From the age of 5 months, a mother can use busy boards, because these developmental aids were invented by Maria Montessori (originally they were wooden, but today they have been adapted into soft rugs and books). You can also use tactile exercises with pads filled with cereals, pebbles, and foam. Let the baby just touch them.

Interestingly, the idea of creating a busy board (developmental board) belongs to Maria Montessori

Another type of activity is holding out objects to the toddler and transferring them from one child’s hand to another.

Video: Montessori educational toys for babies

From one year of age to 3 years

The range of exercises is expanding, the following options are being added:

Games with water. The baby catches small toys and pebbles from a bowl of water (with his hands or a net), pours water from a watering can, and pours liquid from one container to another.
After one year, you can already offer your child manipulations with water.
Stringing objects onto a support (based on the pyramid principle).
Games with a spoon (catching objects with it).
Exercises with clothespins (fastening them to a rope or fabric).
Fasteners, lacing.
Sorting items poured into one container (buttons, pasta, small toys, etc.).
After a year, you can introduce exercises for sorting cereals and small items
Drawing on sand with a stick, brush, etc.
Feeding a plastic toy (through a cut-out mouth).
Modeling from plasticine (rolling balls, sausages).

Video: Montessori water games

For ages 2–5 years

Wooden toys (geometric figures, etc.), puzzles, and didactic games to get acquainted with the outside world are already being actively used. The study of numbers and letters begins.

In the period from 2 to 5 years, the study of numbers and letters begins

In addition, you should actively involve the child in performing household chores: helping with washing, cleaning, cooking (for example, kneading dough, arranging fruits by color).

After 5 years

At this age, perseverance develops, and the previously mastered skills of self-care and house cleaning become more complex. Math and reading are being actively taught. The child is offered exercises to practice writing skills (printed shading, copywriting, drawing letters on a blackboard with chalk, etc.). Games to get acquainted with the world around us (for example, on the theme of space) are becoming more diverse.

Interest in sensory play is already declining at this age. You can increase it, for example, by practicing with kinetic sand.

Montessori material

You may have seen some of the Montessori material already above in the Montessori environment section.

Montessori's didactic material was not created from scratch, partly it is the developments of the “Gifts of Froebel”, already known for 200 years (Froebel is a German teacher, founder of the first kindergarten in 1836), partly it is the methods of Seguin and Itard. Montessori refines their material and also creates his own.

The material is made mainly from wood and other natural materials. Each group is allocated one or two copies of each type of Montessori material, which can cause some indignation in children. Children are not allowed to interfere with another child who is already working with a set, and therefore have to wait for him to become free (but the child usually does not wait, but takes another set). Upon completion of actions with the set, the child must independently fold it and take it to the shelf, only after that the set is available to other children. This is how the Montessori environment develops in children patience, discipline and a sense of the personal boundaries of other people.

The peculiarity of Montessori material is the built-in control function when operating the tool, when the child himself sees his mistakes. This is an important element in this system. For example, a block with cylinders. If the child places the cylinders incorrectly, some will be too deep in the hole, and some will rise above the border level.

The principle of Montessori materials can be partially transferred to many household items at home (but they will not have a control function): jars with lids, boxes, fasteners, clothespins, various gifts of nature (pebbles, sand, acorns), foods (cereals, pasta , beans) and so on. All this is available to the child at home, with the proper approach of the parents.

It is also worth considering that in a Montessori environment, all material is located on open shelves and chests of drawers, no higher than the child’s eye level, so that he can calmly and at any time come up and take it.

Education according to the M. Montessori systemmaterial on the topic

Pedagogical system M. Montessori

Maria Montessori (08/31/1870 - 05/06/1952) was the first woman doctor in Italy, scientist, teacher and psychologist, who first began to use her system with mentally retarded preschool children. The system was used in the Children's Home, which she opened on January 6, 1907 in Rome. Observing children, Maria, through trial and error, gradually developed sensory materials that arouse and stimulate children's interest in knowledge. Since 1909, Montessori pedagogy and its books began to spread in many countries around the world. In 1913, the system became known in Russia. And since 1914, Montessori kindergartens were opened in many Russian cities. But 10 years later the Bolsheviks closed these kindergartens. Only in 1992 did the Montessori system return to Russia.

The main idea of this pedagogical system: maximum disclosure of the natural potential of each child, support of his individuality and uniqueness, development of independence and independence, acquisition of skills of social interaction with children of different ages and at the same time comprehensive harmonious development in accordance with the natural rhythm of the child himself. This pedagogical approach allows you to preserve the physical and psychological health of the child during the learning process and give him maximum knowledge.

Montessori pedagogy is a system of child self-development. The child is given the opportunity to move independently and develop independently; this happens spontaneously, but if in some cases he needs the help of an adult, he receives it. All adults do is organize an environment for the child in which he already moves on his own. In the unique system of self-education and self-development of young children, the main focus is on nurturing independence, developing senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste, etc.) and fine motor skills. There are no uniform requirements and training programs in this system. Each child works at his own pace and does only what interests him.

Montessori's philosophical views are based on the "Cosmic Theory", which reflects an understanding of the nature of the child and the laws of its development.

“All... living beings, in the process of feeding or searching for food, perform a “cosmic” task, which helps to preserve nature in a harmonious state of purity.”

The main principle of the Montessori system is “Help me do it myself!” This means that an adult must understand what interests the child at the moment, create an optimal environment for him to study and unobtrusively teach him how to use this environment. Thus, the adult helps each child find his own individual path of development and reveal his natural abilities. Everything and everyone in the Montessori system stimulates the child to self-education, self-education, self-development of the potential inherent in him.

The main components of the Montessori system, allowing for the implementation of an individual path of child development: adults, developmental environment, didactic material.

The main task of an adult in relation to a child directly in the process of classes is not to interfere with his mastering the world around him, not to transfer his knowledge, but to help collect, analyze and systematize his own.

The essence of education according to M. Montessori is to promote the psychophysical development of the child (“Help for life from birth”). For Montessori, the spiritual development of a person was closely connected with his psychophysical development; she constantly emphasized the most important role of the development of perception and sense organs (sensitivity), the motor sphere for the development of intelligence, thinking abilities, and general development in general.

Goals and objectives of education

The goal is to achieve world harmony, build a universal society.

The main task of an adult is to create an environment suitable for the free and full development of the child, as well as for the possibility of choice and independent activity.

According to Maria Montessori, the process of development of a child's personality is divided into four stages:

first stage of childhood (0-6 years);

second stage of childhood (6-12 years);

youth (12-18 years old);
growing up (18-24 years).

Each of these stages represents a distinct independent segment of development.

In the period from 0 to 6 years, the child’s cognitive activity is aimed at forming a sensory image of the world around him through the instinctive development of the senses: smell, touch, vision, hearing. The goal of education from 0 to 6 years is to optimize the process of natural development, to achieve “normalization.” The tasks of promoting development are solved: concentration of attention, voluntary movements, sensory sphere, speech, writing and reading skills, elementary mathematical concepts, ideas about the world around us, the ability to make choices, make decisions, and learn independently.

From 6 to 12 years old, the child takes on the position of a researcher in relation to the world around him. The purpose of education is the formation of “universal consciousness” and a sense of responsibility towards humanity. At this stage, the following tasks are solved: 1) to promote the development of systems thinking and environmental thinking; 2) show the place of the Earth and man in Space; 3) “sow the seeds” of various sciences as parts of a single whole.

Between the ages of 12 and 18, a teenager is actively looking for his place in society. The purpose of education is to develop the ability to interact effectively with society. Objectives: 1) to promote the personal development of adolescents; 2) provide the opportunity for a full education.

Pedagogical principles of M Montessori:

1) Promotion of natural development (conformity with nature);

2) Interaction with the “prepared environment”;

3)Freedom of choice in a “prepared environment”;

4) Individual activity in learning (motivational, motor, self-control, speech and cognitive activity, activity in the social sphere);

5) Subject matter in teaching.

According to Montessori principles, children are given as much freedom as possible under the supervision of a teacher, which requires a lot of mental stress from her.

The main Montessori method is the “free work” of children in a “prepared environment” while limiting the direct influence of the teacher.

Methods of education in different periods of development:

From 0 to 6 years old, educational methods are used: observation; Giving help; display; offering material with a focus on the zone of proximal development; maintaining order and working atmosphere; individual exercises with the whole group.

From 6 to 12 years old, educational methods are used: observation; assistance in independent study of the material; from general to specific, from whole to detail: presentation of general schemes; awakening and active use of the power of imagination; group classes.

From 12 to 18 years old, educational methods are used: assistance in independent study; assistance in mastering the basics of professions; alternating educational activities with practical work; awakening interest in various types of practical activities and sciences; orientation of students in educational material.

The Montessori child development system is based on the following principles:

The child is active. The role of the adult directly in the learning event is secondary. He is a helper, not a mentor.
The child is his own teacher. He has complete freedom of choice and action.
Children teach children. Since children of different ages study in groups, older children become teachers, while they learn to care for others, and younger children follow the elders.
Children make their own decisions.
Classes take place in a specially prepared environment.
The child needs to be interested, and he will develop himself.
Full self-development is a consequence of freedom in actions, thinking, and feelings.
A child becomes himself when we follow the instructions of nature, and do not go against them.
Respect for children - absence of prohibitions, criticism and instructions.

A child has the right to make mistakes and figure everything out on his own. The development of children according to the Montessori system implies that the child learns, first of all, by playing with objects. The subject of the game can be any thing: a basin, a sieve, a glass, a spoon, a napkin, a sponge, cereal, water, etc. But there are also special classic Montessori materials - the famous Pink Tower, Brown Ladder, insert molds, etc.

Any exercise with Montessori didactic material has two goals: direct and indirect. The first promotes the child’s actual movement (unfastening and fastening buttons, finding identical sounding cylinders), and the second is aimed at the future (development of independence, coordination of movements, refinement of hearing).

Classes in a Montessori group begin with free work. Each didactic material in the group has its own algorithm of work, and if the child took this or that material for the first time, the teacher gives a presentation of the material. The classes also include Circle. This is a gathering place for children where the current situation is discussed. The child retains the right to express himself independently, the “Circle” ends and the children begin a creative task that corresponds to the theme of the “Circle”.

There are certain rules in the group; over time, the older children teach the newly arrived children. Also, one of the main features of the group is the diversity of ages of students. Younger children are drawn to older ones, and they, in turn, protect and help the younger ones, which teaches them tolerance.

In the kindergarten, working according to the Montessori system, there are 18 people in the group of different ages, from 3 to 6 years.

Montessori group lessons include:

work in a Montessori environment;

circle of acquaintance with the outside world;
creative workshop;
visiting a fairy tale;
aerobics for kids.

Free work with Montessori materials is individual work in a specially prepared Montessori development environment aimed at the comprehensive development of the child.

The circle is a special form of work in the Montessori method. It includes a greeting - an “emotional” start to work, children greeting their friends and teachers; finger games; nursery rhymes; acquaintance with the outside world, with social reality.

A creative workshop is the use of various techniques in an accessible form: drawing with palms, using foam sponges, a stencil; modeling from plasticine and salt dough, coloring; cutting; gluing, etc. This activity is aimed at developing fine motor skills, creative thinking and aesthetic perception.

Visiting a fairy tale - in class, the teacher shows children a fairy tale, which is aimed at developing speech, understanding and identifying cause-and-effect relationships and patterns.

Aerobics for kids is the organization of physical education and health activities for children: walking, running, outdoor games, elements of aerobics and gymnastics, exercises with a stick and fit ball, dance movements - all this helps children acquire health, beauty, harmony.

To assist the self-development of a child from 3 to 6 years old, educational sections of the “prepared environment” are used, divided into zones:

Exercise area in everyday life - materials with which the child learns to take care of himself and his things, i.e. what you need in everyday life.
The sensory education zone is intended for the development and refinement of the perception of the senses, the study of sizes, shapes, etc.
Mathematical zone - for understanding ordinal counting, numbers, composition of numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division.
The native language zone is designed to expand vocabulary, familiarize yourself with letters, phonetics, understand the composition of words and their spelling.
The Space Zone is intended for getting acquainted with the surrounding world and the significance of the role of man in it, for mastering the basics of botany, zoology, anatomy, geography, physics, and astronomy.

Within each section, materials are ordered by degree of difficulty.

Materials developed by M. Montessori for the development of the senses are still produced today. Montessori came up with a “magic bag” (made of fabric), which is widely used in kindergartens, into which they put various small things that children recognize by touch. A huge advantage of the method is the continuity of learning between preschool and school age, the unity of requirements for children in the orphanage and Montessori primary school.

Disadvantages of the M. Montessori system

Like any system, this also has its disadvantages:

1. The system concentrates only on the development of intelligence and practical skills. Exercises and didactic materials are aimed at developing analytical thinking, logic and motor activity.

2.The system does not contain role-playing or active games.

3. Denial of creativity as an obstacle to the mental development of children (while research by psychologists suggests the opposite). It should be noted that the last two disadvantages are compensated by the fact that in Montessori kindergartens they necessarily create ordinary playrooms, and the child does not spend all his time in the kindergarten.

4.After the democratic Montessori system, it is difficult for children to get used to maintaining discipline in ordinary kindergartens and schools.

Commandments of Maria Montessori:

Never touch a child until he himself contacts you (in some form)
Never speak badly about a child, either in front of him or without him.
Concentrate on developing the good in the child, so that in the end there will be less and less room for the bad.
Be proactive in preparing your environment. Take constant meticulous care of her. Help your child establish constructive interactions with her. Show the place of each developmental material and the correct ways to work with it.
Be ready to respond to the call of a child who needs you, always listen and respond to the child who turns to you.
Respect the child who made a mistake and will be able to correct it now or a little later, but immediately firmly stop any incorrect use of the material and any action that threatens the safety of the child himself or other children, or his development.
Respect the child resting or watching others at work, or thinking about what he has done or is about to do. Never call him or force him to take other active actions.
Help those who are looking for a job and cannot choose one.
Be tireless, repeating presentations to the child that he had previously refused, helping the child to master previously unmastered things and overcome imperfections. Do this by filling the world around you with care, restraint and silence, mercy and love. Make your willingness to help obvious to the child who is searching, but invisible to the child who has already found everything.
Always use your best manners when dealing with your child and offer him the best of you and the best of what you have at your disposal.

Reading and writing

M. Montessori proposed teaching children to read through writing. Only after mastering writing do children learn to read on their own. Learning to write mainly comes down to tracing the outline of letter shapes and feeling them (vowels and consonants are covered with different materials and colors). This is how the child learns and remembers capital letters. Having studied a certain number of letters, the child tries to form words from them. Words in Italian (as in Russian) are read the same way they are written, i.e. Each letter has its own specific sound. Having composed a word from several familiar letters, a child can easily read it. Therefore, learning to read after mastering writing is not difficult for a child.

No one specifically sits a child down and teaches him to write letters, or forces him to cram. The child learns to write of his own free will, which is a distinctive feature of this method.

However, reading according to Montessori (from 3-4 years old) can lead to the same result as in other early learning methods - reading does not translate into understanding. Children do not understand the meaning of what they read. Reading is only a mechanical reproduction of sounds, but the child’s “head” not only does not retain the knowledge of what he has read, but it is not even imagined. M. Montessori herself writes about this:

“Phrase reading games. When friends learned that my children could already read print, they gave us beautifully illustrated books. After looking through these books with simple fairy tales, I became convinced that our students are not yet able to understand them. The teachers, on the contrary, were so proud of the successes of their students that they tried to convince me and forced the children to read aloud in front of me, while claiming that they read much better than second-grade elementary school students.
But I did not let myself be deceived and conducted two experiments. I asked the teacher to read one of these fairy tales to the children, and at the same time I observed how interested the children were in it. After just a few sentences, the children's interest waned. I forbade the teacher from calling those who were not listening to order, and gradually the class was filled with noise: the children, who were not interested in listening to the story, returned to their previous activities.
It was obvious that the children who, it seemed to us, read these books with such pleasure, were not at all interested in the content, but only in the mechanical skill that they had mastered and which consisted of translating graphic signs into the sounds of words they recognized. In addition, they read books with much less consistency than word cards, since they encountered too many unfamiliar words in the books...
I gave the child a book, sat down in a friendly manner next to him, and when he finished reading, I simply and calmly asked him, like a friend: “Did you understand what you read?” - to which he replied: “No.” It was clear from the expression on his face that he didn’t even understand why I was asking this.”

This is not a problem with the Montessori method itself, it is a problem with all too early methods of teaching reading. Therefore, parents do not need to run ahead of the child’s brain development and force him to learn to read before his organic abilities. Early learning to read can be harmful to a child; he will learn to read incorrectly and will have to relearn, which is much more difficult than learning from scratch, but at a more appropriate age.

Reviews and comments

What do you think about the Montessori method? Are you a supporter or an opponent? Share in the comments to this article. It will also be interesting to know about your experience of raising a child using such a system.

We also recommend reading:

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Masaru Ibuka “After three it’s too late” - summary
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Teaching ideology of Leo Tolstoy
Piaget's theory of cognitive development
Koos Cubes
How to teach a child to read: rules, tips and tricks
Glenn Doman “Harmonious development of the child” - summary
How to raise a child correctly?
Alternative education: advantages and disadvantages
How to teach a child to pronounce the sound “R”

Key words:1Children

Why do you need a teacher if he does not interfere in the process?

The main function of the teacher is the correct organization of the environment in accordance with the age and sensitive periods of children’s development. In the most visible and accessible places there should be toys and objects that are most relevant for children of this age.

The second task of the teacher is to help the child if he asks for it. For example, a child may ask to name, tell or do something that he himself cannot yet do. At the same time, the adult tries not to do it for the child, but to help him learn to do it on his own.

The third function is observation. By observing children, an adult can draw conclusions about what the child is more drawn to and try to enrich the environment in this direction. And activities that have never come into the child’s field of vision can be placed in the most visible and accessible place so that they can be tried out. Just like in any children's group, it is necessary to maintain order so that the children do not offend each other, learn to negotiate and interact.

What does this type of education give to children?

Classes according to the Montessori system allow children to realize their natural cognitive interests at their own pace and rhythm. Unlike traditional classes, in the Montessori environment for the little ones it is almost never boring or uninteresting; here everyone finds materials and games to their liking. The system perfectly develops independence; a very small child can already sweep the floor or wash small items.