Dr. Maria Montessori (pronounced MON tuh SORE ee) placed a tremendous value on teaching children human relations and conflict resolution skills, nonviolence, leadership training and the ability to work together in cooperative teams, while communicating clearly. "Peace education is as vital an element of our curriculum as math and science," writes Tim Seldin, president, The Montessori Foundation and chair, The International Montessori Council.
Tomorrow’s Child (Fall, 2001), a magazine for Montessori families, focused on the way that Montessori students worldwide are taught that "peace begins with me." The issue further shared stories from Montessori schools around the world on how they incorporate peacemaking into their curriculum.
Paul Clement Czaja, head of the Elementary Workshop in Wilmington, Deleware, shares a “Montessori primer.” He reflects on how Maria Montessori left a thriving, lucrative medical career in Rome to become an "impoverished, itinerant educator of young children." She actually became one of the foremost educational reformers of the century, single handedly taking on the system of mass education and advocating the needs of indvidual children.
Montessori observed that children lose their individual identity when grouped in large masses of same aged children, pushed to study the same topic as everyone else, at everyone else's pace. Montessori experiemented with and "formalized learning environments in which children could be grouped within developmental age spans, as they are naturally found within a family or neighborhood."
In this model "communities of learners" are formed, in which older students mentor younger students and a caring dynamic is formed.
Montessori learning is so successful, claims Czaja, because "it knows how to make learning fit each child so very well." Even when the learning work is hard and full of concentration, and much mental energy exerted, it feels good... it feels like play.
Montessori discovered that children have an innate love of learning. Eager to explore their environment and uncover its secrets, children are capable of intense concentration on individual work and cooperate well with others in group learning.
Under the guidance of a trained teacher, children in a Montessori classroom learn by making discoveries with the materials, cultivating concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a love of learning.
In a Montessori setting, children develop a strong sense of respect for themselves, for others, and for their environment.
The classroom is divided into four main areas: practical life, sensorial, math, and language. Parts of each room are also devoted to art, science and geography. The classroom is scaled to the size of the children and arranged with materials and activities that are enticing and enjoyable.
Non-competitive design helps build a strong sense of personal value as well as respect for others; each child feels the joy that comes naturally from mastering a skill, and learns not for the sake of approval by teachers or peers or domination over others, but for the love of learning itself.
Montessori children of all ages work and play together - older children teach younger ones, allowing each child to advance at her own pace without being compared to others. Multi-culturalism and the celebration of diversity are embedded into the self-directed curriculum.
Montessori schools are found worldwide, serving children from birth through adolescence. In the United States, there are more than 4,000 private Montessori schools and more than 200 public schools with Montessori-styled programs.
A child of preschool or kindergarten age learns by doing. The Montessori classroom is carefully prepared to allow the child to explore and discover through his or his/her own activity. The child's natural curiosity and joy in learning is nurtured and encouraged.
Practical Life Experiences
For a young child there is something special about tasks which an adult considers ordinary: washing dishes, paring fruits, polishing silver, etc. These tasks provide an opportunity for the child to contribute to his or her family, classroom, and larger society.
In this area of the classroom children perfect their coordination and become absorbed in an activity. They gradually lengthen their span of concentration. They also learn to pay attention to details as they sequence activity.
Sensorial Experiences
The sensorial materials help children to relate new information to what they already know. Children learn fine discrimination of color, size, texture, and sound through exploration, language, and games.
Mathematics
Children who become interested in counting like to touch and move items as they enumerate them. By combining concrete quantities, separating them, sharing them, and counting them children demonstrate for themselves the basic operations of mathematics. Counting games become an everyday activity in the classroom.
Language
Children in a Montessori classroom are encouraged to express themselves freely. There is a great deal of story telling by the children and the teacher. There are also many opportunities for the expansion of vocabulary through daily activity.
Children are introduced to the sounds of the language through games and materials. Proceeding at their own pace, they are introduced to the skills necessary for writing and reading.
Physical Geography
The large wooden puzzle maps are among the most popular materials in the classroom. Gradually children learn the names of the continents and countries as well as information about climate regions and products. Children also learn the common land formations.
Cultural Awareness
The children gain knowledge about the world around them by exploring other countries: their customs, food, music, climate, language, animals, and plants.
Cooking and Nutrition
The children study the basic food groups and learn what their bodies need in order to be healthy. They cook nutritious meals that revolve around their studies of other countries.
Arts and Crafts
Art in the preschool environment strives to encourage the child's own joyful expression. Children have the freedom to explore imagination through a variety of media. The emphasis is on the creative process.
Music and Creative Movement
The most appealing musical element to young children is rhythm, and the natural response to rhythm is physical. Therefore, the body is the child's first instrument through which the rhythms of music are reflected and interpreted. Children in the class are introduced to many songs and dance. Children are also introduced to the instruments of the orchestra and their unique sounds.
Science and Nature
The natural environment is an extension of the classroom, and the school encourages the exploration of the outdoors. Discovery projects and experiments stimulate a child's natural curiosity. The plant and animal kingdoms are studied to foster an appreciation for all living things.
