Montessori Revisited

by Mary M. Gaines, Head, Metropolitan Montessori School

A former Montessori teacher, Alice Waters recently described how her Montessori training came to influence her work as the founder of the famous Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California. New employees take a "sensory tour" of the restaurant, walking into refrigerators, through kitchens and meat-curing stations, and even out to the garbage area to see the composting kitchen scraps. "When all our senses are wide open," she said, "information floods in, reason dawns, and we learn that we're connected to one another."

This idea of education as a natural process of making connections through observing, touching, and opening the senses owes its genesis to Dr. Maria Montessori, the first female physician in Italy. More than a century ago, Dr. Montessori observed how children appreciate their natural environment and how they need to move as they explore the world around them. To encourage this innate curiosity she developed materials and learning activities that invited hands-on exploration and problem solving. Children had some choice in their activities and found personal relevance in what they learned.

As U.S. educators, politicians and parents struggle to find new solutions to the crisis in education, Montessori philosophy is once again being examined as a viable model for both public and private schools. Dr. Montessori's work experienced a similar revival in the 1960's. After the launching of Sputnik in 1957, democratically inspired Montessori schools grew up around the country and the American Montessori Society (AMS) was founded as an offshoot of its European parent, the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). All seemed set for the practical intelligence and beauty of the Montessori method to challenge and transform traditional education.

Some of Dr. Montessori's revolutionary ideas have long been incorporated into mainstream educational practice. Classroom instruction tailored to individual students, child-sized furniture, math and language materials (such as beads and the cut-out letters of the Montessori moveable alphabet) and flexible scheduling are all Montessori-inspired concepts that are commonly seen in educational programs. Like most well-developed philosophies containing subtle nuances, what Montessori practice looks like can change from culture to culture and school to school. Thus, Montessori continues to be viewed as a progressive educational alternative, although there is much confusion about what it means.

A striking characteristic of a Montessori classroom is the natural, elegant manipulative materials. Another important feature is the mixed ages in the classroom, with groupings within the spans of ages 3 to 6, 6 to 9, and 9 to 12 years old. These social groupings encourage a rich variety of interaction. To maintain a critical number of same-age peers, classes tend to be larger than typical which may lead parents to worry about the amount of attention their children will receive. The reality is that the youngest child needs more teacher support at first, while learning the procedures and habits of the classroom. As soon as young students know their way around, they too are motivated to work more independently. The youngest also receive help from the older children and, by the time they reach their third year, they become the helpers and role models for the new students. This social dynamic offers extraordinary learning opportunities, encourages cooperation and acceptance of learning differences and discourages competition in favor of personal excellence.

Other core principles of Montessori philosophy involve the importance of teaching according to the developmental timetable of the child, nurturing respect for all things, concentration, self-discipline, community and an awareness of the world at large. Because these values are bolstered with intensive teacher training, technical language and complex materials, the method becomes less accessible to the layperson. The Montessori teacher can tend to be seen as someone outside of the conventional educational mainstream because he or she has adapted a philosophy not only of teaching but of living as well. A focus on order, responsibility, care of self and care of the environment are values that are held by adults and modeled to the children.

I grew up in Europe and went to a Montessori school in Belgium through elementary. At age four, I was presented with Montessori materials that offered the opportunity to continue my learning before I even understood the language. I still recall the satisfaction I felt in mastering the practical life, sensorial and geometry materials despite the language barrier. I was entrusted with important jobs as well; I gathered lunch scraps in a bucket and went outside to feed the ducks and chickens. (The Health Department was more relaxed there.) Care of the environment was taken very seriously. With my own red tin of polish and a soft orange rag, I proudly took my place as a member of the floor polishing team. When polishing day finally arrived, my classmates and I were allowed to rub and buff the floor of the assembly hall to our hearts' content. What fun it was to glide around in my socked feet confirming a job well done - and, oh how it shined! All of this important work and excitement took place under the kindly but firm supervision of an experienced six-year-old classmate. I was serious, joyful, industrious and, above all, so proud of the important service I was providing to the larger community. I functioned virtually independently in a school that seemed magically prepared for my particular learning needs. I, and countless other adults who went to Montessori schools, will tell you that the classroom materials have archetypal resonance. The subtle richness of the color tablets and the elegant simplicity of the pink tower call out to be touched and explored. The rooms are rich and detailed, with real wood, glass, plants and animals, books and paints, globes and brooms, brass polish, measuring cups and flags ( so much to touch and learn about.) I learned there that I could move independently and have great impact on a complex, varied environment. I felt inspired by opportunity, freed and yet made responsible by choice. Above all, I was a useful person, I belonged and I was having a lot of fun. All this at age four and I hadn't yet been able to fully speak their language.

The power of the method comes from the inherent respect given to both child and teacher. The Montessori method respects children by allowing them to engage in real activities using real materials in a prepared environment that offers clear choices within limits. The method emphasizes freedom with responsibility and a job well done with further opportunity for learning and growing as the intrinsic reward. Montessori children show this self-confidence whether in a classroom in New York City, Mumbai or Brussels. A Montessori classroom is a rich, orderly environment offering the chance to learn how to care for, trust and connect with your self, your classmates and the larger community.

So why has Montessori remained a "progressive alternative" to the mainstream? The reasons are varied. The first is the sheer amount of teacher and classroom preparation that is required. Further detailed attention must be paid to each individual, both within the context of the three-year span and the larger community. This dual focus, between the individual and the community, requires profound care and commitment on the part of the teachers and parents to developing a confident, gentle and respectful human being. This depth and length of commitment does not always satisfy a culture eager for quick solutions. Teachers and parents must truly collaborate. Perhaps another reason why Montessori is more diffuse is because the manipulatives and rich classroom materials were made in Europe, were harder to come by and required significant initial financial investment. The original math beads were made out of glass, and the geometry materials were crafted out of wood and metal. Today, there are U.S. manufacturers who sell more affordable materials. The language used to describe these Montessori materials tends to be evocative but somewhat unfamiliar. While the children relish wrapping their tongues around words like "binomial cube" and "metal insets", this language is unfamiliar to the layperson. It has been said that while most children recognize a four-leafed clover, Montessori children also see a quatrefoil. The impressive stories that are often associated with Montessori about accelerated learning are merely the possibilities inherent in a method that respects a child's true capabilities.

Once seen in action, Montessori reveals itself as a natural, logical and exciting way to learn. Any parent interested in exploring the Montessori method should ignore the various reputations of rigidity or progressiveness and visit each school independently. Start by checking with the North American Montessori Teachers Association (www.montessori-namta.org), the American Montessori Society (www.amshq.org) and the Association Montessori International (www.montessori.ami.org) or read Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius (2005) by Angeline Stoll Lillard. You will find examples of research done on the theory, practice and outcomes of Montessori education and what is sometimes lacking in traditional education.

But most importantly, visit several Montessori schools and keep in mind that Dr. Montessori developed her brilliant method through simple, consistent and accurate observation. Parents should see it to believe it.