Montessori Method: How To Apply It In Early Childhood Education And In The Classroom
Educating boys and girls is far from being just a technical task, based on applying a series of steps to follow that are very clear from the beginning and that no one discusses. Quite the opposite: the way we educate says a lot about how we see the world, and even about our philosophy of life and way of understanding what the human mind, childhood, and learning are.
Taking this into account, Montessori Pedagogy has established itself as one of the alternative proposals to the conventional educational model that is most critical of the idea that in every class there must be a teacher who teaches a subject and children who memorize and obey. Through the Montessori method, a way of educating is proposed that emphasizes the ability of children to be actively involved in their own maturational development and psychological and cultural enrichment.
In this article we will see what they are the key ideas from which the Montessori method can be applied both in educational centers and at home.
One of the principles on which Montessori Pedagogy is based is that there are no predefined learning “packs” that, by being applied to any situation in which there are students, allow them to be educated in the optimal way. Precisely, what it points out is that adapting in real time to the needs and characteristics of the students should be the norm, and not the exception. Therefore, the ideas that you will find below should not be understood as elements of an instruction manual, but rather general indications that give an idea of the philosophy behind the Montessori method.
1. Education must be understood as an interaction, not a transmission of information
Maria Montessori harshly criticized the approach according to which the task of school teachers is to “manage” the information that makes up the educational curriculum, like someone who transmits news. Educating is not about transmitting data, but about establishing a dialogue between the two parties, a link that by its very nature forces all the people involved to readjust their beliefs, their expectations, and their way of intervening in the conversation. The student cannot be a passive subject who “stores” knowledge from outside, and the educator must also learn from his students if he wants to do his job well.
2. The environment must be physically transformed according to the interests and concerns of the student
The educational context does not have to be limited to the world of words; The classroom can be a place where there are various material resources that are accessible and have potential as a means to educate. Now, the simple fact of offering many objects or electronic devices to a child or adolescent does not have to be positive, and in fact, can be a distracting factor All educational material must be justified, and limitations can also be an aid to thinking creatively.
3. Don’t interrupt the flow of autonomous learning
A fluid class is one in which children do not see their attempts to learn constantly interrupted due to the methodological limitations of the teaching team. This means, for example, that Breaks do not have to be imposed unilaterally since otherwise the students’ involvement in those learning experiences that they find so motivating and stimulating that they get lost in them are not rewarded.
4. Rules and limitations must always have a clear justification
In many ways, the conventional model of education applies rules simply to demonstrate the authority of teachers. It is true that It would be impossible (and negligent) to educate without applying any type of rules but these must be required for truly structural and necessary reasons.
5. Avoid the bombardment of stimuli
As we mentioned before, the educational space must allow the immersion of students in those subjects they are learning, which is incompatible with classrooms full of distractors or even with the idea that in order not to offer boring master classes a school must be something similar to a poorly managed toy library.
6. The indications must go hand in hand with the possibility of exploring
You don’t have to give things half solved, nor adopt a passive role to see how children educate themselves. In Montessori Pedagogy Educators have no more or less important role than in “normal” schools they simply start from a qualitatively different approach, without this implying that they hardly have to do anything.
