Dr Maria Montessori & Her Method

The Pier School - Dr Maria MontessoriDr Maria Montessori, the first female doctor in Italy, founded the Montessori Method of Education in 1907. After her graduation from the University, she got employed as an Assistant doctor in the University of Rome Hospital. There, she met children with learning difficulties and developmental delays. She was concerned that these children received neither education nor stimulation. This prompted her to do some research work on how to effectively stimulate and educate them.

After her research, she developed some teaching aids (which she called didactic materials) with which she stimulated and educated them, and brought them to par with other (steady) children. This was the beginning of Dr. Montessori’s interest in Education. In 1901, she left the field of Medicine to study anthropology, educational philosophy and experimental psychology, and in 1907 she started her first classroom, “Casa dei Bambini” (Children’s House) in San Lorenzo, Italy. She adapted some of the methods she had used with the special needs children, in the new school and further developed more learning materials that awakened their desire to learn. She achieved such great results with the Children’s House that news of the outcome of her method spread through Italy, and by 1910 Montessori schools had become acclaimed worldwide.

During her research and work with children, Dr. Montessori discovered that children demonstrate an amazing ability and capacity to learn from birth to six years. She found that at this plane of development, they are able to take in a lot of information effortlessly through their senses (just by living) and that there is no limit to the amount of information their minds (which she likened to a sponge) can absorb. This is how they learn to imitate people, acquire language(s), develop movement, learn social skills and gain knowledge of the world’s customs, values and systems.

This is why the Montessori learning environment at The Pier School has been designed to offer children countless and limitless opportunities to acquire as much knowledge as they are capable of taking in.

HOW IS THE MONTESSORI METHOD DIFFERENT FROM THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD OF EDUCATION?
Here are a few attributes that stand out the Montessori method and some of the ways it differs from the conventional method of education:

 

Montessori Method

Conventional Method
  • Learning takes place mostly on a one-to-one basis. This puts every child in control of setting his learning pace and ensures that all learning needs are fully satisfied.
  • Learning takes place mostly in groups and as such, a child’s learning pace is set by the group. Some children’s learning needs may not be fully met or satisfied.
  • Children complete their work cycle with little or no interruption from the teacher who takes on the role of an observer while children work. This builds and enhances children’s concentration.
  • There are more frequent interruption from teachers during a child’s work cycle.
  • Children learn in mixed age groups. This encourages them to teach and help one another, reinforcing learning and fostering co-operation amongst them.
  • Children learn in fixed/single age groups.
  • Children have the freedom to move around and they are guided to choose any work in any work area within their classroom.
  • Children have assigned seats and they are expected to sit still in them while specific tasks are assigned to them by their teacher.
  • Children are encouraged to carry out tasks by themselves. This helps build self-confidence and creativity.
  • There is a lot of adult assistance which may inhibit creativity and allow over dependence on adults.
  • Curriculum includes learning practical life skills of care of self and the environment (like serving meals, wiping tables, watering plants, feeding pets, etc.). This encourages independence and helps build good work habit from an early age.
  • Children learn care of self and the environment after preschool age or much later.
  • Children have the freedom to repeat activities and work for as long as they want on a task provided learning is still taking place.
  • Teachers determine the duration of each child’s tasks/activities; this may truncate learning.
  • Children are guided to discover concepts by themselves from self-teaching materials and also self-correct errors from the same materials.
  • Teachers teach concepts and correct children’s errors.
  • Teachers act as guides in a Montessori classroom. They observe and direct children’s activities.
  • Teachers influence and control children’s activities.
  • The Montessori method and environment encourage self-discipline.
  • Teachers enforce discipline.

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Team

Our management team is made up of the school director and an advisory board. The school director manages the affairs of The Pier School with the vast wealth of insights provided by the advisory board on educational management, excellent educational service delivery, technologically enhanced education delivery, business improvement, legal perspectives, good governance, growth, and sustainability.

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