THE
SUMMARY OF
THE MONTESSORI METHOD
Compiled to Fulfill the Assignment
of Children Language Acquisition
By:
NURNA K
IFTI LD
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS
YOGYAKARTA STATE UNIVERSITY
2017
A.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE EXPERT
Maria Montessori was born on the 31st
August 1870 in the town of Chiaravalle, Italy. In 1890, Montessori enrolled at
the University of Rome to study physics, mathematics and natural sciences. After that, she entered the Faculty of
Medicine, and on the 10th July 1896 became the first woman to
qualify as a doctor in Italy later.
Dr. Maria Montessori initially devised her teaching philosophy
in 1896
while working with special needs children in the Psychiatric Department at the
University of Rome. Although her patients were diagnosed as mentally
deficient and unable to learn, within two years of Montessori’s
instruction, the children were able to successfully complete
Italy’s standardized public school exams (International Montessori
Index, 2006)
In
1898 Montessori’s work with the asylum children was asked to address the
National Medical Congress in
Turin, where she advocated the controversial theory that the lack of adequate
provision for retarded and disturbed children was a cause of their delinquency.
Then Montessori’s involvement with the National
League for the Education of Retarded Children led to her appointment as
co-director, with Guisseppe Montesano, of a new institution called the Orthophrenic
School.
In 1901 Montessori left the Orthophrenic School and
immersed herself in her own studies of educational philosophy and anthropology.
In 1904 she took up a post as a lecturer at the Pedagogic School of the
University of Rome, which she held until 1908.
On the 6th January 1907 she established her first Casa
dei Bambini or ‘Children’s House’. She designed many different activities and
other materials into the children’s environment. News of Montessori’s new approach
spread rapidly. In the summer of 1909 Dr Montessori gave the first training
course in her approach to around 100 students and her book translated into 20
different languages.
B.
MAIN CONCEPTS/THEORIES
Montessori
Method also known as individual learning or progressive learning in which the
students learn at their own way through manipulation of objects including
wooden letters and numbers, cylinders, blocks, beads, rods, puzzles, gymnastic
equipment, metal objects, and households items. This method is based on the
Montessori’s belief in a sensory-based pedagogy. Montessori belief that
students should find their own pace to gain knowledge and develop their
naturally emerging capacities, so that they can explore the class freely. It
was applied in the first three-years to six years. In Montessori Method there
is a system for teaching learning disabled students. This program is designed
to help the children who have insufficiencies in motor or sensory skills,
language acquisition, perceptual development and/ or cooperative behavior using
the same principles that are mentioned above.
Montessori Method also used respiratory
gymnastic exercise not only to teach of breathing, but also to prepare the
organs used in the formation or language. There are two periods in development
of language: a lower one which prepares the nervous channel and the central
mechanisms which are to put the sensory channels in relation with the motor
channels; and a higher one determined by the higher psychic activities which
are exteriorized by means of the preformed mechanisms of language. The
development of articulate language takes place in the period between the age of
two and the age of seven. At this age that it is possible to acquire all the
characteristic modulations of a language which it would be vain to attempt to
establish later. Montessori also used didactic materials (self-correcting
learning) based on the students’ needs.
C.
SUPPORTERS, OPPONENTS/CRITICS
Efficacy
Drs.
Angeline Lillard of and Nicole Else-Quest stated that:
Ø Montessori classrooms produced results that were
found to be academically and socially superior to traditional programs.
Ø Montessori students were better
at “controlling their attention during novel tasks, solving social problems and
playing cooperatively” (Bower, 2006 p. 212)
Ø Montessori kindergarten students
scored higher than their peers in public and private schools on standardized
math and reading tests.
Ø Montessori elementary students were able to write
essays with more imagination and depth than their peers in public and private
school (cited in Bower, 2006, p. 212).
Critics
Many
opponents argue that the Montessori Method cannot be accepted as a legitimate
pedagogy due to the lack of standardized concepts and training methods. Of the
5,000 schools in the United States using Montessori programs, only 20% are
formally associated with an official Montessori governing or sanctioning body
and 60% of Montessori schools are completely unaffiliated to an academic or
professional institution that usually assists in curriculum development and
evaluation (Ruenzel, 1997, p. 30).
Moreover,
the name and method known as “Montessori” have never been formally licensed or
trademarked, so anyone can open a Montessori-based school without having to
follow standard curriculum guidelines.
Although
the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE), was formed
in 1991 to help train teachers and provide common standards, there is currently
no agreed-upon model or standards of assessment and no formal training
guidelines for teachers (Schapiro, 1993). Without a formal definition of the
curriculum and desired outcomes, it is difficult to properly assess the method
with accuracy.
Valerie
Polakow’s book The Erosion of Childhood offers a scathing critique of
Montessori methods in the Midwest noting that, “the school imposed an
adult-defined work ethic on children, socialized children to engage in work in
isolation from others,” and produced “a work ethic where productivity,
efficiency and conformity are perceived as synonymous with healthy development”
(cited in Crain, 2004, p. 2). However, Montessori educators argue that although
students may choose to work alone, they are allowed to interact with their
peers about different topics during the activities.
Other
critics describe the Montessori Method as “mechanistic,” “cold,” “too
academic,” and as “not meeting the developmentally appropriate needs of the
child” (Ruenzel, 1997, p. 32).
D.
TERMS/JARGON
The Five Great Lessons
The
purpose of the Five Great Lessons is to introduce pupils to the universe,
initiate their love for exploration of the world around them, inspire them and
learn them. After hearing the stories, children are keen to find out more
information and discover answers to their questions by dealing with other subjects in the curriculum, such
as history, math, science, language arts, music and geography.
The
First Great Lesson is “The Beginning of the Universe and Earth”. Children are
shown how the universe, solar system were created and how the earth developed.
It leads to further study of astronomy, chemistry, physics, geology, geography,
etc.
The
Second Great Lesson tells the story about “Coming of Life”. The earliest life
forms and their adaptation to changing conditions are described. This lesson
introduces to study sciences such as biology, botany, etc. The Third Great
Lesson called “Coming of Human Beings” speaks about the early beginning of
humans on earth and their special gifts-a mind for imagination, a hand for
work, and a heart for love. This lesson supports children to deal with the
history of beginning the ancient civilizations, culture, social studies, and
inventions.
The
Fourth Great Lesson is “How Writing Began”. It is the story about the
development of the written alphabet. This is an introduction to the study of
reading, writing, language, and the structure of language.
The
Fifth Great Lesson, “The Story of Numbers”, explains how people invented
numbers, numeric systems and mathematics. Further, children can study
mathematics, numbers, geometry, applications of mathematics (estimation, money
concept, etc.).
E.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE THEORY/CONCEPT
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Although
the Montessori Method has been largely embraced in the United States, its
pedagogical principles have never been formally accepted by administrators and
policymakers in traditional/ mainstream school systems. Due to its lack of
academic assessment, it is largely neglected by scholars. The dearth of
empirical data in the field prevents researchers from drawing accurate
conclusions about the validity of the method (which limits institutional
funding and support). However, the success and growth of Montessori in this
country to this point has been achieved with almost no assistance from the
government and the educational establishment (Schapiro, 1993).
Programs
are also restricted due to the lack of trained Montessori professionals, the
costs of implementing and maintaining new programs and the reluctance of administrators
to embrace an ideology that deviates so far from traditional subject-based
pedagogy. Other limitations result from Maria Montessori’s belief that that she
was the only person who was qualified to train other Montessori educators, and
that learning tools must be limited to the original objects she designed
(Crain, 2004). Despite these limitations, Montessori programs continue to
flourish in all levels of private and public schools systems in the United
States and abroad
F.
IMPLICATION FOR EDUCATION/CLASSROOM PRACTICE
Teacher
can use Montessori Method in the classroom by adapting it with the condition
nowadays. Teacher can let the students do brainstorming before the class begun.
It is to improve the students’ critical thinking, to attract students’
attention and to engage the students in the classroom activity. Teacher guides
the students to express their ideas freely and to find their own way to
understand the knowledge.
G.
REFERENCES
Holfester, Chris. 2008.The Montessori Method. EBSCO Research Starters: EBSCO Publishing
Isaacs, Barbara. 2012.Learning and teaching in Montessori Nurseries. Routledge
Montessori article. A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori.
Australia: Montessori Australia Foundation montessori.org.au
Schilling, Katarina.2011. Montessori Approach to
Teaching/Learning and Use of Didactic Materials. University
of Manitoba
Lněničková, Irena.2015.Montessori Language Teaching: Materials
Analysis and Evaluation. Brno: Masarykova
univerzita, Pedagogická fakulta.
Montessori, Maria.
1912. The Montessori Method. New
York: FASC
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