Montessori

Maria Montessori was an Italian educator known for her philosophy of education known as The Montessori Method. From her writings, I gleamed several things:

• Montessori began a lesson where she hoped to teach children to read the names of simple toys and games. If they were able to read the name of the toy, they could play with the toy as long as they wanted. After awhile, though, the children did not want to "waste their time" playing with the toys. They begged for new words! As educators, we should realize the importance of extrinsic rewards in certain situations, but often the gift of knowledge in itself is enough to reward the child. These children were overjoyed to read the knew words!

• The gift that teachers give children through teaching them to read is invaluable even outside of the school. Montessori noted that when her students began to read, their mothers would tell her stories about how their children were no longer running through the streets, but rather stopping to read the signs along the way.

• Although a child may be able to read, he or she may not actually be comprehending what they are reading. Montessori noted that she conducted a test where she had her student read a book to her and did not stop the child all the way through. At the end of the book, she asked the boy if he understood what he was reading. The boy responded, "No." The child did not yet understand that words actually conveyed meaning and were used to communicate ideas.

• One of the most important ideas that Montessori mentioned was the idea that children must arrive spontaneously at knowledge. Learning, reading, and writing can not be forced upon a child. All children learn at different rates and in different ways. When students come upon knowledge spontaneously, it is better received by the student, and often even more rewarding for the teacher.

• The most interesting part of the article was when Montessori described the moment she knew that her students were finally beginning to understand that the written and read language was actually conveyed meaning. She would write actions on the board, and the students suddenly began to respond! If she wrote a question, the students would reply aloud. If she told them to read the sentence silently, they would begin reading aloud until they read the word "silently" and would suddenly be silent. Montessori taught her children how to receive ideas mentally, not vocally.