The Montessori method
The Montessori teaching method owes its name to the well-known Italian doctor María Montessori, a pioneer in the field of education who was the first woman in her country to achieve a medical degree. The method is over 100 years old, but it is still one of the most effective teaching modes today.
Examples of the Montessori method can be seen in preschool, and it continues throughout the educational process to achieve a development of freedom within controlled parameters. It has also been very effective in special education strategies.
What is the Montessori method?
In essence, the Montessori method is based on the observation of children’s ability to “absorb like sponges”, as María herself commented, everything that is around them, in addition to various materials that they can manipulate and arouse their interest. What a child does naturally without the help of an older person is used, so that they themselves can be their own teachers.
What is the Montessori method also about? In the love and understanding that children, no matter how young, are individuals with autonomy; This is one of the foundations of this method and one of the reasons why it has lasted over time and continues to give good results. For this reason, different modes of adaptation have been developed to all areas of teaching, and we can see examples of the Montessori method to learn to read , to improve cognitive abilities and even to establish social relationships with other children and adults.
Sensitive periods
María Montessori realized that children have different stages in which they are especially sensitive to the stimuli that are around them, and that using them from a very young age allowed the learning process to be enjoyable and to strengthen their self-esteem. Hence, the children with whom the Montessori method , literacy and fine arts are used show very positive results from an initial stage.
The ideal age to start with this method would be the earliest possible , since it is considered that from the moment you are born until age 6 you have a great capacity for learning, and if it is not used, after that time there are problems important in the way education is studied and perceived.
A suitable environment
In order for learning to be enjoyable and effective, it is important to take care of the environment in which this method is developed . Both in the Montessori method of learning to read and in everything else, everything must be adapted to the size of the child, with tables and furniture that facilitate access to materials, without having to ask for them or require the help of an adult.
The decoration is also taken care of so that it is to their liking, and everything is designed to encourage the little ones to create a kind of social group that they themselves control. In this way, the intellectual, emotional and communication characteristics with others are enhanced. Thanks to this method , literacy and other fields are fun and enjoyable.
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