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GARIMA TEWARI

Question 1. Describe what Montessori is meant by “New Education”?

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Noble Ideas great sentiments have always found utterance, but wars have not
ceased", (Education for a New World, Chapter 1, p.1)

Maria Montessori lived through one of the traumatic time eras of the world history, which
changed everybody’s lives including children. It was the time of anxiety, cruelty, death,
family separation and children facing starvation. Maria Montessori felt the best solution
to overcome endless, war, violence and poverty is education. Since the child is the
constructor of man and of the society, Maria Montessori believed, the salvation would
be from the child.

“It is the spirit of the kid that can find the class human advancement and lead it
possibly even to higher signifier of civilization.” (The Essential Montessori,
Chapter 6, p 64.).

She discovered that every child has a spontaneous urge to learn through their own way.
She believed that the child has got such an immense power which can be transformed
to positive energy, and a good future. According to Maria the education should aim at
human potentialities not just for gaining mere knowledge.

"It is the spirit of the child that can determine the course human progress and
lead it perhaps even to a higher form of civilization" (The Essential Montessori,
Chapter 6, p.64).

The education system back in her era focused on teaching the children to memorize
word to word from books and posters and Children sat in rows at desks at the
classroom learning from a blackboard and slates. This method of education wasn’t
stimulating and exciting for children. Nevertheless through her experience Montessori
discovered children want to learn, and they will do it in their own time frame and they
shouldn’t be forced.
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She diminished the traditional method of teaching by starting her children with writing.
She felt the traditional method of teaching was very teacher-oriented and it lacks the
role of children in education. The teacher dominates the class and gives instructions to
the whole class. The children’s role is to sit, listen and absorb the information from
teacher’s traditional academic instruction. Teachers sets the Curriculum materials
themselves at a rapid pace plus the materials are not catered for individual needs. They
are treated in a same manner; therefore teachers are not being able to address each
child’s individual academic strengths and needs.

The prevalent education system of her time focused on teaching the children sentences
by heart from wall posters and books, which did not bring any interest or fun to the
children, rather the learning becomes monotonous. But through her experience she
found that children would learn to read and write if they wanted to. By rote memorization
a child can only retain the concepts once taught but creativity of a child will be
repressed forever.

Montessori drew attention to how an adult and children learn very differently.

“The fundamental problem in education is not an educational problem at all: it is

a social one. It consists in the establishment of a new and better relationship
between the two great sections of society – children and adults.” (Maria
Montessori her life and Work, Chapter 15, p 231).

She has relied on her observations when she explained the differences. What is able to
do, must do by himself. One of the biggest concerns was that adults need to change the
way they think about the needs of the child. Adult has reached the development and no
longer will be developing where as child’s interaction whit his surroundings is helping in
his development. The children could teach themselves and they can learn from their
environment. Children work on a slower rhythm compare to adults.

They can spend a very long time for example changing their shoes into slippers when
they arrive at nursery in the morning. While child is taking his shoes off parents cannot
help but taking over the action in order to get is finished and done with. They often lose
their patience and complain that their child is taking such a long time or they cannot
help by saying ‘let me do that for you’. What adults expect is an adult speed from the
children.

Montessori says “ he is following a time table like the most diligent scholar in the
world – following it with the unshakable constancy with the stars in their courses.
( Maria Montessori, Her life and Work, Chapter 8, p. 125).
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It is important in order to help little children, adults firstly needs to learn to respect the
rhythm of the children.

While society had often tended to focus on adults, Montessori believed that since adult
came into being from the child through the years of hard work, patience, care , study
and practice, focusing on the protection of children’s right and welfare would be the key
to progress in society. Education alone cannot bring a potential change in a child’s
attitude. Role of parents, teachers and adults also plays a key importance but they
should not have any pre assumptions for children. Dr Montessori also felt that adults
must aim to diminish their egocentric and authoritarian attitude towards the child and
adapt a passive attitude in order to aid in his development. They must approach
children with humility, recognizing their role as a secondary one. They should be a
facilitator in the development of a child.

She believed that every child has got a natural power to develop himself. A child uses
the environment to perfect himself. He interacts with the environment and absorbs the
impressions for his psychic development. Children have been given special creative
sensitivities to help them in their own powers for reacting to life. She identified one of
them as the ‘Sensitive Period’. She observed that ‘Sensitive Periods’ in the child’s life
are connected with the need for order in the environment, development of language,
use of senses, the development of walking, fascination with minute and detailed objects
and a time of intense social interest. She believed that during these ‘Sensitive Periods’
a function can be more perfectly established or ability can be acquired on a more
perfect manner. If a child is deprived of following the interest of the sensitive periods,
the opportunity for a natural conquest is lost forever. This in turn will have a disturbing
effect in his psychic development.

A child aims to work for internally not for external things. He works constantly towards
the aim to grow and improve himself as the child has a creative intelligence that exists
in his unconscious mental stage. He is not interested in the results. Through work a
child attains concentration, good work habit, motor skills, and self concept. A child has a
natural rhythm for his all doings.

The "New Education" she formulated laid stress on making the learning pleasurable and
fun. She turned the traditional rules of teaching upside down by starting her children
with writing. She felt that the traditional education system is very much teacher oriented
and it lacks the role of children in education. The teacher dominates the class and gives
instructions to the whole class. The teacher lectures, corrects the work and grades it. In
that system teacher influences the children and children do the works according to
teacher's instructions. A teacher provides discipline, guides, set a pace for everything.
Maria felt that it lacks the role of children in education.
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She focused on the children as a whole. Her principles arose out of her close
observations of the children themselves and out of the questions she had asked herself
about why they behaved as they did.

"My method is scientific, both in its substance and in its aim", (Dr. Montessori's
Own Handbook, Chapter 1, Pg.36).

She felt if we focused on child and observe them this would help us to understand the
child.

“Studying these children and their mutual relationship in an atmosphere of

freedom, the true secrets of society come to be revealed.” (The Essential
Montessori, Chapter 6, p 64).

The idea behind her method of new education was that it grew out of children naturally.
She wants the education to be child centered. Where children are motivated and
developed by themselves .They will have a total freedom to move and work to complete
the' cycles of activity' .They should learn for their own happiness. A child should never
feel the learning as a punishment for them. In Maria's system a Child is free to choose
the materials, discover, and can set his own pace. Dr. Montessori proved through her
observation that children have a world of their own that has its own rules and adults
should not interfere. She gave the world a better understanding of how children learn.
They learn best at their own pace and in a happy atmosphere that allows them freedom
to control their own activities. This was the core idea of her 'new education'. She
envisioned upon regenerating the humanity through this 'new education' which focused
on making use of the creative intelligence that exist in the child's unconscious mental
stage
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S.N Name of the Author Name of the Book Name of the Publisher
o & Year of Publication
1. Elizabeth G. The Essential Montessori Penguin Group
Hainstock New York 1997

2. E.M. Standing Maria Montessori – Her Life Penguin Group

and Work NewYork 1998

3. Maria Montessori Dr. Montessori’s Own Schocken books Inc.

Handbook 1988

4. Maria Montessori Education for a New World Kalakshetra Publication

1989

5. Internet www.montessori.com