ASSIGNMENT MODULE 1

RABIA SHAZEB
ROLL # DK2007

QUESTION# 1
Discuss the life of Dr. Maria Montessori and why she is referred to as a lady
much ahead of her time?

LIFE AND WORK OF DR. MARIA MONTESSORI

Dr. Maria Montessori, widely known and respected as a “founder of Montessori

Method” was born to an educated middle-class family in 1870 in Ancona Italy. Her
conservative father “Alessandro Montessori” worked as a military man, due to his
frequent transfers and her supportive mother “Renidle Montessori”, Maria got
many chances to have education in big cities of Italy.
Dr. Maria was a vivacious, and strong-willed women. Despite many years of
resistance from her father, and male fellow students she graduated with the
highest score and was the first lady to pursued a degree in Medicine and was
titled as the First Lady Doctor in the history of Italy in 1896.
Dr. Maria Montessori, a physician, psychiatrist, and a pediatrician soon developed
her medical career and started to help the children of working class and poor
ones. She soon found out, there is no lack of intelligence in any child, it is present
there but it's hard to be recognized by traditional schools, so she decided to
change the educational practices. After her graduation she found employment as
a director of an Orthopneic school. Where she observed children with mental
disabilities and horrible environment in which they were suffering. With her
strong determination she looked for methods of helping them. She studied the
work of 19th century physicians and educators “Jean Marc Gaspard Itard” and
“Edouard Seguin”. Maria was intrigued by both of the physician's work. They gave
her a new direction of understanding children with learning difficulties.
CASA DEI BAMBINI
In 1907 Dr. Maria was invited to oversee and Takecare of a group of children of
working parents in an apartment building of low-income families in Rome. The
first Casa dei Bambini (house of children) enrolled 50 to 60 children aged between
2 to 6yrs. In Casa dei bambini, instead of using traditional teaching methods,
Maria Montessori began testing her own child- centered educational theories in
classroom Casa dei Bambini was unique because it focused on educating each
child based on his or her development stage. Dr. Maria started equipping the
classroom with tables and blackboards, chairs, cabinets and other necessary
materials. She introduced new activities for the children including personal care,
dressing, dusting, sweeping and gardening. Montessori started observing
behaviors in young children, she observed faces of attention and concentration, a
sensitivity of order in the environment to the right environment and freedom,
children showed more interest in practical activities. Over the time she witnessed
spontaneous self-discipline.
Slowly after her successful experiment, she started implementing her number of
practices of her educational philosophy and methods. She replaced heavy
furniture's with child-sized tables and chairs, low accessible shelves. She began to
see independence as the aim of education, Montessori understood the need for
the involvement of Mental, Physical and Emotional health of the child in order to
construct knowledge, her approach is based on delicate balance of discipline and
freedom and the first Casa Dei Bambini was a success.

WORLDWIDE RESPONSES
The Montessori Education made a big impression. Soon after the Bambini success,
Montessori’s work was widely published and spread rapidly and her work began
to attract the attention of many international visitors. Dr. Maria started more
schools and became the interest of many well-known politicians and publishers,
numerous of articles were written about Montessori methods. Montessori
Education System was now officially adopted by many public schools of Italy, UK,
USA, Asia and north America.

DECLINE AND RIVIVAL OF MONTESSORI EDUCATION

In the remaining years of her life she was honored and received many heavy
lecture schedules to deliver her lectures and create Montessori inspired school in
many big cities and countries. In 1922 things took a soar turn when Columbian
professor William Kilpatrick most influential scholar of his time published a book
titled as MONTESSORI REEXAMINED which had a broad impact, Critics charged
Montessori’s method was outdated. Montessori movement was slowly declined
and disappeared from America. However, Forty years after the Montessori
Method was forgotten in America, it was revived by Nancy McCormick Rambush
during this period Montessori schools continued to expand in rest of the world
and so in America.

HIGHEST RECOGNITION AND AWARDS

Due to her endless contributions and hard work for children education, she
became so much successful and was nominated for Nobel Peace Award thrice.
She was even pictured on the Italian 200 lire coin replacing Marco Polo.
DEATH OF DR. MARIA MONTESSORI
Montessori died in Netherlands in 1952. Her name will always remain alive
because of her extraordinary contributions.

LADY AHEAD OF HER TIME

Dr. Maria was a sough-after women, who leaves behind not only her outstanding
work and observation, but also a proper system of education which promotes the
freedom of the child to become more creative and imaginative as he develops
intellectually and emotionally. Numerous organizations promote her methods and
Montessori schools are prevalent in both the USA and many other countries, the
reason why she referred to as a lady ahead of her time. She lived in old days but
was definitely A WOMEN MUCH AHEAD OF HER TIME.
 Rabia Shazeb
ROLL# DK2007
Question#2
Which are the main requirements to be considered to start a house of children?
How do you implement them?

Dr. Maria Montessori discovered several aspects of behavioral experiences child

requires during his or her sensitive period to fulfil the inner urge as homes are
designed according to adults needs, so the child can’t fulfil the natural urge if
been restricted and forbidden by adults and have no access to anything freely and
comfortably. For child’s maximum development, the child needs to be at the
place where he has freedom to follow his inner urges and get proper experiences
to achieve maximum learning.
Montessori is the place where children can do whatever they want and fulfil their
needs and interests with discipline and independency. To start a house for
children there are numerous of things and requirements to be considered.

1) Montessori classrooms should be filled with appropriate apparatuses and

equipment's and should be kept in such manner and height, easily approachable
by the children.

2) The classroom should be wide and allow a minimum 20 sq per feet students at
early age.

3) The number of students should not exceed more than 30 students per class.

4) The Montessori house should be child-sized where he or she can enjoy their
age. If the things, equipment's, furniture's and apparatuses are easily reachable
and can be used by children it’ll lead them to fulfil their desires and enjoy their
own little world.

5) There should be not restrictions by the supervisor in Montessori house and

allows children to play independently without any prohibition, “prohibition is
sweet or bitter, prohibition is prohibition”.

6) Montessori should provide the opportunity to children to do things by

themselves. “help me do it myself”

These are some factors which should be considered while starting a house for
children:

HOW TO IMPLEMENT:
To ensure that children reach mastery in each skill and requirements following are
the things which should be implement, those are:

 Provide independence
 Respect for the children
 Focus on each individual child
 Prepared environment
 No comparison between children
 Polite behavior of teacher
 Mixed age group reveals its advantages

PROVIDE INDEPENDENCE
 There is an urge in every child to do things by himself from the beginning of
the life, to walk by himself and not to be carried by others, for maximum inner
satisfaction, children repeat their actions to satisfy themselves and for that
child acquire INDEPENDENCE. The children should be allowed to do anything
appropriate to the ground rules of the community.
“Help me do it myself”

RESPECT FOR THE CHILDREN

Respect is the basic thing and one of the most important things which is
required by everybody and so is the child. In children house every child should
be respected, child should not be forced to follow the needs without regarding
their interest.

FOCUS ON EACH INDIVIDUAL

Every child is different from one another, every child has different needs,
capabilities, behaviors, different ways to express happiness and anger. And for
that each individual should be properly focused by the teacher. Their learning
progress, growth, understanding should be properly monitored by the teacher
of the children house.

PREPARED ENVIROMENT
The children house should have prepared environment, the materials should
always be available for the child which they can easily access to and do whatever
their interest.

NO COMPARISON BETWEEN CHILDREN

The term comparison is counter-productive for anyone. To constantly harangue
them about how much better others are will do nothing but lay the foundation
for an inferiority complex.
POLITE BEHAVIOR OF THE TEACHER
The teacher is the role model for the students, they are peace educators. The
teacher’s behavior should be polite and soft towards the students. As the teacher
is the spiritual mother of the students and “polite teachers create pupils with
better manners”

MIXED AGE GROUP REVEALS ITS ADVANTAGE

When children of different age groups work together, they learn to recognize
their role of participation, they learn to look at different aspects of things. Such
exercises strengthen their Will.

RABIA SHAZEB
ROLL# DK2007
QUESTION# 3
What are the discoveries made by Dr. Maria Montessori by observing the child?

DISCOVERIES MADE BY DR. MARIA MONTESSORI

There is no doubt in saying that Dr. Maria discovered the child. After almost 20
years of such experiments and observations Dr. Maria Montessori discovered
several aspects of the child, she studied the conditions under which the child
performed certain action and re-create them, she found the method of helping
children with their educational pursuits that will help the child for life. It may be
worthwhile to list down some of the discoveries she made during her work.

 CHILDREN LOVE TO WORK PURPOSEFULLY: Children work out of a natural

drive, if it corresponded with their inner development needs, they work
until they reach their goal. Which make them choose and concentrate on
the tasks which a suitable and appropriate for the development.

 THE INNER DRIVE IS SUFFICIENT: Maximum development is only possible

when the child can work in various fields of human activity following a
purposeful inner urge which comes to him naturally.

 WHEN SOMETHING THAT ANSWERS THE INNER NEEDS MEETS THE EYE OF
A CHILD, SPONTANEOUS INTREST IS KINDLED: True learning takes place
with concentration. When the child finds suitable conditions to work
spontaneous repetition of an activity is done with interest the natural result
is concentration.
 NORMALITY DEPENDS ON ALL THE HUMAN POWERS WORKING IN
UNISON IN COLLABORATION: The rectification is only be possible by the
child’s working individually at the developmental freedom.

 VERY YOUNG CHILDREN NEED ORDER: The order not needs to be only with
things but also with values, functions and other human activities like “say
the truth” as the adults not practices this everyday which makes the child
confused and this can create wrap in his development. Child need
consistency in everything as it takes a while for him to understand that
things can also be different.

 ACTIVITIES INVOLVING SENSORIAL CONCEPT, LANGUAGE, ARITHMETIC,

ART, CULTURE WERE FOUND TO BE NECESSARY FOR THE CHILD’S
EDUCATION: Dr. Maria found out how the children needed to perform
these activities especially because they brought the intelligence, will and
voluntary movements of the personality to the child.

 THE CHILDREN SHOWED THAT THEY COULD ASSIMILATE THE

KNOWLEDGE, NORMALLY CONSIDERED TO COMPLEX FOR THE CHILD, IF IT
IS PRESENTED IN A RIGHTFUL CONDITIONS

 SHE DISCOVERED THAT THE REAL DISCIPLINE COMES THROUGH

FREEDOM: This suggested that discipline comes from within and cannot be
imposed from outside as true discipline is born in freedom. Freedom and
discipline are two faces of the same coin.

 REAL OBEDIENCE IS BASED ON LOVE, RESPECT AND FAITH

 THE CHILDREN ARE OFTEN SEEN TO BEHAVE IN CERTAIN MANNERS: The
child is destructive, stubborn and disobedient if suitable conditions are
missing. Dr. Maria called it deviation. However, under rightful conditions
the children behave otherwise. She called it normality.

 MOST OF THE ACTIVITIES PRESENTED TO THE CHILDREN IN MONTESSORI

HOUSE ARE RESULT OF OBSERVING THE CHILD

 “HELP ME DO IT MYSELF”: All the help we offer should lead the child to
independence in his social and individual life. It is was what child wants to
tell us, we just don’t listen to it.

 MONTESSORI DISCOVERED THAT THE ENVIROMENT ITSELF WAS ALL

IMPORTANT IN OBTAINING THE RESULTS THAT SHE HAD OBSERVED

 MONTESSORI FURTHER STUDIED THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS OF THE ROOM

 MONTESSORI CARRIED THIS ENVIROMENTAL ENGINEERING

THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SCHOOL BUILDING AND OUTSIDE
ENVIROMENT: She learned to design entire schools around the size of the
children. She had miniature pitchers and bowls prepared and found, cutlery
that fits a child’s tiny hands, lightweight tables, with that, children learn to
control their movements.

RABIA SHAZEB
 ROLL# DK2007

QUESTION# 4
What does “PILES” stands when we talk of human development? Discuss the
physical, lingual, and intellectual development taking place during 3 to 6 years
of age.

There are several key areas of development which can be remembered by saying
PILES. As it stands for:
 P= Physical
 I = Intellectual
 L= Lingual
 E= Emotional
 S= Social
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT:
Physical development takes place during 3 to 6 years of age. The child feels
certain strong urges at a specified time periods, which lead him in full
development of his physical growth.

AT THE AGE OF 3 YEARS:

 A child can balance on one foot for a moment
 He is dextrose on outdoor equipment
 Steers and rush around obstructions with ease.
 Kids forcefully kicks balls in an adult fashion upstairs, they can even hold a
big toy.
 still puts both feet on each step when coming down from the stairs and like
to jump of the last step.

AT THE AGE OF 4 YEARS:

 Bends down to pick up toys with legs straight.
 Bounce with the ball games, can throw, catch and kick well.
 Runs about on tiptoe
 Runs upstairs with total efficiency
 Able to sit cross legged. Can hop around and balance on one foot for longer.

AT THE AGE OF 5 TO 6 YEARS:

 Can now play all sorts of games competently
 Able to walk along a thin line.
 At this age kids are more energetic and livelier in general.
 Became experts at all sorts of activities like, swimming, climbing and
sliding.

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT:
The intellectual development grows in the child with the passage of time. The child
began to learn how to behave with adults to cope up with the awkward situations.
It all depends on the proper environment and conditions which we provide to them.

AT THE AGE OF 3 YEARS:

 A child may name all colors.
 A child can able to thread the beads and build high towers with blocks and
bricks.
 He can use scissors
 He can also hold a pencil properly.
 He can draw a little like, head of a person.
 Can copy a circle and a cross.

AT THE AGE OF 4 YEARS:

 A child is skillful at holding pencil.
 He is able to build 10 bricks high tower.
 He knows how to write X, T, H, V, and O.
 Knows primary colors.

AT THE AGE OF 5 TO 6 YEARS:

 A child can draw more detailed drawings and paintings.
 He can count figures by now.
 Became skilled at coloring and jigsaws.
 He can relate to the time of the day corresponding to everyday activities.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT:
Language development keeps getting better time to time as the child Is able to
communicate more clearly. Children learn from their surroundings and the
environment and we should make it suitable for the children.
AT THE AGE OF 3 YEARS:
 Child can recite names, age and sex.
 Sentences are completely understandable but still sound childish.
 Wants to be read favorite stories again and again.
 Remembers more rhymes and can sing some songs.

AT THE AGE OF 4 YEARS:

 Always asking a very inquisitive question like “What is that?” “what does
that mean?”
 He loves to have a joke.
 He can count 4 or 5 objects, and can recite up to 20.

AT THE AGE OF 5 TO 6 YEARS:

 He still asks the meaning of intangible words.
 He will now recite his own name, address, age and sometimes knows
birthday.
 He knows more rhymes and songs, and loves to sing them.

Rabia Shazeb
Roll# DK2007
QUESTION # 5
Write a comprehensive note on the role of teacher in a Montessori classroom.

ROLL OF A MONTESSORI TEACHER:

A Montessori teacher are a dynamic link between children and the prepared
environment. They must know when to step in and set the limits or lend a helping
hand as she is a guide, a facilitator and does not consider herself to be the
primary cause of learning that occurs in her students. In order to understand the
teacher’s role, there are two types of arts namely, productive and cooperative.
PRODUCTIVE ARTS:
This is the art in which the activity of artist is the principle and the only cause of
production such as, shoemaker, tailor, carpenter etc.

COOPERATIVE ARTS: To define a cooperative art, it would be right to say that

in such arts the activity of the artist is neither principle, not the only cause of
production. There are three most common cooperative arts, which consist of:
o Farming: The art of raising plants and animals
o Healing: The art of curing. This art includes, doctors, physician, surgeon,
nurses etc.
o Teaching: The third one is what we are concerned about.

There are numerous roles of a teacher in the montessori classroom. She has to
be a role model for children as they imitate her actions. A montessori teacher’s
normal classroom practices involves:
 Preparation of the environment.
 Provide appropriate materials
 Observing the child.
 Giving lessons.
 Primary goal of the teacher.

PREPARATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

A Montessori teacher should prepare the best learning environment possible
where a child could easily select his own work which is according to his interest. It
should be put in low shelves where the child could easily explore and place it in
order.

PROVIDE APPROPRIATE MATERIALS

A Montessori directress should provide appropriate equipment and materials
which meets the needs of the Montessori students to develop their interest in
different fields of education and practical life.

OBSERVING THE CHILD

A teacher should observe all children individually. she should know
deal with them according to their interest and all provide materials or
activities but there must be a dynamic like between teacher and
children and the prepared environment. She should observe her
students very keenly in order to interpret his need.

GIVING LESSONS
Montessori teacher’s lesson should be brief, interesting and clear
enough so that their attention should not be distracted elsewhere.
She should provide simple and necessary information to do the work at
their own pace.

PRIMARY GOALS OF THE TEACHER

Montessori teachers are taught to nurture and inspire the human
potential, leading children to ask questions and think for themselves,
explore, investigate and discover.

A GOOD COMMUNICATOR:
As a teacher is the role model for the students, she should be very good
communicator, and listener and help children to learn how to be good
communicators and how to communicate their thoughts to adults.
SUPPORTIVE
The teacher should be supportive, offering warmth, stability and non-
judgmental acceptance to each child. She should support her children
to learn or generate new ideas and meet their needs.