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ASSIGNMENT
MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO MONTESSORI

Q1. Write a biographic note on Dr. Maria Montessori in your own words.

Answer:

Dr. Maria Montessori was a Woman's Rights

Activist, a Physician and pioneer of Education
for children with mental disabilities. She was
born in Chiaravalle, near Ancona, Italy on
August 31st 1870. Her father, Alessandro
Montessori, was an official of the Ministry of
Finance working in the local state-run tobacco
factory. Her mother, Renilde Stoppani, was a
well-educated lady for the times and was the
great-niece of Italian geologist and
paleontologist Antonio Stoppani. While she
did not have any particular mentor, she was
very close to her mother who readily
encouraged her. She also had a loving
relationship with her father, although he
disagreed with her choice to continue her
education.

Early Education

Maria from a very young age knew she wanted to be different however she did not necessarily have a
set path in life. When she was a child her family moved to Rome, ‘The City of Great Education’. As a
young lady, she was really interested in learning however did not like her school due to the boring,
repetitive teaching technique. She wanted to become an engineer but to pursue with her dream she
had to enroll in a Technical School. During those times society had a patriarchal mind set, and it was
considered unacceptable for a woman to be in any profession besides teaching. Maria’s father also
had orthodox views and told her that technical school and engineering was only for boys, if she
wanted to continue with her education she could only go to Classical School. In Classical School girls
would learn Latin, Greek and literature as well as had to cook.

Young Maria on the other hand enjoyed Mathematics and Science and wanted to study them further.
Maria's mother however was a very supportive and broad minded lady. She encouraged Maria and
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eventually with help from her mother, Maria convinced her father to let her go to a technical school
in Rome. When she turned 13 in 1883, she joined the technical school and graduated in 1886 scoring
138/150 in her final examination.

Elementary and Secondary Education

Maria attended a public Elementary School in 1876. Later she entered a Secondary School, Regia
Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti. She graduated with a degree in Physics and Mathematics
from Regio Instituto Technical Leonardo da Vinci in 1890. Her parents wanted her to become a
teacher but Maria was interested in pursuing higher education.
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Medical School

While Maria was continuing her education in engineering at

Rome's Technical Institute, she became interested in biology
and considered studying medicine. All her friends and family
except her mother disapproved of her decision to become a
doctor. At first she was told, a woman would never be
allowed into a Medical School but with the support from her
mother, letters/ recommendations from previous teachers
and her persistence she became one of the first female
medical students in the University of Rome in 1893.

Maria's fellow male classmates did not like the idea of a

woman in medical school. They made jokes and often
deliberately left no place for her to sit. However Maria played
these things off wisely because she was determined to study
and become a doctor.
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Through all this her mother supported her but her father did not show as much interest or support. In
the Med School men and women were not allowed to examine a naked body together. She had to
take her dissection questions alone. On the first day of her Anatomy class she was confronted by
death for the first time and was so frightened that she considered giving up her dream of becoming a
doctor. But she persisted, overcame her fear and later became an excellent surgeon.

She was awarded an exceptional score of 105 under final examination and was awarded her
specialization diploma in Pediatrics and Psychiatry on July 10th, 1896. Maria became one of the first
female doctors in Italy.

Family

Maria had a relationship with Giuseppe Montesano, a fellow doctor and the
two were blessed with a son, Mario Montessori in 1898. Maria Montessori
and Montesano however did not get married and their relationship ended
when Montesano married another woman.

Early Career

Following her graduation as a Medical Doctor, she was employed as an Assistant at the San Giovanni
Hospital. Attached to the University during this time, she also started private practice in late 1896.
She became a Surgical Assistant at Santo Spirito Hospital in Rome. During her early medical career,
she worked mostly with the poor and children. This sparked her interest in becoming a Child
Specialist. In 1897 Maria was appointed the Assistant Doctor at the University's Psychiatric Clinic. This
provided her the opportunity to study intellectually disabled children for the first time.

Working with Special Needs Children

When Maria visited an asylum for mentally disabled children, she noticed how poorly the children
were treated. She observed that there was nothing to stimulate the children, nothing present to see,
nothing for them to touch. No effort was being put in, to try to educate them and that society had
given up on them. In her mind this wasn't right, she started researching on mentally disabled children
and came across the research of two French doctors Jean Marc Gaspard Itard and his student Édouard
Séguin. Maria found in her research that mentally disabled children needed special education rather
than medical treatment. She also came to the conclusion that mentally such children without special
care and education became delinquents.

In 1897, Montessori audited the University courses in pedagogy and read "all the major works on
educational theory of the past two hundred years.
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Public advocacy

In 1897, Montessori spoke on societal responsibility for juvenile delinquency at the National Congress
of Medicine in Turin. In 1898, she wrote several articles and spoke again at the First Pedagogical
Conference of Turin, urging the creation of special classes and institutions for children with learning
difficulties, as well as teacher training for their instructors. In 1899, Montessori was appointed a
Councilor to the newly formed National League for the Protection of Retarded Children, and was
invited to lecture on Special Methods of Education for children with intellectual disabilities at the
Teacher Training School of the College of Rome.

That year Montessori also undertook a two-week national lecture tour to capacity audiences before
prominent public figures. She joined the board of the National League and was appointed as a
lecturer in Hygiene and Anthropology at one of the two teacher-training colleges for women in Italy.

Maria often referred to the work of past researchers, she had come across, and how these ideas
when applied, had worked in other countries. Her lectures gained footing and became popular all
over Europe, especially because she spoke in an easy to understand and interesting way but most
importantly the ideas she talked about captivated her audience.

Orthophrenic School
In 1900 the National League opened the Scuola Magistrale Ortofrenica, or Orthophrenic School, a
"Medico-Pedagogical Institute" for training teachers in educating children with learning difficulties,
with an attached laboratory classroom. Montessori was appointed Co-director. 64 teachers enrolled
in the first class, studying Psychology, Anatomy, and Physiology of the nervous system,
Anthropological measurements, causes and characteristics of mental disability, and special methods
of instruction. During her two years at the school, Montessori developed methods and materials
which she later adapted to use with mainstream children.
The school was an immediate success, attracting the attention of government officials from the
departments of education and health, civic leaders, and prominent figures in the fields of Education,
Psychiatry, and Anthropology from the University of Rome.

Public Educational Program for Special Children

Italy's Minister of Public Education inspired by Dr. Maria’s work developed a program with the goal of
educating mentally disabled children. Maria was appointed to provide her services. She spent nearly
12 hours a day studying the children’s learning pattern and jotted notes on how to better educate
them so they may eventually learn to read and write. She worked with them on basic tasks and motor
skill activities. Montessori took a more hands-on approach and worked with each child on what they
needed help with, rather than putting them all together and just lecturing them. She noticed that her
methods were working after observing these children learn how to read and write proficiently, in only
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two years. These children were now capable enough to pass tests taken by normal children in
traditional schools, some even scored higher than normal.

Casa dei Bambini

In 1906, Montessori was invited to oversee the care

and education of a group of 50 to 60 children of low-
income families with working parents, in a new
apartment building located in the San Lorenzo slum
district, in Rome. Maria was appointed as a Medical
Officer to run the day care. She was pretty interested
in applying her work and methods to children
without mental disabilities.

Maria observed that when her techniques were

applied on children performing a task, they would
devote their entire focus on that and would not stop
until they had completed the task. She also found
that after the child performed the mental exercise
they were happier and seemed healthier. These
observations helped her revise and improve her
methods for educating normal children.

Maria’s pedagogy was based on the belief in the creative potential of children, their drive to learn and
the right of each child to be treated as an individual due to their independent will to learn. She
developed physical objects called materials that the child would touch and work with. The teachers
acted as guides and would help the child understand the concept and keep order in the classroom but
they did not necessarily tell the child what to do, when to do, or exactly how they were supposed to
do. This day care turned school was later named as Casa de Bambini or ‘Children's House’ by
Montessori, a preschool for children age three to six.

Her first school became a great success and soon schools all over Italy began following her model of
education. The idea of Montessori Educational Approach gained popularity all over the world and
soon Montessori Schools were sprouting up in countries like America, Germany, France, China and
India among other nations from 1915 to 1939. She covered countries like Spain, The Netherlands and
The United Kingdom in 1939.
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World War

In 1922, when Mussolini rose to power he appreciated Montessori’s way of

teaching and mandated that all schools private or public should observe
her teaching methods. But later when Maria refused to teach fascism in
her schools rather encouraged independence, Montessori schools across
Italy were closed immediately and Maria Montessori was exiled. Later in
Germany too, all the Montessori schools were closed for the same reason
but they went to a further extreme, the books of her teachings and
materials were burned.

After she left Italy she went and lived in India where she would live for the
rest of the war. While she was there, she helped rebuild the education
system in India. During World War II, she saw a need for peace, which grew
even more that she included peace education in her teaching philosophy.

Montessori Method

With the help of her son Mario, Maria further solidified her method materials in the curriculum.
Montessori scorned conventional classrooms, where “children, like butterflies mounted on pins, are
fastened each to his place.” She sought, instead, to teach children by supplying concrete materials
and organizing situations conducive to learning with these materials.

Maria advocated the importance of peace education. She believed that the concept of grace and
courtesy should be taught to the child at a young age. As the child gets older they are taught conflict
resolution and how to peacefully solve both personal and interpersonal problems. They're also taught
a sense of a global community rather than us versus them world. Maria truly believed that children
are the future. She believed that the establishment of lasting peace is only the work of education. All
politicians could do is keep us out of war.

The fundamental idea of Maria’s philosophy is based on the growth of the child's mind and nurturing
of the child's needs for learning. Maria thought that children could be taught in a better way rather
than the traditional memorizing and cramming technique. She stood up by creating a method of
learning that allowed the child to be independent. Her teaching methodology was based on learning
using physical objects, helping the children improve their skills that would later prepare them for the
real world.
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She discovered that certain

simple materials aroused interest
and attention in young children.
These materials included beads
arranged in graduated-number
units for pre-mathematics
instruction; small slabs of wood
designed to train the eye in left-
to-right reading movements; and
graduated series of cylinders for
small-muscle training. Children
between three and six years old
would work spontaneously with
these materials, indifferent to
distraction, from a quarter of an
hour to an hour. At the end of
such a period, they would not
seem tired, as after an enforced
effort, but appeared refreshed
and calm. Undisciplined children
became settled through such
voluntary work. The materials
used were designed specifically to encourage individual rather than cooperative effort. Group activity
occurred in connection with shared housekeeping chores.

In the Montessori system biological and mental growth are linked. “Periods of sensitivity,”
corresponding to certain ages, exist when a child’s interest and mental capacity are best suited to the
acquisition of certain specialized knowledge.

Death

As the World War II ended Maria returned to Europe, spending her final years in Amsterdam. She
died peacefully, in a friend’s garden in, Norwich, South Holland Netherlands on May 6th 1952 at the
age of 81. Maria’s dedication and contribution towards improving the conventional educational
system shall always be remembered.
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___________________________________________________________________________________

Q2. Write a note on the first Casa dei Bambini. Also explain how did Montessori Method develop
there?

Answer:
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In 1906, Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian

educator, physician, and scientist, who had just
judged an international competition on the
subjects of scientific pedagogy and
experimental psychology, was invited to join a
child care center in San Lorenzo, a poor, inner-
city district of Rome. There, she had to engage
with the most unprivileged, and previously
unschooled, children of the area.

The children at the day care were wild and un-civilized. Left alone while the parents went to work,
they were free to carry out any wild fantasy. So the director of the concern decided that the only
obvious thing to keep them out of mischief was to collect all the children and confine them. One room
was set aside for this purpose, resembling in every way to a children's prison. A person with enough
social courage was searched to tackle the problem, and eventually all eyes stopped at Dr. Maria
Montessori. The day care was organized for working class children, who were too young to attend
public school. Maria took this as a challenge and grasped the opportunity of working with the
typical children.
Dr. Maria Montessori in the capacity of
medical officer of hygiene was
approached, to provide her services at the
institute. Having considered the situation,
Maria demanded that at least the
commonest aids in hygiene, food and
sanitation must be made available. It is
appreciable that though she was
appointed only as a doctor, to provide
medical assistance to the children yet she
taught them side by side.

Maria laid the foundation of the first Casa dei Bambini i.e., “Children’s House” on January 6, 1907. Dr.
Montessori was determined to make the Casa a quality educational institute for these youngsters.
Maria who had established her reputation as an educator, who could accomplish miracles with special
needs children, was pretty interested in executing her educational approach to normal children as
well.
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Through Dr. Montessori's observations and

work with these children, she discovered their
astonishing, and effortless potential to learn.
Children taught themselves. This simple but
profound truth formed the cornerstone of her
life long pursuit of educational reform. Maria
merely wanted to study the children's
reactions. She asked the woman in charge not
to interfere with the children in any way, as
otherwise she would not be able to observe
their true response. Maria was startled upon
her interaction with the children.
Understanding what was taking place in those
children, was indeed a mystery for her.

The children were quiet, they had no interference either from the teacher or from the parents, but
their environment contrasted vividly from that which they had been used to; compared to that of
their previous life; it seemed fantastically beautiful. The walls were white, there was a green plot of
grass outside, though no one had yet thought to plant flowers in it, but most beautiful of all was the
fact that they had interesting occupations in which no one, no one at all, interfered. They were left
alone and little by little the children began to work with concentration and the transformation they
under-went was noticeable. The ‘House of Children’ was completely unfurnished; there were only a
few large, rough tables. Maria brought some of the materials she had used for her work in
experimental psychology, similar to the items we use today as sensorial material and materials for the
exercises of practical life in a modern Montessori classroom.
From timid and wild as they were before,
the children became sociable and
communicative. They showed a different
relationship with each other. Their
personalities grew and, strange though it
may seem, they showed extraordinary
understanding, activity, vivacity and
confidence. They were happy and joyous.
This fact was noticed after a while by the
mothers too who came to tell Maria
about it. As the children had had no one
to teach them or interfere with their
actions, they acted spontaneously, their
manners were natural.
But the most outstanding thing about
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these strange children of the St. Lawrence Quarter was their obvious gratitude. Maria was as much
surprised by this as everyone else. When she entered the room all the children sprang to greet her
and cried their welcome. Nobody had taught them any manner of good behavior. And the strangest
thing of all was that although nobody had cared for them physically, they flourished in health as if
they had been secretly fed on some nourishing food, and so they had, but in their spirit. These
children began to notice things in their homes, a spot of dirt on their mother's dress, untidiness in the
room. They told their mothers not to hang the washing in the windows but to put flowers there
instead. Their influence spread into the homes.
Six months after the inauguration of the House of
Children, some of the mothers came to Maria and
pleaded that as she had already done so much for their
children, and they themselves could do nothing about it
because they were illiterate, would she not teach their
children to read and write? At first Maria did not want
to, being as prejudiced as everyone else that the
Children were far too young for it. But later she
introduced them to alphabets. Maria analyzed the
words for them and showed that each sound of the
words had a symbol by which it could be materialized. It
was then that the explosion into writing occurred.

While the children were unruly at first, they soon

showed great interest in working with puzzles,
learning to prepare meals and clean their
environment, and engaging in hands-on learning
experiences. Dr. Montessori observed that before
long, the children exhibited calm, peaceful behavior,
periods of deep concentration, and a sense of order
in caring for their environment. She saw that the
children absorbed knowledge from their
surroundings, essentially teaching
themselves. Utilizing scientific observation and
experience gained from her earlier work with
young children, Dr. Montessori designed unique
learning materials for them and created a
classroom environment that fostered the children’s
natural desire to learn.
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News of the school’s success soon spread through Italy. On

April 7, 1907, Dr. Montessori opened a second Casa dei
Bambini, also in San Lorenzo. And on October 18, 1907, in
Milan, she opened a third Casa.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Q3. Elaborate the discoveries made by Dr. Maria Montessori by observing the child?

Answer:

Twenty two years of consecutive effort and experimentation finally led Dr. Maria to devise a
methodology, for helping children in their educational pursuits. This, educational technique was
named after Dr. Maria Montessori, and known as the Montessori Method of Education.

Below is a detailed disclosure to all the discoveries Maria made while observing the ‘child’.

 Child Prefers Work over Play

Maria discovered that children though may
be temporarily attracted to toys but
eventually get bored and look for something
productive. She saw children showing keen
interest in manipulative academic material
rather than toys. Children should be given
the freedom to listen to their inner urge, to
do constructive work.
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 Engagement in Purposeful Activities:

Children love engaging in constructive activities. If it correlates
with their inner developmental needs, they would work for hours until
the goal is achieved. They work out of a natural urge, which makes
them select and concentrate on tasks that are suited to
their developmental needs.

 Tendency to Respond to Inner Drive:

Children have a great potential to identify and respond to their inner drive. The have the ability
to select the suitable ‘work’ for themselves. True development is possible only when a child is
allowed to work persistently with development appropriate activities, for a reasonable length
of time, whose awareness and urge comes to him naturally. A child’s natural drive always
guides him to choose the right activities in the environment.

 Natural Motivation
Child is naturally motivated. They love to work
constructively without any desire of incentives.
If the activity they indulge-in, is in harmony with their true
inner urge, they will be extremely satisfied. Appropriate
activity itself is a reward for them. Unlike grown-ups
monetary perquisites hold no significance for them.

 Child Values Order

Child needs order and consistency. If order is not
executed in daily routine, moral values and other
human activities, child gets frustrated. This may have
a negative, long lasting impact on the child’s
personality. Child follows the rule of ‘A place for
everything & everything has a place.’
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 Concentration is Crucial to Learning:

When spontaneous repetition of an activity is done with
interest, the natural result is concentration. Children would
keep strict focus while working on the appropriate tasks in the
suitable environment. Inner construction takes place when
child is concentrating. Normality depends on all the human
powers working in unison and in collaboration with each other.

 Child needs Exposure in Multiple Domains

Wide range of material and activities such as
sensorial stimulation, linguistic, arithmetic, arts
and craft, culture, computations and practical
life exercises are necessary for the child’s
educational, intellectual and personality
development. Child should not be confined to
only selective materials/ activities rather
should be exposed to multiple domains, so he
may choose his desired activity based on his
inner predisposition.

 Child is naturally Civilized

Dr. Montessori was of the view that child is
destructive, disorderly, stubborn and
disobedient only if suitable conditions are
missing. She called it deviation. However, under
appropriate circumstances children demonstrate
the best of their behavior. Maria observed that
naturally child is responsible, well-mannered and
lawful. She called this normality.

 Growing Up is the other name for Growing Independent

All the help we offer should lead the child to independence in his individual and social life.
“Help me Do it Myself!” is what every child wants to tells us. We just don’t listen to it.
Superfluous assistance by parents and adults hinder the development and independence of a
child.
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 Redesigning the Surroundings

Maria believed that environment plays
a vital role in a child’s learning ability.
She designed a child sized world with
miniature tools and accessories, placed
at an easily accessible position.
Montessori carried this environmental
engineering throughout the entire
school building and outside
environment. Montessori was of the
view that unless we provide an
environment, engineered such as to
meet the actual needs of a child,
learning process cannot be initiated in
its true spirit.

 Self-esteem is of Prime Importance

Child needs to be treated with respect and
dignity. Recognition, appreciation, trust and a
respectful treatment is important to instill
positivity i.e. normalization in a child’s
personality. Once the child is treated with love
and regard he acquires real obedience which
later on results in inner satisfaction for the
child.

 Discipline depends on Freedom

Maria suggested that discipline comes from within, and cannot be exhibited in the real sense if
imposed from outside. She believed that true discipline is born in freedom. Freedom and
discipline are two faces of the same coin. Children behave in an intelligent and orderly manner
if are allowed to exercise freedom.
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 Child’s Potential is often Belittled

A child has a tremendous pace to learn. Children
showed that they could assimilate knowledge,
normally considered too complex for them,
if presented in the rightful conditions. However a
child’s capabilities are often underestimated by
elders.

____________________________________________________________________________

Q4. Explain Sensitive Periods and write short notes on the following;

a) Sensitive Period for Language

b) Sensitive Period for Mathematics
c) Sensitive Period for Movement

Answer:

Sensitive Period is one of the core concepts upon which the model of Montessori Educational
Techniques is based.

 Sensitive Periods
The term Sensitive Period was first used by a Dutch geneticist
Hugo de Vries (1848-1935) during his work with the
biological life cycle of the Porthesia butterflies. He figured
out that young caterpillars have a special sensitivity to light.
As they grow older, their digestive tracks mature and they
lose this sensitivity as can now stay deeper in trees and feed
on tougher leaves. Hence he hypothesized that the
appearance and disappearance of sensitivity, is crucial to the
well-being and survival of an organism.
This concept of sensitivity was adopted by Dr. Maria
Montessori to refer to the important developmental periods in a child. Maria noticed that
during the sensitive period, child develops in certain areas, both physical and intellectual very
rapidly and learns at an amazingly fast pace. She also inferred that child starts taking interest in
specific activities and repeatedly performs them during this time. According to her the most
important sensitive periods occur between birth and age six of a child. She named them as the
‘Window of Opportunity’.
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The sensitivity period to a particular stimulus in the environment is short lived and does not
repeat. The neural circuitry in the brain is best set up for quick and effortless acquisition of
particular skills. Once the period has elapsed, the brain never goes back to that ripe state
again. Each sensitive period brings along certain predispositions and strong inner urges to
behave in a particular way. Child repeatedly engages in the activities that satisfy those urges,
ultimately resulting in acquisition of important skills without making conscious effort.

Child is not inclined to incentives.

He does not require any reward
rather receives joy and
satisfaction from the process
itself, during the sensitive period.
When a child’s inner urge
remains unaddressed, he gets
disturbed and shows aggression.
This state was referred to as
‘Deviation’ by Maria. When a
child is exposed to suitable
activities in the appropriate
environment to fulfill his inner
drive he displays an orderly and
responsible behavior. This
phenomenon is called
‘Normality’. So a suitable
environment and freedom to do
activities, driven by sensitive
periods help child to normalize.

a) Sensitive Period for Language

Children have a remarkable tendency to learn languages. The incredible lingual progress during
the early years is because of the arousal of sensitive period for language development.
 Duration:
Sensitive Period for Language begins from 7 months in utero and continues till 6 years of
age.
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 Effortless Learning:
During the sensitive period for language, the brain has an inherent automatic learning
capacity to learn languages. The child learns all aspects of natal tongue at a surprisingly fast
pace with perfection. All this is done without exerting any conscious effort by the child.
 Sub Categories for the Sensitive Period of Language:
The period is further divided to 3 sub-periods, including;
- Sensitive Period for Spoken Language
- Sensitive Period for Writing
- Sensitive Period for Reading
 Sensitive Period for Listening & Spoken Language:
Sensitive Period for Listening and spoken language starts from birth and continues till
approximately 3 years.
According to some scientific studies the language learning begins even before birth, while
the child is still in his mother’s womb. The child begins to hear and interpret sounds in his
environment during the third trimester. He can even recognize the language his mother
speaks.
Language learning is a complex process that involves
mastery over several skills. The sensitive period for
listening and speaking languages can further be sub-
divided to shorter sensitive periods, such as sensitive
period for learning to discriminate between the
sounds of our native language, takes place during
the 1st year, while the sensitive period for learning
words occurs later during the second year.
Child gets fascinated upon hearing unfamiliar languages and becomes eager to learn them.
At this phase of his life, he has a God gifted ability to learn as much as 5 different languages
at a time. The child progresses from cooing to babbling to simple words to phrases to
simple sentences to conversation. Another amazing aspect is their continuously expanding
vocabulary and comprehension.
An appropriate learning environment and active interaction are vital for a child to learn
language. Acquisition of languages also enhances his social confidence and gives him a
feeling of being independent and worthy. An environment rich in lingual simulation must be
provided to the child by his parents and teachers, in order to polish his communication
skills. According to a scientific research, the more exposed a child is to new words by the
age of 3, the more developed his brain is and consequently the more successful he grows to
be in life.
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 Recommended Practices for Sensitive Period for Listening and Speaking;

- Children learn the sounds/ phenomes used in a language by listening to
conversation. Hence it is very important to speak in a clearly understandable tone
and precise manner, avoiding baby talk. Children often mispronounce a word, as
they have just started speaking. Elders should not copy the child and speak with
the correct accent. Every household member should play his part in improving
the communication skills of the child. Grandparents, siblings, relatives, everyone
should be engaged.
- Initiate conversation and engage the child in it. It is very important to create
opportunities for the child to speak as much as possible. Asking questions is a
great way to start a conversation.
- Read or sing to your child.
- Instead of anticipating and fulfilling child’s needs, allow him to express what he
wants.
- Listen to the child with full attention ant patience. A small conversation with
undivided attention and meaningful eye contact will held him refine his
communication skills. When we show the child that what he says is important to
us, it boosts his self-esteem and confidence.
- Introduce complex vocabulary to children. Don’t underestimate their potential
and enrich them with new words as frequently as possible. Instead of using slang,
use proper words (nouns & adjectives).

 Sensitive Period for Writing:

Sensitive period for learning to write ranges from 3.5 to 4.5 years of age. It starts before the
sensitive period for reading.
Various writing exercises such as tracing, writing on paper, sand trays, chalkboards etc. are
introduced to the child at this phase. Children are so motivated to trace, draw and color
during the time, that they don’t even spare the walls and furniture.
Moreover segmentation exercises should also be practiced at this stage. Children are pretty
interested in how words are made up of phonemes, so engage them in moveable alphabet
exercises to write words.
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 Sensitive Period for Reading:

Sensitive period for reading lasts from 4.5 to 5.5
years. Child displays a large interest in reading at
this time. Library corners are organized by
Montessori schools with 3 different reading
levels books for the children. As the children get
mastery over one level, they are introduced to
the other. Eventually child switches from guided
reading to independent reading of complex and
advanced books.

b) Sensitive Period for Mathematics

The sensitive period for numbers starts when a child is 4, and lasts till he turns 5.5 years of age.
During this time the child is largely fascinated by numbers, quantities and mathematical
operations.
Numerals, measurements and counting are something we have to deal with on daily basis.
Children during their sensitivity period display a keen interest in mathematical concepts. Maria
termed this as ‘The Mathematical Mind’, which refers to the unique ability of human mind in
managing order, exactness, estimation, quantification and calculation.
If the mathematical concepts are properly introduced during the sensitivity period, child
develops a positive relationship with numbers. Maria believed that child is hand minded and
so created hands on mathematical material for the children relating to counting, numerals,
decimal system, mathematical operations, algebra, geometry etc.

c) Sensitive Period for Movement

The effort to move and acquire motor skills begins as soon as a child is born. Children have a
fabulous stamina to move around untiringly in contrast to adults. The development and
coordination of their motor skills directly depends on how much they move. As the child
achieves proficiency in his gross and fine motor skills, he becomes more independent and
enjoys greater freedom from elders.
Gross Motor skills involve bigger muscles such as rolling, sitting, crawling, pulling, pushing, and
walking etc. whereas fine motor skills involve smaller muscles of the hands, fingers, and wrists
such as grasping, twisting, turning, holding, cutting and writing etc. with hand.
Sensitive period of Movement is further sub-divided to two categories;
- Acquisition
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- Refinement
 Acquisition of Gross & Fine Motor Skills
This period starts from birth and lasts till the child turns 2.5 years. During this phase,
child practices to control and coordinate his movements. Their constant vigorous
movement, strengthens muscles, improves hand and eye coordination and develops
spatial awareness and balance.
Child must be provided with a suitable environment that is safe and attractive and
encourages him to crawl, pull up and walk around. Low furniture which the child can
easily climb to or open the drawers of may be placed. Toys should be kept at low
heighted, easily accessible shelves. Fragile items must be secured so that the child may
independently move around in the house without any safety risks. Moreover child
should also be frequently brought outside.
 Refinement of Gross & Fine Motor Skills
This phase that begins from 2.5 years till 4.5 years is characterized by the precision,
refinement and better coordination of movement. The already acquired gross and
motor skills are polished during this phase.
Child gradually moves from simple walking and running to skipping and walking on a
line. He learns how to use both hands in coordination such as threading beads, building
towers, and spooning beans from one jar to another etc.
Montessori classrooms provide multiple opportunities to the child to refine his gross
and fine motor skills during the sensitive period by introducing appropriate material and
activities.

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Q5. Write short notes on the following core concepts of Montessori education;

a) Mixed Age Group

b) Spiritual Embryo
c) Absorbent Mind
d) Prepared Environment
e) Focus on Individual Progress

Answer:
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The Montessori educational system is based on some key principals that lay the very
foundation of the Maria’s educational philosophy. Montessori Method cannot be implemented
in the true sense if any of the below mentioned, core distinctive feature is missing.

a) Mixed Age Group

Montessori concept of schooling is different from the conventional one. It aims at introducing
Mixed Age Classrooms that comprise of children with varying ages accommodated in a single
room. Rather than segregating the children on the basis of their grades/ age, they are grouped
together depending on their developmental stages of childhood.

- Montessori Mixed Age Schooling is a Three Years Cycle and based on this concept, the
classrooms are divided into seven levels or categories;
 Level 1: Infants (birth – 18 months)
 Level 2: Toddlers (18 months – 3 years)
 Level 3: Early Childhood (3 – 6 years)
 Level 4: Lower Elementary (6 – 9 years)
 Level 5: Upper Elementary (9 – 12
years)
 Level 6: Middle School (12 - 15 years)
 Level 7: Secondary (15 – 19 years)

- There are multiple advantages of schooling children in mixed age groups, according to their
developmental stages. A few of them are narrated below;
 In the real world we live and interact with mixed age groups, in our daily routine. If
education is preparing us for real life, it should be like real life. Montessori schooling
acknowledges this need. Interaction of multi aged students in a Montessori
classroom polishes their socialization skills.
 It is generally observed the children tend to learn a lot by imitating their peers. In a
Montessori classroom younger children observe the older ones and quickly progress
to the next level of learning by imitating them. This opportunity is missing in a
conventional classroom where all students are same age.
 Students experience consistency and develop deep association with their teachers,
peers and environment throughout the three-year period in a Montessori mixed age
classroom. Moreover teachers get to know students really well, their mental
capabilities and when to introduce the next step in learning.
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 Younger students without any hesitation or

awkwardness gracefully seek help from their
peers, and in return happily assist them in tasks.
Later these students following the footsteps of
their older peers lend help to their juniors.
 Discipline is exercised in its true spirit as older
children abide by the code of conduct, while the
younger simply follow them.
 Presence of younger children in the classroom
helps create a sense of responsibility in the older
ones. The older students help their juniors and
become morally stronger individuals.
 When same aged individuals are introduced to a class, they would all have same
needs depending on their physical
development and natural urge. This
creates a scarcity of resources due to
high demand. On the other hand,
when multi aged students are housed
together the natural process of give
and take becomes uninterrupted,
since everyone does not need the
same thing, in the same amount, at
the same time.
 Students tend to exercise their discretion while opting for their tasks in a better way.
Since the Montessori classroom has mixed age materials suitable for a given age
only, hence it is indeed the exercise of WILL and selection choice of students while
opting for their work.

b) Spiritual Embryo
According to Maria Montessori the human being passes through two successive embryonic
stages in his life time; the Physical Embryo (inside the womb) and the Spiritual Embryo or
Psychic Embryo (after birth until 3 years of age).
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Just as the physical embryonic stage is the most significant period in the human physical
development, Maria emphasized that the spiritual embryo is the most crucial phase in the
psychological, spiritual and intellectual development of a child.

Dr. Montessori believed that there were striking

similarities between the two embryonic stages.
- Firstly, the embryo during both these stages needs
protection. A physical embryo is protected by the
amniotic sac in the womb. Whereas a spiritual embryo
needs protection, love, care and respect from the
people around it, family and surroundings where his
inclinations and predispositions are not suppressed.
- Just like the fetus is most vulnerable to any harm during the embryonic stage in the womb,
similarly the child during the spiritual embryonic stage is susceptible to negative influence
by the environment. Hence both the stages are crucial in the developmental process.
- The physical embryo via umbilical cord absorbs nourishment and oxygen from the placenta,
which has a rich supply of blood.
On the contrary spiritual embryo
is nourished through senses,
both in qualitative and
quantitative terms. The senses in
quantitative aspect refer to
amount of sensory stimulation
through interaction with the
environment, while qualitative
aspect is the positive or negative
influences in the environment. A
child should be provided the
maximum opportunity and
liberty to indulge in his favorite purposeful activities, moreover a developmentally
appropriate environment must be prepared and offered to the child. The child/ spiritual
embryo craves for psychic development, and knowledge/ learning is the most integral
nutrient for him. A child also needs to be emotionally and physically nourished. He needs
harmony in relationships, prevention from abuse and violence, and respect and support
from his family, in doing his little ventures.
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- As malnourishment can adversely affect the

physical development of a fetus, similarly lack of a
suitable environment that is rich in sensorial
stimulations can result in improper social,
emotional, lingual, psychic and intellectual
development of a child.

c) Absorbent Mind
Maria observed that the child has a tremendous tendency to
absorb information from his surroundings, just like a sponge.
From birth till a child turns six, he learns at an incredibly fast
pace and without much struggle. This is because during this span
the natural phenomenon of neural development takes place. As
we grow older we eventually start losing this exceptional ability
and our mind undergoes a transition from the absorbent mind to
the reasoning mind.
The absorbent mind lays the foundation of a child’s personality. It
helps him carryout tasks of inner construction. Absorbent mind
welcomes everything around him which creates and constructs
mankind. This is why Maria said, “Child is the father of man”. The
metaphors normally used for the absorbent mind are; a sponge
that soaks any kind of liquid and a camera that captures exact
duplicate image of everything around it.
A child’s mind and learning ability is quite different from that of an adult. Hence young children
should not be treated and taught like adults. A child’s brain undergoes extreme neuronal
activity and smoothly absorbs everything around it. Maria was of the view that a child ought to
be provided with freedom and a scientifically prepared environment, which caters his
intellectual developmental needs. Rather than dictating a child as in a conventional school,
children should be given the liberty to opt for their desired venture in a suitable environment.

Montessori categorized the absorbent mind into 2 sub phases;

- Unconscious Absorbent Mind (Birth to 3 years)
- Conscious Absorbent Mind (3 to 6 years)
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 Unconscious Absorbent Mind

During this span the brain absorbs
everything without any conscious effort
and knowledge. This is a phase of child’s
identity and personality construction. He
improvises his language, movements,
intellect, memory and emotions. The child
actively learns from his peers and tries to
follow and imitate them. He masters
mimicry during this period.

 Conscious Absorbent Mind

The second phase of absorbent
mind also involves the
spontaneous acquisition of
information but now with a
more conscious effort. During
this phase the child consolidates
and reassesses the knowledge he
unconsciously gathered during
the previous phase. The child
also becomes susceptible to
adult influence and starts
becoming disciplined.
At this stage a child must be exposed to a suitable environment and the freedom
to exercise his choices. Unnecessary adult involvement should be avoided and
child should be given the liberty to perform his task independently.
One more captivating aspect of this phase is that the hand becomes the
instrument of mind. The child explores everything through his hands. He focuses
on multiple learning domains such as writing, reading, computations, geography,
arts, science, music, culture, religion and physical activity.
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The Absorbent Mind and Sensitive Periods are

interlinked concepts. Each sensitive period allows the
child to absorb a particular aspect of the environment
only, excluding the others. By the end of 6 years, the
child’s personality is almost completely developed
and he enters from the stage of absorbent mind to
reasoning mind.

d) Prepared Environment
Montessori after detailed study and based on her scientific observations devised a classroom
setup that could cater the developmental and cognitive needs of children. She referred it as
the Prepared Environment. The prepared environment consists of the following core features;
- The prepared environment is not merely a philosophical conception rather based on
detailed scientific study. Maria developed different Montessori material, activities and
techniques and tested their results over children just like a scientist. Hence we can
conclude that the prepared environment is a scientifically designed environment.
- The prepared environment is divided into 2 areas, the indoor and the outdoor.
 Indoor Prepared Environment:
This setup resembles a home.
Montessori environment is
more like a children’s house
rather than a conventional
school. Montessori realized
that an environment with
disproportion and inaccessible
objects is a hindrance to
child’s freedom of
development. Hence in a
Montessori home nothing is
out of proportion. It is a child
sized world with furniture, fixture and fittings, utensils, tools and equipment, infect
every household necessity the size suitable for a child’s use. There are low sinks
installed in wash closets and kitchen, low cloth lines for pegging laundry, child sized
cleaning and gardening equipment so that a child can participate in the chores just
like an independent member of the house. The indoor prepared environment in
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Montessori houses is divided into five different subject areas; Language,

Mathematics, Practical Life, Sensorial Development, Culture and Science. Each
subject area has low shelves containing appropriate material regarding the specific
subject. The areas are maintained at a little distance apart to prevent any confusion.
Additional areas like library, peace corner, hobby workshop, science point, storage
area for keeping student belongings may also be devised.
 Outdoor Prepared Environment: Outdoor prepared environment involve age
appropriate activities considering the developmental
needs of children in mind. The outdoor environment
should focus on care of environment, freedom of
choice, concrete hands on experience, gross and fine
motor movement, practical life skills, creative play
and physical education while opting for activities. A
garden should be arranged where children can grow,
harvest and yield on their own using child sized
gardening tools. Teacher should encourage children
to take care of the plants. Practical life exercises can
also be performed outside like watering, growing and
harvesting plants, sweeping fallen leaves, washing
pathways etc. Moreover some art activities may also be performed outdoor. Physical
activities, exercise, games and sports that not only improve motor skills but also
instill the concept of teamwork among students, must be introduced outdoor. A
direct connection with nature is crucial for a child’s development; hence a quiet
place dedicated for meditation or simply observing the environment around, must
also be setup in a Montessori school.
- An integral part of the prepared environment is the constant maintenance of order.
There is a place for everything and everything has a place. Once a material is placed at a
particular spot on the shelf, it stays there throughout the course of three years. Only a
few items should be placed on a shelf in a way that they look orderly and easy to
choose. Not only the material but consistency and order should also be maintained in
routines and procedures in a prepared environment.
- Maria advocated that the children should be provided with a beautiful, calm, serene
and aesthetically attractive environment. Montessori classrooms are spacious with
neutral colored walls and soft lighting effect via floor and table lamps. Bright florescent
lights, classrooms clustered with furniture, walls overwhelmed with wall charts, black
boards and bulletin boards are to be avoided.
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- Montessori houses encourage child

movement. The child has the liberty to
move around and interact with each
other and the environment unless he
does not disturb anyone or damage
anything and maintains order.
Movement is important for a child’s
inner construction, normalization and
development of motor skills.
- Prepared environment facilitates and
appreciates social interaction with
teacher, peers and other children.
Children work together, extend and
receive help which incorporates grace, respect and courtesy in their personality.

e) Focus on Individual Progress

Every individual is unique. No two human beings are alike. We have a different genetic
makeup, physical traits and mental capabilities. In a Montessori house this uniqueness is
warmly welcomed and treated with respect and appreciation. Montessori schools focus on
child’s individual progress in the following ways;
- Provision of Self-Paced Individual Activities: Every child in the Montessori school is
treated as a distinct individual
and is granted complete
freedom to exercise his choice
in a prepared environment, to
flourish in to a unique being.
He is not pressurized to follow
specific instructions and
perform delegated tasks as in a
traditional school. There is no
defined curriculum, timetables
or deadlines. Most of the
activities are done by the child
individually, at his own pace
and for as long as he likes. Freedom within the scientifically prepared environment,
along with adult supervision, nourishes the child’s physical, mental, emotional and social
capabilities. Presence of an orderly environment and by taking responsibility he
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becomes normalized. Montessori teachers catering the individual developmental needs

of their students deliver solo presentations and lectures. Moreover group lessons may
be given to small groups of children who are in the same sensitive period. Whole class
teaching is not applicable in a Montessori house.
- No Competition: Montessori houses respect individual differences and varying progress
pace of students. No two students are compared with one another. Montessori believed
that every child is intelligent in his own way and may have a greater aptitude in a
different domain. Competition is a negative trait being drilled in the minds of children
nowadays. Human being can create an ideal peaceful world, which is in complete
harmony with all the components of the environment, leading to the foundation of a
constructive society. In a Montessori school students are taught peace, sharing and
respect. For them win- win is the most ideal situation rather then I win, you lose.
- No Examinations: Montessori schools do not rely on examinations and tests to assess
student progress rather teachers maintain individual observation sheets and portfolios
in the form of notes, pictures and videos of students. There are no regular tests or
examinations as they have their own limitations and drawback. Firstly exams mostly
focus on assessing a student’s memory and cramming skill, which is a very limited
perspective to judge an individual. Secondly no test can measure the true potential of a
child. Thirdly regular examinations invite unhealthy competition and pressure.
- No Reward, No Punishment: Maria prohibited the implication of reward or punishment.
She believed that praise, help, or even a
glance can interrupt the child and break his
tempo of the activity. As soon as the
concentration has begun, act as if the child
does not exist. Montessori educational
philosophy aims at exercising child’s inner
predispositions in selecting activities rather
than the longing of any reward or fear of
punishment. Their natural inner drives are sufficient to motivate them. The satisfaction
attained from engaging in appropriate activities in a suitable environment is a reward
itself. Suppression of natural drives through rewards and punishments or through any
other means adversely affects a child, passing through his sensitive period.
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