by Regan Becker

“Education is a natural process carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words, but by experiences in the environment… Education should no longer be mostly imparting of knowledge, but must take a new path, seeking the release of human potentialities.” — Dr. Maria Montessori

*Practical Life: Preliminary Movements — Pin-Pushing*

Montessori education respects the whole child. Dr. Maria Montessori is considered a proponent of modern holistic education. Her “follow the child” approach honors the physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of the child’s development. Use of concrete materials, mixed-age classrooms, and freedom of movement encourage children to grow in all ways, not simply academically.

When visiting a Montessori classroom, people often notice respect for others, value for peace and concentration, attention to spatial awareness, and love for the environment. These are characteristics apart from the beautiful, brilliant didactic hands-on materials that Montessori created and which are absent in traditional classrooms.

Holistic education is often called an alternative approach to modern traditional education. However, the practice of educating the Whole Child is present in Indigenous communities and can be traced back to ancient Greece, as well. Whole Child education shows the connections and relationships between areas of study. Holistic education engages the child by appealing to their natural curiosity and showing the purpose behind learning.

*Practical Life: Care of the Environment — Sweeping*

PHYSICAL

“Growth comes from activity, not from intellectual understanding… respect all the reasonable forms of activity in which the child engages and try to understand them… Watching a child makes it obvious that the development of his mind comes through his movement.” – Dr. Maria Montessori

Montessori education encourages freedom of movement and honing of motor skill development. Learners explore the classroom and practice carrying trays of works carefully from shelf to rug or from shelf to table. Children use balance and develop spatial and kinesthetic awareness (called proprioception).

Montessori education is constructivist – an educational theory that children construct knowledge through experience, as opposed to being passive vessels into which information is poured.

Dr. Montessori said, “The environment itself will teach the child, if every error he makes is manifest to him, without the intervention of a parent or teacher, who should remain a quiet observer of all that happens.”

*Practical Life: Care for Self (and Others!) — Tying an Apron*

SOCIAL

“It is interesting to see how, little by little, these children become aware of forming a community … Once they have reached this level, the children no longer act thoughtlessly, but put the group first and try to succeed for its benefit.” — Dr. Maria Montessori

Adults working in Montessori classrooms ask children questions, rather than answering them. When we recognize and celebrate the uniqueness of each child, we allow them to imagine and investigate for themselves, rather than teaching them short cuts. Once a child receives an answer, their interest may be extinguished. To cultivate critical thinking, we encourage children to problem-solve.

Working, interacting, and eating are personal experiences. A prepared environment is scaffolding for self-determination learned through independence and strengthened through experience. Montessori classrooms are mixed-age on purpose — to support and cultivate mentorship, spiral learning, and a sense of community.

EMOTIONAL

"The children must be able to express themselves and thus reveal those needs and attitudes which would otherwise remain hidden or repressed in an environment that did not permit them to act spontaneously." — Dr. Maria Montessori

Montessori education honors the emotional life of the child, letting them grow at an individual pace according to their strengths and areas of development. It is our responsibility as adults to provide consistent structures of ritual and routine. It is imperative that we step out of the child's way to allow them their own experiences of discovery.

Dr. Montessori implored guides trained in her method to avoid making demands of children and to instead use positive language -- tell what one wants rather than what one doesn't. Children are impressionable people who are learning how to balance emotions and express their feelings.

Learners need to see that adults are not perfect — that we make mistakes, that we feel regret, that we show courage and vulnerability by apologizing and taking responsibility, and that we help others.

INTELLECTUAL

“Seemingly simple acts of unrolling a rug, carrying a work on a tray, keeping all material within a space, and replacing items at the end of a work are practices not only in diligence but in coordination and concentration… We must, therefore, quit our roles as jailers and instead take care to prepare an environment in which we do as little as possible to exhaust the child with our surveillance and instruction.” — Dr. Maria Montessori

The Montessori classroom is organized both beautifully and sequentially, so that to the naked eye of child and parent, everything a child encounters seems do-able. Information is simplified and studies are approached in small steps, so that students can delve into material year after year and always learn something new. The intention of the prepared Montessori environment is for the child to interact with materials in a hands-on fashion to the ultimate satisfaction of their passions. This is when true learning happens.

In Montessori classrooms, learners have freedom of movement and freedom of choice, and they are able to continue with work at their own pace, for as long as they benefit from repetition. Montessori teachers guide children through a scope and sequence of curricular lessons in Math and Language, as well as Practical Life and Sensorial work. Montessori materials are sequential, developmentally-appropriate, and self-correcting – which encourage a child's self-esteem and self-reliance.

*Practical Life: Care for the Environment — Carrying a Wheelbarrow*

SPIRITUAL

Dr. Montessori described the spiritual aspect of a child as a “psychological attitude to himself and his life, within the environment, with others, how his personality is shaped by experience, and how experience leads to changes within himself… The things he sees are not just remembered; they form a part of his soul… Since it is through movement that the will realizes itself, we should assist a child in his attempts to put his will into action.”

In the Montessori classroom, children learn about the parts of a plant not simply through using wooden puzzles and tracing the segments, but by weeding in a garden and walking through a forest on the way to a park. Recent scientific studies by the National Wildlife Federation suggest that going out into nature calms a child's stress level, reduces symptoms of ADHD, increases critical thinking skills, and diminishes anxiety and depression due to over-structure and lack of free time. Physical education evolves through freedom of movement, exploration of nature, fitness, and hand-eye coordination.

Whole Child education understands the connections between the body and mind. Learning takes place through movement and incorporates all the senses, creating pathways and synapses in the brain that cannot be undone. It incorporates purposeful movement and does not dictate that children sit still and be silent. Whole Child education incorporates both left brain and right brain learning, valuing each equally.

“Children have a right to be nourished spiritually in ways that leave open the door for deeply appropriate responses such as wonder, respect, and gratitude.” -– Montessori educator Aline Wolf, Nurturing the Spirit in Non-sectarian Classrooms

The Whole Child

by Regan Becker

Mixed-Age Classrooms

Love of Order