The Montessori Theory

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Recommended: Brief paragraph description of the Montessori philosophy

The Montessori approach is based on several philosophical foundations and pedagogical practices. The pedagogical practices most represented in a Montessori environment are; holistic learning, being responsive to the children, learn through play, teachable moments and a real world learning environmental. Philosophical foundations that underpin the Montessori approach are; respect, freedom, identity, liberty and independence. These foundations are found throughout practices and are embedded in the learning environment (Many Rivers Montessori, 2014). They also meet the developmental needs of each child as they move through their stages of growth.
Montessori is a humanist approach that focuses on child centred learning (Duchesne & McMaugh, 2016). …show more content…

As such, a pedagogical practice in Montessori is not to extrinsically motivate children. The Montessori approach acknowledges that children are intrinsically motivated to play and as a result, in the setting of free choice, learning becomes autonomous, eliminating the need for extrinsic motivators (Lillard, 2013). It is also shown that prizes and punishments take away the child’s liberty and hinder the child’s development of independence whereas the Montessori philosophical foundations aim to build the child’s independence and liberty (Feez, 2013). In light of this intrinsically motivated approach, educators practicing the Montessori approach are to provide a play based environments. Play for children is a process of acquiring new knowledge and by having educational outcomes underpinning play activities, the Montessori approach is constructing liberty and freedom in children (Duchesne & McMaugh, 2016 ; Larson, 2010). Liberty and freedom in the Montessori classroom is an …show more content…

An educator is to provide a specially prepared environment that promotes activities that aid children in the teaching of themselves (Larson, 2010). They are to conduct this Montessori practice by being responsive to the children’s interests and needs. Once there are educational activities that relate to the children’s interests, the children are able to develop focus and concentration for sustained periods of time. As a result, educators are to be responsive and plan for extended, uninterrupted periods for the children to work (Larson, 2010). The teacher 's goal is to guide and support the children, allowing them to develop confidence and independence (Edwards, 2002). There are no formal lessons in the Montessori pedagogical practice; however there are intentional teachable moments. The educator waits and observes children, allowing them to explore concepts and materials before assisting the child and moving them to the next stage of development (Lillard & Else-Quest, 2006). These teachings are often in a small group setting or one-on-one and consist of the educator modelling an activity or material and build on the initial interest so that the children will later use that material independently (Feez,

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