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PAKISTAN MONTESSORI CONCIL

Assignment Module: 1

Question no.1
Discuss the life and works of Dr. Maria Montessori and why is she referred to as a lady much
ahead of her time?
nswer: Maria Montessori was born on the 31st August 1870 in the town of Chiaravalle, Italy. Her father, Alessandro, was

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an accountant in the civil service, and her mother, Renilde Stoppani, was well educated and had a passion for reading.
The Montessori family moved to Rome in 1875, and the following year the young Maria enrolled in the local state school
on the Via di San Nicolo da Tolentino. As her education progressed, she began to break through the barriers which
constrained women’s careers. From 1886 to 1890 she continued her studies at the Regio Instituto Tecnico Leonardo da
Vinci, which she entered with the intention of becoming an engineer. This was unusual at the time as most girls who
pursued secondary education studied the classics rather than going to technical school.
Upon her graduation, Montessori’s parents encouraged her to take up a career in teaching, one of the few occupations open to
women at the time, but she was determined to enter medical school and become a doctor. Her father opposed this course—medical
school was then an all-male preserve—and initially Maria was refused entry by the head of school. She was undeterred, apparently
ending the unsuccessful interview with the professor by saying, “I know I shall become a doctor”. Eventually, it seems, Pope Leo XIII
interceded on her behalf. In 1890 Montessori enrolled at the University of Rome to study physics, maths and natural sciences,
receiving her diploma two years later. This and the Pope’s intercession enabled her to enter the Faculty of Medicine, and she
became the first woman to enter medical school in Italy. Montessori stood out not just because of her gender, but because she was
actually intent on mastering the subject matter. She won a series of scholarships at medical school which, together with the money
she earned through private tuition, enabled her to pay for most of her medical education.
Her time at medical school was not easy. She faced prejudice from her male colleagues and had to work alone on dissections since
these were not allowed to be done in mixed classes. But she was a dedicated student, and on the 10 th July 1896 became the first
woman to qualify as a doctor in Italy and with this distinction also became known across the country.

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 She was immediately employed in the San
Giovanni Hospital attached to the University.
Later that year she was asked to represent Italy
at the International Congress for Women’s
Rights in Berlin, and in her speech to the
Congress she developed a thesis for social
reform, arguing that g the event asked her how
her patients responded to a female doctor.
She replied, “… they know intuitively when someone really cares about them.… It is only the upper classes that have a prejudice
against women leading a useful existence.” In November 1896 Montessori added the appointment as surgical assistant at Santo
Spirito Hospital in Rome to her portfolio of tasks. Much of her work there was with the poor, and particularly with their children. As a
doctor she was noted for the way in which she ‘tended’ her patients, making sure they were warm and properly fed as well as
diagnosing and treating their illnesses. In 1897 she volunteered to join a research programme at the psychiatric clinic of the
University of Rome, and it was here that she worked alongside Giusseppe Montesano, with whom a romance was to develop.
As part of her work at the clinic she would visit Rome’s asylums for the insane, seeking patients for treatment at the clinic. She
relates how, on one such visit, the caretaker of a children’s asylum told her with disgust how the children grabbed crumbs off the
floor after their meal. Montessori realized that in such a bare, unfurnished room the children were desperate for sensorial stimulation
and activities for their hands, and that this deprivation was contributing to their condition.
She began to read all she could on the subject of mentally retarded children, and in particular she studied the groundbreaking work
of two early 19th century Frenchmen, Jean-Marc Itard, who had made his name working with the ‘wild boy of Aveyron’, and Edouard
Séguin, his student. She was so keen to understand their work properly that she translated it herself from French into Italian. Itard
had developed a technique of education through the senses, which Séguin later tried to adapt to mainstream education. Highly
critical of the regimented schooling of the time, Séguin emphasised respect and understanding for each individual child. He created
practical apparatus and equipment to help develop the child’s sensory perceptions and motor skills, which Montessori was later to
use in new ways. During the 1897-98 University terms she sought to expand her knowledge of education by attending courses in
pedagogy, studying the works of Rousseau, Pestalozzi and Froebel.
In 1898 Montessori’s work with the asylum children began to receive more prominence. The 28-year-old Montessori was asked to
address the National Medical Congress in Turin, where she advocated the controversial theory that the lack of adequate provision for
retarded and disturbed children was a cause of their delinquency. Expanding on this, she addressed the National Pedagogical
Congress the following year, presenting a vision of social progress and political economy rooted in educational measures. This
notion of social reform through education was an idea that was to develop and mature in Montessori’s thinking throughout her life.
Montessori’s involvement with the National League for the Education of Retarded Children led to her appointment as co-director, with
Guisseppe Montesano, of a new institution called the Orthophrenic School. The school took children with a broad spectrum of
disorders and proved to be a turning point in Montessori’s life, marking a shift in her professional identity from physician to educator.
Until now her ideas about the development of children were only theories, but the small school, set up along the lines of a teaching
hospital, allowed her to put these ideas into practice. Montessori spent 2 years working at the Orthophrenic School, experimenting
with and refining the materials devised by Itard and Séguin and bringing a scientific, analytical attitude to the work; teaching and
observing the children by day and writing up her notes by night.
The relationship with Guisseppe Montesano had developed into a love affair, and in 1898 Maria gave birth to a child, a boy named
Mario, who was given into the care of a family who lived in the countryside near Rome. Maria visited Mario often, but it was not until
he was older that he came to know that Maria was his mother. A strong bond was nevertheless created, and in later years he
collaborated and travelled with his mother, continuing her work after her death.
Works
Montessori published a number of books, articles, and pamphlets during her lifetime, often in Italian, but sometimes first in English.
According to Kramer, "the major works published before 1920 (The Montessori Method, Pedagogical Anthropology, The Advanced
Montessori Method—Spontaneous Activity in Education and The Montessori Elementary Material), were written in Italian by her and
translated under her supervision."However, many of her later works were transcribed from her lectures, often in translation, and only
later published in book form.
Montessori's major works are given here in order of their first publication, with significant revisions and translations.

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 (1909) Il Metodo della Pedagogia Scientifica applicato all'educazione infantile nelle Case dei Bambini
revised in 1913, 1926, and 1935; revised and reissued in 1950 as La scoperta del bambino
(1912) English edition: The Montessori Method: Scientific Pedagogy as Applied to Child Education in the Children's Houses
(1948) Revised and expanded English edition issued as The Discovery of the Child
(1950) Revised and reissued in Italian as La scoperta del bambino
(1910) Antropologia Pedagogica
(1913) English edition: Pedagogical Anthropology
(1914) Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook
(1921) Italian edition: Manuale di pedagogia scientifica
(1916) L'autoeducazione nelle scuole elementari
(1917) English edition: The Advanced Montessori Method, Vol. I: Spontaneous Activity in Education; Vol. II: The Montessori
Elementary Material.
(1922) I bambini viventi nella Chiesa
(1923) Das Kind in der Familie (German)
(1929) English edition: The Child in the Family
(1936) Italian edition: Il bambino in famiglia
(1934) Psico Geométria (Spanish)
(2011) English edition: Psychogeometry
(1934) Psico Aritmética
(1971) Italian edition: Psicoaritmetica
(1936) L'Enfant(French)
(1936) English edition: The Secret of Childhood
(1938) Il segreto dell'infanzia
(1948) De l'enfant à l'adolescent
(1948) English edition: From Childhood to Adolescence
(1949) Dall'infanzia all'adolescenza
(1949) Educazione e pace
(1949) English edition: Peace and Education
(1949) Formazione dell'uomo
(1949) English edition: The Formation of Man
(1949) The Absorbent Mind
(1952) La mente del bambino. Mente assorbente
(1947) Education for a New World
(1970) Italian edition: Educazione per un mondo nuovo
Question no. 2
Which are the main requirements to be considered to start a House of Children? How do you
implement them?
Answer:

Requirements to be considered to start a House of Children

The main requirements to be considered to start a House of Children are:

 In adult’s world (Home) child feel himself like an alien.

 Our Homes are designed according to adults. Children cannot access anything freely and comfortably.
 Children used to listened word “No” many times in a day. “Prohibition is prohibition, either sweet or bitter.”
 Adults try to teach children by their orders or by their words, they usually not practice themselves.

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 Adults are sometime so busy that they have no proper time for children
 Children can’t find proper work/activity to spend their time.
 Providing over and extra help to children, ignoring that they want many of work done by their own selves.
 Children are usually not allowed to “Let me do it myself” strategy.

These are some basic problems which every child faced in their homes. So children need a proper place where they can learn, play
and get experienced.

ow Do I implement:

H
I am a mother of two kids. I am already trying and practicing few activities from Montessori Method of learning, achieving
an astonishing results and development in my kids. As kids start learning very after from their birth and for their better
growth, development and education it’s our responsibility as a parent/elder to provide them healthy, effective and fruitful
environment. When environment meets all of the needs of children, they become, without any guidance by the adult,
physically healthy, mentally and psychologically fulfilled, extremely well-educated, and filled over with joy and kindness
towards each other. Children who have better experiences at proper time develop more effectively as compared to other who has
less opportunities and experience.

In House of Children I will prefer to implement following thing:

1. Respect for the child

2. Everything should be child sized
3. The absorbent mind
4. Sensitive periods
5. The prepared environment
6. Focus on individual child
7. Polite and reasonable behavior of teachers
8. Parents – Teachers meeting
POLITE AND REASONABLE BEHAVIOR OF TEACHERS:
Children learn a lot firstly from their mother’s then from their teachers. The behavior and attitude of the teacher should be
polite, reasonable and helpful towards children.
EVERYTHING SHOULD BE CHILD SIZED:
Furniture, equipment, and supplies that children could access/used should be child sized so that they can work all by themselves,
they were self-motivated to explore, experiment, and reach new understandings.

SENSITIVE PERIODS:
Sensitive periods vary from children to children some children are more susceptible to certain behaviors and can learn
specific skills more easily others may not. Although all children experience the same sensitive periods (e.g., a sensitive period for
reading), the sequence and timing vary for each child. One role of the teacher is to use observation to detect times of sensitivity and
provide the setting for best result.

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RESPECT FOR THE CHILD:

Respect for the

child is the keystone on which all other Montessori principles based. As Montessori said, “As a rule, however, we do not respect
children. We try to force them to follow us without regard to their special needs. We are overbearing with them, and above all, rude;
and then we expect them to be submissive and well-behaved, knowing all the time how strong is their instinct of imitation and how
touching their faith in and admiration of us.”
Teachers show respect for children when they help them do things and learn for themselves. When children have choices, they are
able to develop the skills and abilities necessary for effective learning independence, and positive self-esteem.
THE ABSORBENT MIND:

Children are born to learn, and they have remarkable learning systems. Children learn because they are thinking beings. But
what they learn depends greatly on their teachers, experiences, and environments. We need to understand that children can’t help
learning, simply by living, children learn from their environment.
FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL CHILD:
Teachers should focus on individual child as each child is a unique entity. Each child’s learning progress, growth,
understanding, achieving a mastery of particular skill and requirements are different.

PARENTS – TEACHER MEETINGS:

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 There should be a close interaction between parents and teachers. Parents should know the progress, work and activities
of a child so that they can practice same in homes as well if they want.
THE PREPARED ENVIRONMENT:
Environment is extremely important at any level of the
development of child. Children learn best in a prepared
environment, a place in which children can do things for
themselves. It makes learning materials and experiences
available to children in an orderly format and they can easily
access them. Freedom is the essential characteristic of the
prepared environment. Since children within the environment
are free to explore materials of their own choosing, they
absorb what they find there.

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Question no.3
What are the discoveries made by Dr. Maria Montessori by observing the child?
Answer: Maria Montessori made a lot of discoveries by observing the children. She is a founder of Montessori education. She
conducted a lot of experiments and observed children by spending a lot of time with them. She discovered several aspects of
children. She has specified some of the discoveries she had made during her

work.
According to Maria Montessori children work until they reach to their goal. They are very enthusiastic about the work which
makes them select and concentrate on different activities which lead them to make them perfect in their inner development.
The teacher or an adult should follow the child rather them to motivate him to do work. When a child works in different areas
of human activity at specific time that lead them to develop the awareness and usage of doing. The teacher should not ignore their
inner urge of doing activities.
When a child does activities again and again or when there is a spontaneous repetition of an activity is done with great interest
the result is concentration .The child concentrates more when they found right conditions. And condition is just a beginning not an
end.
Maria discovered that children really need an order in their life. She found out when she saw her children putting their things back
to their places; same in the case of values, functions and other human activities. The child wants to learn by practice that is the truth,
the need to see it being practiced. Montessori students in this age, built up their personalities, they needed consistency in all aspects
of environment.
Normality refers to human power working in unison or in collaboration. Dr. Maria says that during the early childhood it is
possible to rectify any developmental error and bring the child back to normality. The child should work individually and with freedom.
All activities are very important to bring child back to normality.
A child needs those activities which help him to develop sensorial concepts, language, arithmetic art, and culture. These are very
important for building of child’s personality. Montessori found that these activities can bring intelligence in the children as they love
to perform these activities.

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A child could assimilate that the knowledge which people think that this kind of knowledge is too complex for the children
but according to Maria Montessori if that knowledge present in rightful manner or condition, that would be easy for them to digest.
Montessori figure out that discipline should not be imposed on children. If a child is satisfied, he would start respect others. He
may learn discipline unintentionally. Real discipline comes along with freedom.
If a child is satisfied he or she starts respect elders because real obedience is based on love, respect and faith.
She was confident that the child’s behavior rely on the environment. If a child couldn't get the environment for development, when
his or her inner needs do not fulfill, he becomes stubborn, disobedient and destructive. So we should provide him or her suitable
environment and condition for development and Montessori is the right place for that.
She discovered that children love to do their household work. They believe in a statement that “Help me Do it myself” but
parents don’t pay any heed towards this. So, she says we should trust the child.
Maria had a view that we should provide a very good environment to the student in order to attain good result. For this purpose, she
used child size table and chair rather than heavy desk. She discovered the child wants everything according to its size. Tables were
so small and light in weight so two children could easily move it.
Another very important point which she had discovered is traffic pattern. She figure out that a room where children had to stay, it
should not be congested and overloaded. The children love to sit on the floor so that’s why she put a lot of rugs and mats for
children where they sit and do activities.
Maria observed that the building and outside environment should be according to the size of a child. For instance toilet, low sink,
windows, shelves, garden tools etc. designed in child sized.
Question no.4
What does “PILES” stand for when we talk of human development? Discuss the physical, lingual
and intellectual development taking place during 3 to 6 years of age.
Answer:

Traditionally, scientists have sorted these changes into separate categories- cognitive, language, physical and social development. Development
in each of these areas, however, affects and interacts with every other type. For example, cognitive development creates the need for more
sophisticated speech in order to express new knowledge. Language development leads children to master new words that capture new ideas.
Physical development allows them to perform more complicated tasks than they could earlier, bringing them into greater social contact with others.
The information presented in the following sections discusses some of the major achievements in each of these areas of development.

YSICAL, MOTOR, AND PERCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT

The preschool years are characterized by striking physical and psychological changes. The brain and nervous
system grow rapidly and important parts of the brain attain their mature form. The child continues to grow, from an
average height of about 33 inches at age 2, to about 45 inches at age 6. Motor skills also improve substantially.
During this age children's baby fat disappears, their legs lengthen, accounting for a larger proportion of their height,
and the relation of head size to body size becomes more adult-like. As will be discussed in this chapter, physical
development of the young child corresponds closely to changes in cognitive, language, and social behaviors.

Physical Development
In general children during the first two years of life quadruple their weight and increase their height by two-thirds. This rate slows down between 2
and 3 years when children gain only about 4 pounds and grow only about 3.5 inches. Between the ages 4 and 6, the increase in height slows still
further and children grow about 2.5 inches and gain 5 to 7 pounds on the average. As a result of the slower growth rate following age 2, most 3

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and 4 year olds seem to eat less food. While causing alarm in some parents, the change in food intake is normal. Children do not eat less food but
rather they eat fewer calories per pound of body weight. The decrease growth rate requires less calories to build their developing muscles, bones,
and nerves. Although normal children follow the same growth pattern, there are wide individual variations. A child with a slow growth rate may
continue to gain in height and weight until age 20 while a child with a fast growth rate may complete full growth by 16 years of age.

Physical development results from the interaction between individual factors of heredity and environmental forces. Abnormal growth patterns often
reflect this interaction. A striking illustration of this effect is the failure to thrive syndrome in which children suffering from prolonged neglect or
abuse simply stop growing. In these children, psychological stress produced by their social environment causes the pituitary gland to stop
secreting growth hormones. When the environmental stress is alleviated, and the child receives care, affection, and stimulation, growth resumes
often at a rate that enables catch-up growth to occur. In body growth, brain growth, and all other aspects of physical and psychological
development, genes and environment collaborate to produce normal development. Physical developments are affected by the environment no
less than psychological ones. A healthy environment is necessary for normal growth of the body, brain, and nervous system.

The brain continues to grow rapidly during the preschool period. At age 2, the child's brain has reached 55% of its adult size; by six years of age it
has grown to more than 90% of its adult size (Tanner, 1978). While brain growth during this period is often uneven, most has occurred before 4 to
4.5 years of age. There appears to be a spurt in growth at age 2 followed by a major decrease in growth rate between 5 and 6 years of age. The
increase in brain size reflects changes in the organization and size of nerve cells rather than an increase in the number of cells. The growth also
reflects an increase in the number of glial cells that feed and support the nerve cells and to the increasing myelination of nerve fibers. Myelin is the
coating around nerve fibers that serves to channel impulses along the fibers and to reduce the random spread of impulses between adjacent
fibers, thus helping the nervous system to function quickly and accurately.

In appearance the human brain consists of two symmetrical hemispheres that specialize in different functions. The left hemisphere controls verbal,
reasoning, and mathematical skills, while the right hemisphere specializes in nonverbal skills such as spatial ability, perception of patterns and
melodies, and the expression and recognition of emotion.

ANGUAGE ACQUISITION
A dramatic accomplishment during this period is the acquisition of language. In late infancy children learn to say a few individual
words and, by paying attention to context, they can also understand some of the language used around them. At approximately 2
years of age, their ability to use language suddenly increases rapidly. The size of the vocabulary increases and they begin to string
words together in short sentences. The ability to represent objects, people and events through language, develops at about the
same time as representation in children's imitation, play and other actions. While representation is not required in uttering simple
individual words, it is neccessary for organizing words into simple statements.

Despite intensive research, the process of language acquisition remains elusive, and no single theory has sufficiently uncovered its
mystery. What is evident is that the growth of children's vocabulary and their increased ability to use complex sentence structures accompanied by
a corresponding growth in their ability to engage in conversation appropriately tailored to the listener's needs, requires both participation in
responsive human interactions and exposure to a rich language environment (Bruner, J. 1983). Most research on language development has
focused on how children acquire the rules that govern our use of language.

The two types of rules that have been most investigated are pragmatics, rules for communicating in social contexts, and grammatical rules for
combining words. Many of the language rules that children learn amount to social conventions and are so automatic for adults that we are not
even aware of them. In adult speech, for instance, expressive devices, such as sarcasm, tell the listener not to take what is being said literally.
Another device is the use of a question as an indirect request. Because of egocentric thought and social inexperience, young children do not fully
understand the indirect requests. For children, the simple pragmatic functions of language are often more important than the specific meanings of
sentences. When English speaking preschool children meet in small groups with preschool children who speak another language, they may play
together for days without seeming to notice their language differences. An English speaking 4 year old walked up to a French speaking 3 year old
and spoke in English. The 3 year old answered in French and they proceeded to play, acting as if they both understood, taking turns, nodding in
agreement, and so forth. This interaction emphasized the similarity of pragmatic rules between languages while the meaning of words is generally
obvious from the context and from other nonverbal cues such as tone of voice.

Another conversation convention that is beyond the ability of a young preschool child is the rule that what is being said should be interesting to the
listener as well as to the speaker. Because children in the early preoperational period are prisoners of their own viewpoint, they think that what
interests them interests everyone. This egocentrism leads children to endless self-reporting and the assumption that other people know what they

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themselves know. They frequently conduct a conversation as though it were a monologue, changing the subject without seeming to be aware of
the listener's response. At about 4 years of age, children begin to master some of the more complex pragmatic rules that were so difficult when
they were younger. For example, a well-documented developmental change takes place in pragmatic skill with the rules for polite forms of request.
To understand what is polite, a child must have the cognitive ability to consider the other person's viewpoint.

Children must also learn the grammar and the rules for forming words, phrases, and sentences. They must be able to express such states and
relations as possession, negation, past action and conditional action. One of the most basic concepts is organization of words into sentences. In
order to distinguish one sentence from another, each group of words in a sentence has a certain pitch, and stress, so that listeners can distinguish
one sentence from the next. English speakers generally drop the pitch at the end of a statement and raise it at the end of questions. Most children
recognize and can infer meaning from intonation patterns sometime in the first year of life. This enormous accomplishment reflects the special
adaptation of the human species for acquiring language.

How do children learn these complicated rules which are unique for each language? Some psycho-linguistic researchers believe that we inherit
species-specific strategies, or operating principles, for perceiving speech. These language operating principles are similar to the newborn's rule for
visual scanning. In a similar fashion, young children listen to the language in ways that help to discover its meaning. These strategies for
perceiving speech make it easier to understand the rules of speech production. Three important operating principles have helped to explain two of
the best known characteristic of children's early speech- telegraphic speech and overregulation (Slobin,1973, 1979). These operating principles
include paying attention to the endings of words, paying attention to the order of words and word segments, and avoiding exceptions to language
rules.

Telegraphic speech refers to a child's tendency to use only the two or three most important words to express meaning. For example, a child says;
"Mommy rice," rather than "Mommy, I would like to have some rice." The average length of sentences steadily increase during the period from 2 to
6 years. Telegraphic speech in different languages has many differences as well as similarities. For example in virtually all languages, children's
telegraphic speech is characterized by deletions of certain kinds of words such as articles ("the, a, an), prepositions (in, on, under, through),
conjunctions (and, but, because, when) and parts of nouns and verbs that indicate relatively subtle changes in meaning. Since telegraphic
sentences are often ambiguous, interpretation often relies on contextual information.

The operating principle of avoiding exceptions to language rules, results in overregularization as children apply a language rule to a word or
phrase that does not follow the rule. Statements such as "I goed out and throwed my ball at those gooses" are common from English speaking
children at this stage of language development.

Children speaking the same language seem to acquire rules in a similar order. Rules that are simple and used often are acquired first followed by
an understanding of and an ability to combine more complex rules. Because the complexity of a given grammatical form differs from one language
to another, the age at which children master the rule for a particular form depends partly on the complexity of the language. Some grammatical
forms that are not particularly difficult to understand may enter a child's speech late because they are difficult to hear. Because young children can
only listen to language, they often make mistakes due to the way a word or phrase sounds.

Preschool children are obsessed with language. They listen to it carefully and chatter away for hours on end. By the age of six or seven they have
acquired and mastered most of the rules for speaking in their native language. This amazing feat suggests that there is a critical time, or sensitive
period for acquiring language that begins at one or two years of age, peaks in the later preschool years, and continues to some degree until 13 to
15 years of age. This special human sensitivity for learning language in the preschool years seems to correspond to certain systematic changes in
the brain and in the rest of the nervous system at about this time, which are closely related to speech. The best documented of these changes are
called myelogenetic cycles. Each cycle is a period in which myelin forms in a particular system within the brain. There are three myelogenetic
cycles in the system that are important to language (Lecours, 1975). The first cycle, which occurs in the primitive brain (the brain stem and the
limbic system) starts before birth and ends early in infancy. It seems to be associated with the development of babbling. The second cycle, which
begins around birth and continues until 3.5 to 4.5 years of age, takes place in a more advanced part of the brain. This cycle appears to
accompany the development of speech in infancy and the early preschool years. The third cycle takes place in the association areas of the cortex
of the brain, which play a central role in intelligence. Although myelination of these areas begins at birth, it is not fully completed until age 15 or
later.

Language develops very efficiently for the great majority of children. Parents and caregivers can help sustain natural language development by
providing environments full of language development opportunities. With young children, for example, one helpful style of interaction is a highly
responsive one, in which the adult lets the child decide what to talk about, expands on that topic, works hard to figure out what the child means,

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suggests new activities, and pays more attention to what the child wants to say than whether it is being said correctly. An optimal language
teacher assumes the role of a cooperative conversational partner rather than taking an explicitly didactic or directive role.

The studies on which this picture is based have mostly been carried out in middle-class, English speaking families, a cultural group within which
responsive, nondirective, child centered parenting is considered desirable. In this group children and adults have relatively equal social status, and
children are expected from a very early age to function as conversational partners (Cazden, 1988; Snow, 1989).

In other cultures, the rules governing parent-child interaction and parental roles are quite different. In Samoa, for example, social status is closely
connected to age, and the idea of engaging a child in conversation as a social equal would seem unnatural. Among the Kaluli of Papua, New
Guinea, it is considered better to ask children to talk as adults about adult matters than to "descend to their level" in talking to them. In these
cultures we would not expect the responsive style of talk that facilitates language acquisition for American children to function similarly.

Language teaching is most useful to young children when it is presented in the context of their own activities and attempts at expression. Older
preschool children, however, can use language to learn language and they no longer need to encounter each new language skill within a
meaningful context. Furthermore, they become increasingly capable of learning intentionally, of attending to and benefitting from explicit
instruction, and of using models as sources of learning. At this stage simply responding to the child's interests might not be sufficient to stimulate
optimal language development. Talking about a wide variety of topics, modelling an enriched vocabulary, engaging in talk about talk itself,
discussing word meanings, challenging children to explain themselves and to justify their own thinking, setting higher standards for
comprehensibility, and explicitly correcting errors: all these are important in the language development of 4, 5, and 6 year old children. Children at
this age range are also expected to control certain language-related literacy skills that probably emerge from being read to, from experience in
looking at books with adults, and from experience with letters, with pencils and paper, and with observation of adult literacy activities. Parents and
other caregivers foster such skills when they can organize the environment to provide and encourage the use of pre-literacy learning materials.

Question no. 5
Write comprehensive note on the role of teacher in a Montessori classroom.
Answer:

The role of teacher in the Montessori classroom

Montessori teachers play a vital part in the success of Montessori classroom wherein children learn the best of their potentials esp.
when it comes creativity and imaginative assumptions of understanding things and center towards application of learning made. The
role of Montessori teacher is ideally a full pledge observer into the classroom set up, watching Montessori classroom upon leading
forward for effective and top caliber education rubrics. Montessori teachers come from wide range of backgrounds. Except for areas
where even private school teachers are required to hold a State teaching credential, it is not necessary for prospective teachers to
have first graduated with a degree in education. Many Montessori teachers studied another field first. Many Montessori teachers
began first as parents with children enrolled in a Montessori school. Often the very factors that drew enthusiastic parents to a
Montessori school in the first place offer the possibility of a professional life beyond their roles as parents.

"The teacher, when she begins to work in our schools, must have a kind of faith that the child will reveal himself through work. She
must free herself from all preconceived ideas concerning the levels at which the children may be. The teacher must believe that this
child before her will show his true nature when he finds a piece of work that attracts him. So what must she look out for? That one
child or another will begin to concentrate" (The Absorbent Mind, p. 276). Montessori teachers are not the center of attention in the
classroom. Their role centers on the preparation and organization of learning materials to meet the needs and interests of the
Montessori children. The focus is on children learning, not on teachers teaching. Montessori teacher must be facile at presenting and
understanding history, art, music, math, astronomy, botany, zoology, chemistry, physical geography, language, physics, geometry,
and practical life works. The Montessori teacher is trained to give one-on-one or small group lessons and spend little time giving
large group lessons. Lessons are brief and precise, meant to intrigue the minds of children so that they come back to learn more on
their own. Montessori lessons center around the most basic information necessary for the children to do the work: the name of the
materials, where it can be found in the classroom and on the shelf, how to use the materials, and what can be done with them.

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Montessori teachers never criticize or interfere in a child’s work. It is only in a trusting atmosphere that child’s personality has room to
grow. Children must have the freedom to choose their own activities and learn to behave without restriction.

Coventry (2009) have noted that, ‘when the Montessori teacher is sitting off to one side observing her classroom, she is better able
to fulfill the needs of her students, in an instance, parents observing Montessori classroom are often shocked to see the teacher
sitting to one side of the classroom. The Montessori teacher is actively engaged in observation, which leads to more productive
interaction with and understanding of each child’. Furthermore, the Montessori teacher also implies the role of being a directress as
Maria Montessori gave her teachers was actually “directress” as the adult’s purpose was to direct the child on his quest to self-
understanding and development into manhood. She observes the child to determine where he is in his development and guides him
to appropriate lessons and activities. The Montessori teacher also observes the children to determine what, if any, changes need to
be made in the environment to facilitate the children’s growth and development. Perhaps a pathway is too open and children feel the
need to hurry through. She will also take note of the works that are on the shelves. Those that have run their course are removed,
and new ones introduced. Popular activities can be supplemented with new ones that take the concept even farther. The Montessori
teacher uses her observation time as a classroom management technique. She can quietly enforce the ground rules of the
classroom with individual children, instead of shaming them in front of the whole class. She takes note of which rules need to be
reviewed. She watches the children to make sure they are being respectful with the materials, and steps in only when necessary.
She can also determine if the children are “done” working for the day, and change classroom activities. Montessori teacher takes
notes on each child’s development as he proceeds through the curriculum. She is aware of appropriate developmental milestones
and uses her observations to determine if each child is on track. If not, she can use her notes to help her choose a new course of
action and in conversation with parents and other professionals. Thus, uses variety of methods to keep track of their observations.
Some use objective narratives and anecdotes about situations that arise in the classroom. Others may use a checklist or a flow chart
to keep track of a child’s progress through the curriculum.

When parents finally meet with their child’s teacher, they realize that the observation conducted by the directress is actually more
beneficial to the child. They see how her copious notes allow her to manipulate the environment and lessons to best fit the needs of
their child. Montessori teachers keep their lessons as brief as possible, lessons center around the simplest information necessary for
the children to do the work on their own: the name of the materials, its place on the shelf, the ground rules for is use, and what can
be done with it. The teachers present the materials and lessons with precision. They demonstrate an initial exploratory procedure;
encouraging the children to continue to explore further on their own. Montessori teachers are taught to nurture and inspire the human
potential, leading children to ask questions, think for themselves, explore, investigate, and discover. The ultimate objective is to help
them to learn how to learn independently, retaining the curiosity, creativity, and intelligence with which they were born. Montessori
teachers do not simply present lessons; they are facilitators, mentors, coaches, and guides.

The Montessori Method is based Dr. Maria Montessori's understanding of children's natural learning tendencies. Children
in Montessori classrooms are encouraged to work at their own optimum levels. There is an emphasis on beauty and
orderliness in the Montessori environment. The Montessori Method provokes a spontaneous love of learning since the

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child is given the freedom to make many of her own choices. Ultimately, Montessori teachers must eliminate obstacles
that inhibit the child's natural development.

Observer

 Montessori teachers are called upon to be passive observers. A Montessori teacher must
continually observe children to see what motivates each one individually. He must examine each child in
order to understand his learning style. The Montessori teacher must also observe how each child
interacts with others, works in his environment and manipulates each activity. He must find specific
interests in each child so that he can cultivate those interests.

Record Keeper

 A Montessori teacher keeps track of observations of children using a variety of methods. He keeps records using
objective narratives and anecdotes about situations that occur in the classroom. He may also use a checklist or a flow
chart, which helps record a child's progress through the Montessori program. In order to complete a truly comprehensive
representation of the child's progress, the Montessori teacher makes use of a combination of record keeping methods.

Director

 Another role of the Montessori teacher is that of director or facilitator. He guides the students toward experiences
with practical learning materials and activities that foster sensory investigation. He must allow the child to learn from his
errors and to intervene only when the child asks for help. The Montessori teacher is responsible for nurturing motivation,
self-discipline and confidence in students. The Montessori teacher facilitates communication among the children and
assists students in learning how to communicate with adults.

Evaluator

 The Montessori teacher must evaluate patterns of growth, development and behavior in his students. He
evaluates a child's strengths and weaknesses in order to establish how best to nurture the child. The Montessori teacher
evaluates the areas in which the child is proficient so that he can advance the child to the next lesson and present
activities based upon the child's requirements. He also evaluates in order to provide necessary referrals and suggestions
to parents

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