MONTESSORI CONTROVERSY
John Chattin-McNichols, Ph.D.
Seattle University & The Montessori Education Institute
of the Pacific Northwest, 1992 Delmar Publishers
The book is a review of some basic concepts, terms, philosophy and theory unique to Montessori as well as misconceptions about Montessori and the Montessori Method.
Chapter 1. What is Montessori. The author explains the name of Montessori as it applies to persons, books, organizations, and the method. This chapter also examines the Montessori method at the level of theory and philosophy, the Montessori model, and the actual programs.
Chapter 2. Misconceptions. There are discussed ten of the most common misconceptions about the Montessori method: Montessori for special needs, Montessori - a full day program, Montessori - a cult, Montessori - a religious program, Montessori for the rich/poor, Montessori and structure, creativity in Montessori; Montessori and the academic work, the role of parents in the Montessori school, the Montessori method and the contemporary classroom.
Chapter 3. A History of the American Montessori Movement. This is a retrospective of the Montessori method as it was regarded in America in the early 1900, the controversy over the Montessori education in the New World, the rise and fall of the First American Montessori Movement.
Chapter 4. Montessori Theory and Philosophy. This is an examination of Montessori's borrowing from Rousseau, Locke, Itard and Seguin as well as her concept of the mind. The shared ideas with Rousseau are those regarding the importance of environment, of work and discipline. Childhood represents for both an important period. With Locke, Montessori has in common the emphasis on the sensorial education of the young child and the order exposure to these sense experiences. From Itard and Seguin, Montessori borrowed many of the materials which she later developed in her method.
Dr. Montessori's important contribution to child psychology was the notion that the mind of the child is different from that of the adult, and thus his education should follow the child's needs in the respective stage of his development rather than the teachers curricula. Montessori's concepts of the sensorial period and the absorbent mind are emphasized along with another central idea, the role of the subconscious mind. Hence the concept of indirect preparation is based on the notion of the subconscious mind.
The Montessori method is in itself an illumination of her basic concept of
respect fro the child.
Chapter 5. The Montessori Model. In this chapter the author presents the Montessori model in its typical features, environment, materials, role of the teacher, and how it differs from traditional nursery schools. Here are presented the basic aspects of the Montessori model in detail. A special emphasis is laid upon the Montessori environment in terms of space, curriculum areas, typical furniture, size and distribution, disposition and availability of material. The manipulative aspect and the self corrective aspect of Montessori materials are stressed as opposed to the teacher's aid for teaching, and the teacher as the only source of correction in the traditional classroom. The isolation of difficulty and the idea of abstraction are also aspects of the Montessori materials. The teacher's role as mediator between environment, material and the child is converged in the three period lesson.
Chapter 6. The Practical Life Curriculum Area. The author presents the Montessori Practical Life curriculum with its emphasis on Life Skills, Care of the Self, Care of the Environment, and Grace and Courtesy. Different aspects of the Montessori materials are discussed: the child size and breakable objects, the usage of sharp knives and scissors, etc. A special section is dedicated to the Practical Life activities for older children as an extension to these elementary Montessori students. In addition there are discussed those programs that include computers in the Montessori classrooms as an appendix to Practical Life.
Chapter 7. The Sensorial Curriculum Area. Here are listed the standard Montessori Sensorial materials and their use. There are considerations on the sensorial curriculum made by the American critic W. Kilpatrick as well as the relation to Piaget's theory on the sensorial stage. A special emphasis is placed upon isolation of difficulty and control of error, two Montessori concepts illustrated in her material. Further on the author focuses on Montessori's idea about motivation.
Chapter 8. The Mathematics Curriculum Area. The central point of this chapter is the use of the math materials in the Montessori method to achieve the goal of individualization and the child's independence. The concept of abstraction is discussed as an important goal of Montessori math curriculum as well as a creative act. Criticism of the Montessori math area is reviewed.
Chapter 9. The Montessori Language Curriculum. In this chapter there are presented Dr. Montessori's ideas on language mainly from her work "The Absorbent Mind", and the Montessori language curriculum area. Then there are considered Montessori's ideas in actual classroom practice in the area of language. In the light of contemporary theories of language acquisition, Montessori's conception of reading is quite similar to the Whole Language approach. The importance of writing prior to reading, the use of writing for communication, the labeling of objects in the environment are also discussed as parts of the Montessori language curriculum.
Chapter 10. The Montessori Elementary Classroom. The chapter is an introduction to the Montessori elementary centered on the understanding of the developmental needs of the 6-12 year old child in the light of Montessori philosophy. The new dimension of the sensitive periods in the elementary years, the role of the imagination, the cognitive needs, the motivation for work as normalized, and child choice versus teacher direction. There are presented the "cultural subjects"curriculum area (botany, zoology, social studies, history, geography, and earth sciences) along with the respect for different cultures and peoples. Also issues on training, public Montessori program, and the development of new curriculum are discussed.
Chapter 11. Piaget and Montessori. A summarized presentation of Piaget's theory on cognitive development considered in its stages is offered to the reader along with Elkind's emphasized similarities there are points in which they are divergent as in the case of the use of materials and the role of the senses.
There is also a presentation in detail of the book "Programs of early Education. The Constructivist View"- 1987 by Rheta De Vries, a discussion of Piaget and Montessori.
Chapter 12. Montessori on Fantasy. Here is stressed the difference between the traditional nursery school and Montessori schools in the area devoted to fantasy play and the impact on creativity and development of imagination. Montessori opposed the teacher-directed play, fantasy play in the Froebelian tradition. Research are taken into consideration in both forma of education and more studies in this field are welcome.
Chapter 13. What Actually Happens in Montessori Classrooms. Here is discussed the research that has been done in Montessori preschool and elementary classrooms in different Montessori programs in the area of role play and social interaction. As compared to traditional school more research is needed in Montessori environments and also a reexamination of the extent and depth of role play at various age levels and social interaction.
Chapter 14. The Effects of Montessori School Experience. This chapter reviews the research findings on the effects of Montessori experience on cognitive, academic, motor development and other areas. The results are presented in several sections: 1) general verbal intelligence; 2) perceptual, motor and performance, IQ development; 3) academic achievement and school readiness; 4) attention, concentration, resistance to distraction, and impulsiveness and 5) creativity and motivational factors. There are also included suggestions for further research.
Chapter 15. New Trends in Montessori Education. In this final chapter there are summarized several trends in Montessori education such as the spiritual, religious instruction in Montessori, the development pf public schools with Montessori programs, the training programs for adults to work with infants and toddlers, the expansion of Montessori programs to third world countries. The Montessori Movement in the United States is expanding.