An Introduction to the Montessori Process:

Note: For the purpose of this paper, ‘he’, when implying the child, refers to both male and female.

Montessori is an attitude – a way of “seeing” children, a way of “seeing” humanity. It is a view that sees each child as a mine rich in gems of potential waiting to be discovered, drawn out, and polished. Montessori is a philosophy of growth and development as well as a system of education. In a Montessori classroom, this philosophy is expressed in a very tangible way. It is a belief that the child possesses an innate motivation towards self-construction.

“The full development of himself (the child) is his unique and ultimate goal in life.”

– Dr. Montessori

This goal of self-development is altruistic in nature. It is designed to render service to humankind as well as to create individual happiness. Education is only an aid to the unfolding of this pattern.

The task of the adult is to guide the child – to guide his education and his character development. The Montessori environment is specifically designed to satisfy the child’s natural (and optimal) development. By permitting the child freedom, within developmental limits, to follow his natural pattern of growth in a scientifically prepared environment, the child is lead to the inborn goal of normalization.

Normalization is a term developed by Dr. Montessori. Through her observations of children, she found qualities and capacities, which she came to realize were ‘normal’ natural patterns of growth. Collectively she called such patterns normalization. Normalization occurs when the child is at peace with himself. He feels an internal order. This is the child who loves to work. He is orderly. He concentrates on each task, sees it through to the end, and then repeats it until he is satisfied with the knowledge gained. He is exacting every detail. He loves silence and working alone. This does not mean the child is anti-social, but that he knows what he wants at a particular moment. Children will also frequently choose to work together in spontaneously formed groups. The purpose and aim of the activity will direct such choices of the child. The normalized child is not competitive, but acts as a social being – assisting other and working with those who need him. He disciplines himself to act appropriately in each situation. He responds to the wishes of the directress/director. He is happy working with the materials and feels no need to own them. He is in contact with reality and delights in gathering the facts of his world. He is joyful. This is the joy that nature always grants as the accompaniment to the right use of one’s faculties.

If a person asked, “What is the aim of Montessori? Is it for the child to achieve intellectual gains at an early age? Is it to guide the child to be independent? Is it to ‘make’ a happy child? Is it to train the child in good manners? Or expose him to a richness of culture?” I would respond, “No, though such learnings and feelings of the child are worthy, they are only by-products of the approach. The aim of Montessori transcends the specifics. It is a noble, enlightened aim. It is an aim acknowledging the child as a spiritual being, created to know and to love – who desires to actualize all his potential. Such qualities and capacities are reflected in what Dr. Montessori termed the normalized child. For the child to become ‘normalized’ is a point of arrival that the directress/director strives to help the child achieve in the prepared environment.

Montessori education is then built on three ingredients: 1) the child, 2) the prepared environment, and 3) the directress/director.

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