The theory behind Montessori schooling is that children will learn in response to the environment that they live in – not just school but in their everyday lives. They learn by absorbing information directly from their surroundings using observation, activity, thought process and perseverance. This will help the child to achieve its full potential and grow into a well rounded adult, confident in their capabilities. The children will always be encouraged to succeed in everything they do without pressurising them to do so. The idea is to create stimulation in everyday situations as well as at school. The main things which need to be put into place are:
- Organize the child's environment
- Watch the child in its environment – obviously for teachers this will be within school and for parents and carers, at all other times.
- Adapt the environment to the child's developing skills
As the staff ratio at Montessori schools can be quite high there is greater support for each child than if they were to be educated at main stream schools. It will provide a secure and nurturing environment for your child during its most formative years and allow it to expand its knowledge in an individual and positive manner. The number of adults at these schools will enable each child to be observed more closely and therefore their individual needs will be catered for in a way that other educational institutes may fail. In main stream school for example the staff will be responsible for larger groups of children and it can be incredibly difficult to monitor those individuals that require special treatment and adapt their learning environment accordingly. The children will be grouped according to ability and seated according to behaviour in order to maximize the teacher's time and skills. It is far more difficult to adapt the classroom to one child's specific requirements when they are one of thirty pupils. In some schools, these children have the advantage of working in smaller groups with adults trained in various educational aspects but not everyone will be lucky enough to have this. Often schools in less affluent areas or those that have a high ratio of problem children or those with special needs will find their resources stretched to breaking point and not enough funding to allow for extra staff or equipment.
In order to support parents and carers of children, Montessori can provide a good deal of information, education packages and resources to be used in the home. It can be as simple as modifying the language you use with your child. For example if they make a mistake, do not shout at them but simply explain what has gone wrong and readily offer a remedy. So when they have spilt something, your reaction could be "oh dear, what a mess – shall we get a cloth to clean it up?" You will find that the Montessori teachings will help you in everyday family life and assist in calming any fraying tempers. Hopefully the child will then learn to deal with potentially stressful situations in a less anxious way and this will build a basis for their character as a successful adult. Everyday objects and circumstances are educational – some simple examples of this are:
- Asking questions about everyday things – "Daddy will be home soon" can become a lesson in teaching the time.
- A visit to the supermarket will help them with organisation and maths. Give them an item to find – if it is fruit, get them to weigh it. Talk about the prices and how many you will need of a particular thing.
- Something as easy as getting dressed in the morning can become an ordering exercise – "what do you put on first, next and last?"
We all want our children to succeed and what better way than in a very natural, warm and caring environment?