In our previous blog, we discussed the importance of having consistent, predictable rules and limits in order for children to feel safe and secure. We also spoke about the fact that it is the environment and not the adult that presents these limits to the children. In this article, we discuss the importance of positive … Montessori Freedom: Setting Limits with Positive Statements (Part 2)
To let the child do as he likes when he has not yet developed any power of control is to betray the idea of freedom. —Maria MontessoriThe Absorbent Mind. Dr. Montessori was very clear: we should not grant children freedom until they have learned to follow the rules. But many Montessori teachers and parents are … Montessori: Freedom Is Not the Same as Permissiveness (Part 1)
“… the first thing his education demands is the provision of an environment in which he can develop the powers given him by nature. This does not mean just to amuse him and let him do what he likes. But it does mean that we have to adjust our minds to doing a work of … Cosmic Education: Helping Montessori Parents Raise Environmentally Aware Children
When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are … Montessori Peace Education: Helping Children Cope with Natural Disasters
Preventing conflicts is the work of politics: establishing peace is the work of education. —Maria MontessoriEducation and Peace, p. 24. Can you imagine if we all just came together and concentrated on that which we have in common, rather than on our differences? We would find peace. That’s the hope and message of the Sing … Montessori Peace Education: Singing Peace Around the World on World Peace Day
We have all been there. All of a sudden, the noise level in the classroom gets so loud, you wonder how anyone can possibly concentrate. Normally, it just takes a quick walk over to the ‘noisy table’ and a quiet word to help the students settle back down. Now, however, it seems like the whole … Quieting a Class the Montessori Way
Education, therefore, of little ones is important, especially from three to six years of age, because this is the embryonic period for the formation of character and of society, (just as the period from birth to three is that for forming the mind, and the prenatal period that for forming the body). —Maria MontessoriThe Absorbent … Montessori Early Childhood Education: The Foundation of the Method
“In the second plane, the children complete the foundation of their social selves. Through their reasoning minds and powers of imagination, they explore their universe, their community and their own place in social life.” — Lillard, Montessori Today, p. 114. Before having the freedom to explore outside the immediate Montessori community, students must demonstrate responsibility … Montessori Today: Chapter 7: Freedom and Responsibility — Before Going Out
“The Montessori teacher’s specific responsibility is to aid human development through awareness of the children’s needs at each stage of self-formation. Through this approach to their education, children can pass onto each successive plane of development well prepared for the challenges ahead.” — Lillard, p. 114 Work journals in the Montessori elementary classroom can be … Montessori Today, Chapter 7: Freedom and Responsibility — Student Work Journals
“… the best [educators] could do was to compromise, reducing hours in instruction to the minimum, cutting out from the curriculum grammar, geometry, and algebra, making outside play obligatory and postponing the age for entry into school. But however much free periods have been increased and children urged to play rather than study, strangely the … Montessori Today, Chapter 6: The Elementary Teacher — Work or Play
