chaik76 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 What are your thoughts on this method of education (both for small children and school-aged children)? Thoughts on Maria Montessori are welcome, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet in Toronto Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 My children went to a Montesorri school from toddler/pre-school until grades 1 and 5 respectively. They are now finishing Grades 8 and 12. I was extremely impressed by the holistic nature of the pedagogical approach, the respect for children and their "sensitive periods" and the ability of a teacher to track the individual progress of each child. The particular school my sons attended was a Christian Montessori school and they used the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for religion, which I found to be excellent. But faith foundations were woven throughout the program. I am extremely pro-Montessori. At the time, I was working outside the home and this was a great solution for us, a very personalized, academically strong educational approach that was nonetheless nurturing and, as I mentioned above, respectful of the child and his/her abilities. Montessori classrooms are simple, quiet, and beautiful...hard to imagine until you see 24 three-to-five year olds all engaged in the serious business of exploration and discovery. My older son was in a Montessori classroom until age 11, and I would say that it was more difficult in his last two years to keep him on track. They are not big on grades, testing, etc and my 10-11 year old son really could have used more of that kind of "motivation". I also think the particular teacher was a little on the weak side...a pleasant young man who who had been a Montessori-educated child. He was just a little....vague, and not really hugely exciting to the students. If you have specific questions about our 8-year experience in a Montessori environment, I'd be happy to talk further. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I think that Montessori is great for most children: I was very impressed with what I saw when Calvin was in M school for two years. It was not good for him though: he doesn't learn through his hands (he is dyspraxic) so the maths manipulatives made no connection with his brain. As far as he was concerned, he was playing with blocks - there was no other significance to it. His best friend, doing very similar work, learned an awful lot. Even the teacher admitted, at the end of the two years, that he had not managed to work out how to help Calvin make a connection to the maths work. It was at that point that we pulled him from the school. Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 All of my experience with Montessori is informal. I am naturally drawn to this style of teaching/learning. I have a friend who is a certified Montessori teacher. Whenever I show her something new I've discovered or that I like she smiles and says "It's so Montessori." I even make Godly Play resources for our Children's Church on Sunday. I am sure the "Catechesis of the Good Shepherd" is in the same vein. We are not of the Reformed denomination but I find the ideas and concepts are excellent. We just adapt materials to our own expression of faith. The following video touches on her faith. Click the link and scroll down for a video about the Montessori style approach of Godly Play: http://www.godlyplay.org/view.php/page/about I do remember reading that Charlotte Mason and Maria Montessori were contemporaries. They both had the child in mind and heart in their educational reform. I believe the pre-made materials have gotten way too expensive. I just make my own. Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline4kids Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I am a Montesori teacher, but chose to use the CM method for homeschooilng. It was just too expensive to outfit my home since you can't really "wing it" with Montessori's methods--at least in the early years. All those neat wooden manipulatives are so expensive! Montessori and Charlotte Mason based a lot of their work on the same foundational research and came to different conclusions. Both have very interesting points. If you have a hands-on learner Montessori is amazing. Are you looking to use the methods at home, or are you thinking of a school? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 I am a Montesori teacher, but chose to use the CM method for homeschooilng. It was just too expensive to outfit my home since you can't really "wing it" with Montessori's methods--at least in the early years. All those neat wooden manipulatives are so expensive! Montessori and Charlotte Mason based a lot of their work on the same foundational research and came to different conclusions. Both have very interesting points. If you have a hands-on learner Montessori is amazing. Are you looking to use the methods at home, or are you thinking of a school? First, Thank You everyone!! I'm looking to implement these methods at home. I have a one-year old and a seven-year old. While I've delved deeply into reading many educational theories, I never explored Montessori much, however, it seems to make so much sense and I'm positive it would be excellent with my oldest... a hands-on learner. I've studied CM more in-depth than I have the Montessori method. CM just doesn't resonate with us, and I have an exceptionally hard time implementing it. It doesn't work well for my oldest, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 My children went to a Montesorri school from toddler/pre-school until grades 1 and 5 respectively. They are now finishing Grades 8 and 12. I was extremely impressed by the holistic nature of the pedagogical approach, the respect for children and their "sensitive periods" and the ability of a teacher to track the individual progress of each child. The particular school my sons attended was a Christian Montessori school and they used the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for religion, which I found to be excellent. But faith foundations were woven throughout the program. I am extremely pro-Montessori. At the time, I was working outside the home and this was a great solution for us, a very personalized, academically strong educational approach that was nonetheless nurturing and, as I mentioned above, respectful of the child and his/her abilities. Montessori classrooms are simple, quiet, and beautiful...hard to imagine until you see 24 three-to-five year olds all engaged in the serious business of exploration and discovery. My older son was in a Montessori classroom until age 11, and I would say that it was more difficult in his last two years to keep him on track. They are not big on grades, testing, etc and my 10-11 year old son really could have used more of that kind of "motivation". I also think the particular teacher was a little on the weak side...a pleasant young man who who had been a Montessori-educated child. He was just a little....vague, and not really hugely exciting to the students. If you have specific questions about our 8-year experience in a Montessori environment, I'd be happy to talk further. Janet I'd honestly love to hear anything you have to say on the matter...either here or you can feel free to pm me. I'm really considering implementing a Montessori method in our homeschool (there aren't any nearby Montessori schools), however, I have no training and will need to do quite a bit more research. I'm actually hanging on to all of my homeschool budget in case I find that I can go this route. I'm particularly interested in seeing how a Montessori education works with early elementary students (for instace, say 7-9 year olds). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I am a Montesori teacher, but chose to use the CM method for homeschooilng. It was just too expensive to outfit my home since you can't really "wing it" with Montessori's methods--at least in the early years. All those neat wooden manipulatives are so expensive! Montessori and Charlotte Mason based a lot of their work on the same foundational research and came to different conclusions. Both have very interesting points. If you have a hands-on learner Montessori is amazing. Are you looking to use the methods at home, or are you thinking of a school? Aside from being a Montessori Teacher, I could have written your post! This is exactly how I came to CM, through Montessori. I think the Montessori method is wonderful, but ds learns more from books than anything else. Hence, literature-based Mom-made curriculum :) Montessori may be an excellent fit for dd, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 Aside from being a Montessori Teacher, I could have written your post! This is exactly how I came to CM, through Montessori. I think the Montessori method is wonderful, but ds learns more from books than anything else. Hence, literature-based Mom-made curriculum :) Montessori may be an excellent fit for dd, though. I'm very lit-based, but my oldest isn't. I'm hoping the youngest one is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elw_miller Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I also think very highly of the Montessori Method. I would love to have my dd go to Montessori school, but it is just out of our reach financially. I have tried to do as much as I can here at home. I've read a number of her books, visited several schools (when we were still hoping we could swing it), and I've made a few of my own materials. The materials are extremely expensive to purchase--well built and beautiful, but out of our price range. We try to do a lot of the Practical Life things by incorporating them into our routine. Dado cubes might be an okay substitute for the Stacking Blocks. For the Montessori teachers out there, what do you think of the Elizabeth G. Hainstock Teaching Montessori in the Home books? I've made a few of the preschool manipulatives for my dd; they seem to work pretty well. However, not being a Montessori teacher, I am unsure whether it explains the sequencing and demonstrations as well as they could be. I agree, it is amazing to see lots of 4-year-olds busily and quietly working! P.S. My DD is 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I use some Montessori-ish games and activities, especially for language arts. They work very well with my hands-on dd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in KS Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I find the best lay person lesson book of montessori materials is a book called Basic Montessori. I would suggest you look at it with a Nuinhuis catalog nearby so you can have a picture of the material as it is explained. Nuinhuis materials are EXTREMELY expensive, but you can make a lot of materials on your own. I will you warn it is time consuming!!!!! Another more homeschool friendly option (daily lessons) are these books: http://www.newchildmontessori.com/ There are also a lot of yahoo groups with printables and photos of homemade materials. montessori makers (make sure to sign up for all the subgroups to see all the files -- like mm2-culture), playschool6 , and montessori materials(no longer a yahoo group) (http://www.montessorimaterials.org/math.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayt ul-Hikmah Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I'm Montessori trained as well. I use a lot of her methods in my home, but certainly not all. I grew up in Montessori school and had great math training, but I think RightStart does even better with visualization of quantity while including Montessori math strengths (decimal system, eg). Not to mention (again) how expensive setting up a complete Montessori system is! Plus, one individual student may not use a material more than a few times, depending on her/his needs and pace of development. For explanations of presentations, google "Montessori albums" and you'll find quite a bit. These are good ones. There are many of good Montessori homeschool blogs. NAMC has online Montessori training courses as well as albums for purchase. Certainly not as thorough as AMI or AMS, but a good introduction, more convenient and much cheaper than grad school, certainly enough for a homeschool mom. Some companies are a lot cheaper than others. I have some materials from Montessori-n-Such, Montessori Services/For Small Hands, Adena Montessori, and Alison's Montessori. I really like Paula Polk Lillard's books, often available at the library. HTH, at least some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Originally we were going to send my DD to a Monti school but then we moved to a town where that wasn't an option so we decided to HS instead. I implement some Monti style activities into our school work. We don't have the space or money to set anything up properly so I think about hands on ways of presenting the material and go with that. I am saving like mad for the puzzle maps to complement our geography at the moment. They are wonderful but also wonderfully expensive! I love Monti ideas but use them in a eclectic way, I don't think i could ever be pure Monti. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayt ul-Hikmah Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I am saving like mad for the puzzle maps to complement our geography at the moment. They are wonderful but also wonderfully expensive! I have the maps from Adena Montessori. Adena's puzzles are the cheapest I've found and are of decent quality-- not Nienhuis, but perfectly acceptable for home use. However, they have pretty awful customer service and be forewarned that the maps do not fit in the puzzle map cabinet (perhaps they fit in their puzzle map stand? Ask first!). It was worth the customer service hassles to have puzzle maps, finally! I also have their multiplication and division boards, both are excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 I just want to thank all of you so much. You've really given me some wonderful resources to look at. I'll be checking back often, and any other wisdom is warmly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I just want to thank all of you so much. You've really given me some wonderful resources to look at. I'll be checking back often, and any other wisdom is warmly appreciated! This may be of interest to you for your little one: http://www.amazon.com/Montessori-Play-Learn-Parents-Purposeful/dp/0517591820/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I have the maps from Adena Montessori. Adena's puzzles are the cheapest I've found and are of decent quality-- not Nienhuis, but perfectly acceptable for home use. However, they have pretty awful customer service and be forewarned that the maps do not fit in the puzzle map cabinet (perhaps they fit in their puzzle map stand? Ask first!). It was worth the customer service hassles to have puzzle maps, finally! I also have their multiplication and division boards, both are excellent. Thanks, i'll check them out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 This may be of interest to you for your little one:http://www.amazon.com/Montessori-Play-Learn-Parents-Purposeful/dp/0517591820/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b Geo Thanks! I'm in heaven tonight...there's nothing I love more than a a lot of resources to study!:drool5: (I really am almost drooling!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 To begin, which Montessori materials do you think are absolutely essential for an almost 2-year old and an almost 8-year old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 I'm Montessori trained as well. I use a lot of her methods in my home, but certainly not all. I grew up in Montessori school and had great math training, but I think RightStart does even better with visualization of quantity while including Montessori math strengths (decimal system, eg). Not to mention (again) how expensive setting up a complete Montessori system is! Plus, one individual student may not use a material more than a few times, depending on her/his needs and pace of development. ! Yes, I don't think I'll quite be able to set up a complete Montessori system! I need to do some more studying, but I do think I am going to try and implement as many of her methods as possible. We had already planned to switch to RightStart beginning this summer for my oldest. I still want to see it in person (which I'll get to do on May 8!), but if it's as good as it looks, it's what we'll be using. I have an entire room I can devote to this. It's about 350 sq. feet, so space isn't an issue. I'm sure some people are able to do this within the rest of their living space, but the rest of our space is quite cramped, so I will need to set up most of our materials in this room. It's where we spend most of our day, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted April 20, 2009 Author Share Posted April 20, 2009 I think I'm in heaven...:lol: I never explored Montessori deeply before...how did I miss it? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 My favorite Montessori books: Montessori Read and Write How To Raise An Amazing Child The Montessori Way I'm looking for a good source for early Elementary Montessori. Anyone have something that they like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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