Maria Montessori (1872-1952) was the first woman in
Italy to earn a medical degree.  Early in her varied and
extensive scientific studies she became fascinated with
with the learning potential of young children.  After
years of observation and research she formulated her
theories of child development and designed specific
didactic developmental aids for the children's use.
    For the rest of her life Dr. Montessori developed
methods to educate children to set free their
personalities, to liberate their inner life of potentialities,
within the context of coherent and unified educational
philosophy and curriculum. 

          Goals and Objectives of a Montessori Classroom 

               *  To develop the child's love of learning;
*  To guide children in their development;
*  To inspire critical thinkers;
*  To foster independence;
*  To provide tools to help acquire skills;
*  To stimulate growth and socialization;
*  To facilitate cultural awareness;
*  To provide an enriched experience.

Normalization
Over a period of time the children will develop into a “normalized community.”  Montessori uses the term normalization to explain the transition from caterpillar to a butterfly.  While moving through this process each child will change from undisciplined to self-disciplined, from disordered to ordered, from distracted to focused, through work in their environment. 

                                  Multi-Age Classrooms  The classrooms are multi-age, allowing
the child a three-year cycle of development to acquire specific
skills.  In contrast to age/grade level classrooms where the child
has one year to cover certain learning objectives, the Montessori
      classroom provides flexibility over three years.  The areas that do
not attract the child's interest this year may hold great fascination
next year. The child can explore them whenever the interest arises,
without ever being 'behind'.   Children are, however, encouraged to
choose materials from each area of the classroom, and are
assessed according to developmentally appropriate benchmarks.
Multi-age classroom also enhances learning.  The youngest
children receive stimulation from the older children's activities
before the younger ones even receive the lessons.  And of course,
they want to emulate the older children's progress.  The older
children, in turn, benefit from helping the younger ones.  They
reinforce their own knowledge by 'teaching' the younger children.

The Prepared Environment - The Roll of the Teacher

"It is necessary for the teacher to guide the child without letting him feel her presence too much, so that she may always be ready to supply the desired help, but may never be the obstacle between the child and his experience." - Maria Montessori


The Teacher as the Observer

The difference between traditional and the Montessori method of education is glaring when it comes to the role of the teacher.  In a Montessori classroom her role is called the director.
Instead of being a dispenser of knowledge and an authoritarian figure, the Montessori director unobtrusively lays the groundwork for knowledge in the following ways: The director…
•Prepares the learning environment
•Gives key presentations demonstrating qualities of various pieces of
learning equipment (which are used to discover a concept)
•Keeps accurate records on each child’s progress
•Invites the child to explore his entire world
•Is the catalyst to link the child to the didactic materials
•Understands child psychology and physiology
•Practices gentle restraint in interfering in a student’s work
•Offers intelligent help when needed
•Allow students to explore on their own.
What and who is Montessori?
Lake Granbury Montessori Academy
Learning for Life