Maria Montessori devoted her entire life to creating materials that specifically coordinated with the natural development of the child. She got a lot of her ideas from her studies of Seguin and Itard, who were known for working with mentally handicap children. I recently read an article talking about Montessori materials, or the lack of, in Montessori schools. The article, which was written by Angeline Liliard (author of The Science Behind the Genius) brought up some very interesting points. I can’t say that I agreed with her 100%, but I did feel like she did bring up a very good argument. Basically, she stated that many students are neglecting Montessori materials because the shelves in the classrooms are filled with a lot of non-Montessori materials. I do agree, this is true. In my classroom, the children tend to stay away from the Montessori works, and it’s like pulling teeth trying to get them to work on the bead stairs or pink tower. But, a lot of the non-Montessori works found in classrooms around the world, in my opinion have great value, even if they weren’t designed exclusively by Montessori herself. After reading the article, I got a feel that the author felt that the non-Montessori materials were useless and pointless, and did not belong in the classroom. It sounded to me like she was a die-hard.
There are two types of Montessorians. We have the die-hards, and the liberals. Die hard Montessorians follow Montessori to a T, without taking consideration the changes that have been made since the time Montessori was created. Liberals (which I consider myself) respect the Montessori philosophy, but believe that times have changed and are more likely to adjust their curriculum without straying far away from the original pedagogy. For example, there are some schools that gasp at the site of computers in the classroom. They believe that computers have no business being there. I take a different stance. While I do agree that computer usuage among children is becoming quite ridiculous, I still think that children should be trained and taught how to use a computer. There is no denying it. Computers are everywhere, and more and more companies are doing EVERYTHING on the computer. I believe that if Montessori was still living today, she would embrace technology. She was a scientist! Die hard Montessorians are the one’s that tell you if you place the spoon on the right side, as opposed to the left side, it will be detrimental to a child. OH come on! Give me a flippin break! I believe that as long as you are consistent, it doesn’t matter what freaking side you put the damn spoon. So to some it up in a nutshell, underneath the Montessori Umbrella are two very different types of Montessorians. Although they may differ in many aspects, the one important thing that unites them is their love for children and their passion towards helping them unleash their potential.
In conclusion, I believe that even though schools are adding more non-Montessori materials in the classroom, children can still learn and benefit from these works. Teachers have to use their discretion. When choosing a work for you students, analyze it. Ask yourself what is the purpose, and what are the goals. If you can give yourself some sound solid reasons, then go ahead and use it. That’s just my opinion. I would love to hear yours!
I had written this post on my old blog and a couple readers added their two cents. I wanted to share with you all what they wrote.
Anna said: Oooh - I love this debate! I am on the “liberal” side but with a sneaking envy of those on the “pure” side. It must be lovely to feel that sure about anything! In our classroom (in England) we have to step between 2 philosophies if we are to be allowed to open. We are a Montessori nursery and primary school - so ages 3 months-11 years. We have to be approved by OFSTED (a govornment agency) to be allowed to stay open. So we do have non-montessori materials (toys) out but they are presented on the shelves and worked with in the same way as the Montessori materials. The children use them at different times in their development but there is no distinction between them on the shelf. This means that if a child wants to work with lego - fine, if they want to work with the knobless cylinders - fine. For both they need a work mat, and choose a work area and tidy it away for the next child once they have finished. We also have alot of maths and language activities that are teacher made that do the same job as a montessori material but bring a bit of variety. For instance the Cards and Counters have only a limited time of being interesting before they become boring, but do the same activity using planets when we’re studying the Solar System, or butterflies when we’re studying the life cycle of the butterfly and you’ve got their attention again. Some children take longer than others to “get” things.
We also have….. wait for it… a role play area and a sand and water tray in the classroom. Both are very anti-montessori in the pure sense but are essential to getting a good OFSTED report. So, we work with them. If the role play area doesn’t work as we envisiaged we modify it, change it or remove it. Some amazing writing has come out of it so it isn’t all bad although it is my least favourite area of the classroom.
Also, although Montessori was a ground breaker who changed the world of education, the world didn’t stand still with her death and there is some incredible research that has been done since, that carries on what she started, or that independently has come to the similar conclusions and it needs to be taken account of. The great thing about the method is that the most important thing is to follow the child. The more we know about the child, the better we can do that. Also the classroom is set up to allow anything to be valuable if presented well.
Laura (My Montessori Journey) said: I am intrigued by this debate too. Anyone who reads my blog would know that I’m on the “liberal” side too. In my opinion, Maria Montessori herself would be on the liberal side if she were alive today. I believe she would embrace any classroom that clearly reflects preparedness and child-centeredness, even if the classroom contained materials she herself had not designed. Thanks for writing this insightful post.
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