Tag Archives: Early Childhood Education

Language Development: The Montessori Method and the Absorbent Mind

by Fiorella Benson, Early Childhood Head Teacher
(edited by Tori Inkley)

“So, the child, it is clear, does not inherit a pre-established model for his language, but he inherits the power of constructing a language by an unconscious activity of absorption.”
~ Dr. Maria Montessori (The Absorbent Mind)

Maria Montessori explained that human beings are born with a special mechanism that allows them to learn a language by interacting with people around them and from experiences within their environment. She believed that this period spans from birth to the age of six; a period during which children have an “absorbent mind”. Montessori observed that during the first three years, children follow a pre-determined plan in a process that is primarily unconscious, allowing them to absorb the structure of language and express themselves in sentences with the right syntax. The results of this first phase become evident during the period of the conscious mind between the ages of three and six, when children develop a sense of awareness, explore their environment through independent purposeful movement, and continue their development of language in reading and writing.

The Montessori Method in the Language Area takes into consideration this “sensitive period” of language when a child has an absorbent mind and highlights the importance of creating an adequately prepared environment to help the child’s individual ability to construct his or her own knowledge through work. The Language Area in the Montessori classroom combines the progression of a series of steps with appropriate materials to help the child develop language.

Children work with the Sequencing Materials first, as this helps to develop self-expression, communication, and classification. Sandpaper Letters follow, as they help the child explore the physical construction of the sound, as well as its phonetic importance. Children are introduced to sounds using the Three Period Lesson: “This is…”, “Show me…”, and “What is…”. They use their first and middle fingers to trace the letters while repeating the sounds they make. This activity prepares the child to write when she or he can hold a pencil properly, and it also helps the child to visualize the similarities and differences between the letters and to memorize sounds, which is another crucial step in reading. Following a multi-sensory approach, the child will then trace the letters on a chalkboard before progressively writing between two lines on paper using a pencil.

“Touching the letters and looking at them at the same time, fixes the image more quickly through the co-operation of the senses. Later, the two facts separate; looking becomes reading; touching becomes writing.” ~ Maria Montessori (The Montessori Method)

During this time, writing is also introduced so that the child develops an association between words that are being read and words that are written. One of the first steps is to strengthen the hand muscles and to familiarize children with the precision of movement used in writing by working with the Metal Insets. The child traces a pink metal frame with a colored pencil, and later, traces parallel lines from left to right.

The materials and activities in the Practical Life area improve hand-eye coordination and require the children to work from left to right and top to bottom, as they will do when writing and reading. Materials in the Sensorial area, such as the Touch Boards, the Touch Tablets, and the Knobbed Cylinders, help the child when preparing to work with the Sandpaper Letters and indirectly with handwriting.

On the road to reading, Montessori students work with the Large Movable Alphabet. They first receive lessons on building three-letter phonetic words using objects and picture cards, followed by building four-letter (or more) words using objects and pictures. Once this is mastered, the child will continue through the phonetic series of reading materials. From there, children progressively move on to more complex, non-phonetic words using the Small Movable Alphabet. Here, they learn consonant blends and phonograms and make booklets using both.

Teaching grammar is also part of the Montessori Method. Grammar exercises in the Montessori classroom that focus on Parts of Speech use different symbols and colors to represent nouns, adjectives, articles, verbs, and adverbs. Through various materials and activities that utilize cards and objects, children learn the function of the Parts of Speech and the correct order in which to place them in a sentence.

***Montessori Phonetic Farm – Nouns and Adjectives***

As with writing, the Montessori Method not only utilizes Montessori materials to help children learn how to read, but also exposes them to other meaningful experiences where reading is involved, such as listening to stories being read aloud that range from fiction to nonfiction to poetry and so on. These experiences allow the children to discover that language is a way to communicate ideas, understand the world around them, and be part of a community. This directly corresponds with Maria Montessori’s concept of Cosmic Education and assists children in developing a sense of gratitude for the Universe and their role within it. Children, unsuspectingly, discover that language is simply a foundational step on their individual educational journeys.

Practical Life for Life: How Montessori Students Learn to Care for Themselves and the World Around Them

by Jacqueline Pisciotto, Early Childhood Head Teacher
and Becky Weaver, Early Childhood Head Teacher

“It is interesting to notice that where life is simple and natural and where the children participate in the adult’s life, they are calm and happy.” ~ Maria Montessori

“So, my daughter said she has been cleaning a mirror?”
It is not uncommon for a Montessori Directress to hear a parent, especially one new to the Montessori philosophy, express surprise that their child is cleaning a mirror during the day, and wants to do it again and again! Maria Montessori recognized that children are naturally drawn to meaningful work that satisfies their needs during various sensitive periods of development. Practical Life activities are crafted to foster movement, concentration, coordination, independence, order, and the development of both gross and fine motor skills. The Directress (or Head Teacher) thoughtfully arranges these materials to captivate the children’s interest, aligning with their sensitive periods. Maria Montessori observed such a profound attraction to Practical Life activities among the children that this component remained unchanged across the evolution of her educational model. Maria Montessori said, “We begin the day with a series of exercises of practical life, and I must confess that these exercises were the only part of the program which proved thoroughly stationary. These exercises were such a success that they formed the beginning of the day in all of the ‘Children’s Houses’. First: Cleanliness. Order. Poise. Conversation.” (The Montessori Method, originally published in 1912.)

If you have ever wondered about the Practical Life area of the Montessori Classroom… Let’s take a look!

Control of Movement (sometimes referred to as Dexterity) work in the Montessori Practical Life area, is vital for the development of the child. It embodies Maria Montessori’s principle of “helping the child to help himself”. The Prepared Environment, which includes work that incorporates real, child-sized materials, has the child engaged in activities such as spooning, pouring, sorting, or tweezing, in order to sharpen fine motor skills and enhance hand-eye coordination. This work serves as a precursor for academic skills like writing and mathematical operations. This focused work also cultivates concentration, independence, and a sense of order.

The Care of Self component of the Practical Life area plays an important role in fostering independence and self-esteem in young learners. Maria Montessori emphasized education as an aid to life. Through engaging with materials such as the Dressing Frames to learn how to button, zip, snap, buckle, and lace, or learning how to put on a coat without assistance, children refine their gross and fine motor skills. This aspect of Practical Life connects the development of physical coordination with the cultivation of independence. Care of Self tasks are designed to foster not only dexterity, but also lay the foundation for lifelong self-care and independence.

The Care of Environment work in the Montessori classroom is central to a child growing a sense of responsibility, respect, and connection with the classroom, the community, and the world. This component encourages children to engage in activities such as cleaning, food preparation, plant growing, and taking care of animals. By participating in the care of their immediate surroundings, children develop a sense of belonging and an appreciation for the interconnectedness of all living things.

Grace and Courtesy work in the Montessori Practical Life area is a key component to the development of social harmony and respect within the classroom community, which then extends to the children’s lives outside of the classroom. These lessons, which include practices like greeting others, saying “please” and “thank you”, and learning how to interrupt politely, are fundamental in cultivating an environment of mutual respect and empathy. Such activities not only reinforce positive social behaviors but also help children develop emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. Through Grace and Courtesy, Montessori students learn the importance of kindness, cooperation, and respect for others, laying the groundwork for becoming thoughtful and considerate members of society.

Children in a Montessori classroom are drawn to Practical Life work again and again!

The work is foundational for developing a child’s sense of independence, responsibility, and self-discipline. It helps children connect to their inner needs, as well as the greater classroom community and world around them. By engaging in tasks that range from self-care to care of the environment, children enhance their motor skills, concentration, and independence while laying a foundation for lifelong learning.

“These children reveal to us the most vital need of their development, saying:
‘Help me to do it alone!’” ~ Maria Montessori

The Montessori Children’s Academy Celebrates Montessori Education Week 2024

by Camilla Nichols, Senior Director of Montessori Development
and Tori Inkley, Executive Director

During the week of February 25 – March 2, 2024, several hundred students at The Montessori Children’s Academy (MCA), along with Montessori students from around the world, will celebrate Montessori Education Week! Montessori Education Week is an annual event that is celebrated around the world in honor of Dr. Maria Montessori and the legacy that she left behind. In 2007, the year Maria Montessori would have turned 100 years old, some of our MCA students celebrated with a cake that had 100 golden icing dots, representing the Golden Unit Beads from the Golden Bead Material. Students work with this actual material in the Math area when they are introduced to the Decimal System. In past years, parents and students have written about their most memorable Montessori experiences, which MCA has displayed in the hallways of our school. [A few are included at the end of this blog post.] And one year, our Elementary students even created a replica of the Montessori Pink Tower using the school’s 3D printer. Other highlights from past Montessori Education Weeks have included proclamations and/or visits by the Mayor of Morristown and the Deputy Mayor of Millburn, and one year, MCA was even recognized by the New Jersey Governor for the valuable role Montessori schools play in providing education to young people.

This year, one of the ways the children at the three MCA campuses (Chatham, Florham Park, and Short Hills) will commemorate this special week is by demonstrating Montessori Practical Life exercises to parents and visitors during school drop-off and pick-up. The children will also sing Montessori songs, study Italy, review the timeline of Dr. Maria Montessori’s life and work, and practice the Silence Game while thinking of peaceful things, much like Dr. Montessori did. Also, during the 2024 Montessori Education Week, current parents are invited to spend time observing their children working in the classrooms and noticing the pride they exhibit while demonstrating their growing independence in the Prepared Montessori Environment. This year, the grand finale of our Montessori Education Week celebration will be a pizza party, with pizza being supplied for all staff and students by Nonna’s Italian Restaurant in Florham Park.

In addition to the special “in-house” activities, each year, MCA students create artwork or other items that represent some of their favorite Montessori materials or work. These beautiful pieces are showcased in displays titled, “I Am a Montessori Child, and I Can Change the World” at the public libraries in Chatham, Florham Park, Livingston, and Millburn. During this week, posters and banners with decorate the local areas around and inside our schools, so that children, parents, and our local communities will observe that “Maria Montessori is all over town!”

Lastly, for the first time in our 25 year history, MCA has established an international relationship with a Montessori school in Malmö, Sweden. Our students are learning that children all around the world use the same types of Montessori materials as they do right here in their classrooms in New Jersey. During Montessori Education Week, the students in Sweden will sing “Light a Candle for Peace”, along with our MCA students, and students from both countries have been engaged in an “exchange program”. Across our three campuses, our students created items representing the United States that have now been shared with their Swedish counterparts, and the students from Sweden created items representing their country that are being shared with MCA students during this special week. MCA is thrilled with our newly established, international collaboration and is excited to offer our students the opportunity to gain a global awareness and broaden their horizons at such a young age.

The Montessori Children’s Academy is proud to be making a positive difference within our immediate communities, within our state, and around the world. We are grateful to everyone involved in celebrating this special week with us. No doubt we will all have memories that will last forever.

Some “Most Memorable Montessori Experiences” from MCA Alumni Parents:
“Our three-year-old son suddenly took control of his Daddy’s birthday celebration. Placing his flashlight on the floor and a world globe in his Father’s hands, he then proceeded to walk his Dad around the light singing, “The Earth goes around the Sun, the Earth goes around the Sun and daddy turns one… and so on, until through our tears of joy (having never seen the Birthday Walk before), we had to suggest he might not want to go all the way to thirty-something! We plan to adopt the Birthday Walk for all our family birthdays from now on. Thank you, Montessori! Every day is truly a memorable Montessori experience for him and for our family.”

“For a recent playdate, our friends brought a giant-sized bag of baby carrots to share. While the other kids ran off to play, Erin immediately asked to do some “cutting work” with the carrots. She carefully sliced about twenty carrots, and then she only ate from the bowl of carrots she cut herself.”

“Eddie remarked recently, “Mommy, I like learning in my class, it’s so peaceful there.” I answered, “Do you know what Peaceful means?” He replied, “Yes. It’s when we use our inside voice.”

“My most memorable Montessori experience with my daughter Alexandra was when I saw her interacting with my friend’s 1 ½-year-old daughter. Alexandra (5 years old) was gently and patiently explaining to the younger child how to open and close a container, as the girl listened intently. She was able to teach this new skill to the younger girl with patience and kindness, the same way that older students at MCA have taught her to do things.”

A Montessori Journey for Adults: Educating the Educators

by Doreen Adamo, Program Director of Montessori Center for Teacher Development

“The real preparation for education is a study of one’s self.
The training of the teacher who is to help life is something far more
than the learning of ideas. It includes the training of character;
it is a preparation of the spirit.”
~ Dr. Maria Montessori

Montessori teachers are a special breed of teachers. Their method of teaching differs significantly from a traditional teaching method because Montessori teachers place much more emphasis on the children’s natural interests and abilities. Their role is to observe and respond with appropriate individualized guidance and instruction. The students discover information for themselves using specially prepared materials. It is believed that children who are at liberty to choose their work freely in a specially prepared environment develop a true love of learning.

The Montessori Children’s Academy (MCA) proudly boasts its own MACTE-accredited, AMS-affiliated Teacher Education Program – Montessori Center for Teacher Development (MCTD). Since the program’s inception in 2014, MCTD has trained and assisted in the certification of many Adult Learners at an Early Childhood level. Through meaningful experiences in a respectful and inspirational learning environment, adults are entrusted to uphold Montessori traditions in their endeavor to become the best Montessori teachers that they can be.

MCTD is designed to support Adult Learners through each segment of its 2-year training program. The curriculum is comprised of three components: Academic Phase I (a four-week summer intensive phase), Academic Phase II (which meets on designated weekends, during the regular academic year), and the Practicum Phase (the internship/student teaching year). During the Academic Phases, the Adult Learners meet in the training classroom, where they attend academic lectures and practice with hands-on materials. The training classroom is fully equipped with AMS-approved and required materials with which the Adult Learner can practice. During the Practicum Phase, the Interns work in a classroom and receive mentorship and guidance from an experienced certified Montessori Supervising Teacher and are monitored by an MCTD Field Consultant. The training culminates in the candidate receiving an Early Childhood Montessori Certification to teach children ages 2 ½ through 6 years.

MCTD aims to provide meaningful learning experiences to all Adult Learners and offers opportunities for exploration and active participation throughout the training program. Preparing and empowering Adult Learners to become exceptional, effective Montessori educators while attending to the unique needs of each Adult Learner are the primary goals of MCTD. Our Instructors are professionals with diverse backgrounds and a wide range of teaching experiences. However, they all have one thing in common; a great passion for the Montessori Method and a desire to prepare adults for a great Montessori experience.

“The MCTD program provides all of the guidance and support that is needed to be successful to Adult Learners who, like me, have no prior knowledge of the Montessori Method or experience in a Montessori classroom. In addition to growing in my understanding about Montessori, I have also changed and grown personally as well. While juggling my many responsibilities, I have been forced to become more organized, to procrastinate less, and to be more confident both in and out of the classroom. I had forgotten how much fun it is to learn, and the great thing about being a Montessori Teacher is that the teachers never stop learning along with their students! There have admittedly been many late nights writing papers and last-minute shopping trips to stores to find the materials needed for a lesson, but looking back, it was all worthwhile. I now know that I have found what I want to do during the next phase of my career, and I look forward to what the future holds.”
~ Diane Palazzi, EC Certified Teacher/MCTD Graduate

If you are interested in learning what MCTD has to offer, please email us at MC4TD@aol.com, call 973-539-0196, or visit our website at www.montessoricenterforteacherdevelopment.com for more information.

At MCTD, we Empower Adult Learners to Empower Children.

The Montessori Legacy… and One Person’s Journey

by Camilla Nichols, Senior Director of Montessori Development
(edited by Tori Inkley)

As many know, the Montessori Method of education has been around for over 100 years. Maria Montessori was born and raised in Italy, which is also where she opened the very first Montessori School, Casa dei Bambini, in San Lorenzo in 1907. Given her own thirst for knowledge and desire to make a difference in the world, Dr. Montessori became one of the first female doctors in Italy, graduating from the University of Rome in 1896. After graduating, she became an assistant at the university hospital and continued to conduct research in the psychiatric clinic. It was in this clinic where she witnessed immense concentration in a young boy who, despite being understimulated and not properly cared for, picked up breadcrumbs from the floor, one by one, over a long period of time. Though maybe not particularly significant to anyone else, to that child, the work of picking up breadcrumbs lead to great focus.

While studying and observing children in various environments, Dr. Montessori discovered that if the children were provided with meaningful activities, they would develop both independence and self-confidence. From those initial discoveries, she went on to develop colorful and inviting materials that would stimulate a child’s senses and would allow the child to work independently and self-correct without needing the assistance of an adult. The environment that she prepared for the children contained child-sized shelves and furniture, and the children were able to choose their own work, as well as choose where to work (i.e., on a floor rug, at a table, or in the rose garden). The Montessori Directresses (Teachers) moved around the classroom as guides, observing the needs of the children and respectfully allowing them to complete their work… only interrupting when and if needed. At this school, the children learned Grace and Courtesy, in addition to building academic skills through work in the areas of Practical Life, Math, Language, Sensorial, and Culture. In this Prepared Environment, the child became the driving force, not the teacher. At Casa dei Bambini, the children thrived and were so stimulated through purposeful engagement, that they didn’t want to leave at the end of the day. Casa de Bambini, which means “Children’s House”, immediately drew worldwide attention. Visitors from across the globe came to witness the children performing “work”, which included engaging in daily life skills. The children were observed eating meals using porcelain plates and utensils and drinking from glasses. The school looked more like a home with fresh cut flowers in small vases and a beautiful garden. While creating this original school with its impressive materials and establishing the Montessori Method, Maria Montessori called upon the work of her greatest influencers: Friedrich Froebel, Jean Rousseau, Edouard Seguin, and Jean Marc Gaspard Itard.

In 1915, at the World Fair in San Francisco, a “Glass Classroom” was constructed and put on display. In the classroom were 30 children with no prior Montessori experience; something Dr. Montessori insisted on. The children were observed working on meaningful activities for three full months. Spectators at the fair soon referred to them as “miracle children”, as they witnessed the powerful sense of concentration that was taking place and the phenomenon of children joyously working independently. While this new educational model had quickly begun spreading around the world several years prior to the fair, with the first school in America opening in New York in 1911, due to world events and personal events in Dr. Montessori’s own life, it wasn’t until the 1960s that the Montessori Method was firmly established once and for all in the United States. Maria Montessori quickly became well respected by world leaders, such as Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, Ghandi, Alexander Graham Bell, and President Woodrow Wilson, who even established a Montessori classroom in the basement of the White House during his presidency.

In 1960, after being appointed the U.S. Representative of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) by Mario Montessori, the son of Maria, Nancy McCormick Rambusch established the American Montessori Society (AMS) of which The Montessori Children’s Academy is a member. Mrs. Rambusch had also founded the first authentic Montessori School in the United States, Whitby School, which is located in Greenwich, CT, and she served as its first Headmistress from 1958 – 1962. The opening of Whitby is believed to be the beginning of the Montessori resurgence in America. Today, there are over 15,750 Montessori schools around the world, with some boasting famous alumni such as Jeff Bezos (Amazon Chairman), Sergey Brin (Google Co-Founder), George Clooney (Actor/Filmmaker), Sean Combs (aka P. Diddy; Rapper/Record Producer), Steph Curry (NBA Player), John Cusack (Actor/Producer), Anne Frank (German-born Jewish Diarist), Helen Hunt (Actor/Director), Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (Editor/Journalist/Former First Lady), Larry Page (Google Co-Founder), Taylor Swift (Singer/Songwriter), Prince George of Wales, and more.

Over her lifetime, Maria Montessori trained thousands of Montessori teachers, published over 15 books, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times, and held lectures while traveling all over Europe, the United States, and India. One of the last training centers Dr. Montessori helped establish before she settled in the Netherlands was the Montessori Centre in London, which later became St. Nicholas Training Centre. She held her last training course in Austria at the age of 81, and died shortly thereafter in Noordwijk, Netherlands with her son Mario by her side.

I can honestly say I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Maria Montessori for the gifts she shared with the world. My own personal Montessori journey began some 28 years ago at St. Nicholas Training Center in London, and that path has provided me with an amazing opportunity to travel around the world as a Montessorian. While working as a teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia, with mainly non-English speaking students, I witnessed firsthand that regardless of religion, race, or language, the Montessori Method applies to all children. During my time as an educator at Whitby School in Connecticut, I observed Middle School students presenting graduation speeches on how the Montessori Method had influenced and changed their lives. And in 2006, I had the good fortune to become a part of The Montessori Children’s Academy family. In addition to being a former Head Teacher at MCA, I am also the proud mother of two MCA alumni who are now both successful college students; one in NC in the field of nursing and one in CO in the field of education. To this day, my children still tell me that MCA is where they learned to think outside the box and that those years were when it was fun to come to school.

After my time as an MCA Head Teacher, I became the Director of Montessori Development and had the immense privilege to be part of the team who founded Montessori Center for Teacher Development (MCTD), MCA’s very own Montessori Teacher Education Program. MCTD is now in its 10^th year of educating Early Childhood Montessori teachers throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. When I found The Montessori Children’s Academy, I knew that I had found my second home here in the states. During my almost 17 years with MCA, I have been able to guide and support hundreds of children and their families, instruct numerous Adult Learners enrolled in MCTD, host some very influential speakers during Parent Nights, present at AMS Conferences, hold inspirational in-services for our staff, and much more. MCA is also where I had the honor of meeting former Chief Executive Officer of AMS, Tim Purnell, who after visiting our school with his wife, chose to enroll their daughter at MCA, stating that they were looking for an environment that was not only high-fidelity, but a place where their daughter would flourish – as it’s not just the pedagogy that makes Montessori, but the entire look and feel of a program. (The interview with Dr. Purnell is at https://themontessorichildrensacademy.com/blog/2019/10/01/spotlight-on-dr-timothy-purnell/ )

In addition to my time with MCA, I have also been a consultant to other Montessori schools in the United States and abroad; most recently, I have been consulting with Bladins, a school located in Malmö, Sweden, near where I grew up. I recall that in 1972, I was placed on a student waiting list for the only Montessori school that existed in my hometown at that time. My mother was very carefully planting the seeds for what I now consider to be my life’s quest… sharing my Montessori passion with others around the world. Fast forward to the fall of 2022 when I was visiting Italy. My eyes welled with tears as the Director of Casa dei Bambini opened the school door and welcomed me into the very first classroom that Dr. Maria Montessori had created. Everything was still the same… from the Pink Tower to the children eating on porcelain dishes in the dining room to the still thriving rose bush Maria planted in the garden. Her legacy lives on and continues to touch thousands of children every day, all around the world. With that, I would like to say that I am so glad you have chosen The Montessori Children’s Academy, an authentic Montessori school that I am very proud to be a part of, for your children and your families. It is my sincere hope that you too feel that this is your second home; a home filled with love for the Montessori Method, and most importantly, filled with love for your children.