The Montessori Method by Maria Montessori
If you want to learn a subject, there’s nothing like hearing it straight from the horse’s mouth. Read about The Montessori Method translated from the original manuscript written by Maria Montessori herself.
What’s in it…
CHAPTER I- A CRITICAL CONSIDERATION OF THE NEW PEDAGOGY IN ITS RELATION TO MODERN SCIENCE
- Influence of Modern Science upon Pedagogy 1
- Italy’s part in the development of Scientific Pedagogy 4
- Difference between scientific technique and the scientific spirit 7
- Direction of the preparation should be toward the spirit rather than toward the mechanism 9
- The master to study man in the awakening of his intellectual life 12
- Attitude of the teacher in the light of another example 13
- The school must permit the free natural manifestations of the child if in the school Scientific Pedagogy is to be born 15
- Stationary desks and chairs proof that the principle of slavery still informs the school 16
- Conquest of liberty, what the school needs 19
- What may happen to the spirit 20
- Prizes and punishments, the bench of the soul 21
- All human victories, all human progress, stand upon the inner force 24
CHAPTER II – HISTORY OF METHODS
- Necessity of establishing the method peculiar to Scientific Pedagogy 28
- Origin of educational system in use in the “Children’s Houses” 31
- Practical application of the methods of Itard and Séguin in the Orthophrenic School at Rome 32
- Origin of the methods for the education of deficients 33
- Application of the methods in Germany and France 35
- Séguin’s first didactic material was spiritual 37
- Methods for deficients applied to the education of normal children 42
- Social and pedagogical importance of the “Children’s Houses” 44
CHAPTER III – INAUGURAL ADDRESS DELIVERED ON THE OCCASION O F THE OPENING OF ONE OF THE “CHILDREN’S HOUSES”
- The Quarter of San Lorenzo before and since the establishment of the “Children’s Houses” 48
- Evil of subletting the most cruel form of usury 60
- The problem of life more profound than that of the Intellectual elevation of the poor 52
- Isolation of the masses of the poor, unknown to past centuries 53
- Work of the Roman Association of Good Building and the moral importance of their reforms 56
- The “Children’s House” earned by the parents through their care of the building 60
- Pedagogical organization of the “Children’s House” 62
- The “Children’s House” the first step toward the socialization of the house 65
- The communised house in its relation to the home and to the spiritual evolution of women 66
- Rules and regulations of the “Children’s Houses” 70
CHAPTER IV – PEDAGOGICAL METHODS USED IN THE “CHILDREN’S HOUSES”
- Child psychology can be established only through the method of external observation 72
- Anthropological consideration 73
- Anthropological notes 77
- Environment and schoolroom furnishings 80
CHAPTER V – DISCIPLINE
- Discipline through liberty 86
- Independence 95
- Abolition of prizes and external forms of punishment 101
- Biological concept of liberty in pedagogy 104
CHAPTER VI – HOW THE LESSON SHOULD BE GIVEN
- Characteristics of the individual lessons 107
- Method of observation the fundamental guide 108
- Difference between the scientific and unscientific methods illustrated 109
- First task of educators to stimulate life, leaving it then free to develop 115
CHAPTER VII – EXERCISES OF PRACTICAL LIFE
- Suggested schedule for the “Children’s Houses” 119
- The child must be prepared for the forms of social life and his attention attracted to these forms 121
- Cleanlinss, order, poise, conversation 122
CHAPTER VIII – REFECTION–THE CHILD’S DIET
- Diet must be adapted to the child’s physical nature 125
- Foods and their preparation 126
- Drinks 132
- Distribution of meals 133
CHAPTER IX – MUSCULAR EDUCATION–GYMNASTICS
- Generally accepted idea of gymnastics is inadequate 137
- The special gymnastics necessary for little children 138
- Other pieces of gymnastic apparatus 141
- Free gymnastics 144
- Educational gymnastics 144
- Respiratory gymnastics, and labial, dental, and lingual gymnastics 147
CHAPTER X – NATURE IN EDUCATION–AGRICULTURAL LABOUR; CULTURE OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS
- The savage of the Aveyron 149
- Itard’s educative drama repeated in the education of little children 153
- Gardening and horticulture basis of a method for education of children 155
- The child initiated into observation of the phenomena of life and into foresight by way of auto-education 156
- Children are initiated into the virtue of patience and into confident expectation, and are inspired with a feeling for nature 159
- The child follows the natural way of development of the human race 160
CHAPTER XI – MANUAL LABOUR–THE POTTER’S ART, AND BUILDING
- Difference between manual labour and manual gymnastics 162
- The School of Educative Art 163
- Archæological, historical, and artistic importance of the vase 164
- Manufacture of diminutive bricks and construction of diminutive walls and houses 165
CHAPTER XII – EDUCATION OF THE SENSES
- Aim of education to develop the energies 168
- Difference in the reaction between deficient and normal children in the presentation of didactic material made up of graded stimuli 169
- Education of the senses has as its aim the refinement of the differential perception of stimuli by means of repeated exercises 173
- Three periods of Séguin 177
CHAPTER XIII – EDUCATION OF THE SENSES AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE DIDACTIC MATERIAL: GENERAL SENSIBILITY: THE TACTILE, THERMIC, BARIC AND STEREOGNOSTIC SENSES
- Education of the tactile, thermic and baric senses 185
- Education of the stereognostic sense 188
- Education of the senses of taste and smell 190
- Education of the sense of vision 191
- Exercises with the three series of cards 199
- Education of the chromatic sense 200
- Exercise for the discrimination of sounds 203
- Musical education 206
- Tests for acuteness of hearing 209
- A lesson in silence 212
CHAPTER XIV – GENERAL NOTES ON THE EDUCATION OF THE SENSES
- Aim in education biological and social 215
- Education of the senses makes men observers and prepares them directly for practical life 218
CHAPTER XV – INTELLECTUAL EDUCATION
- Sense exercises a species of auto-education 224
- Importance of an exact nomenclature, and how to teach it 225
- Spontaneous progress of the child the greatest triumph of Scientific Pedagogy 228
- Games of the blind 231
- Application of the visual sense to the observation of environment 232
- Method of using didactic material: dimensions, form, design 233
- Free plastic work 241
- Geometric analysis of figures 243
- Exercises in the chromatic sense 244
CHAPTER XVI – METHOD FOR THE TEACHING OF READING AND WRITING
- Spontaneous development of graphic language: Séguin and Itard 246
- Necessity of a special education that shall fit man for objective observation and direct logical thought 252
- Results of objective observation and logical thought 253
- Not necessary to begin teaching writing with vertical strokes 257
- Spontaneous drawing of normal children 258
- Use of Froebel mats in teaching children sewing 260
- Children should be taught how before they are made to execute a task 261
- Two diverse forms of movement made in writing 262
- Experiments made with normal children 267
- Origin of alphabets in present use 269
CHAPTER XVII – DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD AND DIDACTIC MATERIAL USED
- Exercise tending to develop the muscular mechanism necessary in holding and using the instrument in writing 271
- Didactic material for writing 271
- Exercise tending to establish the visual-muscular imageof the alphabetic signs, and to establish the muscular memory of the movements necessary to writing 275
- Exercises for the composition of words 281
- Reading, the interpretation of an idea from written signs 296
- Games for the reading of words 299
- Games for the reading of phrases 303
- Point education has reached in the “Children’s Houses” 307
CHAPTER XVIII – LANGUAGE IN CHILDHOOD
- Physiological importance of graphic language 310
- Two periods in the development of language 312
- Analysis of speech necessary 319
- Defects of language due to education 322
CHAPTER XIX – TEACHING OF NUMERATION: INTRODUCTION TO ARITHMETIC
- Numbers as represented by graphic signs 328
- Exercises for the memory of numbers 330
- Addition and subtraction from one to twenty: multiplication and division 332
- Lessons on decimals: arithmetic calculations beyond ten 335
CHAPTER XX – SEQUENCE OF EXERCISES
- Sequence and grades in the presentation of material and in the exercises 338
- First grade 338
- Second grade 339
- Third grade 342
- Fourth grade 343
- Fifth grade 345
CHAPTER XXI – GENERAL REVIEW OF DISCIPLINE
- Discipline better than in ordinary schools 346
- First dawning of discipline comes through work 350
- Orderly action is the true rest for muscles intended by nature for action 354
- The exercise that develops life consists in the repetition, not in the mere grasp of the idea 358
- Aim of repetition that the child shall refine his senses through the exercise of attention, of comparison, of judgment 360
- Obedience is naturally sacrifice 363
- Obedience develops will-power and the capacity to perform the act it becomes necessary to obey 367
CHAPTER XXII – CONCLUSIONS AND IMPRESSIONS
- The teacher has become the director of spontaneous work in the “Children’s Houses” 371
- The problems of religious education should be solved by positive pedagogy 372
- Spiritual influence of the “Children’s Houses” 376
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