Applying Montessori Method to Improve Early Childhood English skill

Eka Rizki Amalia

Naila Nahdiyah
Institut Pesantren K.H. Abdul Chalim, Mojokerto
[email protected]

Abstract
Montessori method has been gaining more attention in the last five years. Some preschools
and kindergarten have been applying Montessori method to the English learning activity.
However, the method is only applied by prestigious schools for several factors: the school's
readability related to the budget, the stakeholders and teachers as well as the parents'
perceptions, the teacher's competency, etc. This case study is intended to investigate the
implementation of English teaching and learning by using Montessori method in preschool
and kindergarten settings. There are six teachers participated in the study. The data were
collected from interviews and observations. The results indicate that applying Montessori
method in English learning activities can result positively in students' English ability and
performance. The findings propose several suggestions related to the issue of English for
early childhood education.
Keywords: English, early childhood education, Montessori method

Background
Teaching English for early childhood is increasingly receiving very good attention. The
awareness of the importance of English to be taught from children in their golden ages results
in various research related to English materials that should be given to methods that are
considered most successful to be applied for early childhood. The differences of cognitive
abilities between children of early childhood and elementary schools lead to differences in
methods and models to be applied to teach English especially if the material is given needs to
be specific, for example introducing the form of alphabetical letters and how they sound. In
this example, the purpose of learning is that children must be able to recognize the shape of
letters, copy them, and then recognize and produce sounds that correspond to the
pronunciation of the letters. For this reason, the learning methods provided must be suitable
for the learning objectives and children's development stages.
One of the methods most widely discussed by practitioners and academics in Early
Childhood Education (herein abbreviated as ECE) today is the Montessori method. This
method is considered the ablest to include learning for all subject matter ranging from
Science such as Mathematics to Language. Unfortunately, Montessori method is mostly
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applied to teach Science and Mathematics such as numeracy skills, which explicitly look
closer to the children's motoric activity. Various Math and Science practices can be
conducted easily using Montessori method. Therefore, language learning is mostly done
conventionally by activities such as singing, listening to fairy tales, storytelling, and role-
playing. These language teaching methods have many advantages as well as disadvantages.
For example, introducing the shape of letters can not be done by the singing method.
Children must also be able to practice writing letters using their own hands, for example by
writing the letters on a board or sand book.
Learning objectives will be more easily achieved if learning activities cover all domains
of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. Vogel (2017) mentions that in early childhood
education, the teacher focuses on those three aspects. This corresponds to the Montessori
learning method. The teachers provide experiences for children to develop their cognitive
ability by directly inviting them to interact with the surrounding. They also stimulate
children's affective development by providing activities and new input. They also encourage
the children to actively participate in provided activities. In this aspect, the children's
enthusiasm and emotions are stimulated. The psychomotor aspect can be identified by
children's physical abilities to play toys and objects.
Based on the researcher's preliminary study, most preschools and kindergartens that
apply the Montessori method come from upper social class with relatively high tuition fees.
Not many lower-middle-class schools in Indonesia apply the Montessori method. This is
caused by the lack of information possessed by the teachers and policyholders. For this
reason, there is a need for socialization regarding the advantages of this method and how it is
applied.
The materials and tools used for applying the Montessori program are currently
developed mainly in English. Unfortunately, the price is relatively expensive (Rodriguez,
Irby, Brown, Lara-Alecia, and Galloway, 2003 ) for children who come from lower-middle-
class social families. This condition is not Maria Montessori's initial idea who establishes this
method based on her concern for children who came from poor socio-economic status
(Standing in Rodriguez, et al., 2003 ). Therefore, early childhood teachers need to be trained
to create items and educational toys to be used as Montessori materials and tools. Through
this, limited funds will not impede children's opportunity to obtain a proper education.
Based on previous research studies in Indonesia, there has been limited research on the
implementation of the Montessori method for teaching English. Research on the
implementation of the Montessori method is mostly done for Mathematics such as those
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conducted by Risjayanti (2008), Wahyuningsih ( 2011), Hidayati (2017), Saputro (2017), and
Yani (2017). The Montessori method is also applied to improve children's social skills
(Sumitra, 2014), overcome the difficulties of learning to read and write for elementary school
children (Kurniastuti and Irine, 2016), reading abilities of elementary school children (Aay,
2016), building children's character (Adisti, 2016), telling fairy tales using audio-visual
media (Pratiwi, 2017), and discipline and self-reliance (Nasution, 2017).
In addition to research related to ECE in Indonesia, most common research is on the
implementation of conventional methods such as storytelling using picture series (Wati
2010), storytelling using hand puppet (Harahap, 2017), educational game applications
(Noviyanti, 2017), and singing (Ardian, 2017). However, no specific focus on English
learning.
Research on the implementation of the Montessori method abroad is like what Liliard
and Quest (2006) have conducted. They evaluate the social and academic impact of
Montessori education at several schools located in Wisconsin, USA. The schools chosen were
preschool and kindergarten which serves children from marginalized minority groups. The
type of research is experimental research. The research result stated that the beneficial output
of Montessori education is the social effects that are generally dominated by the
neighborhood where the children live.
A literature review study was conducted by Debs and Brown (2017). This study
analyzed experience faced by African-American students who attended Montessori public
schools. The results mention that Montessori education offers both opportunities and
limitations for black students to study in multi-racial schools. The opportunity referred to is a
different learning situation that has a positive impact, while the limitation lies in the lack of
multi-racial teaching staff which becomes a challenge in the learning process.
A study conducted by Cossentino (2016) compared two groups of students who
graduated from secondary schools i.e. Milwaukee Public School (MPS) over some time from
1997 to 2001. The subjects of this study were students who had followed the Montessori
program since they were in the preschool and kindergarten up to grade 5 elementary school,
compared to students who had never participated in the Montessori program. The results of
the study indicated that the students who took the Montessori program had significantly
higher test scores in Mathematics and Science.
Rodriguez, Irby, Brown, Lara-Alecia, and Galloway (2003) examined public schools
that implemented the bilingual Montessori program. This study compared the reading test
scores of grade 2 elementary school students who took the Montessori program and those
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who did not when they were in preschools. The results showed that the reading scores of
students who took the Montessori program far exceeded students whose preschools applied
traditional teaching methods.
Another study by Kayili and Ari (2011) examined the effect of the Montessori method
on the readiness of preschool children to enroll in primary school. The results conclude that
the Montessori method positively contributes to the children's mental readiness to get into
primary school. Montessori Method is also considered more efficient than the traditional
ones.
Research by Liliard (2012) compared the development of preschool and kindergarten
students in classical Montessori models (classic Montessori), partial Montessori and
conventional model. The results concluded that the level of discipline in the implementation
of the Montessori method in classic Montessori class was associated with achieving far better
results compared to the lower level of discipline in the implementation of the Montessori
method in the other classes.
Adisti (2018) conducted a research in Indonesia that was different from the previous
studies which were intended to see the effect of the Montessori method to children's learning,
she investigated the implementation of Montessori values to the English teaching in a
kindergarten in Karanganyar. The research subjects were teachers and students at the school.
The results concluded that the implementation of Montessori values in English teaching can
increase students' interest and enthusiasm in learning English.
Based on the above studies, the Montessori method is proven to have positive impacts
on children's learning and interest as well as enthusiasm. Unfortunately, there is no specific
research conducted for teaching English. Most research abroad focus on Montessori
education in general, not specific to language teaching. While the research in Indonesia are
more inclined to the application of the Montessori method in Mathematics and Science, and
the children's interest as well as enthusiasm. This is the gap in this research. The researcher
feels it is important to study the teaching of English using Montessori method to see the
benefits and contributions of this method for early childhood education.

Theoretical Framework
The Montessori learning model was coined by Maria Montessori in 1907. This learning
model was first applied by an indigent preschool in Rome, Italy. The characteristics of
Montessori education are a class with students of varying ages, specific educational materials,
students chose of their work, collaboration, the absence of scores and tests, and the division
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of large and small groups in both academic and social skills (Montessori, 1964). There are
two levels of Montessori education: primary education (ages 3-6 years) and basic education
(ages 6-12 years) ( Liliard and Quest, 2006).
The basic concept of the Montessori method is learning based on reality, play and work
(Piasta, Purpura, and Wagner, 2010) which means that children must be directly related to
reality and learn by playing and being active in doing a task or work given by the teacher as a
guide. Children are often given the freedom to choose what activity they like and explore it
by themselves. Children's independence is the main focus. Children are supported to learn on
their own (Isaacs in Lunenburg, 2011).
Although children are given the freedom to explore various objects and activities, the
Montessori learning model still emphasizes the importance of the position and task of the
teacher as a companion who will facilitate and direct the children in the learning activity. As
has been described by Lnenickova (2015), the teacher's task is to show the children how to
use the material then let them choose which ones they would use, and hope they will return to
their previous place when they have finished (Lunenburg, 2011). Children also have to
correct their work when they feel that something is wrong while being observed by the
teacher. The teacher will find out and facilitate what the children need.
Here are the principles of learning the Montessori method:

How and when child concentrate (concentration polarization):

• demonstrate the ability to concentrate on a task to which they are interested
• at any given moment, focus entirely on an activity or job that interests them,
and repeat it again and again
What children choose (often associated de n gan sensitive period):
• objects or objects that are arranged or sequential (especially for children
aged 3.5 years)
• have the opportunity to keep their surroundings sequential
• practice real daily activities rather than playing (playing goods)
• using will realia objects used daily rather than toys
• do things calmly and often without sound
• learn attitudes that show care (care) that is still socially acceptable, for
example, blowing the nose of a friend
How children learn:
• by receiving awards and punishment
• by having the opportunity to correct their own mistakes
• by having the freedom to choose what work (activity) and what material
(goods) to do
• by themselves
(Taken from quoted from the North American Montessori Center, NAM.
Classroom Guide. Canada: Dale Gausman, 2009) in Lnenickova (2015)

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 From the principles above, the Montessori method emphasizes children's independence.
The curriculum is very individual but with a broad scope, sequence and domain (Edwards,
2002). The Montessori method focuses on student or child-centered approach. An example of
the results of a child-centered approach curriculum (Rodriguez, et al., 2003) is that many
children can master reading and writing before the age of 6 years. In learning English,
generally listening will be taught first before speaking, reading, and writing.
When children come into the Montessori class for the first time, they have fully
absorbed the language used by their parents and their surrounding through listening activities.
Children must re-adjust to English, which in this case can be considered as a second language
or a foreign language which children learn besides their mother tongue or the local language.
The Montessori method successfully transfers children's language skills from the first
language to a foreign language (Rodriguez, 2003). In the Montessori classroom, children
should optimally accustom to hear and interact with English because the language quality and
quantity that children hear and the consistency of the material reinforcement will affect the
success of language learning (Lightbown and Spada, 2013).
Objects (objects) that are used for learning English are authentic objects (realia)
because they are more interesting and closer to children, so children will learn languages
without them knowing (Sokol, 2015). It is conducted to train the coordination between
children's cognitive and motoric skills by introducing letters and their sounds, and scratching
letters in the writing sand while sounding it. Children are taught to recognize phonemes first
(phonemic awareness) because every spoken word consists of phoneme arrangements
represented by alphabet letters (Rose, 2006). Children are not necessarily taught to recognize
names of alphabetical letters, but what more important is how the letters sound because, in
English, letters can sound differently when spoken separately or when combined into a word.
The Montessori method is a child-centered approach and is based on scientific observation
upon children. From this understanding, five aspects of Montessori are then defined.
1) Practical Life; refers to daily life skill that consists of motoric skills which include caring
for the environment, self and other activities.
2) Sensorial; refers to a series of materials and methods used to develop all the children's
senses.
3) Language; refers to a communication system related to sound, word formation, and
grammar used by a group of people. Montessori has its material to make it easier for children
to understand the language through realia around them.
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4) Mathematics; is one of the unique curricula in Montessori. It helps children understand
mathematical concepts from concrete to abstract.
5) Culture; is learning to invite children to understand the world such as geography, zoology,
botany, family, and history.

Research Methodology
Research Design
This is a case study research that takes the form of an instrumental case study (Stake:
1994, 1995). An instrumental case study is chosen to cater insights into the issue of EC
English acquisition mainly related to the Montessori application. This study adopts Yin's
(2009) six-stage case study process which comprises planning, designing, preparing,
collecting, analyzing and sharing.
Data for this study were collected using interviews and observations (Creswell, 2008;
Stake, 1995; Yin, 2009). A semi-structured interview was utilized as it is more flexible and
provides the interviewer with a better understanding of the interviewee's perspectives
(Daymon & Holloway, 2002). Classroom observation (Wragg, 2013; O'Leary, 2014; Stake,
1994) was applied and target any activities of interest (e.g., meetings) and artifacts (Stake,
2015) (e.g., work schemes, lesson plans) (Baskarada, 2014). Three types of artifacts were
involved in this study: physical (e.g. pen and paper), symbolic (e.g. language, numbers, and
pictures), and cultural artifacts (e.g. portfolios and tasks) (Lantolf, 2000).
The study was conducted to see the proper application of the Montessori method in a
Montessori school. The school chosen was based on several criteria: the teacher's proficiency
regarding the Montessori method, the practice of Montessori method, and the consistency of
the Montessori implementation.

Participants
This research was carried out in a preschool and kindergarten in East Java, Indonesia.
The students' age ranges from 3 to 6 years old. The selection of the school is based on the
consideration that the school has implemented partial Montessori in the whole activity from
the beginning until the last session every day. The teachers also have the competency of
Montessori concept, material, and practices. The teachers are also active in joining
professional development events such as workshops and seminars. They also conduct a
routine meeting with peer teachers to discuss any strengths and weaknesses of the practice

7
they have been doing in a week or so. The meeting also functions as a sharing group
discussion where any possible insights and suggestions might be of importance.
Another reason for selecting the school is based on the assumption that different socio
background of parents and students might result differently in their exposure to learning
resources. The socio-economic condition of parents whose children attend schools are
various. Based on research conducted by Liliard (2012), socio-economic conditions are
proven to have a significant impact on students' learning outcomes particularly those who
implement the Montessori method. Children who come from upper-middle-class economics
have better language skills than children who come from lower-middle economic class. This
phenomenon might be caused by the availability of learning resources, supports from parents
and family, parents' perceptions of the importance of Montessori, etc.

Data and Source of Data

Susanto (2010) mentions that data is any information needed and collected by researchers as
a basis for answering research questions. In this study, the data were taken from the results of
the interviews with EC teachers and the observation of teaching and learning activities which
were analyzed qualitatively.

Data analysis technique

The data analysis adapts thematic networks by Attride-Stirling (2001) as a tool for thematic
analysis, which is defined as 'web-like illustrations (networks) that summarize the main
themes constituting a piece of text' (p. 386). Thematic networks are chosen because it
facilitates the constructing and drawing of the themes from textual data (Attride-Stirling,
2001) in a qualitative study. It clarifies the procedures that might be utilized in interpreting
texts.

Method
This study adopts Yin's (2009) six-stage case study process which comprises planning,
designing, preparing, collecting, analyzing and sharing. As Yin explains, the planning stage
focuses on identifying the problem and reasons to choose the method along with the strengths
and weaknesses. The designing stage focuses on determining the case to be studied and parts
to be analyzed, developing the theory, identifying the underlying issues, and formulating
procedures to exert the quality of the study. The preparing stage focuses on developing the
researcher's skill to go to the site and training for a particular case study to choose, develop
8
the procedures, conduct a pilot study, and complete relevant approvals. The collecting stage
necessitates following the study procedures, employing various sources of evidence, creating
a database and keeping a range of evidence. Analyzing stage involves employing analytic
techniques, exploring explanation and showing data excluding interpretations. The last stage,
sharing, focuses on determining the audience, drawing materials, displaying evidence,
drawing conclusions, reviewing and rewriting until all processes completed.
Before going to the site, the researchers first identified the strengths and downsides of
the current English teaching and learning in early childhood context from different
perspectives and views. Having found the problem, the researcher decided to conduct
instrumental case study research. The design stage consists of determining the case study by
choosing Rayya School (herein named RSC) to be the site. Interview with the headmaster and
teachers of RSC related to the English teaching and learning that have been conducted, the
barriers, the downside, the learning objectives, parent's expectation, etc. during this stage, the
procedures of conducting the study was also formulated including the making of the
Montessori materials. As the preparation, a variety of prototype props/Montessori games
were made, including ABC capital letters, ABC alphabet sandpaper, sandpaper numbers, kids
aptitude color beads, kids aptitude match images, edu flashcard animals series, color boards,
etc. The materials were first introduced to the teachers. The teachers then were invited to
make their own teaching materials and games according to their creations and they can also
copy the existing model.
The duration of the study was 15 days for the entire data collection process. Before the
data collection process, preliminary study and socialization of the Montessori method were
carried out to all teachers who became the participants. This stage was carried out to collect
preliminary data and introduce the Montessori method to all teachers. The researcher became
the observer and helped the teacher when the teacher experienced difficulties.
On the first day of data collection, a pretest was conducted. This pretest aimed to find
out to what extent the children's English abilities were. The pretest was not in the form of
written tests or formative tests like the common tests applied to children of elementary school
or above. The pretest was only a game like guessing letters, numbers and objects in English
and was given simultaneously to all students like the daily learning takes place. When the
pretest was given by one teacher, the teacher's assistant was in charge of recording which
questions the child could answer, and who could answer the questions. The posttest
implementation was also carried out similarly.

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 On day 3, the activities were conducted by providing English teaching using the
Montessori method. The material was taught specifically for English material and not other
material, skills nor other subjects such as Mathematics or Science. The English skills were
listening (listening), speaking (speaking), reading (reading), writing (writing), pronunciation
(pronunciation) and vocabulary (vocabulary) and were given simultaneously based on the
students' development and competence. Montessori teaching materials were used as the
teaching media. During the teaching, the researcher as the observer recorded any activities
during the learning such as students' participation, enthusiasm, responses and initiatives
during their involvement in learning activities with the teacher and independent learning. The
teachers were also observed related to material delivery, the use of media, enthusiasm and
related matters that occurred during the teaching process. In the end, the posttest was carried
out in the same way as the pretest. These processes were repeated until the 15th day.
Because of the logistical and convenience issues and several considerations, the
observations were conducted for 15 days. The teachers were welcomed whether they would
implement the Montessori method or not in the future. It will depend on several factors; the
school policy, the teachers' readiness to implement this method, the availability of the
funding and some other factors.

Finding and Discussion

Montessori method has the principles of the student center and follows the children and
his/her wishes because the children know what their needs are. In the implementation, there is
a term called a prepared environment where the teacher or parents prepare five Montessori
areas. The five areas should be provided in each rack. Then the child is welcomed to choose
which areas he is interested in. However, if the child just focuses on one area only in a long
time, teachers can direct or offer him to play other material. This is done so that children can
develop in a balanced way.
Montessori activity is full of meaning, even in small things, for example, how to sit, the
sitting position of the teacher against children and so on. Besides, this method also
emphasizes orderliness, neatness, and self-reliance. One of the characteristics of Montessori
is that the material is arranged according to the level of difficulty, from the easiest to the most
difficult ones. This method is very detailed, starting from the materials, how the teacher treats
the child, the teacher's voice's intonation and volume during the teaching, etc.
In Montessori method, there is no reward nor punishment. Praise is obtained when
children have done something good only in the form of thanks from the teacher or parents. In
10
this method, there is also no rule that an older child must succumb to a younger child or vice
versa. All children are the same. If a child has chosen one material, then the other child may
not play or even seize the material. If other children want to play the material, then the child
must ask permission in advance to play together or wait. However, if he is not permitted, then
he may not force to use it.
RSC has three grade levels, namely preschool, Kindergarten A and Kindergarten B. In
the learning implementation, this school combines early childhood curriculum in general and
the Montessori method, where every class has one hour every day to implement the
Montessori activity. The Montessori activity is carried out in turns every day. For example,
the first hour for the preschool class, the second hour for kindergarten class A and the third
hour for class B.
Children who come before learning time starts are allowed to play the available
Montessori materials. Each child is only allowed to play one material because in Montessori
method one child can only have one activity with one material. Each material is a series that
has one goal so that the child should not take most of the contents of the course. Children are
also given work mattress where they can work in their territory, the working area. Every child
must not move beyond the boundaries of his working area. Through this working base,
children are lead to understand the meaning of territory or areas of their work and teach them
to take responsibility for their territory. One form of children's responsibility towards this
territory is to tidy up and return the material and the mattress to its original place.
Through Montessori method, children are trained to have various good characters such
as discipline, patience, orderly, responsible, skilled, and independent. This can be seen when
children wait in line to wash their hands, wipe the water they spill, finish activities according
to the schedule, clean up toys that have been used, etc.
Some interesting events took place, for example, a child spilled water while he was
using practical life material, then he directly took a rag and wipe the water spills earlier.
There was also a child who was able to use the material by only one presentation by the
teacher. Another event was, a group of children play one material, but it started to be not
conducive and effective, then a teacher approaches them and reminds them then they
willingly fixed the material and returned them to the shelf. Another group of children lined up
when queuing to wash their hands, then a child came and overtook the queue. The teacher
reminded him to queue up properly, finally, the child stood where he was supposed to be
waiting in line. There was also a child who was reluctant to take care of the material, then a
teacher waited for him until he took care of the material himself.
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 In the interview session, the teacher revealed that during applying the Montessori
method, she has not found any negative effects. She also revealed that this method is very
effective for developing all aspects of children's development. Besides, this method is also
able to shape good characters such as patience, neatness, independence, regularity, etc.
The teachers also mentioned that children who were taught by using Montessori
method could obtain good stimulation for their growth and development. They will have
sufficient mental readiness to pursue further education. Children will also find interests and
talents that they have. This makes it easier for the teachers and parents to determine to
necessitate education so the children can develop optimally. Some children who were asked
by the observers have good language skills. They also have good trust and courage where
they are not afraid nor embarrassed meeting and being asked by strangers. They
enthusiastically answered when asked about their deals and things they like.

Conclusion
To conclude, this research aimed to investigate the implementation of the Montessori method
to teach English for early childhood. This research is important for several reasons; First, in
Indonesia, very little is known related to research on the implementation of learning English
using the Montessori method. Secondly, many schools in Indonesia apply the Montessori
method for teaching other subjects but English. The researchers feel it is important to
introduce and provide information to ECIE school teachers on the importance and
effectiveness of the Montessori method for learning English. Third, the high cost of teaching
tools and toys for the Montessori method makes it is often applied only by elite and
expensive schools. If teachers of ECIE schools have the knowledge and creativity to make
Montessori materials by themselves, all pre- and kindergarten schools will be able to apply
this method. Fourth, the findings also suggest future research related to the issue of English
for early childhood education.

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