ECCE PROJECT 01

''The goal of early childhood care and education

should be to activate the child's own natural desire to
learn.''

- Maria
Montessori
By Khushboo Malhotra
Class - XII
Section - B
 02
BIRTH AND FAMILY

Montessori was born on August 31, 1870,

in Chiaravalle, Italy. Her father,
Alessandro Montessori, age 33, was an
official of the Ministry of Finance working
in the local state-run tobacco factory. Her
mother, Renilde Stoppani, 25 years old,
was well-educated. She was very close to
her mother who readily encouraged her.
She also had a loving relationship with her
father, although he disagreed with her
choice to continue her education.
Educational Background 03

Her early school record was not particularly

worthy, although she was awarded certificates for
good behavior in the 1st grade and for "women's
work", the next year. In 1883 or 1884 at the age of
13, Montessori entered a secondary, technical
school. She graduated in 1886 with good grades
and examination results. She did well in the
sciences and especially in mathematics. She
graduated in 1890 at the age of 20, with a
certificate in physics–mathematics, she had
decided to study medicine. Maria’s new interest in
children prompted her to return once again to the
University of Rome. Maria worked with the special
children for two years and her method could make
these children pass their exams with similar scores
as normal children.
 04
The Montessori Method
In 1908-1909 Maria wrote The Montessori method and by 1910
she started to give training courses on her method to
teachers. By as early as 1911-1912 schools all over the world
were following her method. One of the earliest American
Montessori schools was established by Alexander Graham
Bell in his own home. Montessori believed in empowering
children by fostering independence in them. The main
characteristics of the Montessori Method are as follows:
Mixed Age Grouping
Individualized Instruction
Child Directed Program
Designed Environment / Materials and so on.

SHE SAID, “THE ESSENCE OF INDEPENDENCE IS

LEARNING TO TAKE CARE OF ONESELF.”
 05
Mixed Age Grouping
It is also called family grouping.The classes are
composed of a 3-year span for both elementary and
pre-school programs. Each class includes ages 3-6, 6-
9, or 9-12. Such grouping promotes peer teaching,
wider social interactions, adaptation to individual
differences in style and pace of learning. It also
develops a family like community. The younger ones
are exposed to older role models and the older
students who partake in peer teaching benefit through
reinforced learning.
 06
Individualized Instruction
Each child learns and develops at her/his own pace through
the exposure of materials and lessons introduced by trained
staff. The curriculum is designed for instruction in such a
manner that it may be introduced sequentially, at particular
developmental level of the individual child and allows the
child to work according to his/her capacity and abilities.

Child Directed Program

Within the structure of the classroom and curriculum,
children are encouraged to pursue their interests, make
responsible choices for themselves and direct themselves
to constructive activities. It is natural that children’s interest
will vary and differ from others, therefore, this becomes an
opportunity for independent and selfmotivated learning.
 07
Designed Environment Integrated Curriculum
Whole Language
Approach to Reading

When multiple subjects are

The school or the learning environment
Activities and lessons are combined to teach one topic, the
is equipped with a variety of specially
generated according to teaching becomes ‘Integrated’. This
designed Montessori materials like
means, bringing together of more
multisensory, sequential and self- the students’ ability and
than one area of knowledge. It
correcting apparatus. They are carefully learning styles. The
allows the child to make intelligent
selected to meet the needs of the literature programs aim to
connections across subject
range of students in each class . meet the child’s needs.
boundaries.
 Hands on Approach to 08
Specialized Staff
Learning

(special training) Background and experience in

ECCE, adds to the quality of the teacher.
The use of materials for learning in the
Specialized training programs, prepare and
Montessori classroom is an integral part of the
certify teachers in the field. The course of study
includes educational philosophy, academic program. Based on a belief that children learn
training, early childhood development, by doing, lessons for math, language and
classroom management and use of materials for other subjects depend on hands on materials
individual lessons. provided by the Montessori teacher.
 09
An Ideal Montessori
classroom
1 The rooms are prepared to meet the
children’s physical needs.
2 All furniture and equipment are scaled to
their size, all pictures hung at their eye level,
and all material easily accessible to them.

3 The children can be totally independent, from hanging up their own

coats to using the rest room. The rooms are aesthetically pleasing with
pets and plants to care for. The children help to maintain the order
and beauty of the room by carefully returning their work to its place,
putting mats away, and pushing chairs in. The shelves and their
contents are always renewed and kept ready for the new day
 10
THERE ARE FOUR
MAIN AREAS OF
WORK IN THE
CLASSROOM

Practical Life
The Sensorial Material
Role of the teacher
Social Development
 ''THE GREATEST GIFTS WE CAN GIVE TO OUR 11
CHILDREN ARE THE ROOTS OF RESPONSIBILITY
AND THE WINGS OF INDEPENDENCE''

Practical Life
In it there are real life activities such as dish
washing, sweeping, dusting, and pouring.
These are exercises that are familiar to the
child and will aid in her or his complete
development. They will help the child to grow
in self-knowledge, independence, confidence
and develop a power of concentration. There
is also development of their eye-hand
coordination and mastery environment.
''WITHIN THE CHILD LIES THE FATE OF THE FUTURE'' 12

The Sensorial Material

The class is equipped with rods, cylinders, pink
tower, materials for refining the sense of touch,
sound and taste. All information has to be taken in
through the senses. This instinct is intense in age 3-
6. The very basis of a child’s intelligence is molded
as hand and senses work together. He or she works
through muscles to experience the discrimination,
and their absorbent minds to store knowledge
without effort. Many of the material train the
children to observe, as they make comparisons
between objects.
“THE FIRST TASK OF AN EDUCATION MUST BE TO 13
STIMULATE LIFE AND THEN LEAVE IT FREE TO
DEVELOP AND UNFOLD.''

Role of the teacher

The role of the directress or teacher is vital. This individual is
the link between the child and her development through the
prepared environment. The teacher must carefully observe and
guide the child according the child’s sensitive periods. They
impose learning but guides and stimulates the child to make
her or his own discoveries and encourages the child to
spontaneity and mastery.
14
THEY COME TO SEE SOME OF THE WORK IN THE ROOM AS 15
“TWO PERSON-WORK” AND KNOW THE WAY TO INVITE A
FRIEND TO HELP TO DO IT.

Social Development
The children are grouped together between the ages of 3-6, the
older children become models and teachers to the younger. They
learn to respect each other’s work. They are free to work together
on activities of their own choosing, when they want. Often, an older
child helps a younger friend in an activity. This also provides a great
opportunity for the children to practice their language skills by
carrying on a conversation while ‘working’. There is little or no
competition fostered and children naturally want to help one
another. They are actually living out a community way of life. The
classroom becomes theirs and they learn much more through the
care of the environment as well as their care for one another.
English and 16
Spanish CASA DEI BAMBINI
Working with non-disabled children in the Casa dei
Bambini in 1907, Montessori began to develop her own
pedagogy. Her method was founded on the observation of
children at liberty to act freely in an environment prepared
to meet their needs. Appropriate role of the educator was
to remove obstacles to this natural development and
provide opportunities for it to proceed and flourish. The
schoolroom was equipped with child-sized furnishings,
"practical life" activities such as sweeping and washing
tables, and teaching material that Montessori had
developed herself. Children were given the freedom to
choose and carry out their own activities, at their own
pace. She observed great concentration in the children
and spontaneous repetition of chosen activities.
 17
INFLUENCE ON OTHERS

The Montessori method has had a lasting

impact on education. Maria Montessori
demonstrated through her personality,
practice and persistence that education could
be an instrument of change to all in society.
She applied her methods in the slums of a new
district in Rome. She wrote about these ideas
in books such as The Montessori Method and
Dr Maria Montessori’s Own Handbook.
Through her books, public speaking,
Montessori method spread to diverse
environments including Australia, England, The
United States, Korea and China.
 18

Death
In cerebral hemorrhage
on May 6, 1952,

at the age of 81

in Noordwijk aan Zee

the Netherlands
THANK YOU