Google honors educator and humanitarian Maria Montessori with a doodle depicting kindergarten gifts reminiscent of Friedrich Frรถbel. Google also did a doodle for Frรถbel in April, his ideas along with Montessoriโs pedagogy are the basis of kindergartens in Austria. Montessori gave a lecture in Vienna in 1950 and since, pedagogues have followed what is called Montessori education.
It is defined byย an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a childโs naturalย psychologicalย development, as well as technological advancements in society.
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The essential elements in Montessori education is as follows:
- Mixed age classrooms, with classrooms for children aged 2ยฝ or 3 to 9 years old by far the most common
- Student choice of activity from within a prescribed range of options
- Uninterrupted blocks of work time
- Aย Constructivistย or โdiscoveryโ model, where students learn concepts from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction
- Specialized educational materials developed by Montessori and her collaborators
sticks for learning at the kindergarten
My kids were able to experience Montessoriโs pedagogy for 4 years at most. Iโve seen how they were able to develop individually and how they were able to interact with other while there. They were allowed to play what they like, learn things on their own with a little help and taught basic responsibility and routines. Itโs a fun learning process that I know benefited them and would be beneficial in the long run.
