Maria Montessori Theory

Introduction: Maria Montessori’s Theory on Education is a sensory-based pedagogy that is based on the belief that children learn at their own pace, passing through particular developmental stages at certain ages birth-six years, six-nine years and nine-twelve years also known as Sensitive Periods (Standing 1998, Montessori Sensitive Periods). These Sensitive Periods are times or stages in a child’s development where they are more responsive to certain stimuli, increasing knowledge to develop particular skills (Standing 1998, Montessori Sensitive Periods). Through my research of the literature on Montessori’s teaching styles I began to notice they require a sensory rich environment that offers interactive yet independent learning opportunities for the children to freely discover and make sense of new information through reflection, imagination and interaction while passing through these three developmental stages of Absorbent Minds, Reasoning Minds and Moral Development.

Birth -6 Years: O’Shea (2014) states that Montessori uses the term Absorbent Mind to describe the first plane of development from birth to the age of six years (G. O’Shea 2014, Human Development Stages). His theory is supported through the literature of Grazzini, Camillo (2004) with both highlighting the theory that children working on this plane will pass through two sub planes during their development at this stage, birth – three years and three-six years of age (G. O’Shea 2014, Human Development Stages). The first sub plane is simply based on child’s experience of physical reality, finding clarification of their experiences in the immediate environment by using their sensory system, in particular touch and taste (Grazzini, Camillo 2004, Four Planes Of ...

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... others around them (O’Shea 2014, Trinitarian Christocentrism. Six Implications for Religious Education). O’Shea believes and backs Montessori’s idea that the real religious work of the nine to twelve year old child stage is to find their place in the world. Relationships become a critical concern to children of this stage and only become more important to the child as they reach adolescence (O’Shea 2014, Trinitarian Christocentrism. Six Implications for Religious Education). Lillard (2005) agrees with this idea that the students in at this stage begin to feel the need to be with their peers more and more in order to discover who they really are (Lillard 2005, Answers to the Crisis in Education) . They still require adult supervision and guidance helping support them and promote independence as they become young adults. (activity focus on relationships and time)