Les Grands Principes Montessori
L’adulte est un guide, un relais entre le matériel pédagogique et l’enfant.
Il présente à l’enfant une à une, lentement, les pièces du matériel pédagogique adaptées aux besoins de chacun puis l’adulte se retire et laisse l’enfant expérimenter à son rythme.
Le rôle de l’éducateur Montessori réside dans l’observation des besoins de chaque enfant, dans la présentation du matériel qui va éveiller sa curiosité, dans le maintien d’une ambiance favorable à la concentration.
Chaque pièce du matériel pédagogique ne présente à l’enfant qu’une difficulté à la fois.
Il a été soigneusement mis au point par Maria Montessori et reste d’actualité aujourd’hui.
Il repose sur des données scientifiques et donne à l’enfant des moyens de développer la maîtrise de ses gestes et d’aborder des notions abstraites en les expérimentant, en les concrétisant.
Le matériel pédagogique contient le contrôle de l’erreur qui va permettre à l’enfant de s’ajuster progressivement sans être jugé, ni en bien, ni en mal.
L’environnement préparé par l’adulte permet le développement normal de l’enfant vers l’autonomie. Ambiance calme, étagères à la portée des enfants qui vont choisir leur matériel, le garder aussi longtemps que nécessaire et le rapporter à sa place pour le remettre à la disposition d’un autre enfant.
Des règles qui permettent aux enfants de se développer individuellement dans le groupe :
respect de soi, des autres, du matériel.
Freedom and responsibility are linked
The child chooses his work among the materials presented to him, moves freely, speaks without disturbing his neighbors.
No external judgments on results
No marks, no punishments, no rewards (so that the child does not work for a reward and the joy that his work gives him is the reward he gives himself).
No competition
There is only one copy of each material so that children do not compete in their work.
No generalized program
Each child is unique.
The time required for each to integrate, to experiment, varies from one child to another, from one moment to another, from one material to another.
Everyone has the time to understand, to deepen, to incorporate knowledge at their own pace.
The program, which the child chooses, corresponds to his needs.
Each stage of the teaching material prepares the next one and allows everyone to progress on a daily basis.
Maria Montessori observed in the child sensitive periods, key periods when the child is absorbed by a specific element of his environment (the sensitive period of order, movement, social sense, language …). The material designed by Maria Montessori allows the child to meet his needs during these sensitive periods.
The practical life materials:
These activities are the first ones that are presented to the child when he arrives at school. They are activities related to the simple gestures of everyday life (washing hands, dressing, sponging, handling common utensils, transferring liquids, etc.). They aim to develop fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. Indirectly, the child structures his thoughts by experiencing a complete cycle of work (from the free choice of activity to putting it back on the shelves).
Sensory materials:
The child constructs his intelligence by developing his sensory capacity to organize the information present in his environment.
The sensory material helps the child to refine his capacity for sensory discrimination (weight, size, shape, color, etc.) and to develop his mathematical mind (comparing, grading, ordering), indirect preparation for geometry and arithmetic.
This material, which requires careful manipulation and develops the forceps, is an indirect preparation for the gesture of writing.
Mathematics materials:
These materials, although introducing complex abstractions (numeration, function of operations), are also sensory materials.
The introduced mathematical concepts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) are materialized to allow a concrete understanding.
Language materials:
Language materials, oral at first and then written, develop vocabulary, writing and then reading to finish around 5 ½ years by a grammar approach in a sensory way.
Geography, botany, zoology materials…
These allow the child to become aware of the world around him.
