That’s because Montessori teachers teach differently.
When training to become a Montessori Teacher, learners spend lots of time learning about and practicing how to show children the Montessori materials.
They learn about the best way to show a child a learning activity, and how to make children’s learning experiences accessible, enjoyable, and deeply satisfying.
The Montessori materials themselves are designed to help children learn independently, so teachers can support children’s self-esteem, growth mindset and independence.
They contain something called ‘control of error’ which means children can see where they have gone wrong and work out how to fix it without needing an adult to show them.
Once a Montessori teacher has shown a child how to carry out an activity, called a ‘presentation’, they take a step back and let the child explore it independently.
Children are free to do an activity for as long as they would like to and to repeat it as many times as they would like.
What is the role of a Montessori Teacher?
The role of the teacher is to watch carefully after the presentation and see where the child might need more help in the future or to see if they might be ready for a different activity.
Through careful observation, Montessori teachers find out what children are most interested in and then connect them to activities they will find fascinating and that will meet their developmental needs.
In a Montessori classroom, it isn’t just the adults who ‘teach’. Children are grouped according to their developmental stage, not age. This means that children aged approximately 2 ½ – 6 years are in one group together. This ‘family style’ grouping enables the older children to show the younger children how to do things. They might show them activities or help them when they are unsure of what to do next.
Maria Montessori once said that we should “Teach, teaching”
By this, she meant we should focus on positive teaching experiences for children rather than trying to teach them through correcting.
When you watch a Montessori nursery in action, you will see teachers only stepping in where necessary.
Montessori teachers allow children the time and opportunity to work it out for themselves.
This enables children to naturally develop characteristics of effective learning – exploration, perseverance, involvement, independent thinking, creativity, and of course, a true love of learning.
If you are interested in becoming a Montessori Teacher, please see our courses, apprenticeships and workshops or contact our friendly team, for more information.
