Topic > Dr. Maria Montessori: the advantages of the prepared environment theory

IndexIntroductionMaria Montessori and her ideas on the prepared environmentConclusionReferencesIntroductionThis essay focuses on how the elements of Dr. Maria Montessori's prepared environment encourage and enable students children to develop certain traits such as curiosity, self-control, self-regulation and character. It therefore becomes more relevant to describe at this stage what the Montessori prepared environment is and what its key elements are. In the same context in which we talk about a prepared environment, we are referring to an environment that is predisposed/prepared/organized to improve and stimulate certain skills of an individual/person that have allowed him to develop and refine his underlying qualities and behaviors. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Maria Montessori and her ideas of prepared environment Extending the above explanation of prepared environment in terms of Montessori, when we refer to Montessori's prepared environment, Maria Montessori introduced an original educational teaching method in which in addition to books also introduced many objects and materials which encouraged a program participant to learn in a new way by engaging with these materials and objects where the aim was to develop the underlying qualities and traits of the participant, thus improving his skills and abilities communication and interpretation for future life skills. This explanation of the Montessori prepared environment is supported by Matijević (2012) when they explored how teaching scenarios have changed over a period of time with the advent of technology such as TV, Internet and the latest developments of social media and how These new mediums are helping today's participants learning. As stated above, we can say that the key essential elements in any Montessori prepared environment will be dozens of materials and objects/equipment and these materials were developed by Dr. Montessori and her collaboration with others during her time span which is part integral to the learning and delivery of education in any Montessori facility or educational training institution imparting Montessori education. Education and learning are two different phenomena. Education is an activity that imparts knowledge and learning is the process of acquiring a skill and it is well supported by (Al, Sari, & Kahya, 2012) that education has different aspects and progresses under the effect of many factors. On the other hand, learning is a multifaceted activity that tests students' motivation and physical condition. However, the resources provided to teachers, their skills and curriculum play a vital role in a child's education. Furthermore, there is another important factor: the physical condition and design of the learning environment have an effect on the teaching and learning process. “Since it was deemed necessary to give so much to the child, let us give him a vision of the whole universe. The universe is a massive reality and an answer to all questions. “As quoted by Maria Montessori, teaching children is not about one subject or one core area, it is a holistic approach and the more experiences we provide a child, the better it will be for them.” learning is for life. And so it was his approach to teaching children that provided a lot of independence to a child in developing skills. The Montessori concept of prepared environment focuses on many aspects. His ideology of teaching and education was to facilitate independence and discovery. He encouraged children to be free to choose andfollow their interests in a planned and prepared environment, rather than learning something that is inappropriate for their development. There are generally six main beliefs of a prepared environment that were emphasized by Maria Montessori. They are:Freedom to move, explore and express.Structure and OrderBeautyNature and realitySocial environmentIntellectual environmentMaria Montessori always believed that a child should have freedom of movement to explore and follow his or her interests, which will lead to the development of interest and knowledge of environment that surrounds it. He emphasized freedom of movement and exploration, as well as a set-up set up where a child can work without any interference from others. Furthermore, we understand that freedom of movement has a close connection with cognitive developments in children as scientifically proven, and cognitive studies support rapid learning and understanding when movements are aligned with what needs to be learned. (Edwards, 2006) The teacher acts as a guide where using all their effort they stimulate the child to act, want and think for himself. Although structure and order seem to be the opposite of the above freedom, a well-organized Montessori classroom setup reflects the way the universe functions in an organized environment. model. So the materials in a Montessori classroom are arranged neatly on shelves. The children understand that they have to bring the material back to the same place where they collected it. This sense of order and organization encourages self-control and regulation and allows children to develop concentration and understand their surroundings. Furthermore, the structure and order of organized material allows the child generous choice and control over what they work on, thus resulting in cohesive development. of their abilities to learn and organize their actions, which leads us to generalize that it allows the development of self-regulation and self-control traits in children. It also has empirical scientific evidence to support that the structured and organized environment in the Montessori classroom promotes and establishes a mental order that is beneficial to a child. Beauty in Maria Montessori's terms was not a glittering, highly decorated classroom, but rather she meant an environment that is clean and well maintained. He emphasized an orderly structure that would help maintain peace and develop self-regulation. The beauty of an environment prepared according to Montessori also lies in the physical characteristics taken into consideration when organizing the setup. Everything in the surrounding environment is child-friendly material with accessible sizes on the shelves to provide independence which is the most integral part in developing self-confidence, thus limiting teachers' interference and allowing freedom of choice and movement. However, Maria Montessori also supported the importance of an environment close to nature and reality in which children can stimulate and channel their intrinsic curiosity to discover the beauty of their surroundings and the world in which they live. This beauty of uncluttered space and environment helps in the emotional development of children where they are able to be in more harmony with their surroundings. It is more about learning in a systematic and meaningful context with the use of materials and objects rather than learning in an abstract form. It is also supported by (Edwards, 2006) that children are able to learn more progressively in a sequential pattern where even when their mind, which may sometimes give up in the realm of the fantasy world but with the very presence of a natural environment tidy and organized, they are committedand they participate well, thus capturing their curiosity and attention. Montessori equipment or materials as we say, developed by Maria Montessori are a faithful representation of nature and reality since they are developed using glass, wood, steel, fiber, cloth and other natural elements from our environment, in which they give the true sense of real world. Activities are performed that encourage silence and learning to carry materials carefully, all adding to the beauty of the Montessori prepared environment. The main consideration is given to the fact that by attending an early childhood environment a child will develop most of his social skills. Peer interaction or in other words the social environment is also an important element and plays a fundamental role in the Montessori method for the child's learning and development. Therefore, “Grace and Courtesy” lessons are a perfect example and play an integral role in a Montessori classroom. It's about guiding children to the tools they need to interact with kindness and safety. And as children grow, they are more likely to learn collaboratively. The Montessori method respects their natural inclinations and children can choose to work alone or in groups and help each other. The Montessori environment is considered a teacher in its own right. Most Montessori materials are self-study in nature where children can easily identify and correct their own mistakes. The importance of teaching material for successful teaching was also supported by (Bloju and Stan, 2013) in their research stating that it is necessary to achieve certain objectives and Maria Montessori always stated that she teaches children to adapt to changes and prepare them for the future challenges that await them. may be different from the current one. Each activity provides a defined learning experience and then gradually moves on to more complicated tasks, enhancing intellectual growth and preparing children for decision-making in later life. It is recognized by (White, Yussen and Docherty, 1976) that Montessori exercises address the critical concepts behind them and every child finds inner peace and satisfaction that emerges from their work. From the above mentioned elements of a Montessori prepared environment we can deduce that the Montessori system is a holistic system that helps in developing traits such as curiosity, self-control, good character and helps in self-regulation. It provides children with the opportunity to explore and develop respect for others and themselves. The idea that the Montessori method helps to encourage imagination and that children generally show greater creativity is well supported by Besançon (2008). Paul Tough in his book How Children Succeedn (2012) argues that success is not just about intelligence as it is always said, but has to do with some characteristics such as curiosity, perseverance, optimism and determination. As reviewed by Shukla, Sarita Y. (2015) call Tough's book an exceptional analysis of cognitive hypotheses. He reflects on what skills lead to success in children and builds on his theory using primary resources such as case studies and personal observations. Conclusion It is evident that the Montessori teaching method helps children to succeed in every way. It helps us create opportunities for children to develop the character and strength to fight the world and advocate for a better future. Therefore, the Montessori prepared environment encourages and enables children to develop characteristics important for success. With the absorbent mind, the child develops his entire personality and intellect from what he finds in his environment. A child can.