Why choose Montessori?

Difference between Educate and Teach

Analytic intelligence VS Emotional intelligence
Love and its opposite
What is the Montessori Method?
Why is the Montessori Method important for children?
The difference between Montessori education and traditional education.
People who went to Montessori school and now they are great inventors,
actors or founders of some big company
And so? What can we do now in Gozo?

When John Lennon was only 5 years old his mother always told him that
happiness is the key to life. One day at school he was asked to write down what he
wants to be when he grows up and he wrote down Happy. The teachers told
him that he didnt understand the assignment and he told them that they didnt
understand life.

This is why we want you to help us achieve this goal to open a Montessori
School in Gozo, because that way we are able to educate these young children the
best ways we can and they are able to grow up to be happy, independent and to be
able to express themselves freely through what their skills are.

Difference between Educate and Teach

Education is not the filling of a vessel, but the kindling of a flame. Socrates
To educate: "bring up (children), to train,"from Latin educatus, past participle of
educare "bring up, rear, educate".
To teach: "to show, point out, declare, demonstrate," also "to give instruction,
train, assign, direct; warn; persuade."

Analytic intelligence VS Emotional intelligence

...passing through Creative intelligence and Practical intelligence.

"All learning has an emotional base." Plato

Analytical intelligence*: Your ability to complete academic tasks and solve

problems.

Creative intelligence*: Your ability to use existing knowledge and skills to

effectively to deal with new and unusual situations.

Practical intelligence*: Your ability to use existing knowledge and skills to

modify, adapt to, or select a different environment in order to achieve your goals.

Emotional intelligence**: the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's
emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.
"Emotional intelligence is the key to both personal and professional success"
*

Robert Sternberg

**

Daniel Goleman

Intelligence is not defined by how well you perform on intelligence tests.

Traditional intelligence tests only account for analytical intelligence. They do not
measure creative or practical intelligence. It is determined by how well you
perform in the real world and to do it well you need to manage creative, practical
and emotional intelligence.

Love and its opposite

What do you think is the opposite of love?
The opposite of love is FEAR.
Love is a happy going out, in which your mind extends to bless and join with
something seen as completely desirable, completely compatible with the self.
Though we often confuse love with neediness, real love is by nature strong. In
love, you are secure enough to set aside self-concern and simply affirm and
include someone else.
Fear really is the polar opposite of this. In fear, an insecure self, filled with selfconcern, unpleasantly recoils from something seen as dangerous. Fear is weak
rather than strong, unpleasant rather than happy, self-absorbed rather than
generous. It sees threat rather than desirability. And it recoils rather than extends.
It is the perfect reversal of every single aspect of the dynamic of love.
A scaring education system - judgment based - will produce limited insecure
adults; a lovely one will generate creative, generous, self-confident people.

What is the Montessori Method?

The Montessori Method is an educational approach that emphasis on the
independence, freedom within limits and respect for a childs natural
psychological, physical and social development, in a well-prepared environment.
The Montessori Method is very popular around the world, with early childhood
professionals and parents. The Montessori education has 5 basic principles:
1. Respect for the child- in Montessori school instead of forcing children to

follow the teachers without any regard to their special needs and being
rude, they treat all children with kindness, that they want the children to
develop in themselves.
2. The absorbent mind- in Montessori children learn their own knowledge by

living meaning that they learn from the environment around them. It also
depends on their teachers and experiences they go through life. Montessori
beli8eves that children are born learning and with constant ability to learn.
3. Sensitive periods- every skill develops in its own timing and varies from

one child to another, meaning that if a 3 year old has learn to talk (language
skills) doesnt mean that another 3 year old has to start developing language
skills as these skills vary from one child to another. One role the teacher has
is to use observation to detect time of sensitivity and provide the
appropriate environment.
4. The prepared environment- Montessori education tells us that in order for

the children to learn how to do things for themselves, they need to have the
appropriate environment. Freedom is the most important characteristics of
prepared environment. Its best for young children to learn to be
independent, active and learn.

5. Auto education (Self-education) - Montessori believes that children are

capable of educating themselves.

In Montessori school teacher have to:

Make the children center of learning

Encourage children to learn NOT forcing the children to learn

Observe children as they are learning

Prepare the learning environment

Respect each child as an individual

Introduce learning materials

Why is Montessori school important for children?

(10 most important benefits that Montessori school has on children)
1. Focuses on developmental stages- it focuses on developing milestones in children

between the ages of 3 to 5. Younger children develop large muscle and language
skills, 4 years old work on their fine motor skills and completing everyday
activities like cooking, crafts and arts. Older children show their learning
experiences to their communities through trips and special events.
2. Encourages cooperative play- since in Montessori school the teacher doesnt

Run the classroom students guide the activities they do throughout the day. This
encourages children to share and work cooperatively with one another, learn to
respect one another and build a sense of community.
3. Learning is child centered- students enjoy a classroom and curriculum designed

according to their specific needs and abilities that allows them to explore and learn
at their own pace and on their own terms.

4. Children naturally learn self-discipline- Montessori Method allows children to

choose their own activities to work and how low long they will work on it. There
are still specific ground rules for the class that the teacher and children make up
together. This naturally teaches children self- discipline and refines important
skills like concentration, self-control and motivation.
5. Classroom environment teaches order- in the Montessori classroom all objects

and activities need to have a precise location because if the child has an orderly
environment and the play area is neat and predictable, it can easily help them to
unleash their creativity and focuses fully on the learning process.
6. Teachers facilitate the learning experiences- in Montessori classroom teachers

are guides, they are there to facilitate the learning NOT to determine what it will
look like. They need to ensure that they ground rules are followed and encourage
students to perform tasks at their own pace.
7. Learning method inspires creativity- children must be able to work on a task for

the joy of the work not for the end result, which allows them to focus on the
process rather than on the result, leading to natural path to creativity. Introducing a
wide variety of cultures also encourages children to make their thinking about the
world.
8. May be effective in developing certain skills- Dr. Angeline Lillard did a research

in 2006 between 12 year old Montessori students and non Montessori students.
She found out that Montessori students had a higher math and reading skills than
the other 12 year olds in public schools and their social development appeared to
be higher at this age.
9. System is highly individualized to each student- students in the Montessori

program are allowed to explore activities and concepts at their own pace. This
encourages children to try more challenging areas which brings their learning

experiences to a higher state. Learning occurs at a comfortable pace for each

student rather than pressuring the same rate on every student.
10. Curriculum focused on hands on learning- one of the greatest things in the

Montessori program is that it focuses on hands on learning. This teaches students

language, math, culture and practical life lessons. Teachers encourage students to
concentrate on the task, and they dont let them to disturb one another, that will
allow the child to focus on the activities until they are properly mastered.

What is the difference between Montessori and traditional education?

Montessori emphasizes learning through all five senses, not just through listening,
watching, or reading. Children in Montessori classes learn at their own, individual pace
and according to their own choice of activities from hundreds of possibilities. Learning is
an exciting process of discovery, leading to concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and
a love of learning. Montessori classes place children in three-year age groups (3-6, 6-9, 912, and so on), forming communities in which the older children spontaneously share
their knowledge with the younger ones. Montessori represents an entirely different
approach to education.

Montessori Education

Traditional Education

Based on helping the natural development of Based on the transfer of a national

the human being
curriculum
Children learn at their own pace and follow Children learn from a set curriculum
their own individual interest
according to a time frame that is the
same for everyone
Children teach themselves using materials
specially prepared for the purpose
Child is an active participant in learning

Children are taught by the teacher

Child is a passive participant in learning

Understanding comes through the childs

Learning is based on subjects and is
own experiences via the materials and the
limited to what is given
promotion of childrens ability to find things
out for themselves
Learning is based on the fact that physical
exploration and cognition are linked

Children sit at desks and learn from a

whiteboard and worksheets

Child can work where he/she is comfortable, Child is usually assigned own chair and
move around and talk at will while not
encouraged to sit still and listen during
disturbing others
group sessions
The teacher works in collaboration with the The class is teacher led
children
The childs individual development brings its Motivation is achieved by a system of
own reward and therefore motivation
reward and punishment
Environment and method encourage internal Teacher acts as primary enforcer of
self-discipline
external discipline
Child works as long as he/she wishes on
chosen project

Child generally given specific time

limit for work

Uninterrupted work cycles

Block time, period lessons

Mixed age groups

Same age groups

Working and learning matched to the social

development of the child
Shared emphasis on intellectual, social,
emotional and spiritual development

Working and learning without emphasis

on the social development of the child
Main emphasis on intellectual
development

Shared focus on the acquisition of academic, Main focus on academics

social, practical and life skills

People who attended Montessori school.

Now I am going to talk about some of the people who went to Montessori school and
now they are successful and famous.
1. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin- they were students that followed
their interests and decided for themselves what they want to learn.
2. Dakota Fanning- I learnt how to read at 2years of age. She is now a famous
actress and she also followed he interests in acting.
3. Julia Child- she was thought that mistakes are a normal part of learning and that to
learn you are willing to make mistakes and move forward.
4. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales- he use to spend a lot of time pouring over books
and encyclopedias.
5. Jeff Bezos Amazon CEO Many efforts turn out to be dead ends, but every once

in a while, you go down an alley and it opens up into this huge, broad avenue.
6. Will Wright- attended Montessori school now he is a famous video game pioneer
he created the Sims, SimCity and spore.
These are a few of the many people who attended Montessori schools all over the world.

And so? What can we do now in Gozo?

Today we just started doing something for our children. Now let's think of the easiest and
quickest way to start giving them a Montessori education.
Maybe at the beginning it will be just some kind of shared homeschooling in a private
house. Or maybe a babysitting service in a public place.

So:

Engage as many parents as possible in this project. Let's count how many children
are involved and how many parents are interested in having an active role, of
managing or other.

Look for a Montessori educator available to move to Gozo and/or some educators
(and/or parents) that want to learn the Montessori method.

Look for a place, according with the starting purpose: an house with a big garden should
be enough for a shared homeschooling. We're going to see a property in Xewkija already
planned to fit a kindergarten...

Remember, children imitate. So, what kind of model would you like to be for them? A
purposeful one it's the best ;)

See you at the next meeting with Elisa, a Montessori Foundation Italy delegate that will be in
Gozo from the next 7th to the 11th.