Birth and Family
Montessori was born in
Italy. Montessori's father, Alessandro Montessori was an official of the
Ministry of Finance in the local state-run tobacco factory. Her mother
Renilde Stoppani was well educated and was also the great niece of Italian
geologist and paleontologist. While she did not have any particular mentor, she
was very close to her mother who encouraged her . Maria Montessori also had a loving
relationship with her father, although he disagreed with her choice to continue
her education.
Early Education
The Montessori family
moved to Florence in 1873 and then to Rome in 1875 because of her father's
work. Montessori entered a public elementary school at the age of 6 in 1876.
Her early school record was "not particularly noteworthy", although
she was awarded certificates for good behavior in the 1st grade and for
"lavori donneschi", or "women's work", the next year.
Secondary School
In 1883 or 1884, at the
age of 13, Maria Montessori entered a secondary, technical school Regia Scuola
Technica Michelangelo Buonarroti, where she studied Italian, arithmetic,
algebra, geometry, accounting,history,geography and sciences. She graduated in
1886 with good grades and examination results.
University of Rome- Medical School
Maria Montessori moved forward
with her intention to study medicine. She appealed to Guido Baccelli, the
professor of clinical medicine at the University of Rome, but was strongly
discouraged. In 1890, Montessori enrolled in the University of Rome in a degree
course in natural son "Sciences.This degree along with the additional
degrees in Italian and Latin qualified Maria Montessori for her entrance into the
medical program at the University in 1893 and Montessori graduated from the
Montessori graduated from the University of Rome in 1896 as a doctor of
medicine.
Early career
From 1896 - 1901, Maria
Montessori worked and researched on "Neurasthenic" children. In
recent terms, children having some kind of mental disabilities. Maria
Montessori traveled, researched for women's rights and education for mentally
disabled children.
Montessori Classrooms provide a prepared environment where children are free to respond to their natural tendency to work. The prepared environment offers the essential elements for the optimal development. The main components consists of the children,teacher and physical surroundings including the specifically designed Montessori Education Materials.
Montessori Education in Nepal has a short history. The first Montessori School in Nepal was envisaged in 2007 and later merged in Kirtipur Laboratory School,Kathmandu in 2010. But Nepali society was late in adopting it in mass practices during 2001.At the present context, Montessori early schools for children below 6 years are mushrooming in every corner of the urban centers,small towns and even in the villages.
Montessori Classroom Environment: A Prepared Environment
Montessori Classroom |
Montessori Classrooms provide a prepared environment where children are free to respond to their natural tendency to work. The prepared environment offers the essential elements for the optimal development. The main components consists of the children,teacher and physical surroundings including the specifically designed Montessori Education Materials.
Features of the prepared environment includes :
- Children must be given freedom to work and move around within suitable guidelines that enables them to act as a part of a social group
- Beauty,order,reality,simplicity and accessibility
- Children should be provided with specifically designed materials which help them to explore their world and enable them to develop essential cognitive skills.
- Mixed aged groups encourage all children to develop their personalities socially and intellectually at their own pace.
Curriculum of Montessori Education
Curriculum Discussion |
The Montessori Method involves a curriculum of learning that comes from the child's own natural inner guidance and expresses itself in outward behavior as the child's various individual interests at work. Supporting this inner plan of nature, the method provides a huge range of materials to stimulate the child's interest through self directed activity.In the general first phase of development (0-6), these materials are generally organized into five basic categories :Montessori children move from concrete to abstract. The basic skills learned in the primary classrooms are polished in the elementary classes.Children will go on persuading their passion for learning. They are ready to explore culture,science,arts and the universe.Students learn to take responsibility for their own learning and initiate their own experiences.
Cultural Education
- All students participate in the schools annual project fair
- Children become aware of the history and the needs all people share
- Students gain global awareness
Science
- Units of study cover topics in the life and physical sciences, characteristics and classification of living things, life cycles,botany,matter,energy,the solar system and weather
Language Arts
- Phonemic Awareness
- Word Building
- Phonics Instruction through Montessori Materials
- Grammar/Sentence Analysis
- Guided/Shared Reading Instruction-90 minute
Math
- Students work from concrete to abstract
- Montessori math materials enhance math curriculum
- Everyday Math Curriculum in hands-on problem solving
Montessori Education in Nepal
Montessori Classroom |
Montessori Classroom |
This rise in the establishment of Montessori Schools and pre-schools has widened the scope for improving the quality of education, development of quality teachers, expanding the educational material markets and the private investment in education.
The Montessori concept and principles of freedom-based and holistic approaches to education are yet far from being recognized. In the lack of proper licensing and government regulation,the Nepali-society based approach to develop a standard Nepali Montessori Model is sorely lacking.
The Montessori concept and principles of freedom-based and holistic approaches to education are yet far from being recognized. In the lack of proper licensing and government regulation,the Nepali-society based approach to develop a standard Nepali Montessori Model is sorely lacking.
More Key Points on discussion regarding Montessori in Nepalese Society
- Concepts for elite groups/class for rich people
- Parent's illiteracy and looking at parent education
- Business motive/ business oriented/business for change
- Lacking quality training and practices
- Lacking resources and Montessori Materials
- Need of professional school Leader/Manager
- Context based development
- Financial constraints and poverty in school management
- Traditional thoughts and ill-practices
- Lack of use of technological products
Best Top Ten Montessori Schools In Nepal
Some of the most popular Montessori Schools are listed as below
1. Imperial World School
Imperial World School is a franchisee of FasTrackids and the FasTrackids curriculum will be incorporated with the Nepalese curriculum to provide opportunities for enrichment. The school has been established by a team of dedicated and experienced educational professionals to provide a well-rounded globally focused education program. The goal is to develop each child's individual potential and cultivate a love of learning.
2. Rosebud School
Established in 1993 (2049 B.S), Rosebud School is a co-educational institute located at the heart of Kathmandu city. It offers education from the pre-primary level to Grade 12. Rosebud currently has about 1350 students. Our students are either non-residential or residential. Our mission is to provide a child-centered learning environment within which every child has an equal opportunity to realize their full potential, have a healthy intellectual, physical and emotional growth and prepare themselves for life in a rapidly changing world. Instead of emphasizing only on academic growth, Rosebud School seeks to provide opportunity for holistic and all-around development of every child through our Complete Schooling Program (CSP). We offer distinct and well diversified activities for our students during the school hours to ensure their intellectual, kinesthetic (physical) and emotional development. In contrast to the traditional schools of Nepal, participation in sports and co-curricular activities is compulsory for every student of our school. Our school hours are longer – starting from 8:30 a.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m. for five to six days a week - which is indeed encouraging for ever increasing number of working parents in our society. Dedicated and well qualified teachers, hard working staff and committed, long term oriented management team all work together to achieve the mission of Rosebud School and to ensure the delivery of quality service in every sector of the school.
3. Euro Kids
Euro Kids, a brand owned by Eurokids International Ltd, is India’s No. 1 pre-school chain. Eurokids started its operation in 2001 with 2 preschools but now has more than 875 preschools in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Srilanka, Dubai & Singapore. Eurokids is the brand owned by Eurokids International Limited (EIPL) which was formerly known as Egnont Imagination (India) Limited. The company started its operations in 1997 with a joint venture partnership with the Indian Express Group and the Egmont Group from Denmark. In 2003 the company was coverted into a wholly owned subsidiary of Egmont International Holdings, Denmark.The company started its operations with the publishing business in India by bringing in some of the world's best known and most popular brands like Disney, Barbie, Enid Blyton, Noddy and Tintin among others….
4. Valley View English School
5. Excelsior School
The Excelsior School is an English medium co-educational institution with the motto of hard work and honor. The school has adopted the following motto, vision and the mission.
6. Baba Boarding High School Springtree (Pre – school)
BABA BOARDING HIGH SCHOOL, a co-education English medium school was founded in 1980 by late founder principal Mr.T.B.Pradhan with the intention of promoting all round development of students in a congenial educational environment through creative teaching methods. It is a permanently registered institution under the ministry of education of Nepal Government.
7. Olympia World School
At Olympia School you can be sure that you are being a part of a distinctly new education center with an exceptionally fresh academic environment. We, including all the good wishers, students and parents, pride ourselves on the high-tech academic excellence by introducing Smart Class Program in Olympia, the first advanced teaching technology ever implemented in Nepal.
8. Mills Berry
The Millsberry Kids' World is an international pre-school for children up to the age of five plus. We offer children the opportunity to learn various social academic and fun-filled environment. We offer the parents the chance to see their children happy and well taken care of. Our goal is to provide children foundation for proper growth and the opportunity to develop self-confidence through active discovery of the world. We do not compromise quality service to profit.
9. Montessori Kinderworld
Montessori Kinderworld is the brand name of a chain of model pre-schools run by the Nepal Montessori Training Centre (NMTC). The Montessori Kinderworld was founded in 2002 and currently operates five Branches. Montessori Kinderworld is Nepal’s first and largest Montessori Pre-school. At present there are more than 700 children ages beginning from 2 years until they are ready for primary school. After the establishment of the NMTC it was strongly felt that its trainees as well as the people interested to work in the early childhood education needed a place where they could practically observe the theories of child center education in reality.
10. V.S. Angel’s World International Montessori School
V.S. Niketan H.S. School has successfully launched the Montessori programme for the kids of the junior level with the objective to provide quality education from the foundation level.Personal care tailored to individual students is what differentiates the facilities of V.S. Montessori (Subidhanagar and Thapathali) from others.
Games and Activity for Preschool kids
Introduction
Game is a competitive physical activity involving skill, stamina on the part of two or more persons who play according to a set of rules, usually for their own enjoyment and for that of spectators (viewers). Games and several activities provide not only enjoyment for children, but also makes physically and mentally strong to defeat against several obstacles that comes in their lifetime.
(i) A view on games and activities
(ii) Keep it fun ! Fun is the single most important objective
(iii) Games help kids develop in different ways
(iv) Kids need to play the same game many time to graduate to the next level
(v) Allow younger kids to re-purpose a game and play in "Toy Mode"
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