Montessori 101
Meagan Ledendecker • March 30, 2020
Are you new to Montessori? Have you had a child in our program for a while but find it difficult to explain Montessori in a nutshell? This educational philosophy is more than meets the eye, and it can be easy to get bogged down in the details when trying to explain it to someone. While we could talk about Montessori all day (and, let’s face it, we do!) sometimes it’s helpful to have a succinct article both to learn from and to share with others. Many people have heard of Montessori, but there are plenty of misconceptions and misinformation out there!
Check out our ten points that help explain what Montessori is really all about.
1. We follow the child. This means we don’t teach the same skill to a whole classroom of children at once. Each individual enters our school with different knowledge and levels of readiness, and it’s our job to help them along their own path. We don’t see education as a means of cramming identical prescribed information into the minds of each child, but rather as an opportunity to cultivate joyful learning, curiosity, and independence. Sure, there are basic skills that we all need to learn, but we don’t all learn them at the same time or in the same way. When children are allowed to learn at their own pace and take time to deeply explore their interests, they understand more and enjoy school more.
2. We value scientific observation.
Dr. Maria Montessori was a physician who conducted research. She used scientific observation to better understand how children learn and continued to use observation as she developed her methods and materials. Today, in every Montessori class around the globe, guides step back and watch the children in their classrooms. They notice what the children are doing, take notes, and adapt their plans accordingly. The data they collect drives individualized instruction.
3. Deep knowledge of child development informs every decision.
While we fully embrace each child as an individual, it’s fair to state that humans tend to follow a basic standard path of development. Montessori classified different stages of life as planes of development, and each plane is defined by specific characteristics. These planes are part of why we utilize multi-age classrooms, and they help us structure our classroom environment and tailor our teaching approaches so that they match where children are developmentally.
Dr. Montessori also developed a theory of sensitive periods. These are times in a child’s life where they are particularly primed to learn certain things. Montessori guides know approximately when to anticipate various sensitive periods and what to do to support that critical learning.
4. The environment is key.
We believe a well-prepared classroom environment is a better teacher than direct instruction from any adult. Our guides take great care to create a setting in which the children they serve are free to learn, to explore, and to develop independence and positive work habits. Our classroom environments are neat, spacious, full of natural light, and pleasing to the eye. We don’t hang distracting posters with loud colors on our walls, but instead display art and other carefully chosen pieces that will inspire the children and beautify the space. In a Montessori classroom you will see living things - both plants and animals - that the children admire and learn to care for. Even the furniture is arranged to serve the children instead of the adults.
5. We utilize freedom within limits.
The rumors are true: Montessori students are given a lot more choice than children in conventional school settings. But it’s important to note that the choice is given carefully and with plenty of forethought in order to cultivate independence while keeping children safe and guiding them to learn. One tip we like to offer parents who want to try this more at home is to give your child two choices that would both lead to desirable outcomes. This means you get to maintain order while they feel empowered by your trust in their ability to decide for themselves.
6. Our guides are specially trained.
A high-fidelity Montessori program will make sure all their guides are well-trained. Commonly accepted credentials are approved by two main organizations: AMI and AMS. It’s important to keep in mind that anyone can open a school and call it “Montessori”, but that doesn’t make it so. Guide training is rigorous, comprehensive, and is completed in addition to a college degree.
7. Our students use carefully designed learning materials.
Traditionally made of natural materials, our learning environments are outfitted with specially designed materials that help children learn and work independently. Guides demonstrate how to use each material, and children are then free to select if from a shelf to repeat as often as desired. Materials are autodidactic, meaning they generally have a built-in control of error. There is only one way to use a material correctly, and children are able to correct their own mistakes in the moment. Materials are designed to be more concrete when a child is younger, and move gradually toward more abstract concepts as they grow. With this progression, children are eventually able to work without the materials, but with strong mastery of concepts and skills.
8. Traditional academics are only one component of our education.
Adults are often amazed at the level of academics students learn at a young age in Montessori classrooms. We absolutely believe children are capable of more than most settings give them credit for, but it’s important to note that learning doesn’t stop there. We believe in educating the whole child, which means appealing to and supporting their growth socially, emotionally, and physically. There are specific structures in place to ensure this happens for each and every child.
9. Montessori should extend beyond the classroom.
Montessori began as a way to educate children, but it has become so much more. The basic principles can be applied by parents at home, and they can also be applied to the lives of adults. Some organizations are even taking a closer look at how Montessori might benefit elders and people living with dementia to lead richer and more independent lives. It’s all about meeting people where they are, celebrating individuality, and working to contribute our special talents to the greater good.
10. We honor century-old proven methods while embracing current research.
As Montessorians, we know what works. For over 100 years we have seen our methods support generations of children and families, so we make sure to preserve our methods and materials. That being said, the world is a rapidly changing place, and any good educator keeps an eye on current research to make sure it aligns with their practices, or to consider if changes might be beneficial to the children we serve.
Hopefully this article has given you a clearer understanding of Montessori philosophy and what makes our approach so special. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, and we hope you’ll share this with others!
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If you've spent any time in a Montessori early childhood classroom, you've likely noticed the sandpaper letters on the shelf: elegant, tactile, traced by small fingers again and again. And if you've looked closely, you may have noticed something that surprises many families. Those letters are in cursive. In a world where most children learn to print first, Montessori's cursive-first approach raises questions. Why cursive? Why so early? The answers reach back to Dr. Maria Montessori's own careful observations of children, as well as forward to what modern neuroscience is now confirming about the developing brain. What Dr. Montessori Actually Observed Dr. Montessori was a meticulous observer of children, and her thinking about writing developed through years of direct experimentation. One of her core observations was that children naturally gravitate toward curved, flowing lines rather than the rigid, straight strokes that were (and often still are) the starting point for teaching print. She noticed this pattern across multiple contexts. When children who were learning to write began with rows of straight strokes, their attention would gradually drift, and the straight lines would slowly transform into curves, as if the child's hand were following its own natural inclination. And when children drew spontaneously by tracing figures in sand with a fallen twig, or scribbling freely on paper, they rarely produced short, straight lines. Instead, they made long, flowing, interlaced curves. Dr. Montessori paid attention. Rather than something random, she recognized the hand's natural motion expressing itself. Critical of standard teaching approaches that began with isolated geometric strokes, or regimented mark-making, Dr. Montessori saw that cursive script, with its connected, flowing letters, aligned far more naturally with the motions children were already making. It worked with the child's hand, rather than against it. The Neurological Case for Cursive Thanks to her keen observations, Dr. Montessori intuited benefits that research is now beginning to confirm. Modern brain science provides a compelling case for the value of cursive writing. This is especially powerful in early childhood, when the brain is forming the connections that will support reading, fine motor coordination, and cognitive development for years to come. Dr. William R. Klemm, writing in Psychology Today, summarized findings showing that learning cursive trains the brain to develop what researchers call “functional specialization,” or the capacity for optimal efficiency. Brain imaging studies show how multiple areas of the brain are activated simultaneously during cursive writing in a way that doesn't happen with typing or print. The integration of sensation, movement control, and thinking that cursive requires appears to support broader cognitive development in genuinely significant ways. Klemm also suggested that learning cursive trains the brain for more effective visual scanning, with potential benefits for reading speed and hand-eye coordination. In other words, the child who traces cursive sandpaper letters with their fingertips is developing neural pathways that support a wide range of future learning. Clarity, Beauty, and the Practical Benefits Beyond the neurological research, there are practical reasons that Montessori educators have observed over generations of practice. Cursive provides a better visual distinction between letters that are easily confused in print. Think about the pairs that trip up so many young learners: b and d, p and q. In cursive, these letters look different from one another, which reduces the visual confusion that causes so many children to struggle in the early stages of reading and writing. And then there is the matter of beauty, something Dr. Montessori took seriously in everything she prepared for children. She wrote that, in teaching writing, we should pay close attention to "the beauty of form" and "the flowing quality of the letters." Cursive handwriting, when developed well, is genuinely lovely. It is a form of penmanship that connects children to a long tradition of human expression through the written word. The Montessori approach treats handwriting as a craft worth caring about. What This Looks Like in the Classroom In a Montessori early childhood environment, the path to writing begins long before a child picks up a pencil. Practical life activities like pouring, spooning, buttoning, and lacing quietly help children develop the fine motor control and hand-eye coordination that writing requires. The sensorial materials train children’s pincer grip and refine the precision of small muscle movements. And the metal insets give children practice with the flowing, curved lines that build cursive letters. Then children begin using the sandpaper letters. While verbalizing the phonetic sound, children trace the letter with two fingers. Children feel the letter, produce its sound, and see its form. This multi-sensory experience engages multiple brain areas simultaneously and creates rich, layered associations that support both writing and reading development. By the time children are ready to write independently, they have been preparing their hand and mind for months, often without even realizing it. A Method Ahead of Its Time Dr. Montessori consistently arrived at insights that research has later confirmed. Her reasons for emphasizing cursive were rooted in direct observation of children. She watched children’s hands and their natural movements. She also looked to see what helped them and what created unnecessary struggle. Dr. Montessori wasn't following a trend or a theory. She was following the child. Decades later, brain imaging technology and developmental research are catching up to what Dr. Montessori saw. Flowing lines of cursive script, the sandpaper letters on the shelf, the careful preparation of the hand before children ever pick up the pencil. This is a deep and practical understanding of how children's minds and bodies actually work. For families curious about why Montessori makes this choice, the short answer is this: because children's hands already know how to make these movements. Montessori simply listens to what the hand is already telling us and builds from there. Visit our school in Lenox, MA and see the sandpaper letters and writing materials in action. We'd love to show you how the path to writing unfolds in Montessori.
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