Montessori Principles 2

The next five principles we covered were:

1. Children actively engage with materials that are designed from a developmental point of view and which lead them to successive levels of discovery about their world.
2. Materials are displayed in and orderly way, well maintained and complete.
3. Direct hands on contact with either real things or with concrete materials.
4. Children select their own work most of the time and also continue to work with tasks, returning to continue their work over many weeks until finally the work is so easy for them that they can teach it to younger children.
5. The classroom is set up to promote: Children's freedom to make spontaneous choices; to be independent; to complete cycles of work; to develop a sense of responsibility within a group; to use materials properly

These are just five points, yet they show how rich the Montessori philosophy and principles really are. The first point talks about how the teacher has to believe in the Montessori method. For me that's easy I went through Montessori as a child, I knew it worked for me and was sure it worked for others. I truly believe that there is no single mistake with the Montessori method, if understood properly the answer for every problem can be found, we just need to believe in it. The Montessori method is so perfect and can fit in any context, any culture and any religion. It works for everyone. BUT if the teacher doesn't believe in it, s/he will not be able to produce the fruits of the Montessori method.