Maria Montessori A Study on Fantasy Maria Montessori

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Maria Montessori A Study on Fantasy

Maria Montessori A Study on Fantasy

Maria Montessori • Born in Anacona, Italy in 1870 • Graduated University of Rome

Maria Montessori • Born in Anacona, Italy in 1870 • Graduated University of Rome in 1896 as Italy’s 1 st female physician • Became professor of anthropology in 1904 • Started Casa dei Bambini in 1907 • Died in Holland in 1952

The Montessori Method Sensitive Periods Spontaneous Activity Role of the Teacher

The Montessori Method Sensitive Periods Spontaneous Activity Role of the Teacher

Creativity Fantasy Imagination

Creativity Fantasy Imagination

The Study • Montessori position on fantasy • Fantasy and Montessori classrooms today Question:

The Study • Montessori position on fantasy • Fantasy and Montessori classrooms today Question: In the movie Miracle on 34 th Street, does the child’s education (environment), as constructed by the mother, reflect Montessori methods – especially as it relates to fantasy?

Hypothesis The mother in Miracle on 34 th Street does not employ Montessori methods

Hypothesis The mother in Miracle on 34 th Street does not employ Montessori methods of education, because although she promotes a strong tie to reality, she does not allow her daughter to discover things for herself; rather, she imposes her own thoughts on her daughter.

Montessori on Fantasy • Child-initiated fantasy/pretend play • Adult-directed fantasy/pretend play • Fantasy/pretend play

Montessori on Fantasy • Child-initiated fantasy/pretend play • Adult-directed fantasy/pretend play • Fantasy/pretend play in the classroom

? Montessori Today ?

? Montessori Today ?

Possible Indicators of Presence of Fantasy 0 points 1 point 2 points 3 points

Possible Indicators of Presence of Fantasy 0 points 1 point 2 points 3 points Fantasy-promoting materials* The materials are absent from the environment The materials are present, but are not in use or are being used in some way which does not involve fantasy play (i. e. : blocks being used to count) The child is seen engaging in fantasy play with the material, either alone or with others The teacher is seen using the material to promote fantasy play Non-fantasypromoting materials* The materials are present, but not being used in fantasy play/promotion of fantasy The child is individually using the material to engage in fantasy play The child is using the material to engage in fantasy play with others There is teacher directed use of the material to promote fantasy play Other* No occurrence of fantasy play unaided by materials The child engages in fantasy play alone without the aid of materials The child engages in fantasy play with others without the aid of materials The teacher promotes/directs fantasy play without the aid of materials

Aggieland Country School 1500 Quail Run College Station, TX 77845

Aggieland Country School 1500 Quail Run College Station, TX 77845

Kindergarten Class • “The Little Red Hen” – Story – Reenactment

Kindergarten Class • “The Little Red Hen” – Story – Reenactment

Pre-K Class • “Story time” • Plastic Animals

Pre-K Class • “Story time” • Plastic Animals

2817 Old Houston Road Huntsville, TX 77340

2817 Old Houston Road Huntsville, TX 77340

Tomorrow’s Promise • Pink duck • Gum • Dinosaur/Lion • Baby food • Where

Tomorrow’s Promise • Pink duck • Gum • Dinosaur/Lion • Baby food • Where is Thumbkin?

Reflecting Remarks • Children’s inclinations toward fantasy confirmed • Teacher-directed fantasy play in opposition

Reflecting Remarks • Children’s inclinations toward fantasy confirmed • Teacher-directed fantasy play in opposition to Montessori’s teachings • No teacher intervention

Teacher Intervention in Fantasy Play “Montessori was concerned with the child’s contact with reality.

Teacher Intervention in Fantasy Play “Montessori was concerned with the child’s contact with reality. Her emphasis was on real activities, on learning the right way to use the Montessori materials, and not encouraging creative dramatic play until after the child is six. Montessori schools, however, report that fantasy play does occur, and most teachers do not intervene…” -John Chattin-Mc. Nichols

Montessori and Miracle on 34 th Street

Montessori and Miracle on 34 th Street

Miracle on 34 th Street • For those unfamiliar with the movie, Miracle on

Miracle on 34 th Street • For those unfamiliar with the movie, Miracle on 34 th Street tells the story of a man who claims to be the real Santa Claus who becomes employed at Macy’s Department Store to play the in store Santa Claus. He makes it his mission, with the aid of lawyer Fred Gailey, to persuade Doris Walker, the unbelieving woman who hired him, and her daughter Susan, that he Doris and really is Santa Claus. Susan prove to be tough sells, but Kris Kringle is determined that if they can be persuaded, there is still hope for Christmas.

In Miracle on 34 th Street… Like Montessori, Doris Walker (played by Maureen O’Hara)

In Miracle on 34 th Street… Like Montessori, Doris Walker (played by Maureen O’Hara) is very much against promoting fantasy and pretend play…

Susan: “Oh, one of those. I don’t know any fairytales. ” Mr. Gailey: “Oh,

Susan: “Oh, one of those. I don’t know any fairytales. ” Mr. Gailey: “Oh, your mother and father must have told you a fairytale. ” Susan: “No, my mother thinks they’re silly. ” “Is this illusory imagination, based upon credulity, a thing we ought to ‘develop’ in children? We certainly have no wish to see it persist; in fact, where we are told that a child ‘no longer believes in fairy-tales’ we rejoice. We say then: ‘He is no longer a baby. ’” -Maria Montessori, Spontaneous Activity in Education

Mr. Gailey: “No Santa Claus, no fairytales, no fantasies of any kind. Is that

Mr. Gailey: “No Santa Claus, no fairytales, no fantasies of any kind. Is that it? ” Doris: “That’s right. I think we should be realistic and completely truthful with our children, and not have them growing up believing in a lot of legends and myths – like Santa Claus, for example. ” “In Anglo-Saxon countries…Christmas is an old man covered with snow who carries a huge basket containing toys for children, and who really enters their houses by night. But how can the imagination of children be developed by what is, on the contrary, the fruit of our imagination? It is we who imagine, not they; they believe, they do not imagine. Credulity is, indeed, a characteristic of immature minds which lack experience and knowledge of realities…. ” -Maria Montessori, Spontaneous Activity in Education

“Montessori was against teacher-directed representative fantasy play in the Froebelian tradition. She also thought

“Montessori was against teacher-directed representative fantasy play in the Froebelian tradition. She also thought that play with unrealistic toys would lead to problems, such as an inability to distinguish fantasy from reality. ” -John Chattin-Mc. Nichols, The Montessori Controversy Doris: “But I think there is harm. I tell her Santa Claus is a myth and you bring her down here and she sees hundreds of gullible children, meets a very convincing old man with real whiskers. This sets up a very harmful mental conflict within her. What is she going to think? Who is she going to believe? And by filling them full of fairytales, they grow up considering life a fantasy, instead of a reality.

Doris: “Please don’t feel that you have to keep pretending for Susan’s benefit. She’s

Doris: “Please don’t feel that you have to keep pretending for Susan’s benefit. She’s a very intelligent child and always wants to know the absolute truth. ” “Another characteristic quality of the lesson in the ‘Children’s Houses’ is its simplicity. It must be stripped of all that is not absolute truth…the teacher must not lose herself in vain words…that is, the carefully chosen words must be the most simple it is possible to find, and must refer to the truth. ” -Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method

Said of children pretending something (i. e. a walking stick) is something else (i.

Said of children pretending something (i. e. a walking stick) is something else (i. e. a horse): “But this is not a proof of imagination, it is a proof of an unsatisfied desire; it is not an activity bound up with gifts of nature; it is a manifestation of conscious, sensitive poverty. ” -Maria Montessori, Spontaneous Activity in Education Kris: “No, to me the imagination is a place all by itself, a separate country. Now you’ve heard of the French nation, the British nation – well, this is the Imagine Nation. It’s a wonderful place. How would you like to be able to make snowballs in Hey? Or drive a great big old bus right down Fifth Avenue? the summertime? How would you like to have a ship all to yourself that makes daily trips to China? And Australia? How would you like to be at the Statue of Liberty in the morning, and in the afternoon fly South with a flock of geese?

Summary of Similarities • Against fairy-tales • Belief that promotion of fantasy will lead

Summary of Similarities • Against fairy-tales • Belief that promotion of fantasy will lead to problems distinguishing reality in life • Emphasis on teaching children the absolute truth

But are they enough? Primary to a Montessori education is the idea of

But are they enough? Primary to a Montessori education is the idea of

Conclusion Although it’s true that neither Montessori nor the mother in Miracle on 34

Conclusion Although it’s true that neither Montessori nor the mother in Miracle on 34 th Street encouraged fantasy play in early childhood, at least by today’s interpretation, this objection to fantasy does not seem to be a core requirement of a Montessori education. Therefore, because the daughter’s environment does not resemble that of a Montessori education with regard to other, more important elements, it can be concluded that the mother does not use Montessori methods of education.

Evaluation of the Study • Limited in observation – Mobility – Time • Did

Evaluation of the Study • Limited in observation – Mobility – Time • Did not have opportunity to interview teachers

Works directly and indirectly impacting the research for this presentation include: • “About Maria

Works directly and indirectly impacting the research for this presentation include: • “About Maria Montessori. ” American Montessori Society. 26 March 2005 <http: //www. amshq. org/montessori. htm>. • Chattin-Mc. Nichols, John. The Montessori Controversy. Albany: Delmar Publishers Inc, 1998. • Crain, William. Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications. 5 th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc, 2005. 65 -86. • Elkins. “Re: The role of imaginative play in the Montessori classroom. ” Online posting. 12 Nov. 2000. AMS Online Bulletin Board. 26 March 2005 <http: //www. amshq. org/ubb/html/Forum 1/HTML/000004. html>. • Epstein, Paul, and Tim Seldin. “Brief Answers to Questions Parents Often Ask. ” The Montessori Foundation 2005. 26 March 2005 <http: //www. montessori. org>. • “Maria Montessori. ” Association Montessori Internationale 1999. 26 March 2005 <http: //www. montessoriami. org/4 people/4 bmaria. htm>. • Miracle on 34 th Street. Dir. George Seaton. Twentieth Century Fox, 1947. • Montessori, Maria. “On Discipline-Reflections and Advice. ” The Call of Education 1. 3 and 1. 4 (1924). 20 March 2005 http: //www. montessori-ami. org/1 welcome/1 earticles/article 01. htm • Montessori, Maria. “Some Words of Advice to the Teachers. ” The Call of Education 11. 4 (1925). 21 March 2005 http: //www. montessori-ami. org/4 people/4 bmariala 1925. htm • Montessori, Maria. The Advanced Montessori Method: Spontaneous Activity in Education. Vol. 1. Trans. Florence Simmonds. 1917. Cambridge: Robert Bentley, Inc. , 1965. • Montessori, Maria. The Advanced Montessori Method: The Montessori Elementary Material. Vol. 2. Trans. Arthur Livingston. 1917. Cambridge: Robert Bentley, Inc. , 1964. • Montessori, Maria. The Montessori Method. New York: Schocken Books Inc. , 1964.