Montessori

Course
Submitted To : Miss
Qudsiya Submitted
By : Rabia Asim

Contents
Question 1: How has image of child changed in history?.................................................3
Question 2: What is your own philosophy of childhood education?..................................3
Question 3: Develop a set of 5 learning activities of preschool children based on
philosophy of Maria Montessori. Give reason for selecting each activity..........................4
Question 4: Develop a set of 5 learning activities of preschool children based on the
philosophy of Frobel. Give reasons for selecting each activity.........................................9
Question 5: Compare the educational philosophies of John Dewey and Rosseau........13
Question 6: You are planning to start a preschool in your locality. You are short of
finances but you want to provide child centered quality education to preschoolers. What
kind of apparatus and activities will you plan for your children to ensure holistic
development of each child?.............................................................................................13

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Question 1: How has image of child changed in history?

Different researches and philosophies have significantly contributed in changing the
image of the children. In past younger children less than 7 years old were thought to be
incapable of learning. It was believed that children cannot concentrate and learn new
skills. Children were considered to be devoid of cognitive as well as emotional skills.
However, Scientists through research revealed that old stereotype believes about
children inability to learn were not plausible. Froble was first to rebut the concept of
children inability to learn. He observed that significant brain development happens
between birth and age of 3 years; Children learn mother language in the same age.
Forble said that Learning begin when conscious erupts, education must also. Different
scientists put forwarded many theories about children education. In the beginning
children educational institute were funded by charity. However, with the realization that
children can learn, governments started to patronage the children education and child
educational institutes profuse. Finally it has been revealed that children have the
cognitive, emotional and learning skills.
Question 2: What is your own philosophy of childhood education?
I believe that children are motivated in learning by doing. Freedom of making choices in
an enriching and stimulating environment engages them in learning process and
increases childrens curiosity about the topic being learnt. In classroom with their peers
children have much more opportunities to develop communication skills while they
exchange their cognitive thoughts with each other. I believe in guiding children who
need assistance with a task that help them to develop the profound understanding of
the object being learnt. Children can be highly motivated and involved in their own
learning and produce work of very high quality when they have time to engage in short
and long term independent projects. Independent projects should be designed in such a
way that those should help students in enhancing their following skills
Fine motor development
Cognitive development
Physical development
Social development
Mathematical skill and critical thinking
Emotions
Family involvement
Community development

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Question 3: Develop a set of 5 learning activities of preschool children based on

philosophy of Maria Montessori. Give reason for selecting each activity.
Maria Montessori defined areas of learning can be organized into the following six
areas:
1. Practical life
2. Sensorial
3. Mathematics
4. Language and Literacy
5. Science
6. Cultural Knowledge and understanding
As preschool children are of very small age so they need foundation in all the above
mentioned areas. In my set of activities based on Maria Montessori approach I shall
keep the following activities
Activity 1:
Tasks related to diurnal routine such as Pouring, sweeping and tying, washing and
ironing etc. These activities shall foster and encourage autonomy, responsibility, and
self-esteem, and provides the framework for classroom discipline.

Figure 1: Practical Life Based Washing Activity

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Figure 2: Practical Life

Activity

Activity 2:
Tasks that would allow
discern
subtle
taste,
smell,
and
experiences.
The
pathways to ones
environment to the
three years of age,
make sense of their
the
childs
Sensorial
materials
order to help the child
impressions.

Based Pouring

children to learn
differences
in
sound and sight
senses are the
mind,
from
individual.
At
children begin to
world. To assist
development, the
isolate stimuli in
make sense of his

Matching colors is such an activity that would hone the visual skills of preschools
children.

Figure 3: Sensorial Improvement Activity: Color Matching

Children can be given miniature models of the landmarks along with their pictures and
can be asked to match the landmark miniature with the model. This task shall force the
children to compare the miniature model, analyze and discern the differences and
ultimately matching the model with images.

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Figure 4: Sensorial Improvement Activity: Comparison and Matching

Similarly children can be given different pair of socks and be asked to arrange the same
pair of jobs. This activity shall also engage the senses of children and they shall look for
the similarities and differences. This whole activity shall improve the sensory skills of the
children

Figure 5: Sensorial Improvement Activity: Socks Matching

Activity 3:
Solving worksheets which include preliminary math such as counting, multiplication,
subtraction, integrated with Activity 1

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Figure 6: Mathematics Based Activity

Children place number of sticks according to digit written in each box.

Similarly children can be provided with strips with circles on them and children can be
asked to place identical digit in front of appropriate strip.

Figure 7 : Mathematics Based Activity 2

Activity 4:
Children should participate in language workshop, doing such activities which would
help children to learn phonetics, language grammar and pronunciation etc. In language
workshops children can be assigned to match alphabets as shown in figure 8.

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Figure 8 : Aliphatic matching

A next level of this activity could be matching words and figures as shown in figure
9

Figure 9 : Words and figures matching

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Activity 5:
Lacing Is an activity which shall help children to develop fine motor skills. They shall be
able to learn when to move and where to move. Children can be provided with a pair of
boats and can be asked to put laces in it.

Figure 10 : Fine Motor Development Activity

Reason for selection of activities

Tasks in activity 1 shall help students in developing their motor and cognitive skills
Tasks in activity 2 shall help students in developing their sensory skills such as
discerning in taste, color and sounds etc. Tasks in activity 3, amalgamated with activity
1 shall help the students to learn basic math quickly and would enforce leaning
whenever they engage in such activities again. Language workshops in activity 4 shall
help students to enhance their communication skills; they would learn proper diction,
grammar and vocabulary to express their cognitive thinking. Tasks in activity 5 shall fine
tune the motor movements in child. I think that above chosen set of activities are
foundation in child development process and shall help to mold childrens personalities
into informed adults.

Question 4: Develop a set of 5 learning activities of preschool children based on

the philosophy of Frobel. Give reasons for selecting each activity
Frobel theory stated that for effective brain development of children they must be
provided with opportunities in which they can have exposure to the following areas
Free Self-Activity
Creativity
Social Participation
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Motor Expression

Activity 1 Rolling Ball

Provide the children with balls (Yarn or any other material). The ball symbolized unity
because it is a complete whole, a pure form. The whole is the beginning of
understanding and everything else is derived from the whole. Learning is derived from
impressions formed during play. The child forms his/her first impressions of the physical
world by holding, rolling or watching the ball. Play with objects and interaction with
The mother or caregiver help the child begin to differentiate his/herself from the rest of
the world (the whole). Talking (vocabulary) and eye contact are so important for these
early impressions, and balls are a wonderful tool to stimulate interactions.

Figure 11 : Rolling Balls

Activity 2 Using Rectangular Prism

Using rectangular prisms children can learn new possibilities in building. Introduce
words like brick, tile, steps. The child will make walls, sidewalks, fences, tables, chairs,
etc. The concept of fractions (and vocabulary words half, quarter, fourth, etc.) can be
discovered, as well as proportion. Introduce new words like rectangle, oblong, direction,
vertical, horizontal, height, width, length, etc.

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Figure 12 : Rectangular Prisms

Activity 3 Sphere, Cube and Cylinder Box

Provide children with sphere, cube and cylinder box. The box can be shaken and the
child asked, "What is inside?" Open the lid and reveal the pieces. Have the child touch,
feel, smell, hold and examine the sphere, then the cylinder, and the cube, in turn. Use
the pieces to represent things from the child's life (e.g., the sphere is an orange, the
cylinder is a baby bottle or a wheel, the cube is a house, etc.). Stack the pieces in
different ways (e.g. the cylinder on the cube and the sphere on top creates a person).
Build with the pieces and include the box parts, as well. Roll the sphere and cylinder.
Encourage the children's descriptions through imaginative play.
Differentiate the pieces by naming the geometric shapes. Sort them. Count the number
of pieces or the number of surfaces, edges, corners, etc. Introduce the concepts of
on/under, front/back, up/down, in front of/behind, etc. Simple physics concepts can be
discovered. Some of the solids will roll (sphere, cylinder) and some will stand (cube,
cylinder). The idea of resonance in sound also can be learned by tapping the solids
together or onto the table. By exploring these properties, children will be naturally
curious and their discoveries will create a foundation of basic science.

Figure 13 : Sphere, Cube and Cylinder Box

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Activity 4 Based on Cubes and Triangular Prisms

New terms like angle, triangle, diagonal, rectangular prism can be introduced. Fractions
and other mathematical concepts can be discovered and concepts of geometric shapes,
size/shape differentiation, parts-of-the-whole relationships, and others can be further
explored. With this Gift, children can see it as three cubed (3^3), the larger 3" cube
composed of 27 1-inch cubes (albeit some further divided into triangles).

Figure 14 : Cubes and Triangular Prisms Based Activity

Activity 5 Based on Social Participation

After doing above mentioned activities independently, children should be provided with
opportunities to perform above given activities in group with other children.
Start with a reasonably small number of pieces (6 to 12) of the 2" stick. No of sticks may
be increased the number of pieces as needed. Ask the child to create something.
Participate in the play by making your own creations. The children will represent objects
in their lives in two dimensions. Each child will create from his/her own world.
In this play, the adult can "peer into" the mind of the child and perceive how the child
understands and interacts with his/her world by asking the child about his/her creation.
Through the attention and dialogue, the child will build self-esteem and understanding of
relationships. Through the act of creating, the child will develop self-confidence and
become more familiar with the physical properties of the universe.

Figure 15 : Sticks and Rings

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Question 5: Compare the educational philosophies of John Dewey and Rosseau.

Rousseau set out his views on education in mile, a semi-fictitious work detailing the
growth of a young boy of that name, presided over by Rousseau himself. He brings him
up in the countryside, where, he believes, humans are most naturally suited, rather than
in a city, where we only learn bad habits, both physical and intellectual. The aim of
education, Rousseau says, is to learn how to live, and this is accomplished by following
a guardian who can point the way to good living. Moreover, the book is based on
Rousseau's ideals of healthy living. The boy must work out how to follow his social
instincts and be protected from the vices of urban individualism and self-consciousness.
For John Dewey, education and democracy are intimately connected. According to
Dewey good education should have both a societal purpose and purpose for the
individual student. For Dewey, the long-term matters, but so does the short-term quality
of an educational experience. Educators are responsible, therefore, for providing
students with experiences that are immediately valuable and which better enable the
students to contribute to society.
Question 6: You are planning to start a preschool in your locality. You are short of
finances but you want to provide child centered quality education to
preschoolers. What kind of apparatus and activities will you plan for your
children to ensure holistic development of each child?
I think that most of the activities involved in the development of preschoolers dont
include any expensive item which could drastically affect the financial budget. Most of
the child centered activities developed on the basis of theories presented by Montessori
and Forbles require simple toys and objects with which children can play in order to
explore the characteristics of those toys and externalize their creativity. However, Still if
the purchases of these simple items restrain the budget then I shall buy the minimum
set of required items necessary for the holistic development of the children and I would
try to maximize the use of learning objects by shifting the time of use among different
children. Furthermore, I would let the children play in groups with the toys i.e. each
group will be playing with different set of toys or learning aid objects at different time.
This technique shall ensure effective utilization of the apparatus and each children shall
also be exposed to the experience of every toy.

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