“Education is a natural process carried out by the human individual and is acquired not by listening to words, but by experiences in the environment.” “Every child is unique in their own way” and “Every child grows in different paces”. Only in Montessori classroom the child get the freedom to choose what they want to do. The freedom of choice helps the children to develop an inward order through work before she chooses and carry out her own acts. In a Montessori classroom, a child is free to move about and explore the environment because with activity and movement comes learning. Movement, in fact, contributes not only to the physical, but also to the intellectual potential and spiritual development of the child. The child must have freedom achieved through order and self-discipline. The child in a Montessori environment can learn, discover and be creative. He has the freedom of choice and develops his individual interest. The child learns best in a prepared environment. Montessori classroom is calm, respectful and peaceful. This atmosphere meets the child's inner need for an atmosphere that supports concentration. The Montessori classroom is orderly and encourages the child to maintain an orderly environment. It is a place where the child can do things for him or herself. The children make their own choices of work throughout the work period, but within a carefully designed structure. This independence is necessary because it teaches decision-making skills and self-confidence.. However, the teacher is there, observing, making careful notes, and giving new lessons to children when they show signs of readiness. She follows the lead of the child and guides him towards the next level of work. A child who chooses work beyond his ability will be guided towards something that better suits his needs.To facilitate the prepared order of the environment, the teacher arranges the materials on the shelf following their sequence in the curriculum flowchart. The materials are displayed on low open shelves that are easily accessible to even the youngest children. Each has a specific place on the shelves, arranged from the upper left hand corner in sequence to the lower right. Materials are always arranged in sequence, from the most simple to the most complex, and from the most concrete to the most abstract.
The environment is created in proportion to the child and his or her needs. They decide for themselves which materials to work with. “The extern material is then offered, and left freely to the natural individual energies of the children. They choose the objects they prefer; and such preference is dictated by the internal needs of “physical growth.” Each child occupies himself with each object chose for as long as he wishes; and this desire corresponds to the needs of the intimate maturation of the spirit a process which demands persevering and prolonged exercise.” Child reinforces own learning by repetition of work and internal feelings of success. The child repeats activities until they are fully mastered. The Montessori class schedule is long and uninterrupted.
The practical life materials help the child to learn how to care for her/himself and his /her environment. These activities enable the child to become an independent and caring member of society. This builds the child’s self-confidence. The sensorial materials are designed to develop the child’s perceptual abilities and refine his/her observational skills. Montessori materials are multi –sensorial and self-correcting: they are designed to help the child learn how to learn. In a primary classroom, three and four-year-olds receive the benefit of two years of sensorial preparation for academic skills by working with the concrete Montessori learning materials. This concrete sensorial experience gradually allows the child to form a mental picture of concepts like "how big is a thousand, how many hundreds make up a thousand, and what is really going on when we borrow or carry numbers in mathematical operations. The values of the sensorial experiences that the younger children have had in Montessori are often under-estimated. Research is very clear that this is how the young child learns, by observing and manipulating his environment. The Montessori educational philosophy believes that the educational method, to be effective, must support and address the nature of the child. The nature of the child is not a theoretical construct, but based upon Montessori's detailed observation of the child.
The goal of the Montessori classroom whether it is a prepared environment for infants and toddlers, preschoolers, elementary or secondary students, is the development of skills necessary for a productive and fulfilling life. The best of the curriculum is useless if the child does not develop inner discipline, integrity, and respect for others and oneself. The young child who is armed with self-confidence and self-discipline is far more likely to achieve success and happiness. They will be prepared to meet any challenges that the “real world” may present.
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