The observation seats were filed every day and, at noon, when the children served lunch to their classmates and washed up afterwards, there was standing room only in the audience. The two gold medals awarded for education at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition both went to the Montessori class. When she returned to Italy, it was difficult to continue the growth of the Montessori movement in the United States. It has grown steadily throughout the world, and recently has made an amazing comeback in this country. Specific Elements of Montessori Education Children are grouped in mixed ages and abilities, a three to six year span.
Children are always free to move around the room instead of staying at desks.
There are no grades, or other forms of reward or punishment, subtle or overt. A child can work on any material he understands at any time. He moves on when he is ready, so there is no need for testing a group and giving out grades. Teachers are trained to teach one child at a time, and to oversee thirty or more children working on a wide variety of self chosen work, instead of to lecture to the group. At any one time in a class all subjects, math, language, science, history, geography, art, music, etc., will be being studied, at all levels.