Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1912-08-22
The Montessori System.

q The most conspicuous achievement OF
DR.. Maria MonteSsori's interesting ed
ucational methods, says Josephine Tozier
in The Worlds Work of London, is the
way in which her little pupils begin spon-
taneously to read and write-or" explode
into writing" as Madame Mon:essori
herself graphically puts it.
Ordinarily, children are taught to read
and write by means OF long succession
of monotonous and, TO them, meaning
less tasks imposed upon them by the
teacher. BY the Montessori methodthere
is no coercion, there is no attempt even
to persuade the child. He unconsciouSly
masters the means of expression through
toys and games devised so 10 develop
his faculties that they will respond quickly
and accurately to the demands OF his
mind.
About four years ago Maria Montessori,
an Italian physician and teacher, opened
in Rome the first "House of Childhood"
and began to apply her revolutionary
methods OF education to the teaching OF
little children. Her work has set on foot
a new educational movement throughout
Europe, and there are now Montessor
schools in Boston and New York.
At first the children entertain them
selves with toys selected to appeal to the
senses of touch and sight. Meanwhile
the teacher makes careful study of the
peculiarities of each pupil, but does not
attempt any actual discipline.
Indeed, children are in the "House OF
Childhood" sometimes for several weeks
before any real lessons are given them.
They are required, however, TO be tioy
in their persons and in their dress. Now,
all children love TO dabble in water, par
ticularly when soap plays part in the
game in the Montessoh schools, under
iudicious guidance, the washing OF the
hands and face becomes, even with the
youngest, a cleaning process.
Doctor MonteSSori uses light gymnas-
tics to give the little ones command OF
their limbs and TO bring about the proper
coordination OF their muscles, but the
gymnastic exercises continue only few
minutes at a time. Then follow house
cares,-that is, the arrangement OF tables
and the washing of dlshes,-and then
building with blocks and the matching OF
colors.
The first OF the tactile exerciSes-the
one that eventually leads TO writing-iS
carried on by means of rough and smooth
paper. The child is taught TO distinguish
between rough and smooth by having
his hands drawn first over one surface
and then over the other. Then the child
has its fingers brought into contact with
squares of cloth; that is, with yielding
surfaces. Next, the child receives wooden
tablets in order that he may learn to dis
criminate between the weights OF two
different objects. Then the pupil has
geometrical forms in metal, which he
places on paper and the outlines OF which
he traces with a colored crayon. These
outlines he fills in with color. This last
exercise Doctor Montessori regards as
of the greatest importance, for it trains
the fingers to direct the pencil or crayon.
When the child's sense of touch has
thus been actually developed, he receives
an alphabet, each letter ofwhich is mount
ed on separate piece Of sandpaper. He
traces the outline Of each letter with his
fingers as it is pronounced by the teacher.
The sound of each letter becomes so
strongly associated with the muscular
movements necessary to produce il that
when he hears word spoken OF which
the letters are known to him, his fingers
instinctively make the motions that they
have so often made in tracing the sand
paper alphabet. If he has a crayon in
his hand the record becomes visible, and
he begins TO write.