EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF MONTESSORI’S PHILOSOPHY TO PRIMARY EDUCATION

Montessori believed that education rather than physical or metal treatment was the remedy for the mentally retarded children’s ailment. She hence suggested child’s self-development by the provision of enriched educative environment. 

This implies that school environment especially for school children should have a variety of equipment and learning materials that help children establish neuro-muscular co-ordination and gain over their bodies. A suitable school environment should consider the need and characteristics of the children. School children are characterized by curiosity as such; the school environment must provide opportunities for children to explore and apply their natural curiosity. The teacher should make every necessary effort to provide a variety of suitable equipment that will motivate the children to develop their hidden powers. This must be properly guided and supervised. According to Durojaioyi (1979), “failure to learn with some basic material at an early age may prevent learning with more advanced materials which are built on them. Therefore enriching the school with materials and basic concrete objects of prime importance, since these materials constitute the child’s environment and represent in a special way the child’s world, and how he perceives it.

From the point of view of Montessori, the school can be defined as a structured environment in which learning and growing occur naturally. This implies that the school for children should be an environment, well programmed and primarily suited for the education and development and should therefore be well enriched socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically.

CONCLUSION

Pestalozzi and Montessori believe that children should be guided to learn with concrete concepts to help them obtain all round development. Both stressed the need for an enriched educative
environment socially, physically and intellectually.