Montessori-Froebel 7

MONTESSORI-FROEBEL 7

The Powerful Influences of

Friedrich Froebel and Maria Montessori

In Education

April Christensen

Bemidji State University

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Abstract Use this for your introduction?

Friedrich Froebel and Maria Montessori never had the luxury of knowing each other; they actually lived in different centuries. I believe if they had, together, they could’ve been a powerful force in the world of education. They both wanted what was best for the individual student and both believed in guiding students through learning and education rather than teaching with text books. Their positive influence, accomplishments and ideas continue to affect us and our children’s lives every day.

Introduction You need an introduction!

Friedrich Froebel Need sub-topic

Friedrich Froebel was born in Germany in 1782. Not long after his birth his mother past passed away and was raised by his father and step mother who didn’t pay much attention to him. Because of his lack of parental attention he was unhappy and became very interested in his own thoughts and beliefs and relied on his close relationships with nature and God (Sniegoski, 1994). These new relationships and beliefs eventually helped him mold his career as a teacher and creator of the first kindergarten and contemporary early childhood education.

Froebel was strongly influenced by Johann Pestalozzi, a Swiss educator who and believed that a teacher should treat students with love and kindness. Another influence was Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a philosopher who believed that education should be a natural process guided by compassion and positivity (James A. Johnson, 2008). Froebel believed in spontaneous learning, learning by doing and the importance of play. The teacher’s responsibility was to create an environment for the child to encourage learning as well as stimulate imagination and development. The teacher facilitated learning and allowed the students to explore by self-activity and accentually educate themselves. “Froebel looked upon the child as a seed planted in a garden, which would gradually unfold its inner nature”. (Sniegoski, 1994).

Froebel opened the first kindergarten in the village of Blankenburg, Germany in 1837. It was a positive learning environment with bright colors, lots of natural light and a plethora of plants, animals and pictures. Froebel’s teaching materials were divided into 2 different categories, “gifts” and” occupations”. Gifts were such things such as blocks that were fixed in form and occupations were such things as paper and clay that can be easily manipulated. Both “gifts” and “occupations” were for creative use and assisted in the learning process (Sniegoski, 1994). Kindergarten was brought to the United States in 1848 and the first English speaking kindergarten was opened in1860. Today Americans find kindergarten to be an important step in the education of their young children and Friedrich Froebel’s influences continue to resonate in our schools today. He was the first advocate of early childhood education.
OUTSTANDING WORK ON THIS SECTON. SYNTHESIS OF INFORMATION WAS SUCCINCTLY WRITTEN WITH YOUR VOICE APPARENT.

Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870. She was an incredibly intelligent woman who started her career as the first woman in Italy to receive a medical degree. She was an educational philosopher who developed her own theory and method of education and designed her own educational methods and tools. She first found her passion for educating children while she was working as an assistant doctor at a psychiatric clinic in Rome. She came into contact with children with disabilities and provided these children with “rewarding education” ACTUALLY…SHE WAS NOT ALLOWED TO PRACTICE MEDICINE BECAUSE SHE WAS A WOMAN.

that stimulated them and boosted their self-esteem (Seldin, 2010) . Montessori’s method enabled these children to learn and pass state proficiency tests.

In 1906, Montessori took over the Casa dei Bambini, Children’s House, where she put her methods to work. The Children’s House was a children’s nursery that was attached to an apartment building in the slum district of Rome. Her first class had fifty children ages 2-5, and one teacher, herself (Seldin, 2010). The children entered the Children’s House crying, pushing, with aggression and very impatient (Seldin, 2010). Over time, these children were calm, patient and excited to learn. These children were learning at such a fast pace that Montessori was continuously inventing new ideas to challenge her students. She based her teaching tools and methods precisely on how these children learned best. When others would criticize her work for being too demanding or structured she responded, “I studied my children, and they taught me how to teach them” (Seldin, 2010). WORDS TO LIVE BY! She promoted discovery, spontaneous learning and emphasized hands on activities. The teacher was there to guide the students through the learning process and providing them the tools to be creative and successful (Rappaport, 2001). Through her experiences she found that children enjoyed routine and an environment where everything had a place (Seldin, 2010). She discovered that the environment for learning was just as important as the methods. She filled her rooms with child-sized, chairs, tables, dishes and rugs. Montessori designed entire schools around the size of children.

Maria Montessori’s contributions to the education world are priceless. Her Montessori schools can be found all over the world. All the way to her passing in 1952, she continued to be involved and was and advocator and speaker for the Montessori Methods and schools. Her patience and understanding of young children that molded her educational ideas and methods will forever be appreciated. The Montessori Foundation is still making major money. She locked up the franchise.

Compare and Contrast?

Froebel and Montessori’s influences have more similarities than differences. They revolutionized early childhood education and made a huge impact with their contributions of kindergarten and the Montessori school. They both believed in student centered learning and the importance of social skills. They thought that play was an important way for students to develop their own knowledge through learning by doing. They also believed that the teacher’s role was to create an environment for learning. They were to set the stage and watch, guide and encourage the students to learn. Restricting and interfering play and creative activity hindered the learning process of the student. One of the differences that Froebel and Montessori have is that Froebel encouraged more imaginary play and allowed students to educate themselves. Montessori encouraged the same but took a step further and created materials that helped the student learn and understand exactly what was meant to be learned. Montessori’s method was more structured but still encouraged the student to explore. She focused more on the individual student rather than the class as a whole.

Conclusion?

Froebel and Montessori are great influences on our education system. Their focus on student centered learning and exploration and the teacher’s responsibility to “guide” students through learning is still used today. I believe that the ideas that these two exemplary people changed education for the better and will continue to influence us every day.

Brief but you pointed out the basics in this section!

Need to check the APA format. You missed the sub topics. The rest of the paper was very well written and synthesized. (make sure to proof read for grammar !)

I did not grade down for the intro…. I moved the abstract for you.

Theorist Contribution 13
Quality of Information 13
Critical Analysis 13
Comparison and contrast 13
Theory to practice 13
Conclusion 13
APA style , citations & references 4
Mechanics 8

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References Perfect refs

James A. Johnson, D. M. (2008). Foundations of American Education. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Rappaport, H. (2001). Maria Montessori. Encyclopedia of Women Social Reformers, 5.

Seldin, T. (2010). Dr. Motessori: A Historical Perspective. The Center for Guided Montessori Studies. Raleigh, NC: IMC.

Sniegoski, S. J. (1994). Froebel and Early Childhood Education in America. Viewpoints, 17.