Montessori: the school that teaches silence

There is a great, much-deserved rediscovery of the ancient teaching method for schools named after Maria Montessori, an extraordinary educator. Within this method, born 150 years ago, education plays a key role. silence, particularly current in a society of unbridled, daily noise.

Montessori Method

In the Montessori method, silence has a double meaning, and it is taught with these connotations. The first is that of pleasure: silence helps us rest, regenerate, regain strength, and not waste any of our pauses. Then there is the more directly educational function: silence helps today's students and the men and women of tomorrow to to focus, to reflect, to understand. And therefore to listen before speaking.

In Montessori education, silence is not the classic punishment given to unruly children in traditional schools, but becomes a very valuable means for raising and educating children. According to the Montessori method, silence should be taught to children to help them connect with others and also find their inner self. pleasure of listening and not just talking.

Silence implies concentration, harmony, silence contrasts with the noise and chaos that disorient and distract children. In silence, children can carry out their activities with slowness and accuracy, they can concentrate without rushing. Maria Montessori recounts that "playing with silence in the classroom, the children discovered the sound of rain and were profoundly happy about it."

In Montessori schools, actual "lessons in silence" are organized to teach its profound meaning. Children learn not to fear it, but to understand and appreciate it, so they can reap all its benefits. But what are these benefits?

Silence helps to rest and regenerate but also to reflect, concentrate and understand. It also allows children to develop concentration, meditation, the ability to listen, understanding, relating to others, and calm. Silence is an essential value in our relationships with ourselves and others: only through the practice of silence can we grasp the delicate nuances of life.

To maintain silence in a classroom requires profound respect for others. You need to relax and breathe slowly. You need to listen to every little noise coming from outside. Giving children a little healthy silence every day will allow them to appreciate it, understand its meaning and value, and above all, reflect on their relationships with themselves and others. Let's rediscover the value of silence according to Montessori pedagogy.

Benefits of the Montessori Method

A vast production of books highlights the various advantages of the Montessori method and the reasons why it seems so modern today. Let's look at some of the most significant ones.

First, the teacher's perspective and approach to the student change. Without compromising hierarchy and the principle of authority, the teacher observes and doesn't stifle the child, trying to be as noninvasive as possible.

The Montessori method has always placed great importance on mathematics, starting in elementary school, and on movement, as a tool for improving cognitive functions and therefore learning. Children are active, which doesn't mean abandoned to their own devices, but rather not sitting there as if in a cell. And movement, exposing themselves to the seasons, the air, the sun, and the rain, also means exploring nature in the field. This makes ecological thinking no longer a theory, but a daily practice.

The founders of Google, Page and Brin, of Amazon, Bezos, and of Wikipedia, Wales, are all former Montessori students. Coincidence? Evidently not, and the experts have provided an answer: in the Montessori method, mistakes are highly valuable, and once the error is understood, the next phase immediately begins: the search for a new solution. A tailored approach for growing at the pace of technology.

Montessori Schools

When Mara Montessori opened the Casa dei Bambini in Rome's working-class San Lorenzo neighborhood in 1907, she conceived it from the very beginning as a service for families, especially working women. But even from that first experiment, the guiding principles of the Montessori method were clear: education begins in the cradle; children must feel free to discover knowledge and develop their curiosity. Free and responsible, two words that, when combined, were dear to Professor Montessori.

Image credits: www.metodomontessori.it

Read also:

• The importance of knowing how to listen, in the chaos of words
• Conversation: Why is it so important?
• How to make yourself understood
• What is silence good for?