What Is The Montessori Method?

By Art Gib

Dr. Maria Montessori was an Italian educator who, in the late 19th and into the 20th centuries, revolutionized the study of how young children go through the learning process to eventually become well-rounded adults. Through her observations and work over the years, Dr. Montessori developed her own method which she implemented in a Rome nursery school she supervised. Her ideas caught on and various degrees of and variations on the Montessori Method has been used in preschools worldwide ever since. Here are some of the basics about the Montessori Method.

Maria Montessori’s most basic premise is that children do not learn the same way as adults do, that their brains are fundamentally different and that teachers should therefore not treat them like grownups in little bodies. They should learn via building blocks, experimenting with and absorbing different areas of study on their own and at their own pace. Her stress was on the individual, rather than on the classroom dynamic, and therefore the concept of teaching an entire class the same lesson at the same time was anathema.

Although the children’s study is largely self-directed, a learning environment must exist that will help all children to select his or her area of learning interest. In other words, there must be a variety of tools, activities, and toys available either in the home or in the classroom that will appeal to a broad range of learning. Montessori divided the most important areas of development into the following categories: the five senses; kinetic movement; spatial refinement; coordination of small and large motor skills; concrete knowledge that will later help them to grasp the concepts of the abstract.

A teacher or parent serves as a guide and observer, keeping a handle on what the child is learning while not impeding his experimentation and learning process. A child will absorb knowledge independently without having an adult to interpret things for them. The Montessori Method is extremely hands-on, since a child’s hands are their primary resource for connecting to the brain.

If the child is learning his letters, he should have manipulative letters that can be held and felt; if he is learning about temperatures, he should feel the difference between water that is 36 degrees and water that is 99 degrees. Lecturing and rote memorizations turns kids off from learning: they must be active participants.

Parents who want their young children to learn using Montessori Methods should provide plenty of opportunities at home for hands-on learning that is also fun. They should provide a play area with plenty of toys and activities that will promote the five areas of learning mentioned above and let their child explore, absorb, and discover.

The Montessori Method has skyrocketed in popularity since the 1960′s and continues to be a well-respected and engaging philosophy for helping children to learn.

About the author

Out of the Toy Box (http://www.outofthetoybox.com) offers your child creative and exciting ways to learn and have fun! We offer Montessori toys, Melissa & Doug toys, and many other wonderful toy selections. Art Gib is a freelance writer. from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com

Nov 25 2009

How to Use Index Cards to Write a Novel Outline

By Stuart Brown

Everyone has plans to write the great American novel. In fact, most researchers believe that everyone has at least one great story inside them. However, you may be wondering, then if everyone has a great story, how can they get the story out?

The key to getting the story out is to organize your thoughts with an outline and get busy writing. Sounds easy, right? It can be. If you use the handy-dandy index card system to write your novel outline. In fact, if you use this easy-to-follow plan, you will be able to quickly and efficiently organize those thoughts and get that great American novel out of your head and into paper!

But, why note cards and not paper, you may be wondering. Here’s why:

- They are incredibly small and easy to carry around. In fact, you can easily plop them in your purse or bag and write down your ideas as you think of them.

- They are easy to discard. If you change your mind about an idea , you can throw it away without having to throw away the entire paper.

- They are easy to organize and sort.

- They come in various sizes to fit your precise needs.

Now, that you know why they are so great. You may be wondering how to plan out a novel using them.

Here’s how:

1. Figure out what you would like to accomplish with your novel and write specific questions on each note card. For instance:

- How many chapters will you have?
- What will be your plot and setting?
- What type of characters and scenes will you have?
- Will you choose fiction or nonfiction?
- What tone will it be?

2. Next, start evaluating your ideas further by taking 10 more note cards and writing answers to each idea you come up with. That is, put one story ideas at the top of each card.

3. Third, go through each note card and place a star by the ones with the most potential while crossing off the ones that won’t work. When you come an idea that won’t work, throw it away.

4. Then, go through the cards and choose the idea that has the most potential.

5. Once you’ve decided, take 10-20 more cards and create chapter headings for the winning idea. Write down how you want the novel to be organized. For each new thought, place it on a separate note card.

Congratulations! You now have a working outline that you can use to write your novel. See, that wasn’t so bad at all. All it took was a little brainstorming and organization. Now, take those cards and get that novel out of your head and onto paper.

About the author

For More Novel Writing Resources. Visit http://www.Anecdote.org Also find information about Grants for Writers and if you are feeling Creative and Fancy Yourself as a Poet, How to Write A Sonnet from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com

Nov 5 2009

Suspense Magazine Second Annual Contest

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: December 31, 2009

Guidelines: http://www.suspensemagazine.com/contest.html

The first annual Suspense Magazine writing contest was such a success that the editors have opted for an encore this year. Any stories in the mystery, suspense, or thriller genres are eligible. You may enter as many times as you wish, so if you have more than one story, go for it! Stories should be 1,500 to 5,000 words long and they must be included in the body of the e-mail submission. Any attachments will be discarded. The winner receives 12 books from popular authors, and the runners up receive Amazon.com gift cards. Some of the winning entries will be published on the website. If you read last year’s contest entries, you’ll see a wide variety of writing styles, and some chilling stories.