In 1914, Dr. Montessori wrote a guidebook to teaching the Montessori Method. The book has remained useful and relevant even after all these years, especially for parents and teachers new to Montessori.
One of the most interesting features of the book is that Dr. Montessori's discussion of teaching and methodology leaves lots of wiggle room in the presentation, unlike many of the new explanations of Montessori education that focus on minutia and exact use of materials.
The introduction to the book details some of the formative discussion about Montessori and he methodology, which will be interesting to those of you looking into how Montessori education got to be the way it is and how her view of the development of the child is expressed in the classroom and teacher training.
Since this is basically Dr. Montessori's book for beginners, she avoids extraneous discussion and dives useful detail and instructions for teaching. This includes advice and step-by-step details for all areas of the curriculum including motor education, sensory education, language and knowledge of the world, freedom and independence (very interesting), writing, reading of music, arithmetic, and moral factors.
The black and white photos in this book are charming, showing children using original material. You will notice that the material and classroom setup really have not changed much!
If you are thinking about using Montessori in a classroom or homeschool setting, this book is a definite must read!
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