The Importance of Classroom Observations in Montessori Education.
Observing the classroom is at the heart of Montessori education as it allows observers to see how the carefully prepared environment supports children’s natural curiosity and development.
Mrs Duyker’s Lesson in Observation
The founder of our school, Mrs Duyker, used to run a training course for staff and parents to educate them in the Montessori Method and philosophy. One of the key lessons, early on, was a lesson in observation. Each student of her course was set a task: to conduct an observation and write notes about what they saw. Mrs Duyker recommended that the participants observe seagulls rather than humans. On return to the workshop group, students would share their notes that often included phrases like “The seagull took off to find a better spot to rest,” or “The seagull was frightened away by the approach of another.” Addressing these notes, Mrs Duyker would interrogate the observer: “How do you know that what the reason?” or “What did you actually see happen?” or “Which part of your note is your own interpretation or imagination?”
Why Observations Are Crucial in Montessori Education
In our own experience as educators, we often think we “see” things but we do not, in fact, take time to observe them. Our pre-existing knowledge, expectations, and personal biases all too often add details that in fact were not there at all. Best practice for Montessori educators (and parents) is to sit quietly for an extended period and closely observe what a child is actually doing. What comes before the action? What do they do next? With whom do they interact, if at all? When we take the time to put all of the pieces together without our own ideas interfering, we always discover something about the child. Those discoveries allow us to make purposeful decisions about their environment, how to respond to them, or what questions to ask or provocations to suggest. To be good stewards of the child’s own development, we must not interfere or impose our own minds, but rather serve them to support to their own choices and activities.
Working together with home and school environments in harmony provides the best context for children’s development. So, we invite you to sit back and observe your child at home, and to do the same at school. Parents are always welcome to observe in our classrooms to deepen their understanding of their child, to see them at work in the learning environment, and to learn more about how Montessori classrooms operate. Watching for the child’s independence, capabilities and interests, as well as how they act and react to the stimuli around them, will provide many answers to what they may need. We will often be pleasantly surprised at how beautifully they are working at their own natural pace.
Booking an Observation
We encourage all parents of every age child, other family members, educators and prospective families to observe in our classrooms to gain a deeper understanding of Montessori education. To book an observation, please contact the School Office on (08) 9409 9151. When you observe, we ask that you follow our guidelines to ensure a respectful and productive experience for all. We look forward to welcoming you into our classrooms and sharing the wonders of Montessori education with you.
There is only one basis for observation: the children must be free to express themselves and thus reveal those needs and attitudes which would otherwise remain hidden or repressed in an environment that did not permit them to act spontaneously.”
– Dr Maria Montessori