How Maria Montessori's Model Met the Moment

The coronavirus pandemic created an abrupt shift in education when it swept across the globe last spring, but one model of early learning, whose foundational principles date back over one hundred years, was primed for the moment.

The Montessori method is based on the tenets put forth by Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and educator, in her 1914 handbook, which depicted ideal learning environments for children ages three through six years old. Montessori programs are centered around the child. The environment is treated as the “Children’s House” and is carefully arranged with didactic materials that inspire self-guided learning, sensory play, and independence. Educators serve as guides and observe, rather than formally assess, learning, to further individualize children’s experience. Outdoor education and gardening play a critical role in the learning process, along with music, language, mathematics, self-care, and a commitment to children's freedom.

Early in the pandemic, like most schools, Montessori programs sharply pivoted to an all-virtual model, and Maria Montessori’s method encountered technology in previously unheard of ways. “Historically there was a little bit of resistance to the use of technology in the Montessori community,” explained Katie Brown, director of professional learning at the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector. She continued, “Montessori is a very well-articulated pedagogy, and it's one that has been largely the same since Maria Montessori first wrote her curriculum, about 100 years ago. And so, prior to the widespread school closures and this pandemic, technology hadn't really permeated the Montessori world the way that it has in the rest of education.”

The resistance to technology was swiftly offset by necessity, and when Montessori schools went online, each program took a different approach. One school that found success with distance learning was Breakthrough Montessori Public Charter School in Washington, DC, which struck a balance between online and offline learning. According to Emily Hedin, executive director of Breakthrough Montessori PCS, students at the primary level, ages three through six years old, spend no more than 30 minutes at a time on Zoom. Many virtual lessons are taken directly out of the Montessori scope and sequence and last around 15 minutes, followed by periods of independent exploration offline.

To ensure equitable access to learning opportunities, Breakthrough Montessori PCS sent home teacher-created versions of quintessential Montessori materials, such as work rugs, sandpaper letters, the stamp game, and fabric frames for buttoning and zipping practice. “We've really tried to get creative about how do we bring those beautiful materials into the home, and how do we supply our students with enough hands-on materials that they can have self-guided work time that is not screen-based?,” said Hedin in an interview. The school has also ensured that all children receive items ranging from glue sticks, scissors, and Chromebooks, to child-sized furniture. Teachers encouraged families to set up a space in the home where children can have self-guided, independent play, as they would in a Montessori classroom.

Distance learning brought together families and educators in new and deeper partnerships that extend beyond the traditional “Montessori triangle,” which Brown described as the child, the adult, and the environment. Educators provided support to families establishing distance learning routines in the home, and helped parents foster children’s practical life skills like cleaning, gardening, self-care, and cooking. In a distance learning survey conducted by Brown and her colleagues last spring, Montessori educators cited the importance of forming closer relationships with families as one of the biggest shifts in their approach, and 65 percent expressed interest in maintaining family engagement moving forward.

Technology has also allowed Montessori communities to learn from one another in unprecedented ways. “Last spring, the Montessori community really joined together globally in a way that it never has before,” explained Sonya Hemmen, head of school at Ross Montessori School, in Carbondale, CO. “There were people in Asia who were offering webinars to the rest of us, because they had been teaching remotely for a month before us. And then there were schools within the U.S. also offering webinars and meetings, and really problem-solving together to do what we could that was best for our students’ health and safety as well as their educational needs.”

With this cooperative learning underway and a commitment to safety, Ross Montessori School opened at full capacity last fall. Hemmen cited mask-wearing as one of the biggest concerns initially expressed by staff and board members. Fears were quickly abated as educators used the Montessori model to teach mask-wearing and hand-washing protocols, and found that students were apt to comply. Brown explained that Montessori teachers are “well-positioned and well-prepared to explicitly teach skills like hand-washing,” which has long been one of the practical life skills taught in Montessori programs.

Similarly, Montessori students have always taken ownership of cleaning and caring for their learning environment. “We traditionally don't allow the children to see adults cleaning the rooms, because we want them to believe that it's their job, it's their environment,” said Ann Pilzner, Head of School at The Montessori School in Kalamazoo, MI. Schools are still embracing this practice, though most have an added layer of adult-directed cleaning, given the circumstances.

In the beginning of her handbook, Maria Montessori laid forth a vision of outdoor learning. “A garden which contains shelters is ideal because the children can play or sleep under them, and can also bring their tables out to work or dine. In this way they may live almost entirely in the open air, and are protected at the same time from rain and sun,” she wrote. Even in the cold Michigan weather, students at The Montessori School have been enjoying the garden, playground, pond, and wooded area on the school grounds, embracing Montessori’s philosophies while reducing viral exposure.

Schools engaged in distance learning also promoted outdoor exploration. Breakthrough Montessori’s educators have recommended activities like nature walks, bird watching, and leaf collection, while the High Desert Montessori Charter School in Reno, NV invited children to join in biweekly outdoor play groups for COVID-safe socialization when children were learning remotely.

Overall, most educators and school leaders have felt that their Montessori programs were able to stay true to Maria Montessori’s philosophy. In the aforementioned survey, two-thirds of teachers felt that they were able to uphold Montessori principles and values moderately to extremely well, a sentiment echoed by each of the school leaders I spoke with. According to Eric Perez, principal of High Desert Montessori, whose program has adopted distance, hybrid, and in person models, “We've been able to stay pretty much on par with most of our Montessori principles without having to make too many adjustments. I think, in the end, we've become a lot stronger because of this.”

As traditional schools strive to help students recover from this year’s disrupted learning in the coming months and years, Montessori programs may have valuable insights to share. “I think Montessori is really well-positioned to be a part of that recovery because of its emphasis on thinking of children as holistic individuals, and social-emotional development, and individualization, and multi-age classrooms. I think all of those tools are going to really help us when we bring children back into schools and try to put the pieces back together and help everyone move forward,” said Brown.

While the ways in which Montessori programs have reached students and families have had to adapt this year, Maria Montessori’s philosophy has prevailed. Her distinct model, centered on children’s individualized growth and development, proved it can withstand extraordinary circumstances and come out even stronger on the other side.

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