Setting the Stage for Life Long Success: The Prepared Environment
Imagine you step into your workplace and you have every single thing you need. If you work in an office, maybe you have an office with a big, beautiful window, a spacious desk, and a brand-new computer to use. There are pencils, post-its, and even some new markers for writing down ideas. Everything you could possibly need is ready. You’d probably feel more inspired to work than if your workspace wasn’t well-prepared.
When Dr. Montessori was developing her education method, she realized that the learning environment could have a big impact on a child’s motivation and learning outcomes. An essential element of the Montessori method, the prepared environment refers to the learning space. What is the prepared environment? Read on to learn more about what Montessori spaces look like and the benefits they offer.
The Context: Schools in Italy in the Early 1900s
Dr. Montessori developed her method during the early 1900s. At that time, classrooms were often very boring, with rows of desks facing the teacher. The teacher was the center of the classroom and children had to listen quietly. Children learned by rote, memorizing information.
When Montessori created her first classrooms she experimented with different ideas. She noticed that children enjoyed spending time outdoors. She also noticed that children liked to work on the floor, use child-sized furniture, and help take care of their space. Over time, she created parameters around what the ideal prepared environment would look like.
What Is the Prepared Environment?
The prepared environment is a Montessori space specially designed to help children reach their full potential. Often, people think of the prepared environment as a classroom. However, the prepared environment also includes non-physical elements such as the feel or vibe of the space. Plus, Montessori believed in providing a holistic education that helps develop children intellectually, emotionally, socially, and more.
Principles of the Prepared Environment
What are the essential elements of the prepared environment? There are six main principles:
Freedom
Montessori firmly believed that children learn best when they can follow their own interests and help direct their own learning. Freedom means that children can choose activities, walk around the classroom, and interact with others. However, freedom does come with limits, meaning children cannot interrupt others, be too loud, or disrupt the classroom.
Freedom is an essential part of the prepared environment. You can see this in action as children move around the classroom, picking activities. Because children have the power to make decisions, they’re excited and motivated about the work they choose. Also, children don’t get antsy. When they feel like taking a walk or changing positions, they can simply get up and move around the classroom.
In her own words, Montessori said “The greatest help you can give your children is the freedom to go about their own work in their own way, for in this matter your child knows better than you.”
Structure and Order
Have you ever felt distracted or anxious in a messy space? Today, scientists know that clutter can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. Montessori noticed that children thrive in orderly spaces. She explained, “In this school everything has its place and is kept there, because I have observed over and over again that children have a feeling for orderliness. Your child will learn to know where he may find things and he will put them back of his own accord when he has finished with them.”
Montessori classrooms feature orderly shelves with work organized in order from least complex to most complex. Also, children can find many clean and attractive spaces to work, whether with a carpet on the floor or at a table. Montessori was one of the first to create children’s furniture, as she believed this helped children keep their classroom organized. “In our schools we give the children small chairs and tables, so that they may move as masters in their own world instead of wrestling continually with awkward objects in a world specially created for grown-ups,” she said.
Additionally, the space should be calm and quiet so that children can work.
Beauty
In a Montessori classroom, you may see a few pieces of artwork tastefully hung on the wall. There may be a warm inviting lamp next to a soft chair, creating a cozy nook for reading. Or, you might notice a few pretty vases of fresh flowers on tables and shelves. Montessori believed that adding beauty to the classroom fostered a love of learning and created an inviting environment.
Nature and Reality
Montessori believed in introducing children to a range of sensory experiences grounded in nature. From observing the texture and grain of natural wood to smelling herbs, nature is an essential part of the classroom. Natural materials are often a part of Montessori materials. Wood is used for many materials such as blocks, puzzles, and math materials. Practical life materials also feature natural materials such as glass, metal, dried grains, beautiful fabrics, and more.
Especially in classrooms for young children, Montessori advocated that children shouldn’t be given toys, but instead, real objects. For example, children use real glass and porcelain dishes and functional child-sized cleaning tools like brooms and dust pans.
Social Environment
Learning to interact with others respectfully is another essential part of education. To help foster learning social skills, Montessori only included one of each material in the classroom. This way, children must learn to wait their turn to use it, ask for a turn, or in some cases, share. Similarly, children are free to talk and interact with each other. If one child spills something, another might help her clean up. Or, if one child knows how to read, they might offer to read to a younger child. This way, children learn leadership skills and empathy through natural interactions in the classroom.
Intellectual Environment
Montessori believed that children have a natural drive to learn. To inspire learning, Montessori created a wonderful curriculum and learning materials. Through active learning, children learn important lessons in language, mathematics, sensorial, cultural studies, and practical life. In the classroom, children learn at their own pace, exploring lessons in all the subject areas. Each lesson helps children move from simple to complex understanding of concepts.
Benefits of the Prepared Environment
The prepared environment offers many benefits for children. Just a few are:
- Learning to plan and make decisions
- Building social skills
- A sense of responsibility for keeping a clean, organized classroom
- Academic skills like, reading, writing, counting, observing similarities and differences, and more
- Gaining independence
Discover the Prepared Environment with Online Montessori Training
Are you ready to learn more about the prepared environment? Parents and educators can learn how to create the ideal learning environment with our Montessori teacher training courses and workshops.
At Montessori Professional Training Canada, we offer several online Montessori training courses, including hybrid courses at our Calgary location. Get in touch to learn more about our courses and discover which is the best fit for you.
