Selected Book
Basic Montessori: Learning Activities For Under-Fives
- Paperback
- Author: David Gettman
- Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
- Release Date: May 1988
- ISBN-10: 0312018649
- ISBN-13: 9780312018641
- List Price: $13.95
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryFor the first time, Basic Montessori opens the celebrated philosophy and method to a more general public. David Gettman has devised a clear and modern explanation of Montessori's revolutionary ideas about early intellectual development, and provides a step-by-step guide to the Montessori learning activities most commonly used with under-fives. These include activities for introducing reading and writing, counting and decimal concepts, science, and geography, as well as activities that help develop the child's practical and sensorial skills. |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Great for really understanding Montessori Method, but a bit intimidating
Rating: 
Of the four books I have about using the Montessori Method at home with this age group, this is by far the best in some ways. It gives the clearest understanding of the sequence of activities, dividing them into groups or "periods"--and of the flexibility of the sequence. It has the clearest explanations of the presentation of each set of materials, and of the different exercises that can be done (in order) with each, as well as giving a good idea of which exercises lead directly or indirectly to which others. It has helpful tips for making some of the materials yourself at home (and of course instructions for making many more can be found on the internet).
And it has the best explanation of how to follow the Montessori method at home. Here are a few quotes that really opened my eyes:
"Imagine that the child has recently been given a number of very high quality presentations, the cleaned and polished materials are neatly stored in their designted places in the carefully ordered Montessori environment, you are sitting expectantly in the corner waiting to observe some of that remarkable Montessori self-teaching, and what is the child doing? Playing with the cat. Sound frustrating? Well, it shouldn't! We must be very careful not to get in the frame of mind that there is anything wrong with the child's playing with the cat, nor indeed with any typically childlike behavior. The point cannot be emphasized too strongly that the Montessori environment is only there to help the child. Forcing it on the child, making evident our expectations of the wonders that Montessori's method can work...will only cause harm and distress."
"A presentation to a young child should never consist, in whole or in part, of verbal instructions. The essence of a good presentation is that you don't explain the activity to the child--you show it."
"You must not draw attention to error...When an error occurs, you must decide whether it happened because the child was momentarily distracted or careless (in which case you simply ignore the error and continue as though it didn't happen), or if the error was fundamental to the concepts being explored (such as confusion about terminology or organization). In the latter case, you should gracefully and without any expression of disappointment bring the activity to a close. Later, at another unrelated time, you can give a special presentation that clears up the particular confusion in the child's mind. This may mean going back one or two activities to re-establish the necessary fundamental principles."
The downside is that the book's emphasis on perfection can be quite intimidating. The directions for Pouring Beans between Two Jugs comprise 26 steps. The page on how to present activities states, "Each presentation you give must be absolutely perfect..." While this may be the case in Montessori schools, homeschooling parents may find it intimidating and unrealistic to the point of immobilization.
I do recommend buying this book. If it's too perfectionistic and intimidating, then also buy Teach Me to Do It Myself: Montessori Activities for You and Your Child, which has many of the same activities with more accessible instructions, though without giving nearly as thorough an understanding of the underlying principles.
Basic Montessori
Rating:
This has been a great source of information - as a Childcare professional it will be used in my career to offer another style of practice
The most accessible book on Montessori ever
Rating:
'Basic Montessori' is one of the most popular renditions of Maria Montessori's philosophy and method, and it has been for nearly 20 years. This is because the author, David Gettman -- who attended the official AMI Montessori course, has a honours degree in philosophy, and is also an accomplished author and publisher in his own right -- has done the education world and parents a great favor by rendering Maria's early-1900s pedagogical language (similar in style, for example, to Henri Bergson) in modern, accessible, common-sense terms. This accessibility disturbs narrow-minded obsessives like A C Crook (see review below) who wish to keep Maria Montessori's actual thinking closeted away from the general public, so that only a chosen few are 'qualified' to dispense it. But the many thousands of educators and parents who over the years have read 'Basic Montessori' have deeply appreciated being given this access and insight, so that they too can benefit from Maria's wonderful approach to early childhood education. Long may Montessori's ideas be open and available to all!
Signed,
Montessori nursery teacher in London
No Montessori home should be without it!
Rating:
This book has been the clearest and most concise version of the Montessori method I have found yet. The introduction is excellent and seems to cover all the history of Maria Montessori and her philosophy without confusing issues or making it over complex. It gave me a real feeling of being able to implement her ideas in my home without having to hugely change the way my daughters lived. I found the descriptions of the materials and how to present them excellent; simple, as the presentations should be, ordered, so I knew what I should tackle next and with lots of varieties, so I could make good use of the materials I made or bought. I found a lot of confidence from this book - partly in my parenting techniques and partly in my ability to take to the do-it-yourself stores and make my own materials using his descriptions! If you are going to have one Montessori book - have this one!
Very informative, but will never use
Rating:
Yes, OK, Montessori is a great way for children to learn with play. Yes, many children can benefit greatly from this method. Yes, this book explictly lays out guidlines for this method, and includes lots of activities for preschoolers to do. BUT, even as a stay-at-home mom, I cannot imagine doing more than two or three of these activities at home. WAY too complex and involved. If you are a teacher, this book is for you. If you are a mom looking for educational activities to do with your children, look elsewhere. I was very excited about recieving this book, but it just didn't cut it for me. I don't have a sand table at home, and I don't have time to read this whole book (which is surprisingly substantial). Can't I just do flash cards or some fun crafts instead?
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