Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook [Paperback]

Maria Montessori (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 30, 1988

This is the book that Maria Montesorri wrote in response to requests from thousands of American parents and teachers. A short, illustrated guide to the use of the Montessori classroom materials, it shows how to set up a “children’s house”—an environment for learning where children can be their own masters, free to learn at their own pace.
 
Frames for lacing and buttoning, geometrical wooden inserts, sound cylinders, sandpapers letters, colored numerical rods: these are familiar features of any Montesorri classroom, whether in the pioneering days or today. Dr. Montesorri explains how to use these materials with preschool children to stimulate their powers of observation, recognition, judgment, and classification.
 
These self-correcting learning tools are the original “teaching machines” for young children. Inherently logical and aesthetically pleasing, they were designed to hone the child’s visual, auditory, and tactile perceptions. Dr. Montesorri stresses that each child approaches the apparatus differently. The role of the adult, whether teacher or parent, is to let the child experiment, perceive his own mistakes, and run his own risks in learning.

(With black-and white illustrations throughout.)

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

A short, illustrated guide to the use of Montessori classroom materials. Describes how to set up a "children's house" - an environment for learning where children can be their own masters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Schocken Books (October 30, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805209212
• ISBN-13: 978-0805209211
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #414,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars great insight into Montessori's mind, not a how to book April 29, 2008

By Deee Lovely VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is great for explaining the very basics of the montessori manipulatives and their primary function. it's good for background and knowledge into Montessori's methods and thinking (for primary aged children). It is NOT, however, a how to or instruction guide for Montessori. you won't gleen much about how to use things (other than one or maybe two basic functions) from this book. for that you need montessori albums, which will cost you a considerable amount of money.

i think this book is useful to people wanting to know more about Montessori and how she came up with the manips themselves or saw the children react to them but if you're trying to emulate the montessori method in your home and need more information, your money would be better spent elsewhere. for that i would recommend: Teaching Montessori in the Home by Elizabeth Hainstock.

80 of 90 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Highlights basic teaching methods and apparatus. April 24, 1998

By [e-mail]

Format:Paperback

This short book is like an Army basic training manual. Montessori teaching methods are described in detail, like recipes in a cookbook. An interesting section on food for children recommends large amounts of fat and sugar foods and therefore seems outdated. The systematic order achieved by the method is described as desirable while too much variety and child/teacher interaction is regarded as undesirable. The book warns that over-stimulating a child's imagination could cause him or her to miss the purpose of the lessons (tell that to Barney). The author's works have a ring of truth throughout and are valuable because of the spirit they convey even today.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Montesori for insiders April 5, 2011

By Katarina

I have purchased this book to get as close as possible to Dr Montessori's thoughts and get a big picture of what Montessori really is - straight from the author. This book is great at that, but I was very disappointed to find that the thin brochure has very poor layout - like a printed word document bound into paperback. And no figures are included at all, although they are mentioned in text. A list of Montessori tools is also useless without figures and illustrations, because one can not visualise what the text is describing. So, all in all, this does not help a parent in actually working the Montessori way - this is more or less just a chain of thoughts that are behind the method. For a practical demonstration some other book must be selected.