Jul 04 2009
Montessori FAQ: Why is the teacher just sitting to the side?
Many times when parents come to visit a Montessori classroom, they are shocked to see the teacher sitting off to one side of the classroom, rarely directly engaged with the children. They fear that their child will not receive the promised one-on-one attention. What they don’t realize, is that the teacher, or directress, is indirectly planning for their child’s one-on-one instruction.
The Montessori teacher is known as a directress because she directs the children to appropriate activities, instead of directly teaching the skills. When she is sitting back to the side of the room, she is actively observing the children. She is looking for what activities they choose, how they are moving through the classroom, and how they are interacting with each other and the materials.
These observations allow her to manipulate the environment to best help the children. She will observe which activities are being ignored and will change them accordingly. She will note who seems to be wandering and is in need of guidance to appropriate activities. She will look for teachable moments, during which the lesson will have the greatest impact.
By watching the children, the directress is able to gain a greater insight into the personality and learning styles of each individual student. This allows her to use the best approach when working with each child, and when communicating with his parents. In this way, the child receives truly individualized instruction, that isn’t usually found in a more traditional setting.
