Montessori education is an approach to teaching that thrives on encouraging children to explore and take ownership of their learning. This deferentiates it from conventional teaching methods, which tend to focus on following instructions. As a result, art becomes incredibly important in Montessori education, as it gives children a chance to express themselves, explore creativity and understand the power of imaginative thinking.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how exactly art is taught in the context of the Montessori approach, from the purpose and programmes through to the materials and environment.
What is the Purpose of Art in Montessori Education?
Art plays a number of important roles in Montessori education. Firstly, it provides a creative outlet for children and assists in the development of their integrative thinking. Therefore, designing and crafting an artwork can be seen as an act of problem-solving, in which the child must come up with creative solutions to the challenges they have set themselves.
Working in art also helps to build and shape fine motor skills and encourages free expression. As a result, students become more comfortable with discussing their emotions, explaining the stories behind their art, and using that self-expression to influence the way they interact and collaborate with others in their life.
Finally, art offers a chance to incorporate all areas of the curriculum. For example, a child might make a clay sculpture focusing on the shapes and textures of a plant as part of their science lesson. Similarly, an art project may integrate the study of composition, color, different painting techniques, or even the works of famous artists from history.
Which Art Programmes Are Used
The Montessori approach tends to use standard art programmes designed for elementary, middle, and high school students. These programmes are generally made up of four components: exploration, understanding, integration, and assessment.
Initially, students explore the tools and techniques used to create artworks and experiment with different media and style. Once they have developed an understanding of the concepts of colour and form, they can move on to integrating art into other courses such as science, mathematics, and language. Finally, the students are assessed on their artistic skills and creative use of different mediums.
These programmes are generally adapted by Montessori teachers to suit the specific needs of their students, allowing them to explore at their own pace and make choices about how to use the different lesson materials.
What Materials are Used for Art Projects?
Montessori teachers often prefer to use natural materials and traditional art supplies to craft art projects. For example, clay, textiles, paints, brushes, paper, glue, pipe cleaners, and felt are all popular crafting materials for young children.
Many teachers also like to use recyclable materials for art projects, such as egg cartons, bottle caps and cardboard boxes. Not only does this keep costs down, it is also a great way to encourage eco-friendly practices and respect for nature. As students get older and more proficient, more complex mediums such as photography and digital art may also be used.
What Environment Is Used to Support Art Lessons?
Montessori classrooms are designed to allow student to explore their art independently, but teachers will always be present to facilitate the process. In addition to providing guidance and materials, these teachers may also provide a theme, subject matter, or a challenge to give the students a starting point. In general, the classrooms are organised in such a way to allow for individual creativity.
This usually includes a mixture of both collaborative and solitary spaces, and art supplies and tools that are within easy access for children of all ages and abilities. Additionally, every classroom also has a number of art-focused areas, such as wall murals that encourage conversations about creativity and a gallery wall to display the artworks.
Conclusion
All in all, art is an important element of Montessori education, as it gives children the opportunity to explore their creativity, build their fine motor skills, develop integrative thinking, and make meaningful connections between different areas of the curriculum. The art programmes used in Montessori schools incorporate all of these elements, and materials, supplies and classrooms are all designed to support individual exploration. As a result, children are able to explore art in a way that is both stimulating and engaging.