Supervisors info:
Καλλιρόη Παπαδοπούλου, Αναππληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Εκπαίδευσης και Αγωγής στην Προσχολική Ηλικία, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
In recent years, there has been an increasing increase in the attendance of pre-school children as pre-school education has become compulsory and this has resulted in an increase in children in kindergarten. In addition, many parents turn to alternative methods of education, and one of them is the Montessori method. From Maria Goudeli's first private Montessori school founded in Athens in 1949 (Montessori School of Athens, Maria Goudeli) until today, the growth of Montessori schools has been rapid. The schools in Athens amount to about 11 private schools in pre-school education and in addition there are schools all over Greece such as Thessaloniki, Paros, Serres, Larissa and other cities.
In a Montessori classroom, children aged 3-6 coexist, i.e. children aged from post-infant to kindergarten. The material used is specific and covers areas such as everyday life, sensory material, language, mathematics and culture. Regarding the material that teachers do not create, this material has specific dimensions, colors, weight and specifications and can be seen in all Montessori classes in all latitudes and longitudes.
As early education is the first school context that a child will be integrated into a wider social environment, this research will investigate how children at different stages of development, both linguistically and psychoemotionally (3-6 years old), may or may not coexist in a common classroom context and how educational materials may or may not be the trigger to encourage children's participation. Also, the views and experiences of preschool teachers in a Montessori school regarding the inclusive dimension / orientation of the Montessori method and educational material will be explored.
Keywords:
montessori method, inclusive education, montessori material, preschool education.
