MONTESSORI METHOD - TIMELESS POSTULATE OF EDUCATION

Abstract

The Montessori educational method represents a timeless pedagogical value. It is recognizable to everyone whose goals is directed towards freedom and complete development and self-development of the child. One of the most powerful arguments and indicators of the quality of the Montessori system is its persistence for more than a century, and its worldwide distribution. The idea of a child as an absorbing mind, whose hands should be occupied and stimulated by play, learning, creative materials in a special environment, is globally accepted and implemented through the programs and work of numerous Montessori kindergartens, schools, associations and associations in the world. Maria Montessori's pedagogical conception is shown through her life and work, and then structured through three basic elements of Montessori education: 1) Montessori environment, 2) Didactic Montessori materials, and 3) Education of Montessori teachers. In the research part of the work, the teachers' attitudes were examined with the aim of creating an insight into the knowledge of the Montessori Method and determining the respondents' agreement with the basic Montessori principles. The expressed interest of the teachers in this research in the Montessori Method, as well as the existence of organizations and associations that develop Montessori ideas, represent fertile ground for the formation of accredited Montessori institutions in Serbia, which is currently not the case. The results of this research can be helpful in the development and application of the Montessori Method in our area, and represent guidelines for new research, especially in the field of student education and professional development of teachers about the importance and impacts of Montessori education on changes in the traditional system. The practical implications of the work are reflected in the encouragement of new research and ideas in theory and practice, which opens up new possibilities for developing Montessori education in Serbia.