play and have fun, the learning and teaching processes should be suited to
their nature. There is a number of known interesting learning activities
which are based on the arts, games and other oral activities. Thus English
should be taught as a means of communication and researchers should do
their best to help EFL learners to develop their reading and speaking skills.
Ur (2000: 12) declared that "out of all the four skills ,listening,
speaking, reading and writing, speaking seems the most important, people
who speak a language are known as speakers of the language, as if speaking
included all other kinds of knowing a target language" Today, many second
language learners give the speaking skill priority in their learning because if
they master this skill then they will be considered as if they have mastered
all of the other skills.
The importance of speaking is best shown with the integration of the
other language skills. For instance, speaking can help students develop their
vocabulary and grammar and improve their writing skill. Ability to read is
the primary fundamental skill required for children to achieve academic
success. Currently, the expectation is that all children should begin reading
early and be able to read on grade level by third grade (U.S. Department of
Education, 2002)
Another way that speaking and reading are connected is through
decoding .decoding is the process of pulling apart the sounds that each
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letter makes, and then putting them back together to make a word.it is much
easier for a child to sound out a word on the page that they have already
heard in conversation, than a completely new word. There less information
to process since the meaning and the pronunciation of the word are already
known. A child who has heard more words spoken is at an advantage when
learning to read, the skill of reading is special and often difficult to acquire
.the fact that anyone learns how to read is something of a miracle. Learning
to read is different from learning to speak; in the development of human
history, speaking precedes reading by thousands of years
Italian educator and physician Maria Montessori developed an
innovative teaching methodology for children that left an indelible mark on
education curricula throughout the world. Montessori education is a sensorybased
pedagogy that is based on the belief that children learn at their own
pace through manipulation of objects (Lopata, Wallace, & Finn,
2005).According to Montessori, (Montessori, 1967, p.14). the goal of
education is “to be able to find activities that are so intrinsically meaningful
that we want to throw ourselves into them" (Crain : 2004) confirmed this
assertion by noting that “when children find tasks that enable them to
develop their naturally emerging capacities, they become interested in them
and concentrate deeply on them.
In general, there is a need for more research regarding successful
educational methods and pedagogy for this disenfranchised population
because the existing research does not adequately provide educational
planners with the resources or information to develop effective programs
(Williams:2001) examined the impact of the Montessori Method on
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refugee children‟s social, cognitive and motor development using a
difference-in-difference approach .The Montessori method of teaching
aimed the fullest possible development of the whole child, ultimately
preparing him for life‘s many rich experiences. Complemented by her
training in medicine, psychology and anthropology, Dr .Maria Montessori
(1870-1952) developed her philosophy of education based upon actual
observation of children.
Students are assigned their own personal workstations designed with
educational items that correspond to the daily lesson plans and activities.
Students are responsible for setting up the work area, choosing the learning
activity, applying the physical materials, and returning the materials back to
the shelves (Pickering: 2004).Children are always free to move around the
room and are not given deadlines for the various learning tasks. Desks are
arranged into open networks that encourage meaningful group discourse, as
well as independent learning.
Students work together with the teachers to organize time strategically
in order to complete the necessary learning tasks of the day. The amount of
teachers in the classroom varies based on class size, but usually two teachers
are used for sections with thirty or more students, In most settings, children
are grouped in mixed ages and abilities based on three to six-year increments
such as 0-3, 3-6, 6-12, 12-15 and 15-18 (other Montessori schools use only
three year increment settings). Ages are mixed so that older students can
assist and mentor the younger children in the group. Students are grouped
according to common interests and experiences rather than the ability and
skill level (Pickering: 2004).
According to Montessori, from birth to age three the child learns
primarily through the “unconscious absorbent mind." During education in
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the first three years, Montessori believed that it was necessary for the
parents to develop in the role of unobtrusive educator; there to protect and
guide without infringing on the child‟s right to self-discovery (Crain: 2004).
This early developmental model enabled children to learn their own skills
at their own place. During the ages of three to six the child begins to utilize
the “conscious absorbent mind" which prompts students to participate in
creative problem-solving consisting of wooden and metal objects of various
sizes and shapes, personally designed by Montessori. If a problem becomes
too difficult or overwhelming for the student, the teacher delays the project
for a future day. Children also engage in practical work consisting of
household tasks and personal maintenance.