Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the highly trained teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. Children work in groups and individually to discover and explore knowledge of the world and to develop their maximum potential.
Montessori classrooms are beautifully crafted environments designed to meet the needs of children in a specific age range. Dr. Maria Montessori discovered that experiential learning in this type of classroom led to a deeper understanding of language, mathematics, science, music, social interactions and much more. Every material in a Montessori classroom supports an aspect of child development, creating a match between the child’s natural interests and the available activities. Children can learn through their own experience and at their own pace. They can respond at any moment to the natural curiosities that exist in all humans and build a solid foundation for life-long learning. Above all, Montessori classrooms at all levels nurture each child’s individual strengths and interests. Montessori education encourages children to explore their world, and to understand and respect the life forms, systems and forces of which it consists. |
The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, 'The children are now working as if I did not exist.'
Maria Montessori
FREEDOM AND CHOICE |
INDIRECT PREPARATION |
Essential to the prepared environment is the child’s freedom – to choose to work for as long as they want to, to not work, to work without being interrupted by other children or by the constraints of a timetable, etc., as long as their activity does not interfere with other children’s right and freedom to do the same.
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Although activities are prepared with their own developmental aim in mind, they are building blocks to prepare for what comes later in the child’s development. Sometimes this preparation is for the next progressive activity, but often that learning may occur much later, e.g. the sensorial base for mathematical understanding in the abstract, or moral development.
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ORDER |
MIXED AGE RANGE |
Order is the foundation of a Montessori classroom. In pre-primary, the physical order of the prepared environment is obvious, but order also underlies all of the less tangible aspects of the environment, e.g. the consistency of the adults and their approach, the order of presentation, etc. For the older child, the social order becomes more important.
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Composite classes of a 3-year age range allow for children to learn from each other in a non-competitive atmosphere and directly prepares the child for living in society. Grace and courtesy are instilled from an early age due to the leadership and responsibility that a mixed age classroom promotes.
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MATERIALS AND THE CONTROL OF ERRORThe environment and its materials are prepared in a way that allows the child to become aware of their mistakes and to correct them for themselves so that they understand that it is alright to be wrong and that we can learn from our mistakes.
INDEPENDENCEThe classroom is prepared to enable the child to become physically independent of the adult. The environment allows for choice and self-direction in the way that the materials are prepared and in the approach of the adults.
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ROLE OF THE ADULTThe role of the adult in a Montessori environment is to facilitate the child to teach themself by following their own internal urges that will lead them to take what they need from the things and people around them.
MOVEMENTChildren are not allocated to a fixed desk and may choose to work at a desk, on the floor, with others or solo. Freedom of movement within the classroom is an important component of allowing access to materials and learning self-management within the environment and time.
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