Montessori

Montessori Education Theory

Montessori Education is fundamentally a model of human development and an educational approach based on that model. Having children be at liberty to choose and act freely within an environment will engage the student, having him or her participate and maintain focus. Quite often they will return to the preferred activity of their choice. The environment will allow independence in a prepared setting.

Montessori

It is the view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the whole child – academic, physical, social and emotional.

Our curriculum is similar to that of a traditional program and will include the following:

  • Evaluation of your child’s projects and productions to access his or her progress.
  • Emphasis on lifelong learning and social skills.
  • Integration of entrepreneurship into education with building, planning and creating sessions.
  • Strong emphasis on problem solving and critical thinking.
    Group work.

Dr. Maria Montessori began to develop her educational philosophy and methods in 1897. As time tested and proven as her methods are, it is undeniable that the world has profoundly changed since that time. Our approach blends Montessori and Ministry of Education “How Does Learning Happen” along with a unique introduction to sports athletics while understanding that repetition and perseverance is essential in goal achievement. We find that the choice of reading material makes a big difference. Children who enjoy what they read will read for longer periods and more frequently.

Early years curriculum is a sum total of experience, activities, and events that occur within an inclusive environment designed to foster children’s well being and development and ensure meaningful participation for every child. It begins with an informed understanding of what children are capable of learning and how they learn effectively. It sets goals for children’s learning and development and is an expectation for all registered childhood educators in Ontario. An understanding of children, families and teaching staff has a profound impact on what happens in an early years setting. Children are competent, capable of complex thinking, curious and rich in potential. They grow up in families with diverse social, cultural, and linguistic perspectives. Every child should feel that he or she belongs, is a valuable contributor to his or her surroundings, and deserves the opportunity to succeed. When we recognize children as capable and curious, we are more likely to deliver programs and services that value and build strengths and abilities. No prerequisite Montessori school experience necessary.

Our Montessori “How Does Learning Happen” will:

  • Establish positive, responsive relationships with children and their families.
  • Value children as individuals and as active and competent contributors with their own interests and points of view.
  • Recognize the connection between emotional well being and social and cognitive development and the importance of focusing on these areas.
  • Provide environments and experience for children to explore ideas, investigate their theories and interact with others in play.
  • Engage with families and support each child within the context of his or her family, recognizing that family and child well being are inextricably linked.
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  • Nurture children’s healthy development and support their growing sense of self.
  • Provide environments and experiences to engage children in active, creative and meaningful exploration.
  • Inform and include families in what and how their children are learning and developing.

A child undergoes a notable, striking physical and psychological development during this period. It’s important to get through this stage with the right programming, feedback and support. The first “plane” child is seen as a sensorial explorer who is eager to learn and is almost constantly engaged in developing his/her psychological independence blueprint. The young child’s mind and behavior is naturally able to assimilate sensorial stimuli of his/her environment including information from the senses, languages and music. Activities are presented and the children are then led to explore, after which these activities may be chosen more or less freely as their interest’s guide. Some examples of classroom materials would include items for engaging in practical skills such as pouring and spooning, washing up, scrubbing tables and sweeping. Tools and support materials are provided for the development of the senses, math, language, music, art, culture and science. Examples of science based materials include activities such as “sink and float”, magnetic and non magnetic. The Montessori system is typically hands on. One well known aid for the instruction of math is bead chains which is used primarily to teach multiplication. How this works: One bead represents a unit, a bar of ten beads together represent 1×10, then a flat shape is created by fitting 10 of the bars together to represent 10×10, and a cube created by fitting 10 of the flats together to represent 100×10. They aid in the understanding of multiplication and are also intriguing and fun to play with. To teach writing and to gain the understanding of letters students can sometimes use sandpaper letters. They are created by cutting letters out of sandpaper and placing them on wooden blocks. Children can then trace the letters with their fingers to learn the shape and sound.

Singing and music is an important part of our culture. Music is present in many aspects of our lives and is sometimes part of family culture. Though music seems ever present, there is something special about hearing a live performance as the sounds and experience cannot be replicated by technology. Children are eager and excited when they see someone play and make music. Many parents now understand that music can positively impact child development, improve social skills and have children become confident in front of a group, if they participate in performances of their own. The skills for public speaking and musical performances have many traits in common.