Creative Montessori School, pre-school description in 40356

Pre School Philosophy

Although Montessori schools vary widely in their interpretation of Dr. Maria Montessoris teaching, several main elements serve as the foundation of the Montessori philosophy:

1. Freedom of movement.

Montessori believed that children learn by doing, rather than by sitting passively and being taught. Her classrooms stress freedom of choice among a variety of materials of varying developmental levels. In this way children may work at their own pace, alone or in groups, for as long as needed on chosen tasks. She believed that when children choose their own activities their attention span is much longer and will be developedmuch earlier, and that given a wide range of choices children will self-select those materials which will best encourage their own natural development.

2. Respect for self and others.

Because freedom must come with responsibility, children in a Montessori classroom are expected to follow a set of ground rules in the use of their freedom. Ground rules stress the idea of liberty within the limits of collective responsibility: children are asked to control their movements, to respect the work of others, and to work respectfully with the materials. The purpose of these rules is to encourage the childrens autonomy and to emphasize personal responsibility. These rules are taught at the beginning of the year through teacher example, specific presentations, and role play.

3. Prepared environment.

Because a Montessori classroom stresses child-directed learning, all furniture and materials must be accessible to the child, with materials arranged in functional order on low shelves. The whole environment is orderly, with a place for everything and everything in its place. Most Montessori classrooms are impressive in their sense of spaciousness and beauty. There will be live plants, materials made of wood, and reproductions of works of art. The walls and shelves are of a neutral color, so as not to detract from the materials themselves.

4. Self-correcting materials.

Montessori wrote that children between the ages of birth and six have what she called an absorbent mindthey learn through sensory input based on their interaction with the environment. She stressed that children learn though their hands, not their earsit is the children who teach themselves through activity. For this reason most Montessori materials are self-correcting, so children can learn through trial and error, with little need for teacher intervention. Her classrooms use manipulatives to teach concepts in all areas, particularly math. Materials are arranged on the shelves in a developmental sequence, with a wide range of activities for the varying levels of the children in the class.

5. Multi-age groupings.

Because young children learn at such different rates, Montessori classrooms stress multi-age groupings of children within a three-year developmental curriculum. In this way the child can work independently at his or her own pace and level. These multi-age groupings reduce competition and encourage cooperation, and allow for peer teaching which builds self-esteem and concepts of mastery.

6. Teacher as director.

In Montessori classrooms the teacher is called the director, since she directs the child towards his own learning. The director serves as the link between the child and the environment. She first observes the child, assessing his level of development. She then prepares the environment to meets his needs. She presents materials to the child when she observes that he is ready; she then steps back to let him learn through his own trial and error. The director also acts as the role model for the children: she models her respect for the children by her quiet voice and her calm manner, and she acts as both a consultant and as an authority figuresetting clear limits and enforcing the rules as necessary. She supports the child in his quest for independence; she never does for a child what he can do for himself. Instead she teaches him the skills he will need for self-mastery.

The teacher must be an acute observer of the children; she keeps individualized records of the progress of all the children within the developmental curriculum. In this way she continually assesses the childrens learning, and adjusts her environment to meet perceived needs.

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