Maria Montessori
developed a philosophy of education based upon her observations of children.
She emphasized the innate potential of the child’s ability to develop
in an environment of freedom and love. The Montessori Method recognizes
that the child is more responsive to learning experiences at certain stages
of development in life. These are called the “sensitive periods”.
Recognizing a particular stage of development, the teacher can direct
the child towards material that will satisfy specific developmental needs.
The activities in a Montessori classroom are referred
to as “work”. The child is working to build and perfect him/her
self using the environment as the means. Working in the present, rejoicing
in it and repeating it - is the means by which perfecting begins inside
the child. Each child is presented the material he or she is capable of
mastering, which helps to develop self esteem and makes the child proud
of his or her accomplishments.
The Montessori classroom is geared to the child’s
size, pace, abilities and interests. Each child learns at an individual
pace and rhythm, which is why the multi-age classroom is so beneficial.
The Montessori classroom offers a wide variety of graded materials. As
the child grows, these materials gradually take her from lower to higher
levels of complexity. Most activities are done individually, so that the
child can move at an independent pace. The classrooms are designed with
emphasis on the child’s innate need for movement. The use of materials
involves walking, carrying, pouring, speaking and particularly the constant
use of hands - “the hand is the chief teacher of the child”.
All activity is guided by respect for the equipment, respect for the work
of others and respect for the teacher. Self-discipline is acquired through
work.
The core of the Montessori curriculum is based on the activities of Practical
Life, Sensorial, Mathematics, Language and Cultural Arts.
|
PRACTICAL LIFE
These activities involve care of self, care of the indoor and outdoor
environments, grace and courtesy. The 3-year old child begins here
with simple activities like pouring, spooning, sweeping etc., to
develop eye-hand coordination, concentration, and lengthening the
span of attention for more complex activities that follow. |
 |
SENSORIAL
These materials are used to train and refine the senses. Each material
emphasizes one defining quality like color, shape, weight, texture,
while minimizing or eliminating others. Hence the child is being
indirectly prepared for later mathematical concepts. |
 |
MATH
The world of numbers is explored through the use of concrete material
to assimilate the facts of arithmetic. First the concrete form is
introduced to the child, then the abstract symbol. The form and
the symbol are then placed together relating the concrete and the
abstract. In a Montessori classroom there are many materials that
can be used for adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. |
 |
LANGUAGE
The language material includes objects and pictures to be named,
labeled or matched to aid vocabulary development. Textured “Sandpaper
Letters” help the child to learn sounds of the letters before
the alphabetical names because it is the sounds he hears first.
Writing or the construction of words almost always precedes reading,
which follows quite naturally following the various word building
exercises. |
 |
CULTRAL ACTIVITIES
These include various activities in the study of geography using
maps to learn about the world and the continents in detail. Activities
about animals, plants, the solar system, and our environment are
presented. Science experiments are performed indoors and outdoors.
History is studied in the form of time-lines. |
 |
ART
Various activities are available to encourage creativity and just
to have fun. There will be lots of different projects we will be
working on throughout the year using different mediums. |
 |
MUSIC AND CREATIVE MOVEMENT
These activities are performed as a group. We learn about music
from various cultures, explore rhythms and move with the beat! Creative
movement activities help to promote various gross motor skills.
We use scarves, bean bags, tumbling mats, etc. to explore ways our
body can move and have lots of fun. |
 |
COOKING AND BAKING
We try to cook quite regularly and like to prepare seasonal foods.
For example, we bake pizza for lunch, sunflower bread for Kansas
Day, strawberry ice cream for summer snack treat, cherry pies for
Presidents Day. Cooking involves various skills and results are
always so delicious it is an activity that children love and look
forward to eagerly. |
 |
|
Purviz Birdie, Director, Montessori Discovery
Place
Purviz Birdie, B.A., holds an Association Montessori
Internationale (AMI) diploma and has over twenty years of Montessori teaching
experience. She has worked with children ages 3-6 in Montessori schools
in Virginia and Kansas, USA. She is a member of the American Montessori
Society, Association Montessori Internationale, National Association for
the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), World Association of Early Childhood
Educators (WAECE) and has served as a board member of the Douglas County
Child Development Association in Kansas. She has led workshops and open-houses
incorporating Montessori based curriculum and philosophy for early childhood
professionals in traditional preschools and home based programs.
|
