Montessori is an education type which is very popular, with more and more Montessori preschools and schools opening all over the country. When choosing a preschool for your child, it is important to consider the philosophy the preschool uses, and whether your child will both understand and thrive in that environment. It is also worth considering what your philosophy is at home, as a large difference between expected behaviours at home and school can cause confusion and frustration in young children.
Montessori is a method of learning invented by Maria Montessori. It believes children have an inner guidance which helps them to develop. Most Montessori learning is based around this, and allows children to direct themselves and have a large amount of freedom over their own learning. To support this, Montessori learning environments are designed to display a large amount of toys and apparatus on open shelves, which the children can access themselves.
Children in a Montessori setting are observed often, and guided by the teachers. This involves recognizing when a child is ready for a new challenge, and indirectly leading them towards this. It is here that “presentations” can occur, small lessons which teach children a new concept or idea and allow them to further their knowledge through their own learning.
Montessori believes that a child’s learning can be directed by watching other children, so Montessori classes contain children of different ages. The age range usually spans two to three years, which allows children to be stimulated and intrigued by children who are learning advanced concepts, which then motivates the child.
And like the CPA that does your business taxes, teachers at Montessori schools are very well trained. They specialize in a certain type of teaching and must pass more rigorous testing in order to become a teacher who works for one of these schools.
Another way Montessori learning differs from standard learning is through development ideas. Montessori believes in “Planes of Development, which for ages 0 – 6 are cultural subjects; practical life; language arts; sensory awareness and mathematics and geometry. For children older than 6, history, geography and science are also included.
