The Montessori Philosophy

Dr. Maria Montessori developed her method of education with a thorough understanding of the developmental needs of the child. Her approach meets each individual child's social, emotional, physical and intellectual needs.

Dr. Montessori described the classroom as a graceful living space: a prepared environment carefully designed to offer beauty, order and reality to a child. Like the first Casa dei Bambini (Children's House) which was founded by Dr. Montessori in 1907 in Rome, Italy, the Montessori Academy of Pembroke is not just a classroom or a school, but a community. It is a special learning environment designed for your child to interact with the community of children, beautiful Montessori materials, child-sized wooden furniture, plants and animals.

The Montessori program is child-centred. The teacher sets the guidelines for the functioning of the class and gives appropriate lessons to each child. The student is free to choose where, when, with what and with whom they will work within that framework. The children generally function independently of the teacher, learning at their own pace and from each other.

Dr. Montessori said, We never give more to the mind than the hand. The child is offered hands-on experience with carefully designed materials. The child observes how the materials are used and then is free to use them responsibly.

The prepared environment also offers practical occasions for introducing social relationships through free interaction. Children learn to get along with others in a co-operative environment. The children grow to know each other very well, first modeling themselves after the older children and then, in their own time, taking on the leadership role.

The Program

The child generally enters the program when s/he is between the ages of 2½ and 3¾ years, and remains through a three-year cycle. This is the ideal age to start. At this early age, the child is developing the intellectual skills of concentration, perception, and mental organization. The personal skills of physical coordination, social awareness, independence, initiative, self-confidence and self-discipline are also learned at this time. This age-sensitive potential fades as the child grows older.

The children are placed in classrooms with multi-age groupings of 2½ to 6 years old, enabling them to interact with each other, becoming at once a learner and a mentor. A Montessori program is most advantageous for the child who attends school on a regular plan of half or full days. This consistency allows the directress to design the curriculum around the child's individual needs and stages of development. A full day program is recommended for the child who is over 4 years of age.

MAP does not formally test students. The teacher evaluates a student's development through interaction with him/her and observation of the student's progress with the Montessori materials. Parent-teacher interviews are held twice a year, and reports are issued at year-end. Parents are invited to attend parent education evenings and an annual open house.

The Montessori Primary (Early Childhood) Curriculum

Practical Life Exercises

Personal Independence and Care of the Environment

Young children have an innate desire to become independent and take care of their own personal needs. The Montessori curriculum supports this inner drive by providing an environment and the necessary materials to support the path to independence. For example, exercises are presented in:

These are an integral part of the early childhood Montessori classroom. Activities to support the many skills young children need to accomplish on the way towards independence are all given as specific lessons with their own set of materials, i.e. dressing frames and hand-washing exercises.

In order to work independently in a mixed age group, children are made aware of the rules of the classroom, how to move and work successfully within it, and how to take care of it. For example:

These skills are all taught as separate exercises that are designed to give children the freedom and confidence they need in order to work at their own individual pace in the classroom.

Exercises in grace and courtesy are presented individually and in small informal groups. The children learn how to behave in certain situations and acquire the social skills essential for everyday living in society. The children develop a sense of personal dignity, an understanding of their own culture and awareness and respect for people of all ages and traditions. Having the appropriate social and language skills enables a child to engage positively in the classroom community and beyond. Early conflict resolution skills are taught, and attention is given to making good choices.

Exercises are designed to teach the child how to:

Through the social interaction involved in carrying out these exercises, the children develop the ability to work harmoniously in a carefully-prepared environment.

Exercises for fostering physical and mental development are carefully developed as part of the practical life curriculum. These activities develop dexterity and coordination and are closely linked to other areas of the curriculum. For example:

The practical life component is the underlying foundation for success in the four areas of the curriculum. Each task allows the child to gain independence and to develop a sense of order, concentration, responsibility and coordination of movement. Children gain enormous freedom and confidence to work successfully both independently and cooperatively.

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Sensorial Materials

Education of the senses

The Montessori sensorial curriculum allows the child to discriminate between and order various impressions that have entered through each of his/her senses. Scientifically designed materials that isolate each sense facilitate the development of the intellect through hands-on exploration. The child learns to separate and classify forms, colours, textures, tastes and smells. Exercises in this area refine the senses and develop skills in thinking, judging, concentrating, comparing and sequencing. The materials offer unlimited opportunities for the development of vocabulary and the essential development of dexterity that will lead to writing and reading. The sensorial curriculum is divided into the following areas:

Visual
Children learn to discriminate by size, length, dimension, colour, similarity and difference.
Tactile
Children learn to discriminate by touch. They match sandpaper and fabric of varying textures according to their similarities. They order materials from rough to smooth and learn to contrast and compare.
Auditory
Children continue the process of matching, ordering, contrasting and comparing, this time using various sounds, musical bells and instruments.
Complex (weight, temperature, three-dimensional shape, smell, taste)
Children explore all of the above qualities by using carefully designed materials and exercises which sharpen their senses at a time when they have a particular developmental interest in this work (sensitive period). The sensorial exercises are designed to prepare the child for more complex learning in Language, Mathematics and Cultural Studies.

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Language Curriculum

Language: listening and speaking

The curriculum is designed to meet the young child's innate need to acquire language. Significant emphasis is placed on building vocabulary and oral competency. Through the use of the Montessori materials, children acquire a rich vocabulary for labeling, describing, comparing and contrasting their environment and the people in it. Precise terminology is used. Discussion is encouraged and the children are given the appropriate language to engage in a meaningful exchange as they get on with their work. Small group activities are organized on a daily basis. These are opportunities for the children to enjoy a wide variety of language activities that are carefully designed to enrich their oral expression and strengthen their listening skills. In essence, language enrichment is embedded in the Montessori curriculum and is a central point of focus when the teacher is giving a lesson in any of the curriculum areas.

Group activities include:

Written Language: writing and reading

Written language is introduced to children at about 4 years of age. Skills are taught separately by careful use of specially designed materials which facilitate:

These exercises, when presented in sequence, lead the child to initial levels of competence in reading and writing skills. Literacy skills develop as the child's own inner drive to learn is supported by a carefully-prepared program designed to meet this natural stage of heightened awareness.

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Mathematics

The Montessori early childhood math curriculum is firmly based on learning through experience. Children use a wide variety of carefully-constructed materials to lead them to an understanding of the value and sequence of numbers 1 to 10. From there, they are introduced to larger amounts and learn the concept of making groups of tens, hundreds, and thousands (the decimal system).

Number notation and place value are taught as the child develops an understanding of number concepts. Four- and five-year-olds are introduced to the basic operations: addition, multiplication, subtraction and division at a concrete level so that they experience what these activities really mean. Gradually, they move towards an abstract understanding of the concepts.

Geometry is introduced in the early childhood program through the use of materials which are classified according to qualities, e.g. three- or four-sided shapes. The child learns to discriminate, classify and name circles, squares, rectangles, and polygons, always using materials to guide him/her. Fractions are introduced, again in concrete form, and an introduction to the concept of equal parts of a whole lay the foundation for future work in the elementary level.

Always, the child builds on what he/she already knows, and systematically progresses from concrete to abstract. He/she discovers number patterns, sequences and rules by handling the materials.

Through the use of Montessori materials, the child will develop an understanding of:

The program has the advantage of being able to meet each child's individual learning style and pace of development.

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Cultural Studies

The Montessori early childhood program is based on an integrated study of science, the social sciences and the arts. Children are exposed to a rich, stimulating variety of activities based on hands-on learning. In keeping with the Montessori philosophy of education, the children first experience general rules of the universe: e.g. the division of land and water. These are gradually broken down into smaller parts: continents/oceans, Provinces and Territories of Canada.

Stories of animals and children from other lands help the children to understand the fundamental needs and how these are influenced by climate, environment and lifestyle. Work with the cultural materials helps the children to become aware of the fact that they are a part of the large family of humanity.

Materials are available to help the children to label, compare and classify the parts of plants and animals. Particular emphasis is placed on having pets and plants in the classroom and around the school. The children learn how to take care of these so that they thrive.

The Montessori method of education introduces children to a wide variety of subjects such as art, music and storytelling in an integrated way and this experience is a base for further learning as the children mature through the elementary years and beyond.

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Recommended Website

North American Montessori Teachers' Association