About The Montessori Method
Dr. Maria Montessori
Dr. Maria Montessori was the first woman to practice medicine in Italy. A scholar of biology, psychiatry, anthropology, and medicine, she graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rome in 1896. As a physician, Dr. Montessori was in touch with young children and became profoundly interested in their development. Through careful and exhaustive scrutiny, she realized that children construct their own personalities as they interact with their environment. She also observed the manner in which they learned as they spontaneously chose and worked with the autodidactic materials she provided.
She studied children of all races and cultures in many countries around the world, soon seeing the universality of the laws of human development. She continued her observations throughout her life, widening and deepening her understanding until her death in 1952. Also a devoted humanitarian, she was three-times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy efforts toward a more peaceful humanity.
Dr. Maria Montessori was a scientist, and as a good scientist, she was earth-bound and highly spiritual in her pursuit of truth. Through her studies of educational methods, she declared two principles as the foundation of Montessori pedagogy: the universal characteristics of the human child, and the child as a unique, unrepeatable, respectable, and admirable individual to be unconditionally accepted as one of life’s most marvelous expressions.
Why Choose Montessori for your child?
- Emphasis placed on cognition & social formation.
- Teacher as guide of classroom.
- Environment and method promote self-discipline.
- Primarily individual instruction.
- Teacher encourages collaboration.
- Mixed-age group of children.
- Child chooses their own work.
- Self-teaching materials help child learn concepts.
- Child is allocated time to complete lessons.
- Learning pace set by individual student.
- Internal reinforcement of learning success.
- Personal feelings of progress.
- Child is free to work in the classroom.
- Group participation elective.
- Self-care learned.
Areas of Montessori
Math
Science + Culture
Science + Culture
Children given concrete math materials in their early years, can easily and joyfully grasp the facts and skills of arithmetic later in school. When a child has the ability to touch and hold items they can be compared, counted, shared, and separated. These activities enable the child to discover instead of being told.
Science + Culture
Science + Culture
Science + Culture
Dr. Montessori often referred to the study of Science and Culture as “Cosmic Education” and included activities in Botany, Zoology, Geography, Culture, Art, and Music: activities that brought life and richness to the Montessori environment. These are the lessons that connect a child with the greater world and provide them with a persona
Dr. Montessori often referred to the study of Science and Culture as “Cosmic Education” and included activities in Botany, Zoology, Geography, Culture, Art, and Music: activities that brought life and richness to the Montessori environment. These are the lessons that connect a child with the greater world and provide them with a personal view of the universe. The activities in these areas are designed to be fun, engaging, creative, and intriguing.
Sensorial
Science + Culture
Sensorial
Through a child's senses, they are constantly exploring their environment. The sensorial materials challenge the children as well as encourage the children to engage with the elements of the world around them.
Language
Practical Life
Practical Life
In a Montessori classroom, children are encouraged to explore language and literacy through a variety of activities and materials. The language material and classroom conversations provide children with a wealth of vocabulary required for expressing themselves and communicating successfully with others.
Practical Life
Practical Life
Practical Life
In the Practical Life area, children are invited to work with household objects and tools that they see in everyday life, such as washing, sweeping, dusting, etc. These activities help the children to practice and perfect the skills they typically only see adults performing, but which hold an interest for children too. By working in this
In the Practical Life area, children are invited to work with household objects and tools that they see in everyday life, such as washing, sweeping, dusting, etc. These activities help the children to practice and perfect the skills they typically only see adults performing, but which hold an interest for children too. By working in this area, children are not only gaining their essential life skills but they are also developing eye-hand coordination and the ability to concentrate for long periods of time. As a result of their achievements, they build self-confidence.