What is Montessori?
by Kelly Bodtke
The Montessori philosophy and method was created by Maria Montessori, Italian physician, anthropologist and humanitarian, in the beginning of the last century. Montessori is designed to support the natural development of children.
Main premises of Montessori Education:
- Children are to be respected.
- Children need freedom within limits.
- The most important time of development is from birth to age 6.
- During the first 6 years, the child has an 'absorbent mind' and learns more effortlessly and more completely than any other time.
- Young children learn through their senses (touch, smell, taste, hearing, sight).
- Young children want to learn and love to work.
Essential elements:
- A multiage group of children
- A trained Montessori teacher
- A carefully created and cared for prepared environment
A Montessori class is a child-centered mixed-age learning environment. The teacher presents lessons on special hands-on material and the children repeat the activities, independently and/or in small groups, increasing their understanding, skill, concentration, self-discipline, and a love for learning.
The AMI Montessori method uses incredible materials that are hands-on, beautiful and developed from years of scientific research. As a guide, I carefully present the right material to your child in a careful way at the precise time in his or her development.
The Scope and Depth of the Montessori Curriculum
The Montessori curriculum is incredibly deep and diverse. We say that we bring the world into the classroom and the older child into the world so that the child can have a wealth of experiences. Activities available to the preschool children, for example, range from collage to grammar analysis, from puzzle maps to skip counting by 7's, from leaf shapes to sewing, and so much in between.
http://www.pazmontessori.com/our-program.html
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