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Montessori education is sometimes criticized for being
too
structured and academically demanding of young children. Montessori
would have laughed at this suggestion. She often said:
"I
followed these children, studying them, studied them closely, and they
taught me how to teach them"
Maria
Montessori
The Montessori primary curriculum is divided into five
basic
areas:
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1. Practical Life
2. Sensorial
3. Language
4. Mathematics
5. Cultural
Studies (Geography, Sciences, Art,
Music, Spanish,
Outdoors) |
Practical Life
The principle of reality, not fantasy, in the classroom
is
one of the distinguishing features of a Montessori Pre-school
classroom. Montessori’s idea was to teach the children all about how to
live in the real world and the Exercises of Practical Life are the
first activities that provide these experiences. Children learn how to
look after themselves and the environment as well as how to behave
socially. In a traditional Pre-school classroom there is usually a
‘home corner’ where the children play-out different aspects of living,
but in the Montessori classroom they will actually engage in helping
prepare the vegetables for lunch, they will really wash up after the
meal and they will really dust and clean their classroom.
Activities are designed to be child-sized so that they
can
become confident in their life skills. The repetitive motion used
within the works lead to a deeper concentration level, which is
essential for later learning.
As
the child builds success upon success with small
tasks,
he/she is able to go on to greater ones, mastering his/her small
environment. Care of self ,Care of the Environment, Grace and
Courtesy,
Control of Movement:
1. The
development, coordination and refinement of movement
2. The
development of independence in taking care of one’s own needs
3. The development of concentration
4. The development of the sense of order and logical sequence
5. The development of the will and confidence awareness of one's own
powers and abilities
6. The development of awareness of others
and skill in social integration
7. The integration of body and mind
8. The development of an individual sense
of responsibility to care for the
environment.
9. Sensorial
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"To assist a child, we
must provide him with an environment which will enable him to deveop
freely"
Maria
Montessori
Sensorial:
Dr. Montessori saw the senses as the "doorway to the
mind". "It
is necessary to begin the education of senses in formative period,
if we wish to perfect this sense development with the education which
is to follow. The education of the senses would begun methodically in
infancy, and should continue during the entire period of instruction
which is to prepare the individual for life in society."
The sensorial area contains Montessori materials that
help
the child refine his or her experience of sight, sound, touch, taste
and smell , more complex senses: baric, thermic and sterognostic in a
very concrete way. In addition, repetition of sensorial activities
builds concentration and perseverance which eventually become
components of the child’s personality.
Math
Dr. Montessori’s math materials are ingeniously
interesting
and thoughtfully designed and they allow children to perform math steps
sequentially and individually in order to build knowledge. The teachers
responsibility is to prepare the environment with these logical
materials, introduce the child to their appropriate use, and observe
the child carefully. Keen teacher observation is meant to remove
obstacles and guide learners to the next step according to their own
needs and desires.
The purpose of the Math area lays the foundation for
later
cognitive development and to prepare for the gradual transition to
abstract thinking:
Beginning
counting -Advanced counting - The decimal
system - Rational numbers
(fractions) - The operations of
addition - Multiplication - Subtraction -
Division
The
child learns hands on by manipulating the concrete
material while encountering his own discoveries and conclusions to the
abstract concepts he attempts to comprehend.Dr. Montessori often stated
that a young child has a “natural
tendency to think in mathematical terms; to count, to measure, to
recognize shape and symmetry.” She referred to this as
the
child’s mathematical mind. Maria Montessori (Aug. 31, 1870-May 6, 1952) <>
Language
In the Montessori classroom, language is a very
hands-on and tactile experience for the Montessori child who is
preparing to read and write.
She realized that the desire to write was an area of
movement
that the child needed to fulfill as part of his sensitive period for
movement and if this window of opportunity was missed the child may
find writing more difficult at a later age. In the Montessori
Method, writing precedes reading, as the children explore with drawing
and forming letters. The process of learning how to read should be as
painless and simple as learning how to speak. The child begins by
exploring the sounds that compose words and by relating them to the
letters of the alphabet. He can soon produce words and sentences free
of all other mechanical difficulties.
In the meantime he trains his
hand to become precise and sure for the writing movements. Reading is
prepared indirectly from writing. The child starts from what he knows
about the letters and the sounds. For reading, a set of individual
letters, commonly known as sandpaper letters, provide the basic means
for associating the individual letter symbols with their corresponding
phonetic sounds. Displaying several letters, a lesson, known as the
three-period lesson, guides children to learn the letter sounds,
which finally blend together to make certain simple phonetic words like
“up” and “cat”. Children learn that letters make sounds. Dr.
Montessori's research unveiled that children learn best by touch and
manipulation. Her manipulative approach to teaching children how to
read phonetically is nothing short of brilliance. A quiet area for
reading is also included in the classroom.
Cultural Studies
Geography, biology, botany, zoology, art, and music are
presented as extensions of language activities, and are integrated into
the environment as part of the curriculum (rather than a separate,
"special" activity or work time). Children learn about people
and
cultures in other countries with an attitude of respect and admiration.
Through familiarity, children come to feel connected to the global
human family. Lessons and experiences with nature inspire a reverence
for all life. Art and music in the classroom give children the
opportunity to enjoy creative activities, as well as gain knowledge of
the great masters. The scope of the
Montessori science
curriculum includes a sound introduction to botany, zoology, chemistry,
physics, geology and astronomy.
The
children are taught the concepts of
Living/Non-Living, Plants/Animals, Vertebrae / Invertebrate, Mammals,
Reptiles, Amphibians, and much more through hands-on exploration of
materials. The children also experience and participate in
experiments such as sink/float, magnetic & non-magnetic, solids,
liquids, and gases (properties)
and many more. They offer children
ways to express themselves, their feelings, experiences and ideas.
The Montessori approach to science cultivates children's
fascination with the universe and helps them develop a lifelong
interest in
Art and Music
Art
and music are integrated into the lessons and are
not
always taught as a separate lessonThe focus on art is more on process
than the finished
product. Art is an important part of the Montessori classroom.
Through art the child gains concrete sensorial impressions which
prepare him for the more abstract subject matter at a later time. Art
also balances the Montessori classroom as it involves the whole child,
including mind, body and spirit.
Spanish
The primary, kindergarten and older pre-primary students
will
be presented with a comprehensive Spanish language curriculum by a
trained and experienced Spanish instructor.
Outdoor Activities
In the spring the children plant a garden, care for it
in
during the summer and gather the harvest when the time is right.
Also palnt flowers, tend to the yard, and do lots of outside
activites during the summer months.
“Education is a natural process carried out by the
child
and
is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the
environment”
Maria Montessori
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