Choice Program: Montessori
The Montessori philosophy proposes that every child is born with the strong desire to learn. The program uses a unique method of education that emphasizes the development of the whole child. The Montessori classroom stresses active learning with attractive, academically sequential materials that allow children to develop at their own pace. This prepared environment offers a non–competitive, cooperative learning atmosphere in multi–age classrooms or looping models. Students receive a solid foundation in the basic subjects through high–quality, stimulating teaching strategies focused on creative thinking and community–minded problem solving.
What is Montessori?
The Montessori Method of education, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood. Dr. Montessori's Method has been used for over 100 years in many parts of the world.
It is a view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the whole child—physical, social, emotional, cognitive.
- Student choice of activity from within a prescribed range of options.
- Uninterrupted blocks of work time, ideally three hours.
- A constructivist or "discovery" model, where students learn concepts from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction.
- Specialized educational materials developed by Montessori and her collaborators often made out of natural, aesthetic materials such as wood, rather than plastic.
- A thoughtfully prepared environment where materials are organized by subject area, within reach of the child, and are appropriate in size.
- Freedom of movement within the classroom.
- A trained Montessori teacher who follows the child and is highly experienced in observing the individual child's characteristics, tendencies, innate talents and abilities.