Information
Who was Maria Montessori?
Dr. Montessori was Italy’s first female physician, graduating with her degree in the late 1800′s. Dr. Montessori founded Casa dei Bambini, or “Children’s House,” in Rome in 1906. Montessori is a teaching method and philosophy named after Dr. Maria Montessori, who pioneered her own child-oriented teaching methodology based on observations of children and how they learn. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1949, 1950, and 1951 for her teaching efforts towards “children are the future of peace”.
What is a typical schedule?
Including the morning group time, preschool children experience a 3-hour, uninterrupted, work period each day. Elementary students work in blocks of time with individualized lessons, in small groups or on class projects. Except in the worst of weather, all the children have some outside time every day.
Why is there mixed age grouping?
Children are heterogeneously grouped in mixed ages in three year spans: 3-6, 6-9 and 9-12. There is constant interaction, problem solving, child-to-child teaching, and socialization. Multi-aged grouping allows the older children to act as mentors and refine their leadership skills; younger children have the opportunity to learn from observation and interaction with older peers.
When placed in a prepared environment, children learn naturally. The role of the teacher is to observe and facilitate learning. The prepared environment allows children to master the skills they possess through repeated activity and to expand their knowledge through exploration.
What is work time?
Work time is the period of time children are actively engaged in discovery and learning. The prepared environment is arranged according to subject area, and children are always free to move around the room. If actively engaged, there is no limit to how long a child can work with a piece of material. At any one time in a day all subjects — math, language, science, history, geography, art, music, etc., are being studied, at all levels.
What is the role of the teacher?
The teacher’s primary focus is individualized or one-to-one teaching. The teacher, through extensive observation and record keeping, plans individual lessons that enable each child to learn what he needs in order to reach the highest level of understanding. While Montessori students are allowed considerable latitude to pursue topics of interest to them, freedom is not absolute. Societal norms and State Department of Education standards relate expectations of what students should know by any given age. Using these standards as our framework, children work sequentially through Montessori materials under the guidance and direction of a trained Montessori teacher.
Although the Montessori method is most often associated with early-childhood education, the Montessori method extends to all levels of education and has a worldwide network of schools and other educational centers.
What is the teacher to student ratio?
The teacher to student ratio in the preschool program is 1:13. The elementary ration is 1:16. Teachers are trained to work individually with children while overseeing other children working on a broad array of tasks.
What content areas are studied?
All subjects – language arts, math, social studies, science and music – are interwoven, not taught in isolation. Children are allowed to work with any material he understands and are encouraged to request lessons on materials he would like to learn.
Are different learning styles taken into consideration?
Based on the research of Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence, multiple-intelligence are identified, acknowledged and nurtured at Children’s House Montessori: musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intra personal, intuitive, and the traditional linguistic and logical-mathematical (reading, writing, and math). Learning styles are integrated into our lesson planning to ensure the learning experiences are maximized for each child.
What type of assessment is used?
There are no grades, or other forms of reward or punishment, subtle or overt. Assessment is by portfolio, teacher observation and record keeping. The test of whether or not the system is working lies in the accomplishment and behavior of the children, their happiness, maturity, kindness, and love of learning and level of work.
As a State Accredited School, children in grades third through fifth are required to take the Dakota Step examination; fifth grade students are also required to take a writing assessment.
What is the difference between Montessori and traditional education?
Montessori emphasizes learning through all five senses, not just through listening, watching, or reading. Children in Montessori classes learn at their own, individual pace and according to their own choice of activities from hundreds of possibilities. Learning is an exciting process of discovery, leading to concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a love of learning. Montessori classes place children in three-year age groups (3-6, 6-9, 9-12, and so on). To see a comparison between the key elements of a Montessori and a traditional education setting visit www.montessori-namta.org/NAMTA/geninfo/compar.html
How Can A “Real” Montessori Program Be Identified?
Since Montessori is a word in the public domain, it is possible for any individual or institution to claim to be Montessori. But, an authentic Montessori classroom must have these basic characteristics at all
levels:
- Teachers educated in the Montessori philosophy and methodology for the age level they are teaching, who have the ability and dedication to put the key concepts into practice.
- A partnership established with the family. The family is considered an integral part of the individual’s total development.
- A multi-aged, multi-graded heterogeneous grouping of students.
- A diverse set of Montessori materials and activities, which are, designed to foster physical, intellectual, creative and social independence.
- A schedule which allows time to problem solve, to see connections in knowledge and to create new ideas.
- A classroom atmosphere, which encourages social interaction for cooperative learning, peer teaching and emotional development.
What Happens When A Child Leaves Montessori?
Montessori children are unusually adaptable. They have learned to work independently and in groups. Since they’ve been encouraged to make decisions from an early age, these children are problem-solvers who can make choices and manage their time well.
They have also been encouraged to exchange ideas and to discuss their work freely with others. Good communication skills ease the way in new settings.
Research has shown that the best predictor of future success is a sense of self-esteem. Montessori programs, based on self-directed, non-competitive activities, help children develop good self-images and the confidence to face challenges and change with optimism.
Are there famous people who have been associated with Montessori?
People that were Montessori educated include Larry Page, co-founder of Google; Jeffrey Bezos, founder of Amazon.com; Katharine Graham, owner/editor of the Washington Post; Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onasis, former First Lady; Anne Frank, Author; Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize winner for Literature; Prince William and Prince Harry, Royal family; Julia Child, chef and author. People that chose Montessori schools for their own children include Patty Duke Austin, actress; Cher Bono, singer and actress; John Bradshaw, psychologist and author, Yul Brynner, actor; Bill and Hillary Clinton, former President and NY Senator; Michael Douglas, actor; Yo Yo Ma, cellist. People who were supporters of Montessori’s efforts include Alexander Graham Bell, Mister Rogers, Tomas Edison, President Wilson, and Jean Piaget.
If I participate in a child care flexible spending plan, what EIN number can I use?
The EIN number is 27-0710534.