Montessori Method
What is Montessori Method?
The Montessori’s method chosen as pedagogical practice for our school was created by María Montessori by observing, concluding that learning is a natural process that takes place spontaneously in the human being. It is acquired through experiences in which the child is interacting with the environment. Therefore children develop in an environment prepared to obtain their full potential.
Dr. Montessori considers the process that leads the child to acquire a self-knowledge to be basic and essential.
The transient and temporary capacity of the child, from birth to six years of life, to absorb everything “like a sponge” around him. By observation, the child copies, observes and imitates what others do to feel safe, happy and be a part of that community.
All this takes place at the unconscious level, children do not appreciate that they are doing this process. It’s a creative and unconscious state that serves to adapt, build and create them. All this will happen without an adult interfering in that Psychic construction created by.
This indiscriminate ability is innate and is not filtered. In other words, children can’t decide what they absorb and, therefore the environment prepared is essential.
The human being has natural impulses shown throughout life. In addition, this impulses guide the individual to perform certain unconscious actions or activities giving them a personal satisfaction that maintain the human spirit, as our human nature.
All human beings have them from birth to death; they are universal and have belonged to the Homo sapiens from a primitive start until today no matter the origin of their culture, race, religion or social position.
The human being is integrated as a whole in mind, body and spirit to perform its role within the creation.
Knowing the human trends is essential to know the Montessori scientific pedagogy, which contributes to the development of the children favouring their adaptation to the present conditions. Every human being develops skills to adapt to changes occurring at every age, place of residence, seasons, etc., managing to meet each of these situations. Children use them without being fully aware and spontaneously, that is why they are called to be spontaneous and unconscious.
Considered as transient temporal opportunity windows from birth to the six years old. Each block is characterized by having special sensibilities for the children’s evolution and the development of a certain character. Developed at the first 6 years of life.
During these periods, boys and girls feel attraction by a particular part of the environment and not by another that is necessary for their development.
These periods are instruments that use the child’s absorbent mind, running at the same time, are discriminatory, as to say they develop a skill and not another, and are universal for all children. They have the ability to lead their absorbent mind where it is necessary, to the environment characteristics that at that very precise moment are most necessary for the child individual growth.
Children absorb in the first three years of life their environment and from three to six years expand and strengthen what they have previously learnt.
Children absorb in the first three years of life their environment and from three to six years expand and strengthen what they have previously learnt.
Each period has a different length depending on what children need to acquire, along a curve of development where there are: absorption, preparation, explosion and disappearance.
There are four identified as infancy, childhood, adolescence, and maturity. Thus, each stage should be fully developed so that the next is well displayed, given that each subsequent stage progresses on the basis of the previous one.
The virtues of Montessori adults
Environments
Nest
In a Montessori environment, your infant or toddler will be with loving, caring, and rigorously trained child development guides who create peaceful, supportive, and safe environments for our youngest children. In these spaces, children’s natural passion for wonder, curiosity, exploration and discovery come alive. Montessori infant and toddler programmes offer much more than childcare. The classroom design encourages your toddler’s emerging independence and desire for exploration. The environments are designed to promote your child’s growth in all areas of development. In addition, Montessori Infant & Toddler programs provide support and guidance to families through programs that may include parent education and parent/child group experiences.
Infant Community
During the first 3 years of life, your child develops faster than at any other time. During this phase, your child absorbs large amounts of information from the environment through observation and experiences. These are the years that lay the foundation for later learning and the stronger the foundation, the more the child can build on it. The Montessori Infant & Toddler programmes offer a curriculum that brings out each child’s unique abilities and interests. Based on daily observations, teachers introduce new materials and activities that spark curiosity and stimulate learning. Learning objectives for your child at this age include the development of skills such as language, concentration, problem solving, visual discrimination and physical coordination.
Areas of work: Art, Practical Life, Sensory and Language.
Infant Community
During the first 3 years of life, your child develops faster than at any other time. During this phase, your child absorbs large amounts of information from the environment through observation and experiences. These are the years that lay the foundation for later learning and the stronger the foundation, the more the child can build on it. The Montessori Infant & Toddler programmes offer a curriculum that brings out each child’s unique abilities and interests. Based on daily observations, teachers introduce new materials and activities that spark curiosity and stimulate learning. Learning objectives for your child at this age include the development of skills such as language, concentration, problem solving, visual discrimination and physical coordination.
Areas of work: Art, Practical Life, Sensory and Language.
Children’s House
In a Montessori 3-6 classroom, highly trained teachers create a personalised environment designed for their unique abilities, interests and learning style.
In Maria Montessori’s approach to learning, she believed (and modern science has affirmed) that moving and learning are inseparable.In the prepared classroom, children work with specially designed manipulative materials that invite exploration and engage the senses in learning.All learning activities help children choose meaningful and challenging work at their own level of interest and ability.This child-directed engagement strengthens motivation, attention and encourages responsibility.
Uninterrupted blocks of work time (usually just over 3 hours in length) allow children to work at their own pace and fully immerse themselves in an activity without interruption. The work cycle consists of selecting an activity, doing it for as long as it remains interesting, cleaning up the activity and returning it to the shelf, and making another choice of work. This cycle respects individual variations in the learning process, facilitates the development of coordination, concentration, independence and a sense of order, while facilitating the assimilation of information.
Elementary
For students returning from Montessori, the Montessori Elementary program extends the learning fostered in an early childhood program. For students new to Montessori, it orients them to the joys of responsible participation. Teachers guide children through a rigorous curriculum individually tailored to their own interests, needs and abilities. Teachers monitor progress against established benchmarks and expectations for student learning, which include: academic readiness, independence, confidence, autonomy, intrinsic motivation, social responsibility and global citizenship.
Areas of work: zoology, botany, anthropology, geography, geology, physical and biological sciences and anthropology, history, physical geography, art, language, mathematics. Music, dance, drama, sports (as a complementary activity).
Elementary
For students returning from Montessori, the Montessori Elementary program extends the learning fostered in an early childhood program. For students new to Montessori, it orients them to the joys of responsible participation. Teachers guide children through a rigorous curriculum individually tailored to their own interests, needs and abilities. Teachers monitor progress against established benchmarks and expectations for student learning, which include: academic readiness, independence, confidence, autonomy, intrinsic motivation, social responsibility and global citizenship.
Areas of work: zoology, botany, anthropology, geography, geology, physical and biological sciences and anthropology, history, physical geography, art, language, mathematics. Music, dance, drama, sports (as a complementary activity).
