What is
Montessori
Montessori is a system of education for young children that seeks to develop natural interests and activities rather than the use of formal teaching methods. Developed around 1909 – 1915, the Montessori education system has proven to be an effective and reliable method that is popular throughout the world.
Dr. Maria Montessori
Founder of the Montessori system, was an Italian physician and educator. She discovered that experimental learning (using things from around the environment) led to a better and deeper experience compared to formal education systems.
She believed that children can learn through their own experience and at their own pace, responding at any moment to the natural curiosities that exist in all humans. By encouraging a child to tap into their desire to explore and discover, they are therefore able to build a solid foundation for life-long learning.
As a result, Maria Montessori concluded that children had the power to educate themselves when placed in an environment where activities were designed to support their natural development.
METHODS
Practical Life
Practical life is where a child learns to care for a person and the physical environment around them. The goal of Practical Life is to ensure the child achieves coordination, control of movement and exploration of their surroundings.
Children will learn to complete a task from beginning to end, developing their will, self-discipline, the capacity of concentration and self-confidence. Example activities include watering plants, cleaning, self-care and many more.
Sensorial Education
Montessori believed that children begin their sensorial experiences at birth. As children grow up, they explore and learn by interacting with their environment through their senses.
The aim of Sensorial Education is for the child to develop clear, conscious, information and to be able to make classifications in their environment. This is achieved by going through all their senses, the sense of sight, touch, smell, sound and taste. The children are provided with unique learning materials that are designed specifically to foster sensorial development.
Languages
Language is a vital learning skill; it is the way a person expresses and communicates with others. Children are said to have already developed a sense of understanding with languages at a very young age.
Our focus is to expose the child to a wide range of communicable skills, using a multi-sensory technique to enhance the learning process. A mixture of touch, visual and sound base activities that will help express their thoughts and ideas in the language department.
Mathematics
From the moment a child is born, they are already impacted by maths. A baby is constantly calculating things around them, estimating patterns, identifying differences and formulating what will be the concept of numbers. It is said that we are all born with the “mathematical mind”.
We aim to promote the child’s mathematical ability by emphasising the use of visuals and encouraging a hands-on approach in order to introduce abstract concepts. This helps the child to develop a sequential understanding of mathematical theory.
Cultural Studies
How a child develops their social skills at a young age will almost certainly affect the quality of their social interactions come adulthood. The ability to interact with other people forms not only their view of the world, but of themselves too. In an increasingly connected world, being aware of the different places and cultures around them shall enrichen their experience and help develop their understanding of being able to accept differences and respect others.
In a Montessori school, Social Studies is broken down into three categories: geography, history, and culture. We use multiple learning strategies to ensure each child effectively develops their understanding of themselves and their world so that they are prepared for the next step in their education.
Art and Music
The freedom to create and express. Every child has the ability to imagine, even before they can speak.
We focus on the child freely expressing themselves through multiple art mediums. It is important to understand that a child views art differently, as they find joy in its process rather than the outcome. It is also through art that children develop their fine motor skills.
We aim to provide open-ended art activities that will help your children to explore and enjoy the process of creating.
Cosmic Education
Cosmic Education is a cornerstone of the Montessori Philosophy. This study will take place after the children have mastered all the above topics.
This is a preparation to the study of the world and how it came to be. It tells the story of the interconnectedness of all things and introduces the possibility that humanity might have a “cosmic task,” to better the world for future generations.
LEARNING MATERIALS
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Self-Care
The process and teaching of hygiene and self-regulation. It is important for children to learn how to keep themselves clean, for their own benefit and others around them. This involves task like nose blowing, hair brushing and some hair clips to practise with.
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Cylinder Blocks (Knobbed Cylinders)
These are used to develop the child’s visual discrimination of size, which prepares the child for later work in math. Handling these knobbed cylinders also indirectly prepares and strengthens a child’s pincer grip.
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Sandpaper Letters
This is a process that involves the child’s sensorial abilities to internalize the shapes of the letters, the sounds, and the differences between the groups.
Each letter of the alphabet is formed from sandpaper and mounted on a square tile. Consonants and vowels are mounted on different coloured tiles, and key sounds (that can’t be conveyed with a single letter) are mounted on a third colour.
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Number Rods
The rods introduce students to the concepts of numbers and counting. A set of ten wooden rods, the shortest being 10 centimetres long, and increasing by 10 centimetres each time. The number rods make their number of sections apparent by having each 10-centimetre segment alternate between blue and red.
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Sandpaper Globe (Geography)
This is a small world globe with the land areas covered with sandpaper and the water surfaces painted blue. The Sandpaper Globe helps the child develop a concept of the shape of the earth and the visualization of it’s distribution of land and water.