Montessori Method

Nearly 100 years ago, Dr. Maria Montessori, Italy’s first female physician, inspired the birth of a worldwide educational movement.

Drawing upon her scientific background and clinical understanding, Dr. Montessori observed how young people learned best when engaged in purposeful activity rather than simply being fed information. She recognized that children’s cognitive growth and development required the construction of an educational framework that would respect individuality and fulfil the needs of the “whole child.”

Her philosophy, materials, and practices have spread around the globe and have been implemented in a variety of cultural settings.

The Montessori Preschool Program

The Montessori preschool classroom is a "living room" for children. Children choose their work from among the self-correcting materials displayed on open shelves, and they work in specific work areas. Over a period of time, the children develop into a "normalized community," working with high concentration and fewer interruptions.

The materials and activities presented to the children allow for concrete manipulation so that learning is relevant and meaningful. In the Montessori preschool environment, five distinct areas constitute the prepared environment:

• Practical Life enhances the development of task organization and cognitive order through care of self, care of the environment, exercises of grace and courtesy, and coordination of physical movement.
• The Sensorial area enables the child to order, classify, and describe sensory impressions in relation to length, width, temperature, mass, colour, pitch, etc.
• Mathematics makes use of manipulative materials to enable the child to internalize concepts of number, symbol, sequence, operations, and memorization of basic facts.
• Language Arts includes oral language development, written expression, reading, study of grammar, creative dramatics, and children's literature. Basic skills in writing and reading are developed through the use of sandpaper letters, alphabet cut-outs and various presentations allowing children to link sounds and letter symbols effortlessly and to express their thoughts through writing.
• Cultural Activities expose the child to basics in geography, history and life sciences. Music, art, and movement education are part of the integrated cultural curriculum.