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Our Curriculum

 

Montessori Curriculum

Montessori is an educational approach that was introduced to the world by Italy’s first female physician, Dr. Maria Montessori.  She began the first Casa dei Bambini, or “Children’s House” in 1907 in the San Lorenzo district of Rome, Italy.  After closely studying and observing children and their natural tendencies from birth to maturity she developed system of auto-didactic materials which is now known as the Montessori Method.  However, it is not a method of education or a specific curriculum that the teacher simply applies to the child, but rather a philosophy that appreciates unconditionally and seeks to understand the unique attributes of the total human being at every stage of development.

There are several characteristics that unify Montessori schools around the world: the Prepared Environment, Auto-Didactic Materials, and Normalization.  Montessori schools have a Prepared Environment which is designed to foster a love for learning. The shelves are low and the materials are inviting.  Everything has its place and the children thrive in its structure. The classroom itself has at least six main areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math, Science, and Culture. The children are allowed to choose and work at their own pace. The range of activities is great because there are children of various ages and development levels exploring their work independently.  Also, the environment contains materials for development that foster the child’s interest in learning through careful observation of lessons and then exploration. The discoveries that the child makes are directed by a trained adult, usually known as the Directress.  Each activity isolates one educational concept and is self-correcting. In other words, if the child is working with a material and completes it incorrectly, the child will see the error in his work rather than have the adult point it out. This allows the child to think analytically to come up with his solution and thus promotes self-confidence and a real sense of doing it “by myself.”  Finally, if one walks into a Montessori setting, it is clear that the children are engaged, happy, and their doing “work” with ease.  Maria Montessori called this process “normalization.”  When children concentrate and develop inner-discipline they are truly joyful.  She stated in her book, The Absorbent Mind, that this is, “the most important single result of our whole work.”

These principles are what have formed the Montessori pedagogy since Maria Montessori began her work with children.  In 2007, we celebrated 100 years since the social movement began.  Maria Montessori gave sixty children in San Lorenzo a “chance to live” in 1907 and today the message is the same. The Montessori movement seeks to champion the cause of all children thus leading a future in which global peace is a reality.

 

Primary Class

Montessori created the primary curriculum for children 3 to 6 years old after years of observation and work with children of all ages. The primary curriculum specifically aims to address the child’s needs at this age with a vision of the whole child. The child’s experiences from birth to six become an inseparable part of his or her character, and are the foundation for the child’s independent action and reflection in the future. The primary classroom includes five general curriculum areas: practical life, sensorial, mathematics, language and moral education; each of which is presented to the child gradually and according to his or her needs and capacities.  

 

Toddler Class

The toddler program is designed to meet the special needs and tendencies of children 1.5 to 3 years of age. Dr. Montessori realized that once a child stands upright and walks he experience of free movement birth”. Having experienced the independence of free movement the child is able to move into the larger social community.

The toddler experiences a biological and psychological necessity to move. The rapidly developing bones, muscle movement are an integral part of the toddler program. Moving furniture for various activities is built into the natural rhythm of her day. Psychologically the child needs to experience free movement and freedom within limits. Children in the toddler also develop their fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination through the use of various classroom materials made expressly for this purpose. 

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