The Montessori Method of education was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori. It is a child-centred educational approach that is based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood. At Kids Fort Child & Out Of School Care in Fort Saskatchewan, we follow the Montessori program approach to make your children learn better.
About the Montessori Method
The Montessori Method has been successfully tested for over 100 years in diverse cultures all through the world. In this method, the child is viewed as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. The Montessori approach values the human spirit along with an all-round development that includes the social, physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being of the child.
Hallmarks of Montessori
An authentic Montessori program includes multi-age grouping that encourages peer learning, guided choice of activity, and uninterrupted blocks of work time. Moreover, there is a full range of specially designed learning materials. These materials are meticulously arranged and available in an aesthetically pleasing environment for the children.
According to the Montessori approach, there is a learning triangle comprising the teacher, the child, and the environment. The classroom should be prepared by the teacher in such a way that it encourages in the child a sense of order, independence, and freedom within limits. The child will then make use of the environment to develop himself/herself and interact with the teacher when he/she requires guidance.
The Montessori Method uses multi-age groupings that are a hallmark of this approach. This means that younger children can learn from older children, and older children can reinforce their learning by teaching concepts they have already mastered. This arrangement is also a depiction of the real world where individuals socialize and work with people of all ages and dispositions.
Dr. Montessori observed that with the growth of children, they experience sensitive periods or windows of opportunity. According to the development of the student, appropriate materials and lessons are matched by the Montessori teachers. This will aid the child during the sensitive periods to absorb and internalize the knowledge naturally.
Montessori Approach during the Early Years
During early childhood, Montessori students learn through working with materials and sensory-motor activities. This helps in the development of their cognitive powers through direct experiences, such as hearing, smelling, touching, tasting, and movement.
When the child is in the elementary years, he/she continues to learn with the help of Montessori learning materials. With an interdisciplinary curriculum, the child organizes his/her thinking while passing from the concrete to the abstract. He then begins the application of his knowledge to real-world experiences.
Due to this organization of facts, information, and figures, the child is better prepared for the world of adolescence. This is a time when emotion and thought evolve into abstract understanding and universal concepts, such as justice, freedom, and equity.
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