Central to the Montessori Approach is the philosophy.
Montessori saw that children learn best by doing, and that happy self-motivated learners form positive images of themselves as confident, successful people. She created specially designed resources to foster independence and a love for learning from an early age.
The Montessori approach is holistic and aims to develop the whole child. Fundamental to the approach is the belief that a child’s early years from birth to six are the period when they have the greatest capacity to learn.
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Potential of the child
Each child is born with enormous potential, which, given sensitive support, will unfold, revealing the uniqueness of each human being.
Order and structure
Children thrive when their environments are ordered and structured. The order of the favourable/ prepared environment enables children to have an element of control over their lives. They begin to understand what is expected of them, how to behave and how to access the activities available to them.
Big teachers
The adults in Montessori settings facilitate children’s learning by preparing a favourable environment. They use observation as a vital tool for understanding and nurturing individual potential within each child. They trust and respect the child.
Think child sized
The classroom is prepared in relation to the size of the children, ensuring that everything is accessible to facilitate learning and development.
Life skills
Children’s independence is a key objective of the Montessori approach. Acquiring life skills such as personal hygiene, dressing, caring for them-selves and the environment are at the heart of Montessori classroom practice, as are good manners and respect for each other and the environment.
Language, communication and literacy
Montessori teachers encourage the development of children’s language skills through songs, rhymes and games. Through listening to children and engaging in conversations with them, children’s vocabulary is extended and their ability to express their ideas orally is extended. All these skills are the foundation for the Montessori literacy programme which is based on phonics and introduces grammar alongside the child’s growing reading and writing skills.
Outdoors
The outdoor classroom is not a new concept for Montessorians. Montessori advocated closeness to nature with opportunities to learn both inside and outside. The organisation and the planning of the outdoor classroom are based on the same principles as the inside classroom and span all areas of learning.
Social skills leading to a respectful community of learners
Polite behaviour is modelled for children at every opportunity and “grace and courtesy” are encouraged. The favourable environment promotes concern and respect and guides children in their growing social interactions and nurtures respectful relationships leading to social cohesion.
“Help me to do it by myself”
This is the motto of all children – they are driven by their need to be autonomous. Montessori education facilitates this need by enabling children to develop skills for life and giving them opportunities to become competent in looking after themselves. This requires time and patience.
Children’s sensitive periods
Sensitive periods are a key feature of Montessori philosophy. These unique “windows of opportunity” are the optimum time for the development of skills and aptitudes which will support the unfolding of their true potential.
Little teachers
The mixed age group (vertical grouping) of each classroom enables children to learn from the environment and from each other.
Careful preparation
Montessori classrooms are carefully prepared offering children opportunities for spontaneous engagement in activities. Observations guide teachers in creating such learning environments.
The Sensorial materials
All children learn through sensory exploration of their environment – the sensorial activities in a Montessori classroom build on the child’s early impressions of the world and form a foundation of all future learning.
Numeracy and Arithmetic
Many of the early numeracy skills are rooted in everyday activities of the classroom and within the sensorial activities which give opportunities for sorting, sequencing, matching, pairing, and shape recognition. The Montessori arithmetic materials build a firm foundation for number operations through manipulation of concrete representations of number and numeral recognition.
Imagination and Creativity
The Montessori classroom nurtures children’s imagination by providing many opportunities for exploration, representation and creativity in all areas of the environment. Montessorians believe that all such activities foster creative thinking and support the unique nature of all human beings.