Last month, we told you about how our school is structured so that children of different ages have opportunities to interact with and learn from one another. (If you missed that article, click here to get caught up!)
Today, we’re going to share some of the unique characteristics of the workspaces where our students spend their time.
An authentic Montessori classroom is anything but ordinary, but it should always be these four things:
• Appealing: students should be magnetized to work that provokes their imagination
• Accessible: low shelving and easy to reach objects promote interaction early on
• Instructive: individualized instruction in a home-like setting keeps conversations intimate between students and teachers
• Intuitive: children should be given the opportunity to explore and discover independently with guidance as needed
You’ll also notice that each of our classrooms is customized for the plane of development of the children using the space.
Rather than letting each child run wild, our teachers direct students towards the day’s “work” or set of materials in subjects such as math, science, art, language, and geography. In our classrooms, you won’t see Children’s House (3-6) students engaging in passive worksheets or workbooks to simply pass time. Instead, each student is given a presentation of the work at hand, how to use it, and why it applies to the greater world outside. Students also begin to write and learn cursive in children’s house, so that by the elementary level they’re able to journal about their experiences and most important takeaways from their hands-on work.
The result is a revolutionary approach to learning with intention – a seedling of an idea has the power to inform a child’s entire day.
A Montessori education is designed to help children interact in a variety of ways that stimulate the senses. Role plays and modeling are often employed to explain an idea, while bright colors, low shelving, and small groups offer physical, intellectual, and emotional motivation to help students keep exploring on their own.
A natural curiosity is the firestarter that illuminates the world’s brightest imaginations.
“Today in class, I created my own Earth art. I used blue markers to draw the ocean, and colorful ones to draw the land!” (Student: Drew Denault / Parent: Tracy Denault)
You’re invited! Come get an inside look at our classrooms by scheduling a tour today.
Tomorrow, we’ll be talking about the freedoms Montessori School students enjoy, and the intentional boundaries that are designed to make those freedom instructive. Until then, please feel welcome to come check out our environment for yourself!
