There are many standout characteristics that make up the Montessori method in the preschool environment (age 3 to 6) but six of them form the core and parents can use these six pointers when they are looking for a true Montessori casa for their child.
- The school supports the Montessori philosophy. Here are a few pointers to help you get your head around this –
- The child is viewed as a sponge – absorbing information from the environment around the child using the 5 senses – vision, hearing, touch, taste & smell.
- The Montessori philosophy believes that the child has sensitive periods when the child is receptive to specific learning
- The primary goal of the method is to make the child independent and in control of her life.
2. The school/casa does not have separate classrooms/environments for the different age groups. We see all the children working in one area – this helps facilitate mentoring & leadership.
3. The teachers are trained either by AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) or Indian Montessori Centre’s training wing IMTC (Indian Montessori Training Centre).
AMI is the body started by Madam Montessori’s son, Mario, and is based in the Netherlands – https://montessori-ami.org/home
IMC/IMTC was started by a group of AMI Montessorians who wanted to make the teacher training more culture specific to the Indian culture and also wanted to offer the training courses at lower costs to the trainees – https://indianmontessoricentre.org/
4. The children are working with the specially designed Montessori materials in all the areas of development – Practical Life Activities, Sensorial, Language, Math, Botany, Geography etc.
5. The children are free to decide on the materials to work with (within certain boundaries like readiness for the activity & whether it has been presented to the child by the teacher) – this leads to motivation and attention.
6. The children are given an uninterrupted span of time to work at their own speed without breaks/end of period bells etc. They are free to pause and have a snack or go to the toilet but will need to wind up before this break OR resume the activity after the break.
If you have any queries around the Montessori philosophy/method, teacher training, materials, or just about anything related to this great alternative early education method, feel free to email your queries/questions to admin@oliviamontessori.com
Love & Respects, as always.
