Rather than group the children by age, Montessori places them in a mixed-age class. Not only does this style mirror a real community, but it also teaches tolerance and respect for others.
This mixed-age approach also encourages the older students to become role models, mentors and leaders to the younger students. Research strongly supports the mixed age group, offering children opportunities to teach each other and develop leadership skills.This provides a wonderful way to build confidence and solidify what the child has already learned.
The 3-year age span also allows the child to remain with the same teachers for that time period. This strengthens the teacher’s bond with her students and helps her understand learning style well and how best to best foster their love of learning.
Our low teacher-student ratio means that the students are afforded many opportunities for one-on-one learning. Teaching also takes place in small groups. The teacher is able to monitor the students more closely and personally than is possible in high teacher-student ratio classrooms. A close bond forms between the teacher and her students, adding to the child’s sense of self-confidence and security.
The teacher in a Montessori classroom has a less conspicuous role than does the traditional teacher. Instead of sitting at the front of the room in front of rows of desks, teaching the same concept to all the children at the same time, the Montessori teacher circulates among the children, teaching them individually or in small groups. Children work on mats on the floor or at tables and are actively involved in their education as opposed to passively. Each is pursuing his or her own interests, under the teacher’s guidance. Questions are welcomed. After being given a lesson on a particular subject, the child is free to return to that material at any time and practice it until mastered. It is the teacher’s job to assess when mastery is achieved, and then give the next lesson. Detailed record-keeping on each child is key to this process, as is observation.
Hands-on and experiential learning approach are core to the Montessori philosophy. Our hands-on teaching materials give the children learning experiences they can fully grasp at an early age. Later, they are able to understand these at an abstract level. For example, our four-year-olds are introduced to four-digit numbers with hands-on materials which they can manipulate. By the age of five, they are adding these numbers and are introduced to the other operations of subtraction, multiplication and division. All of this makes sense to the child and is not daunting but exciting.
Hands-on learning materials isolate each step of learning. Rather than giving a great deal of new information all at once in an abstract manner, these materials teach the children step by step in a concrete way. They work with each piece of equipment until they reach mastery level. Some students reach this sooner than others, but that does not matter. Each child is allowed to work at his or her own pace and feel confident in doing so. When children do not feel rushed or confused, the learning process is truly enjoyable for them.
One of the greatest differences between Montessori and traditional education is that in a Montessori classroom the children are allowed to go at their own pace. They are neither held back nor pushed ahead beyond their capabilities. They are self-paced and self-motivated to do the best they can personally, but without the pressure of competition and comparison.
In a Montessori classroom children are also allowed to work on projects for longer periods of time, with fewer interruptions. The day is not divided into 40-minute segments as it is in traditional classrooms. Instead, the children know there are certain expectations, but they are given great latitude as to how they can plan their work day. This leads to good time management skills.
Maria Montessori observed that given the opportunity, children would rather correct themselves than depend on an adult to do it for them. She believed that making mistakes was a natural part of learning and that developing self-correction skills helped children develop confidence and decision-making ability. Montessori materials generally contain a ‘control of error’, which provides quick feedback for the student and allows him or her to self-correct independently. In this system, the responsibility for correction rests predominantly with the student rather than the teacher.
In contrast, the traditional education system leaves it up to the teacher to correct work, usually involving grading. Children compare themselves with each other in that model and are always seen as either better or worse than other students.
The emphasis in Montessori education is on the process of learning, not the product of a completed worksheet or test. Knowledge comes from the children asking questions, not being given the answers. Montessori students are encouraged to study things out for themselves and make their own discoveries. They may learn test taking skills at the Elementary level, but this is done as a work in itself. The curriculum covered is the equivalent or superior to what is taught in traditional schools, but is not geared simply to a test. The children are not taught to memorize and regurgitate facts, but rather to understand them within a greater whole. The cosmic curriculum of integrated studies taught in Montessori education is holistic. It engages the child’s whole mind and sparks his or her imagination.
Self-discipline is a prerequisite condition for genuine learning and growth. Montessori discipline is an inner discipline and control, which stems from the child making corret choices. Montessori education provides a mulitude of opportuniies for choice and decision making each day. Teachers encourage their students to assess the effects of their choices, both on themselves and on others around them.
Dr. Montessori noted that many so-called undisciplined children were simply frustrated by the lack of proper stimulation and an inadequate opportunity to be successful. She noted that young people became happier and more self-controlled after a period of time in a Montessori class. Experiencing challenging tasks not only absorbed their energies, but also resulted in a higher level of achievement and self-confidence.
Peace education and conflict resolution are taught and practiced in Montessori schools. Children with differences of opinion discuss their source of conflict at a ‘peace table’ using a ‘peace rose’. The child hollding the rose has the right to express him or herself while the other child listens. When the conflict is resolved, the children announce “We declare peace” and return to their activities. Peace education is taught in a variety of ways that the children can see as applicable to their own lives.
Children in a Montessori classroom are free to move around and converse with other students about their lessons. This is important for the development of social skills as well as helping them academically. Research shows that children perform better when they can move around instead of having to remain seated for long periods of time. Children love to work collaboratively, especially at the Elementary level.
Montessori students have the benefit of an individualized education that is hard to achieve in a traditional setting. Not only does the Montessori teacher track where each student is, but she teaches according to the child’s pace and learning style. Only the cultural subjects are taught as a group, and even then the children are free to pursue their own activities and research after the lesson is over. Math and language are taught precisely at the level each student is comfortable with, while still challenging the child.
“We cannot know the consequences of suppressing a child's spontaneity when he is just beginning to be active. We may even suffocate life itself. That humanity which is revealed in all its intellectual splendor during the sweet and tender age of childhood should be respected with a kind of religious veneration. It is like the sun which appears at dawn or a flower just beginning to bloom. Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child to open up himself to life.”