The Montessori Method

Many of us recognize the word Montessori and associate it with a unique style of teaching and learning. We may also know something of its founder, Dr. Maria Montessori, and the specially designed materials she created for use in her classrooms, but beyond this, what exactly is the Montessori curriculum and how does it differ from other educational methods?  The following are key components of the Montessori Method:

Following the Child

Learning from Each Other

The Montessori Materials

The Teacher as Mentor

Freedom & Positive Guidance

Communication & Curriculum

Following the Child

Dr. Montessori was an Italian physician who lived from 1870-1952. Through the scientific observation of children, she concluded that each child innately possesses the knowledge of what she or he needs to do in order to develop fully. Her goal was to develop a prepared educational environment in which children could choose their own work based on a readiness to absorb and master the academic concepts that they were driven to learn.

 Learning from Each Other

Classrooms at Cooper look, feel, and sound different from their counterparts. Students work together in classes that span a three-year age group, typically ages 3-6, 6-9, 9-12. This arrangement allows each child to learn at his or her own pace regardless of chronological age, and allows students to learn from each other. The older children guide the younger children through the same processes they learned in years past, and children share special skills and knowledge with each other. In a Montessori classroom, students are free to choose their own work within limits and follow a monthly work plan developed to complete a three-year spiraling curriculum. As a result, the atmosphere in a Montessori classroom is calm, non-competitive, and industrious. Such an environment fosters self-confidence and provides a base from which cooperation, understanding, tolerance, and responsibility is learned.

 The Montessori Materials

The Montessori classroom is characterized by quiet excitement, creativity, and the use of specially designed materials not found in traditional classrooms. Attractive and intriguing, these materials are designed to show, rather than tell, the child how to accomplish a certain task.  Long chains of shimmering beads present an opportunity for skip counting, the precursor for multiplication.  Sandpaper letters are traced to learn letter sounds and shapes in preparation for writing and reading, while the study of zoological materials allows young children to classify by fish, amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal. These and other Montessori-designed materials help students grasp solid academic concepts, thus building a solid foundation for more complex academic learning in the elementary grades.

 The Teacher as a Mentor

The Montessori teacher is a skilled educator who has completed one or more years of intensive Montessori training beyond completion of a four-year college degree or more. All teachers at Cooper are Montessori certified. Consistent with the Montessori approach, the teachers serve as mentors to the children, providing the guidance and challenge of meaningful work. The primary goal of the Montessori teacher is to free the student from dependence on direction. This builds self-esteem and gives the student a tremendous skill base for problem-solving, independent thinking, concentration on and completion of tasks, and successful participation in leadership activities later in life. The teacher respects the child’s need for self-accomplishment and uses the tools of observation, patience, and judgment to know just when help is needed and when to allow a child to work something through on their own. Montessori students have the additional benefit of remaining with the same teacher for three years.

 Freedom & Positive Guidance

Discipline (positive guidance) and freedom go hand in hand in the Montessori classroom, and while the rules may be few, they are vitally important. As children pursue their own work, they are likewise taught to respect the work of others. Patience is learned while waiting for a turn at a given lesson or group activity, which helps the child develop an “inner discipline” rather than one imposed externally.  The behavior of the Montessori teacher and the returning students set a tone in the classroom for new students. The lessons of “grace and courtesy” begin on each child’s first day and a sense of community is soon established as all children begin to make the classroom their own.

A common goal at Cooper is to provide students with as many positive school relationships as possible with both peers and adults. Toward this end, teachers and staff assist children in

developing appropriate social skills, maximizing their use of self-control and respecting the rights of others. While preventative planning of classroom activities can eliminate many discipline problems, positive guidance techniques are applied when necessary. To ensure success, such techniques are applied individually to the child. What differs is the method used to resolve the situation, and this is guided by the staff’s extensive knowledge of each child’s personality.

 Communication & Curriculum

The Montessori school day is characterized by longer “blocks of time” which give students an opportunity to immerse themselves deeply in their work without interruption. The curriculum encompasses a full range of subjects including reading, writing, mathematics, geometry, science, geography, history, art , physical education, and music.  Field trips take learning beyond the classroom and expose students to the rich variety of resources available in the local and surrounding communities.