{"id":17,"date":"2018-08-21T13:47:38","date_gmt":"2018-08-21T13:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/growingconcern.org.prv01.nsource.com\/?page_id=17"},"modified":"2018-09-27T12:40:45","modified_gmt":"2018-09-27T12:40:45","slug":"about-montessori","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.growingconcern.org\/index.php\/about-montessori\/","title":{"rendered":"About Montessori"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Purpose of Montessori Education<\/h1>\n

The Growing Concern Montessori Preschool and Kindergarten, and Private Elementary School uses Montessori principles of education. The following information is provided to help parents of prospective students become familiar with our teaching methods. We encourage you to contact the school with any questions you may have.<\/p>\n

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Dr. Maria Montessori<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The following is taken from \u201cA Parents\u2019 Guide to the Montessori Classroom\u201d by Aline D. Wolf.<\/p>\n

Dr. Maria Montessori believed that no human being is educated by another person.\u00a0 She must do it herself or it will never be done.\u00a0 A truly educated individual continues learning long after the hours and years she spends in the classroom because she is motivated from within by a natural curiosity and love for knowledge.\u00a0 Dr. Montessori felt, therefore, that the goal of early childhood education should not be to fill the child with facts from a pre-selected course of studies, but rather to cultivate her own natural desire to learn.<\/p>\n

In the Montessori classroom this objective is approached in two ways:\u00a0 first, by allowing each child to experience the excitement of learning by her own choice rather than by being forced; and second, by helping her to perfect all her natural tools for learning, so that her ability will be at a maximum in future learning situations.\u00a0The Montessori materials have this dual long-range purpose in addition to their immediate purpose of giving specific information to the child.<\/p>\n

How the Children Learn<\/h2>\n
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Math Manipulatives<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The use of the materials is based on the young child\u2019s unique aptitude for learning which Dr. Montessori identified as the \u201cabsorbent mind\u201d.\u00a0 In her writings she frequently compared the young mind to a sponge.\u00a0It literally absorbs information from the environment.\u00a0 The process is particularly evident in the way in which a two-year old learns his native language, without formal instruction and without conscious, tedious effort which an adult must make to master a foreign language.\u00a0 Acquiring information in this way is a natural and delightful activity for the young child who employs all his senses to investigate his interesting surroundings.<\/p>\n

Since the child retains this ability to learn by absorbing until he is almost seven years old, Dr. Montessori reasoned that his experience could be enriched by a classroom where he could handle materials which would demonstrate basic educational information to him.\u00a0 Over eighty years of experience have proved her theory that a young child can learn to read, write and calculate in the same natural way that he learns to walk and talk.\u00a0 In a Montessori classroom the equipment\u00a0invites him to do this at his own periods of interest and readiness.<\/p>\n

Dr. Montessori always emphasized that the hand is the chief teacher of the child.\u00a0 In order to learn there must be concentration, and the best way a child can concentrate is by fixing his attention on some task he is performing with this hands.\u00a0 (The adult habit of doodling is a remnant of this practice.)\u00a0 All the equipment in a Montessori classroom allows the child to reinforce his casual impressions by inviting him to use his hands for learning.<\/p>\n

Importance of the Early Years<\/h2>\n

In The Absorbent Mind<\/em>, Dr. Montessori wrote, \u201cThe most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six.\u00a0 For that is the time when man\u2019s intelligence itself, his greatest implement is being formed.\u00a0 But not only his intelligence, the full totality of his psychic powers\u2026At no other age has the child greater need of intelligent help, and any obstacle that impedes his creative work will lessen the chance he has of achieving perfection.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Fairy Hut<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Modern psychological studies based on controlled research have confirmed these theories of Dr. Montessori.\u00a0 After analyzing thousands of such studies, Dr. Benjamin S. Bloom of the University of Chicago, wrote in Stability and Change in Human Characteristics<\/em>, \u201cFrom conception to age 4, the individual develops 50% of his mature intelligence; from ages 4 to 8 he develops another 30% . . .This would suggest the very rapid growth of intelligence in the early years and the possible great influence of the early environment on this development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Dr. Montessori, Dr. Bloom believes \u201cthat the environment will have maximum impact on a specific trait during that trait\u2019s period of most rapid growth.\u201d\u00a0 As an extreme example, a starvation diet would not affect the height of an eighteen year-old, but could severely retard the growth of a one year-old baby.\u00a0 Since eighty percent of the child\u2019s mental development takes place before he is eight years old, the importance of favorable conditions during these years can hardly be over emphasized.<\/p>\n

Role of the Teacher<\/h2>\n
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Teacher observing a Language work<\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a Montessori classroom there is no front of the room and no teacher\u2019s desk as a focal point of attention because the stimulation comes from the total environment.\u00a0 Dr. Montessori always referred to the teacher as a \u201cdirectress\u201d, and her role differs considerably from that of a traditional teacher.\u00a0 She is, first of all, a very keen observer of the individual interests and the needs of each child, and her daily work proceeds from her observations rather than from a prepared curriculum.\u00a0 She demonstrates the correct use of materials as they are individually chosen by the children.\u00a0She carefully watches the progress of each child and keeps a record of his work with the materials.<\/p>\n

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Teacher observing a Math work<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She is trained to recognize periods of readiness.\u00a0 Sometimes she must divert a child who chooses a material which is beyond his ability; at other times she must encourage a child who is hesitant.\u00a0 Whenever a child makes a mistake, she refrains, if possible, from intervening and allows him to discover his own error through further manipulation of the self-correcting material.\u00a0 This procedure follows Dr. Montessori\u2019s principle that a child learns through experience.<\/p>\n

Behavior of the Child<\/h2>\n
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Geography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is always a busy hum of activity in a Montessori classroom because the use of the materials involves many motions \u2013 walking, carrying, pouring, speaking and particularly the constant use of the hands.\u00a0 All activity, however, is guided by a respect for the teacher, a respect for the work of others, and a respect for the materials themselves.\u00a0 Dr. Montessori never equated goodness with silence and immobility.\u00a0 Self-discipline, she felt, should be acquired gradually through the absorption in meaningful work.\u00a0 When a child becomes vitally interested in a particular classroom activity, his behavior almost always matures.\u00a0 If a child misbehaves in a Montessori classroom, the teacher usually helps him select work which will more fully absorb his attention.<\/p>\n

Why Mixed Age Groups?<\/h2>\n
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Working Together<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If classroom equipment is to be challenging enough to provoke a learning response, it must be properly matched to the standard which an individual child has already developed in his past experience.\u00a0 This experience is so varied that the most satisfying choice can usually be made only by the child himself.\u00a0 The Montessori classroom offers him the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of graded materials.\u00a0 The child can grow as his interests lead him from\u00a0one level of complexity to another.\u00a0 Having children with a three to four year age span together permits the younger children a graded series of models for imitation, and the older ones an opportunity to reinforce their own knowledge by helping the younger ones.<\/p>\n

Non-Competitive Atmosphere<\/h2>\n
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Puzzle Maps and Timelines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Because the children work individually with the materials, there is no competition in the Montessori classroom.\u00a0 Each child relates only to his own previous work, and his progress is not compared to the achievements of other youngsters.\u00a0 Dr. Montessori believed that competition in education should be introduced only after the child has gained confidence in the use of the basic skills.\u00a0 \u201cNever let a child risk failure,\u201d she wrote, \u201cuntil he has a reasonable chance of success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accommodation of Different Abilities<\/h2>\n
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Busy Classroom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The use of individual materials permits a varied pace that accommodates many levels of ability in the classroom.\u00a0 A younger or slower child may work for many weeks on the same piece of equipment without holding back the other members of the class.\u00a0 Advanced children in the same room can move from one piece of equipment to another very quickly, thus avoiding the boredom of waiting for other members of the class to catch up.\u00a0 The children with a high level of ability are constantly challenged by the wide variety of materials and their many uses.<\/p>\n

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Cell Study<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is a well-established fact that young children mature at very different rates and their periods of readiness for academic subjects vary a great deal.\u00a0 Because interest is stimulated and the materials are at hand whenever a child is ready, some youngsters in a Montessori class begin to read and calculate at an unusually early age.\u00a0 However, very early learning is not the norm, nor was it ever Dr. Montessori\u2019s objective.\u00a0 Her ideal was only that the learning experience should occur naturally and joyfully at the proper moment for each individual child.\u00a0 \u201cIt is true, we cannot make a genius;\u201d Dr. Montessori once wrote, \u201dwe can only give each individual the chance to fulfill his potential possibilities to become an independent, secure, and balanced human being.<\/p>\n

Outdoor Activity<\/h2>\n
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Building a Fort<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Outdoor play is another important part of a Montessori program.<\/p>\n

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It is a vital part of a young child\u2019s physical and mental development<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"fort-no-kids.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Our curriculum emphasizes nature and the changing seasons. What better way to learn about the natural world than by being together on our woodland playground.<\/p>\n

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\"Morgan
Swinging with friends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We spend time outdoors everyday in all weather, except rain. Children dress appropriately for this daily activity<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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Turning over a rock to see what\u2019s underneath<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Outside Break<\/p>\n
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Playing under the big tree<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Playing in the creek<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Top<\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Growing Concern uses Montessori principles of education. Learn more here…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":83,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/full-width-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-17","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","with-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growingconcern.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growingconcern.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growingconcern.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growingconcern.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growingconcern.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.growingconcern.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":603,"href":"https:\/\/www.growingconcern.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17\/revisions\/603"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growingconcern.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growingconcern.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}