At Creative Minds Montessori, we believe a Montessori teacher should:
- Observe. This really can't be stressed enough.
- Model correct behavior. “Good behavior is caught, not taught," so the saying goes.
- Take care of the classroom.
- Lead the children toward independence.
- Remain curious.
- Trust the Montessori method.
Listed below are 6 steps for preparing your lesson plan before your class.
- Identify the learning objectives.
- Plan the specific learning activities.
- Plan to assess student understanding.
- Plan to sequence the lesson in an engaging and meaningful manner.
- Create a realistic timeline.
- Plan for a lesson closure.
The Montessori Method of education is based on Doctor Maria Montessori's (1870-1952) scientific observations about how children learn as they progress from birth to adulthood. The Montessori Curriculum covers five key learning areas, including: Practical Life, Sensorial, Mathematics, Language and Culture.
While a popular choice for preschool, Montessori is for children from infancy to 18 years (depending on school). Versus public and private schools, Montessori offers a child-centred learning environment (whereas the teacher is the center of the classroom in any other environment).
No grades, rewards, or punishments: Although some parents worry about the lack of traditional homework and letter-grade report cards, a 2006 study published in the journal Science found that Montessori students tend to show advanced social skills and creativity, and perform better on reading and math tests than peers
The CurriculumThe Early Childhood classroom offers your child 5 areas of study: Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, and Cultural Studies.
The five steps involved are the Anticipatory Set, Introduction of New Material, Guided Practice, Independent Practice and Closure.
The Role of the TeacherTheir role is to observe each child and present lessons to them when they are ready. The Montessori teacher controls the environment, not the children. This unique role allows the Montessori teacher to be a trusted guide and mentor.
Montessori activities are self-motivated. Each child is free to follow their interests, choose their own work, and progress at their own pace. As Doctor Maria Montessori stated: “I have studied the child.
Directress or guide – Historically, the designation for the lead teacher in a Montessori classroom; some schools still refer to the lead teacher as “directress” or “guide,” while others use the more recognizable term, “teacher.” In Montessori education, the role of the teacher is to guide individual children to
So, why is the Pink Tower pink? And to answer the mystery as to why the Pink Tower is pink, Dr. Maria Montessori experimented with different colours and she observed that the children were more attracted to the colour pink, compared to the other colours.
The Pink Tower is the iconic Montessori material. Often called the 'symbol of Montessori', it is a welcoming sign in any Montessori environment, and a favourite with educators globally. Part of the sensorial area, it is comprised of 10 pink wooden cubes, in 3 different dimensions.
Five Rules of the Road
- Remember to sit side by side next to the child rather than across the table.
- Let your fingers do most of the talking.
- Model activities from left to right.
- Exaggerate your movements especially regarding care of the materials.
- Note that formal lessons are not always necessary.
The Montessori Work Cycle is the time when children are free to work with any materials on their classroom shelves that they have been introduced to. The child is encouraged to take the work off the shelf, and independently work with the materials on a table or at a work mat.
The Five Principles
- Principle 1: Respect for the Child.
- Principle 2: The Absorbent Mind.
- Principle 3: Sensitive Periods.
- Principle 4: The Prepared Environment.
- Principle 5: Auto education.
Montessori identified eleven different sensitive periods occurring from birth through the age of six: order, movement, small objects, grace and courtesy, refinement of the senses, writing, reading, language, spatial relationships, music, and mathematics.
Montessori learning MAterialsUsing manipulatives like thermic tiles, counting beads, and movable maps allow students to scaffold their learning with concrete materials until they reach the point in each subject where they can work in abstraction.
Educating for Human DevelopmentMontessori students are shown at an early age that they are a part of a caring community. To this end, a Montessori education calls for students to understand and champion values like peace, community, honesty, justice, equality, compassion, and understanding.
The Montessori Theory is a method of teaching developed by Maria Montessori where the key principles are Independence, Observation, Following the Child, Correcting the Child, Prepared Environment and Absorbent Mind. The Montessori Theory methods, concepts and foundation principles can be applied across all ages.
The purpose and aim of Sensorial work is for the child to acquire clear, conscious, information and to be able to then make classifications in his environment. Montessori believed that sensorial experiences began at birth. Through his senses, the child studies his environment.
Sensory Skills
- Smell.
- Touch.
- Vestibular (inner ear)
- Proprioception (the ability to know where one's body is in space)
- Balance and spatial perception.
Sensorial activities are used in Montessori learning to help children in discrimination and order. They also help broaden and refine a child's senses. When a child combines Montessori designed materials with sensorial work, it helps them become more logical, perceptive, and aware.
Montessori language materials are designed primarily to teach children the intricacies of written and spoken language. A firm grasp of writing and speaking will allow students to progress with their learning. Students use language materials to explore letters, sounds, handwriting, and eventually spelling and writing.
Research shows that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain's pathways, which lead to the child's ability to complete more complex learning tasks. Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction.
A young child meets the world around him through the constant use of all his senses. To examine a new object, a baby will look at it, hold it in his hands to feel the texture and weight, shake it, lick it, or even try to bite it.
The sensorial area activities help the child develop his awareness of the different characteristics and qualities of objects around him/her by using the senses.
Montessori math uses the golden bead material; first to build numbers into the thousands. Once a child is able to build a visual representation of a number, the beads are used to teach basic operations. Young children are able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers into the thousands using this material.
Imagine back to when you were an infant. An infant has no preconceived notions of the world around him. Thus, he gathers impressions through his senses to help him develop a connection between his inner self and the outside world.
