The Montessori Method “Our care of children should be governed not by the desire ‘to make them learn things’, but by the endeavor always to keep burning within them that light which is called intelligence.” – Dr. Maria Montessori Children possess an unusual sensitivity and intellectual ability to absorb and learn from their environment. They [...]
What makes Montessori unique? The main purpose of an authentic Montessori education is to provide a carefully planned, stimulating environment that helps children develop an excellent foundation for learning and leadership. In authentic Montessori environments, teaching methods and materials demonstrate the philosophical commitment to support students and prepare them to handle whatever challenges they may [...]
Montessori Philosophy "The child is endowed with unknown powers, which can guide us to a radiant future. If what we really want is a new world, then education must take as its aim the development of these hidden possibilities." – Dr. Maria Montessori A primary belief Dr. Montessori wove into her philosophy was her conviction [...]
What is Authentic Montessori? Since Montessori is a word in the public domain, it is possible for any individual or institution to claim to be Montessori. An authentic Montessori classroom must have the following basic characteristics at all levels: A classroom atmosphere which encourages social interaction for cooperative learning, peer teaching, and emotional development. A [...]
Wake Forest Montessori's Toddler Program: 18-36 months Our aim for our Toddlers aid the children’s development in gaining confidence and independence build on their developing self-esteem and social skills learn appropriate skills to move onto the next phase of their development with confidence and enthusiasm encourage and stimulate a love for learning We do this [...]
The hands are the instrument a man's intelligence... The human hand allows the mind to reveal itself. - Dr. Maria Montessori Since when do kindergartners learn to write in cursive? Most public schools don't even start teaching cursive writing until at least third or fourth grade, if they teach it at all. While us Montessori [...]
"It's like she's not even practicing." Audrey's piano teacher was standing in front of me, giving her honest assessment. Her eyes were kind, and her voice soft, but my parental guilt turned her statement into a question. One I couldn't answer. So I just faked a diarrhea attack and ran to the restroom. Once we [...]
Although Montessori education is often considered a form of playful learning, Maria Montessori herself spoke negatively about a major component of playful learning—pretend play, or fantasy—for young children. In this essay, the author discusses this apparent contradiction: how and why Montessori education includes elements of playful learning while simultaneously eschewing fantasy. She concludes with a [...]
It absolutely blew my mind. During one of our first conversations over Skype, Skinner was telling me that dividing children by age in schools doesn’t make sense. After few seconds of skepticism, I took his argument seriously and I realized that the idea of grouping students by age was an assumption I had never challenged before. [...]
WESTMOUNT — The Harbourside Montessori School in Westmount is raising money to help children at a school in southern Africa. © CHRIS SHANNON/CAPE BRETON POST On Saturday morning, the school, with the help of its students and parents, hosted a yard sale to begin raising $2,000 to send to families living in Lesotho. The Todd [...]