Montessori Classroom Approach
Montessori Classroom Approach
Beautiful, inviting, and thoughtfully arranged, the room embodies each element of Maria Montessori’s revolutionary approach.
Natural lighting, soft colors, and uncluttered spaces set the stage
for activity that is focused and calm. Learning materials are displayed
on accessible shelves, fostering independence as students go about their
work. Everything is where it is supposed to be, conveying a sense of
harmony and order that both comforts and inspires.
In this safe and empowering environment, students find joy in learning.
Classroom Design
The design and flow of the Montessori classroom create a learning environment that accommodates choice.
There are spaces suited to group activity, and areas where a student
can settle in alone. Parts of the room are open and spacious, allowing a
preschooler to lay out strands of beads for counting, or an elementary
student to ponder a 10-foot-long Timeline of Life.
You won’t find the customary rows of school desks; children work at
tables or on the floor, rolling out mats on which to work and define
their work space.
Nor are you likely to find walls papered with brightly colored images
of cartoons and syndicated characters. Rather, you might see posters
from a local museum, or framed photographs or paintings created by the
students themselves.
There are well-defined spaces for each part of the curriculum, such
as Language Arts, Math, and Culture. Each of these areas features
shelves or display tables with a variety of inviting materials from
which students can choose.
Many classrooms have an area devoted to peace and reflection: a quiet
corner or table with well-chosen items—a vase of daisies; a goldfish
bowl—to lead a child to meditative thought.
And always there are places to curl up with books, where a student can read or be read to.
Each classroom is uniquely suited to the needs of its students.
Preschool rooms feature low sinks, chairs, and tables; a reading corner
with a small couch (or comfy floor cushions); reachable shelves; and
child-sized kitchen tools—elements that allow independence and help
develop small motor skills. In upper-level classrooms you’re likely to
see large tables for group work, computers, interactive whiteboards, and
areas for science labs.
Above all, each classroom is warm, well-organized, and inviting, with
couches, rugs, and flowers to help children and youth feel calm and at
home.
Montessori Learning Materials
A hallmark of Montessori education is its hands-on approach to
learning. Students work with specially designed materials, manipulating
and investigating until they master the lesson inside.
Beautifully crafted and begging to be touched, Montessori’s
distinctive learning materials are displayed on open, easily accessible
shelves. They are arranged (left to right, as we read in Western
languages) in order of their sequence in the curriculum, from the
simplest to the most complex.
Each material teaches a single skill or concept at a time—for
example, the various “dressing frames” help toddlers learn to button,
zip, and tie; 3-dimensional grammar symbols help elementary students
analyze sentence structure and style. And, built into many of the
materials is a mechanism (“control of error”) for providing the student
with some way of assessing her progress and correcting her mistakes,
independent of the teacher.
The concrete materials provide passages to abstraction, and introduce
concepts that become increasingly complex. As students progress, the
teacher replaces some materials with others, ensuring that the level of
challenge continues to meets their needs.
The Teacher as “Guide”
The Montessori teacher, child, and environment may be seen as a
learning triangle, with each element inextricably linked, and a vital
part of the whole. The teacher thoughtfully prepares a classroom
environment with materials and activities that entice her students to
learn. She may guide her students to new lessons and challenges, but it
is the child’s interaction with what the environment has to offer that
enables learning to occur.
Because the teacher isn’t meant as the focus of attention, he can
often be difficult to spot. Typically you’ll find him sitting on the
floor or at a table, observing his students as they work and making
notations about their progress, or consulting with an individual or a
small group.
Multi-Age Groupings
A Montessori class is composed of students whose ages typically span 3
years. Ideally, members stay with the class, and teacher, for the
entire cycle, forging a stable community and meaningful bonds.
It is common to see students of different ages working together.
Older students enjoy mentoring their younger classmates—sometimes the
best teacher is someone who has recently mastered the task at hand.
Younger students look up to their big “brothers” and “sisters,” and get a
preview of the alluring work to come.
A Caring Community
The Montessori classroom radiates harmony and respect.
Members address each other respectfully and in modulated tones. There
are no raised voices; no rude or hurtful behavior. There is a busy hum
of activity, yet also a profound respect for silence.
Students show grace and courtesy, and an interest in the welfare of others. “Let me help!” is a common classroom refrain.
Students work together as stewards of their environment. They take
turns caring for classroom pets and plants; do their part to maintain
order, such as by returning materials to the shelves after use; and help
keep outdoor spaces groomed and litter-free.
How to live in community, to learn independently, to think
constructively and creatively: These are the lessons of the Montessori
classroom that remain with its students as they make their way in the
world.
Source: American Montessori Society
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