Essentials of a Montessori School

Michelle Irinyi The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult. —Maria Montessori The Secret of Childhood, 1966.
Montessori’s idea of the prepared environment was that everything the child came in contact with would facilitate and maximize independent learning and exploration. This calm, well-ordered environment has a lot of movement and activity. Children are free to choose and work on activities at their own pace. Here, they experience a combination of freedom and self-discipline, as guided by the environment. There are generally six aspects, or principles, to the Prepared Environment: Freedom; Structure and Order; Beauty; Nature and Reality; Social Environment; Intellectual Environment. Learn more about each of these aspects, and why the prepared environment is so important to the success a child experiences with Montessori education! The Six Principles of the Montessori Prepared Environment Explained

1. Freedom Montessori believed that a child must be free to explore and follow his own natural impulses, thus developing his potential and increasing his knowledge of the world around him. Within the prepared environment, the child must experience freedom of movement, freedom of exploration, freedom to interact socially, and freedom from interference from others. This freedom ultimately leads to a greater freedom: freedom of choice.
2. Structure and Order While Structure and Order seem counter-intuitive to the aforementioned freedom, nothing could be further from the truth. Structure and Order in the Montessori classroom accurately reflect the sense of structure and order in the universe. By using the Montessori classroom environment as a microcosm of the universe, the child begins to internalize the order surrounding him, thus making sense of the world in which he lives.
Montessori stated that there is a sensitive period for order which occurs between the ages of one and three years of age. This is when the child begins to draw conclusions of the world around him. If there is not order to his environment, the child’s sense of reason may be off since he will not be able to validate his findings. This is not to say that routines or classroom set-up or ways of doing things can’t change. However, it does mean that change should be carefully considered. Is this change for the good of the children? If so, it should be done carefully and its after-effects should be observed to ensure that it is of benefit to the children.

3. Beauty Montessori environments should be beautiful. Whether your school is in an old Victorian mansion or in a strip-mall or in the living room of your home, the environment should suggest a simple harmony. Uncluttered and well-maintained, the environment should reflect peace and tranquility. The environment should invite the learner to come in and work. This atmosphere is easily seen by the attitude of those working there, both child and adult.
4. Nature and Reality Montessori had a deep respect and reverence for nature. She believed that we should use nature to inspire children. She continually suggested that Montessori teachers take the children out into nature, rather than keeping them confined in the classroom. This is why natural materials are preferred in the prepared environment. Real wood, reeds, bamboo, metal, cotton, and glass are preferred to synthetics or plastics.
It is here where child-size real objects come into play. Furniture should be child-size so the child is not dependent on the adult for his movement. Rakes, hoes, pitchers, tongs, shovels should all fit children’s hands and height so that the work is made easier, thus ensuring proper use and completion of the work without frustration.

5. Social Environment Where there is freedom to interact, children learn to encourage and develop a sense of compassion and empathy for others. As children develop, they become more socially aware, preparing to work and play in groups. This social interaction is supported throughout the environment and is encouraged with the nature of multi-age classroom settings.

6. Intellectual Environment If the above aspects are not recognized, the intellectual environment will not reach its purpose. The purpose of the Montessori environment is to develop the whole personality of the child, not merely his intellect. By guiding the child through the five areas of the Montessori curriculum (Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics, and Cultural subjects), the child has the structure which is at the forefront of the creative work in a Montessori classroom. A lot of time and effort is involved in creating a prepared Montessori classroom that is designed to meet the individual needs of all children. Through developmentally appropriate, sensorial material that moves hierarchically from simple to complex and concrete to abstract, children are given the freedom to fully develop their unique potential through a carefully prepared learning environment. Michelle Irinyi — NAMC Tutor & Graduate
Parent Education Beyond Orientation: Parent Education Beyond Orientation: Parent Education Beyond Orientation: Parent Education Beyond Orientation: Parent Education Beyond Orientation: Tips for Teachers Tips for Teachers Tips for Teachers Tips for Teachers Tips for Teachers Tips for Teachers Tips for Teachers – Montessori Community Community Community Michelle Irinyi
In an earlier blog (The Importance of Educating the Montessori Parent, January 13, 2008), I wrote that “Educating parents, both current and future, about Montessori education is a win-win situation”. There is so much more to Parent Education than orientation and back-to-school nights, and this as well as future blogs are being written to provide Montessori teachers and administrators some shared ideas and guidance for communicating and working with parents. There are basically six modes of parent education:  Introductory  Orientation  Community Building  Volunteering  Conferences  Parent Education Sessions
Take an in-depth look at how you can work within each of these modes to strengthen your Montessori community and communicate more effectively with parents at your school. Parent Education Beyond Orientation: Tips for Teachers – Montessori Community Introductory Opportunities Montessori Parent Education begins as soon as a prospective parent makes contact with your school, usually in the form of a phone call or email inquiry. Parents are given the basic information about the school including a brief explanation of the Montessori philosophy and perhaps the mission statement of the school. They are then invited to attend an informational open house and take a school tour. There, they are given your Montessori school literature and information on the enrollment process. Orientation Meetings The purpose of these meetings is to share information and orient parents to your Montessori school’s policies. This is especially helpful for parents who are new to your Montessori school. Back-to-School Night On this night, the Montessori teachers in each classroom give an example of a ‘typical day’ in their Montessori classroom. There is usually a tour of the room, explaining the different work areas. Elementary Montessori teachers also use this time to discuss their homework policies (if there is a homework expectation). Most importantly, parents will learn the best way to contact the teacher if there are any questions or concerns.
Community Building Events Building your Montessori Community helps develop school identity and loyalty. Activities for the whole family create a family-friendly environment. There is a wide variety of community building and service efforts to improve the overall experience of families who are a part of your school community:  Classroom events (such as Spring Tea for parents/family)  Whole school socials: picnic, ice cream social, square-dance, talent show, pajama story-night movie night  Book clubs (Read books on Montessori philosophy, positive discipline, parenting strategies, etc).  New parent dinner or gathering  Father’s Day luncheon  Grandparent’s Day luncheon  Mother’s Day luncheon  School-wide yard sale  School-ground fall clean-up  Building new playgrounds  Spring planting opportunities
Parent Volunteers Parents who volunteer within the Montessori community are able observe interactions between faculty and children in a variety of settings. It also allows them the opportunity to work alongside faculty and staff, allowing for further understanding of philosophy and the importance of language. Parent-Teacher Conferences Parent conferences facilitate continued Montessori parent education and communication. During these conferences, parents may be more responsive to invitations from their classroom teacher. Teachers may want to have handouts available that outline the needs of the classroom or the school culture and community.

Teachers can also share upcoming parent education opportunities during the conferences. Parent Education Sessions There are four steps to planning a successful parent education session: planning, implementing, notifying, and reminding. Ideally, parent education should be planned an entire year at a time. This way, parent education can be properly prepared and incorporated into the school calendar. This shows parents that you take parent education seriously and allows them to make plans to attend. It should also be posted on your school website. Put it on your homepage, on your parent’s page, and your “upcoming events” page to ensure that it gets read. As the date approaches, post it on the ‘reminder’ board at pick-up and drop-off
locations, send home flyers, send reminder emails, and even have teachers call and personally invite the parents of their students. Finally, we teach our students the art of saying thank you. Be sure to thank the parents who participate in your parent education session by calling or sending a handwritten note upon completion. Your effort will not go unnoticed! Because we care for our children, parents, grandparents and teachers should strive to make the connection between home and school. By interacting and working together, we learn the language and share in our beliefs of the Montessori child.
Montessori: philosophy, education & the method Built on three primary principles children can freely choose how they want to learn.

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Dr. Maria Montessori founded the Montessori method in Italy in the early 1900s and her scientific approach to education was shaped around the individual needs of the child. Her goal was to develop the child and their whole personality through a system that is focused on spontaneous use of the human intellect.
Built on three primary principles – observation, individual liberty and preparation of the environment – it is designed an environment children could freely choose from a number of developmentally appropriate activities.
The method is focused on the role of childhood in the formation of adults; she is a formidable progenitor of so much of today’s thought concerning early childhood education. Education is considered integral to the development of the child. At the same time, it’s important to note that the philosophy is not restricted to education.
It isn’t easy to spot the teacher in a classroom. There’s no grown-up at the front spouting facts. But if you look closely, you’ll notice someone moving among the students, gently making suggestions, helping children to teach themselves.
This is the heart of what Dr. Montessori believed – that another could teach no human being; that you must learn for yourself or it won’t mean a thing. In the classroom children get up and move around and let curiosity be their guide. What a novel approach!
And because she believed “the hand is the chief teacher of the brain,” students most often learn by touch – by handling specially designed materials such as golden math beads, sandpaper letters, wooden maps of the world. The teacher’s job is to show children how to use these materials – then leave them to learn independently.
From watching how effortlessly a child learns to speak, or walk, Montessori concluded that a young child’s mind is like a sponge – she called it “the absorbent mind.” And because it is so
absorbent, she called the first six years “the most important period of life; the time when intelligence, man’s greatest tool, is being formed.”
As a result, classrooms often expose children to abstract concepts earlier than the public-school system does. And they seem to grasp such abstract concepts with the help of special materials. It is through such creative elements of the classroom that the gifted Italian educator continues to promote “the excitement of learning” in new generations of children.
The Montessori method
Teaching focuses on the child’s experience, characterized by self-directed activity, where the teacher’s role is more observational than what might be considered traditional or typical.
The teacher is sometimes called a guide in the philosophy. The environment is adapted to the child and his or her development. Seatwork, like you’d find in your typical public school classroom, plays a less significant role in favour of physical activity and interaction. Emphasis on how students learn is placed on all five senses, not just listening, watching, or reading, like students in a traditional-style classroom may learn.
“We do not respect children,” Dr. Montessori wrote in the Dr. Montessori handbook in 1914. “We try to force them to follow us without regard to their special needs. Let us treat them, therefore, with all the kindness (that) we would wish to help to develop in them.”
Children learn at their own pace and how they wish to learn – teachers do not guide students to learn certain things but allow students to make the choices themselves with added support. Schools will separate children into three-year age groups (three to six, six to nine, nine to 12), to create a learning environment where the older children share their knowledge with the younger learners.
How  the Montessori method works.
If you’re thinking of sending your child to a Montessori school, it’s important that you thoroughly research each school to make sure it is properly accredited. Since a failed lawsuit in 1967 by the American Montessori Society (AMS) for exclusive rights to the name – the U.S. Patent Office said the name was a descriptor for a type of schooling – any educational institution can use the name.
This has allowed schools to use the name even if it isn’t accredited by one of the bodies that oversee Montessori education standards and philosophies, like AMS or Association Montessori Internationale. The free use of the name can lead to slight or extreme variations of the teaching methods.
Make-up of the Montessori method
If you’re seeking an accredited school, the following concepts will play a role in how children learn and their interaction with teachers:
 The philosophy is based on the idea children are markedly different from adults. Dr. Montessori advocated children’s rights and believed that if children were treated with more
respect they would help shape a world as adults that would be a better place to live for everyone.
 The philosophy, similar to Waldorf and Reggio Emilia, downplays the notions of performance evaluation with numbers or letters.
 Children should have much more say in what they learn. In fact, they are capable of self-directed learning.
 The teacher as observer facilitates better ways for the child to direct his or her own learning by (for example) providing more material they are interested in. The development of the teacher-student dynamic might be described as moving from “help me to help myself” to “help me to do it myself” and eventually “help me to think for myself.”
 Children are susceptible to “sensitive periods.” Properly understood and used, these periods can provide great benefit to children if these bursts are not left ignored or lost in adherence to a rigid classroom experience. Capitalizing on the heightened period of attention will help students better control their environment.
The International Montessori Index outlines specific details about the method that are worth nothing. There are two three-hour, uninterrupted, work periods each day for students six and under. Older children schedule meetings or study groups when needed, either with the teacher or with other students. Adults and children respect concentration and do not interrupt someone who is busy at a task. Groups form spontaneously or are arranged ahead by special appointment and it is rare that this will take precedence over self-selected work.
Teachers teach students, not correct them. Work submitted by students is not marked up with corrections and red ink, but respected as it is submitted. Using observation of each student, teachers plan projects for each child in order to help them learn what they may need to improve on. Subjects are not taught in isolation but woven together and a child can work on whatever they wish at any time.
Teaching ratio
Except for infant/toddler groups, which are set by provincial regulations, the teaching ratio is one teacher and one aide to 30-plus children. The teacher is trained to teach one child at a time, and to oversee thirty or more children working on a broad array of tasks.
The teacher is a semi-expert in the basic lessons of math, language, the arts and sciences, and in guiding a child’s research and exploration, capitalizing on his interest in and excitement about a subject. The teacher does not make assignments or dictate what to study or read, nor does she set a limit as to how far a child follows an interest.
No report cards
There are no grades, forms of punishment or reward. Through teacher observation and detailed record keeping of each child in the class, student success is ‘graded’ on the child’s behavior, happiness, maturity and their level of work, among other things. is by portfolio and the teacher’s observation and record keeping.
There are no academic requirements for children under the age of six. They are exposed to knowledge and often learn to read, write and calculate beyond what a child of this age is normally interested in.