What are Montessori Schools?

Vinod Kakumanu
Feb. 28, 2019, 2:48 p.m.

Montessori education method places regard towards the child’s individuality at its center and promotes the independence of the child. Montessori schools are numerous as “Montessori” is not a registered trademark and it is possible to set up a school and call it Montessori school even if it doesn’t have any Montessori trained teachers or any piece of Montessori material as part of the curriculum. However, it is advisable to incorporate the theme of Montessori educational philosophy in the preschool curriculum as it is not complicated to do so. In a real Montessori school that is set up on the lines of thoughts of Dr. Maria Montessori, a dominant Italian educational theorist of 20th century, whose stay in India had spawned a lot of Montessori schools in India besides Europe. In Montessori Schools, one will find pupils with independent spirit who are encouraged not only to do things for themselves but also to perceive themselves as individuals as well as important part of the group. The Montessori approach is based on the natural laws of human development and therefore it stands apart among educational methodologies.

What_are_Montessori_Schools?

The emphasis is placed by Dr. Maria Montessori, founder and developer of the Montessori Method of education, on giving substantial learning space to the children in the classroom so that they can learn to use things around them effectively ,and learn in the process ,by manipulating the environment. The method had been developed over many years of observation and experimentation by Dr. Montessori with her son Mario, which led to the development of an entire range of Montessori materials that are in their original and evolved use. Association of Montessori Internationale (AMI) was founded by her in 1929. For more details visit www.montessori-ami.org

The five traditional Montessori areas of education are:

Practical Life Exercises
Sensorial
Montessori
Mathematics
Cultural Subjects

We strongly recommend the use of the materials (download Montessori material reference list) that are manufactured according to the blue-prints formulated by Dr. Maria Montessori. Montessori Material is manufactured by several companies like Kidken Montessori, Vardhaman IQ Toys, Khazana Toys (Skillofun), Little Genius, Strawberry stop, Maskeen, Alpaks, etc. You can buy Montessori material on https://www.schoolsupermart.com, an online marketplace for K12 school supplies and materials.

Practical Life Exercises

The Exercises of Practical Life, which are the foundation of a Montessori environment, provide a coherent and wholesome range of activities that will allow a child to develop and control coordination of movement, awareness of his/her environment, good work habits, responsibility, concentration, attention, independence, order and positive self-image which can be attained by spontaneous and purposeful work.

Sensorial Training

The primary focus of sensorial exercises is to further refine his/her senses of touch, smell, sight, taste and hearing. The materials used in the sensorial exercises will be unlike anything else that a child has encountered in the way of playthings. A child will be able to perceive sizes, shapes, colors, sounds, textures, odors, etc. The sensorial materials lay a solid foundation for Mathematics, Geometry, Geography, Botany, Art and Music.

Montessori Language

A multi-sensory approach that combines phonics, stories and language experiences to bring meaning to the learning of reading and writing. In the system, the child does not learn by heart, but utilizes all his/her senses to help him/her read and write with proper understanding. Discovery becomes interesting, fun and creative through activities in the Pink, Blue and Green Montessori Language Series.

Montessori Mathematics

An activity based Program that allows the child to have hands-on experience in learning mathematical concepts. Montessori arithmetic is taught through the manipulation of concrete objects. The child will be taught addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, reading of clock, the decimal system, number bonds, length, weight, calendar, capacity, graph, money and problem solving.

Cultural Subjects

The Montessori cultural subjects cover:

Nature Study – includes the study of living and non-living things. Children will have the opportunity to explore & understand their environment.
Botany and Zoology – Children are exposed to the study of plants and animals. They will be taught to classify impressions into clear and simple categories.
Geography – To launch the child’s exploration of the world’s physical environment, children are introduced to various continents, countries, states, land & water form and the solar system.
History – Through creative activities such as modelling, painting and collage, children are taught to understand the distinction between past and present and how past events have led to the present situation.