What is Montessori?

Montessori is a schooling where teachers called Directors/Directress guide the children to explore different concepts. They do this by observing the students to see what they are interested in and what they are ready to learn. The director/directress present different Montessori Materials that they know the student is ready to learn based on observation. They follow a scope and sequence to see what students learn next.

This schooling was invented by Maria Montessori, an Italian Doctor! She created the Montessori Method and Materials based on what she observed in children.

Montessori schools are found all over the world!

In a Montessori environment, children are free to explore the classroom and materials. Some classrooms follow a work plan, based on what the student is ready to learn. One of the coolest things about Montessori is that at any given moment, students are all learning something different. If a student is interested in learning something, for example, history of pioneers, they are free to explore that concept through perhaps a material that the director/directress has made, or books.

Classrooms are split by three year ages. There are toddlers, Early Childhood (ages 3-6), Elementary 1 (ages 6-9), Elementary 2 (ages 9-12), and some schools even go through middle school and high school.

This three year age range has the benefits of the older students becoming leaders in the classroom by helping and teaching the younger students. The younger students also look up to older students and know that one day they will be the oldest in the classroom.

Montessori was a huge promoter of peace. Children learn a lot about the world in a Montessori classroom. Montessori starts with the big picture and then narrows down. For example, in Elementary 1, directors/directresses give the Great Lessons during the beginning of the year. It starts with the first Great Lesson called the Big Bang where students learn how the universe started and from there, they learn about galaxies, the solar system, Earth, continents, countries, all the way to where they live on this planet. There is a lot of study of geography and exposing students to different cultures in Montessori classrooms.

There is so much more to say about Montessori Education, so if you want to read more about Montessori including what a classroom is like, the Montessori Materials, the philosophy, and so much more, get access to the Montessori Information Hub!

Want to know more about my Montessori Journey? Read about it here!