Inside a montessori classroom
In practical terms, what do we do in a Montessori classroom ?
The adult as a guide
The Montessori guide is a caring and experienced observer. Deeply respecting the child, he is aware of his singularity and his pace. He accompanies each child in his development in a personalized way and helps him learn by himself.
The guide offers the materials for the first use, discretely monitoring the progress of each child, so that to propose new activities when the child is ready.
According to Maria Montessori, his role towards the child can be summarized as follows: « Help me do it by myself».
Freedom of choice of activities
In a child choosing an activity by himself freedom to choose is not freedom to do anything he wants, but freedom to do the right thing. The child is motivated, enjoys, concentrates, learns and "absorbs" better. The freedom of choice of activities also enables the teachers to recognize the sensitive periods of each child, and support him in the best way.
There is freedom of choice but the rules of life and the use of materials are very specific and clear. Individual responsibility and autonomy are right in the heart of Montessori pedagogy. There is only one piece of material in the classroom. Children have to learn to control outbursts of frustration while waiting until an activity becomes available to be used.
Unique materials, scientifically prepared
Numerical rods, rough letters, decimal system tray, large moveable alphabet, continent map and Roman arch, … the child chooses the materials that motivate him the most among more than 200 items on shelves at his height.
Through the use of Montessori materials, scientifically prepared, concrete and multi-sensory, the child learns everything by experiencing and developing his autonomy. The materials are designed to allow the child to self-correct mistakes ("self-correcting material"), hence the child will be looking for a solution naturally. Thus, the child learns to think, develops his creativity and his capacity to find a solution by himself. Therefore, making a mistake is a natural step of the learning process.
Activities are broken down into 7 main subject areas: Practical life, Sensorial life, Language, Maths, Culture, Arts, Psychomotricity.
The materials used in Smiles’n Kids is of top-quality produced by the brand Nienhuis, a certified supplier of AMI (Association Montessori Internationale).
Mixed age grouping
The class is a community of children of mixed age between 3 and 6 years old. This fosters emulation, cooperation and empathy. The younger ones are motivated by the older. The older children help the younger ones and hence work on their ability to concentrate, empathy, memory and on communication.
