 | Montesorri Approach in a Public School, The
 | | Yeu Vang |
"In the Montessori approach there are
three basic elements: the prepared environment, the Montessori curriculum, and
the Montessori teacher."
Best Practices in Instructional Leadership
Yeu Vang
Principal
J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet
St. Paul
At J.J. Hill Montessori, we continue to uphold Maria
Montessori’s approach to education for children. The Montessori method focuses on facilitation of
learning through student observation and the whole child. The Montessori method
purposefully defines the relationship between lessons and human needs and
tendencies. In the Montessori approach there are
three basic elements: the prepared environment, the Montessori curriculum, and
the Montessori teacher.
The prepared environment
is the arrangement of the learning materials adhering to Montessori principles
that meet the needs of the ‘whole child’ including:
- freedom
of movement and freedom of choice in learning activities.
- orderly
arrangement and sequence of the materials.
- an
attractive and welcoming atmosphere.
- materials
that lend themselves to active learning experiences.
- multi-age
grouping ( 3-6 years, 6-9 years, 9-12 years, 12-15 years).
- nature
and activities and materials that reflect the reality of life, not fantasy.
The classroom must meet children’s
individual, educational and cultural needs. Children freely follow their
interests within this environment, rather than being forced to learn something
that is irrelevant, inappropriate, or uninteresting to their developmental
stage.
In addition to preparing the environment, the teacher must observe every child to ascertain the
developmental needs of each individual. As children make free choices, interact
and discover, the teacher facilitates and guides their learning. Individual and
small group lessons introduce new concepts, investigations and discovery of
ideas and experiences.
Well-trained Montessori teachers provide learning experiences using the defined Montessori
curriculum framework. The lessons reflect the children’s cultural and
educational needs. The lesson materials are specifically created for Montessori
experiences and the outcomes for the children are unique to this framework:
- Practical
Life (care of self, others, and the environment)
- Sensorial
(understand environment through the senses)
- Mathematics
- Language/Literacy
- Culture
(Geography, History, Natural Sciences, Experimental Sciences)
- Creative Subjects (Art and Craft, Music and Movement,
Drama)
Children who experience a Montessori education are highly motivated and learn to be independent,
self-confident and self-disciplined. It makes education a source of pleasure
and enjoyment. All are given the opportunity to develop individual innate
abilities to their full potential in an atmosphere where competition is
irrelevant and non-existent. As a result, children develop motivation and a
high level of achievement.
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