Montessori Philosophy
Dr. Montessori believed that a child’s full potential – physical, intellectual, and emotional – can be reached only if the child is given the opportunity to develop through the exploration of the environment. Montessori education exposes children to the physical and cognitive structures of a highly prepared environment that create an inner discipline and spark their innate curiosity and motivation to learn. Patterns of concentration and attention to detail, when established early, produce a confident, competent learner in later years.
Dr. Maria Montessori’s experiences and discoveries resulted not only in a philosophy, but also in a methodology that included scientifically-based, inter-related, concrete learning materials that you see in Montessori classrooms today. It is through these Montessori materials that the young child experiences sensory exploration and classification of relationships among concrete objects. These relationships lead the older child toward intellectual discovery and investigation of abstract concepts by virtue of a comprehensive curriculum.
The nature of this curriculum allows the children to work individually and in small groups, and progress at their own pace in a non-competitive environment. The teacher prepares the environment, directs activity, and presents stimulating lessons to the children. Within this rich environment, each child takes initiative and is driven to academic accomplishment.
The Montessori educational program offers individual instruction, which establishes a powerful relationship between the child, the teacher, and the learning materials. Recognizing each individual child’s innate potential, natural curiosity, and readiness, the Montessori Teacher trusts her keen observation skills to take advantage of the precise moment to offer a new lesson.
Within the dynamic Montessori curriculum, lessons emphasize creative problem solving, critical thinking and creativity. Through Montessori education the child builds character, gains a sense of social and global responsibility, and develops inner discipline.
