Where Children Thrive

The teacher's role in the Montessori classroom is to provide the environment, rich in opportunities, for the child. The teacher then follows the child as they engage in the many experiences in the classroom.

With guidance from the teacher, the child makes choices throughout the day and develops their own self-discipline in order to become a more independent learner. The child is an active participant in the learning process and may be observed working independently or in small groups.

The classroom facilitates several age groups working together at one time.

For example, in the 3 to 6 year old classroom, the older children act as role models for the younger children and develop a sense of responsibility and leadership. Younger children have opportunities to progress at their level due to the many layers of academic materials throughout the areas of the classroom. Children develop a sense of others in a small community of children learning from each other. 

The Montessori Method was built upon allowing children to discover questions and find the answers themselves.

This process enhances the development of their cognitive and problem solving skills. In the classroom, new concepts are introduced using concrete materials. The child learns by doing. As the child masters the concept, they progress to practicing that skill in a more abstract way. 

Each child is encouraged to delve deep into subjects he or she finds interesting.

Teachers also closely supervise to ensure that, over an extended period, each child is exposed to all essential areas of the classroom curriculum.  When a teacher observes that a child is ready for a new concept, they will invite them to work together to guide them through an initial introduction. The child is then allowed to work through the material with observation from the teacher.

Often, they will find answers to their own questions as the teacher allows the child the satisfaction of discovering on their own. 

Children are offered many opportunities to successfully develop their own independence.

It is common for a 3-year-old child to go through the process of obtaining a snack for herself. She may need to wait until one of the three chairs at the snack table is open, but she will then gather the correct number of apple wedges and crackers. After carrying her plate and napkin to the snack table, she will pour herself a glass of water from the child-sized pitcher. She enjoys her snack with one or two other children. After finishing her snack, she clears her dishes and cleans up her spot for the next child.

The child has been taught the individual steps to the process of getting her own snack, as well as the responsibility for cleaning up after she is finished so that the next person is allowed the same opportunity. All of this occurs with little intervention from the Montessori teacher.