Our Pedagogy
"The child is the builder of man."
Maria Montessori ( The Absorbent Mind of the Child )
Through her observations and knowledge of child development, Maria Montessori understood the importance for adults to change their perspective in order to help the child develop both their human potential and their own individuality within a social group.
3-6 years old
"Help me do it myself" is the fundamental request that a child of this age makes to an adult. How many parents have heard their little child say virulently "me all by myself, me all by myself!!"?
"The child's first instinct is to act alone, without the help of others, and his first conscious act of independence is to defend himself from those who try to help him." Maria Montessori (The Absorbent Mind of the Child).
The prepared environment
In a group of children of mixed ages, the child evolves in an environment entirely prepared for him: the material is adapted to his size and strength, the child can move freely and act without the constant intervention of an adult.
The child has his own experience and effectively develops his independence.
The environment prepared in the classroom is organized around five areas:
The area of practical life (material that adults use daily, but adapted to the child's size and strength) to refine gestures by developing movement and fine motor skills, and to allow the child to be autonomous in everyday life. These activities were dear to Maria Montessori, because she was able to observe that children did not seek to accomplish a task for the task itself, but as a means to invest their movement, construct it, refine it and appropriate it: this implied a phenomenon of repetition of the activity and a particularly important concentration, two essential elements in the development of the child and the construction of his intelligence.
The area of sensory material to refine the senses and structure the child's mind by creating associations, comparisons and gradations. These activities also generate the need for repetition in the child and thus direct him towards the path of concentration. Sensory manipulation allows children to acquire a concrete relationship with objects while gradually directing him towards the concepts of the world around him.
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The language area is the very source of writing and reading. Language also nourishes the child's social development, which is built, within a group, in and through language. The material provided generates the activity that will allow the child to crystallize his learning momentum at the right time: for example, the daily handling of written language material encourages the child to develop writing and then reading. Around the age of 5 ½, the child also discovers a sensory approach to grammar. All our language material is available in French and English.
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The mathematics area and the corresponding activities are present to meet the child's deep need for order, his understanding of the world and his need to organize his perceptions. The mathematics material teaches him how to count first from 1 to 9, then the characteristics of the decimal system with a sensory approach to the four operations. At the same time, the child becomes familiar with counting from 11 to infinity, then begins the activities of memorizing the operations, which gradually lead him naturally and instinctively to abstraction.
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The practical life area (geography, science, botany, music & art) arouses children's curiosity about the world around them: nomenclature of plants and different animal species, 3D animals, puzzles of continents and countries, globes and flags, scientific experiments, etc.
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Each area is equipped with the corresponding Montessori material: ordered, structured and structuring activities which nourish the child's absorbent mind and allow him to develop concentration, order, refinement of movement, logical thinking and independence.
The prepared teacher
The role of the teacher is to make the link between the educational material and the child. Through three-hour morning work cycles, he encourages continuous autonomous activity, guides the child through the five areas and helps him to mobilize his attention in specific activities. Thus, it is not the teacher who will help the child to build himself, it is the activities that will develop in him the phenomenon of attention, the commitment of movement and repetition: phenomena necessary in the development of concentration and in the construction of intelligence.
Sensitive periods
“Human intelligence does not come from nothing: it is built on the foundations developed by the child during his sensitive periods.” Maria Montessori ( The Child ). Who has not already seen their little child spend long moments lining up shoes in the hallway or tirelessly practicing jumping over an object?
Sensitive periods are temporary periods occurring in children aged 0 to 6 years; they correspond to the natural laws of child development and interact with each other.
Maria Montessori defines five sensitive periods (between 3 and 6 years):
The sensitive period of order
The sensitive period of development and refinement of the movement
The sensitive period of development and refinement of sensory perceptions
The sensitive period of language development and refinement (to access writing and reading)
The sensitive period of social development
Sensitive periods are constructive of the child's abilities. Montessori pedagogy takes advantage of these periods to help the child integrate, very naturally and instinctively thanks to his absorbent mind, notions that he would have less ease to integrate when his sensitive period had passed. The child thus develops autonomy, self-esteem and self-confidence from a very young age.
6-9 & 9-12 years old
« Help me think for myself », this is the essential request that the child of this age makes to the adult. « When the child was very small, it was enough to call him by his name so that he turned around; now it is to his soul that we must appeal, and for that reason it is no longer sufficient to speak to him: he must be interested; what he learns must be interesting, must be fascinating; it is necessary to bring something huge: to begin let us bring him the World. » Maria Montessori (From Childhood to Adolescence)
In a 6-12 environment, the goal of the teacher is to support the personal commitment of children in their own work by respecting the characteristics of their age.
Reasoning: the child wants to understand by and for himself. He wants to know the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’ things work, he wants to know everything about the world. Maria Montessori suggests to "plant seeds, as many as possible" in all areas of brain and learning development. Through presentations, experiences, research, the child discovers all areas of knowledge: they are presented to him as a gateway to culture, to build his knowledge and put his reasoning ability to the test.
Imagination: the teacher seeks to grow interest in the child and stimulate his creative imagination, via astonishment and wonder.
At the beginning of the year, the child hears 5 great stories:
• The creation of the Universe and the planet to introduce geography, astronomy, geology.
• The evolution of life on Earth, from cell to organ, to find interest in botany and zoology.
• When humans appeared on Earth and human evolution until our era, to introduce history and biology.
• The invention and evolution of communication systems (language, writing, arts ...) to study different human civilizations, art and music.
• The history of numbers and the evolution of mathematics to introduce the scientific mind.
These stories are the main thread of the child's work during the 6 years of his career in 6-12. At the end of these 6 years, the child understands the interconnections of the world around him and his role in society.
Group work: The six-year-old child finds himself between his beloved parents and the need to join his friends. He seeks company and cooperation. In class, he develops his gregarious spirit through his projects with his peers. He learns to look for information in encyclopedias and books at his disposal, he learns how to divide the work among the group, create a text or a historical fresco.
By sharing their research with the group, the children integrate this new knowledge and develop their self-confidence. At the same time, they arouse the curiosity and interest of their classmates and share the desire to do the same! The child is always active in his work, it is the best way to develop his intelligence and enable his autonomy.
Responsibilities, the sense of morality and justice: at this age, the child wants to distinguish good from evil and develop his moral conscience. The responsibilities that each child takes in the classroom and the way they can work freely, by project, gradually builds a sense of respect, commitment and responsibility. The way they engage in their work allows them to strengthen their independance and build further their confidence and self-esteem for the rest of their life.
Plan d'études romand (PER)
The Plan d'Etudes Romand (Swiss curriculum) is widely covered and tested by Common Tests ("Evaluations Communes") in 8P (11 y.o.).
German lessons are given from the age of 6 as beginners' course, and from the age of 8 with classes two to three times a week, using Montessori material and PER recommended material (Grüne Max and Junior).
Music, art and sport are part of the Montessori curriculum.
FAQ / Myths and Facts
Common misconceptions about the Montessori method: http://www.montessori-namta.org/Common-Misconceptions
Myths and Facts: "Myths and Facts about Montessori"