When education becomes more than a cookie-cutter curriculum, it develops into a true learning experience. The Montessori Method embodies this idea with a proven system used in diverse cultures across the globe. Focusing on a child’s natural curiosity and desire to learn about their world, Montessori programs create a learning environment like no other.
Developed by physician and educator Dr. Maria Montessori, the method that bears her name has been used successfully for over 100 years. Dr. Montessori developed this method with scientific observations of her students from childhood to adulthood. With this information, she was able to develop a perfected style of education with three key components:
Student Choice
A Montessori trained teacher will create a classroom with a range of activity options and the ability to move freely about the room. This learning environment encourages student independence and freedom, while the limits retain a sense of order and prevent students from feeling overwhelmed. It strikes the perfect balance in cultivating a desire to learn.
The Discovery Approach
The Montessori Method uses the discovery model of learning rather than directly instructing students what to do and how to do it. This encourages a child’s curiosity and helps them easily learn new concepts. Using hands-on materials, activities, and uninterrupted blocks of work time, student’s learn the lessons as they solve the problem at hand. This style of learning promotes not only problem solving skills, but searching to discover an answer.
Mixed Age Groupings
A staple of the Montessori Method, classroom groups consist of varying ages, from toddlers to kindergarten in our case to promote socialization and collaboration across many levels of concept mastery. Younger students are encouraged to learn from older students while older students must reinforce their understanding of concepts when teaching younger students. This environment mirrors higher education and adulthood, where people meet and learn from others with varying levels of experience.
Dr. Montessori designed her method to create a tailored, challenging, and exciting learning environment that nurtures a child’s natural curiosity. This unique and proven education experience has produced extremely successful adults all over the world.
Contact us to learn more about the Montessori Method, meet with our staff, or take a tour of the Brooksfield School.
