Why is a Montessori classroom called “The Children’s House?”

 

Dr. Montessori’s focus on the “whole child” led her to develop a very different sort of school from the traditional teacher-centered classroom. To emphasize this difference, she named her first school the Casa dei Babini, or “The Children’s House.”

 

The Montessori classroom is not the domain of the adults in charge; it is instead a carefully prepared environment designed to facilitate the development of the children’s independence and sense of personal empowerment. It is a children’s community, where they are allowed to move freely and select work that captures their interest.

 

In a very real way, all of the children are responsible for the care of their environment. When they are hungry, they prepare their own snacks and drinks. They go to the bathroom without assistance. When something spills, they help each other carefully clean up. Parents continue to be amazed witnessing small children cut raw fruits and vegetables, sweep and dust, carry pitchers of water, and pour liquids with barely a drop spilled. The children normally go about their work so calmly and purposely that it is clear to even the casual observer that the students are a very integral part of the community—that they are taking great care of their environment. 

 

Is Montessori unstructured?

 

Although the Montessori Method may initially seem unstructured, in reality, it’s thoughtfully structured at every level.  The Montessori program may be highly individualized, but that does not mean that students can do whatever they want.  Like all children, Montessori students live within a cultural context that involves the mastery of skills and knowledge considered essential.  In response, Montessori schools teach all of the foundational subjects found in typical school systems—including math, science, language, and arts—while maintaining the opportunity for students to investigate and discover subjects that are of personal interest to each of them. Allowing class time to be student-focused also gives students the ability to set their own schedule—choosing when to have snack, what lesson to work on first, at what pace every activity is completed, etc.

 

As part of the Primary Program, external structure is set with clearly laid-out ground rules, including grace and courtesy, as well as procedures for working with each activity, which are taught during individual or group lessons. This structure provides necessary guidelines and classroom organization for beginning 3- and 4-year-old students. By age five, most Montessori schools introduce students to a more formal system of keeping track of what they have accomplished and what they still need to complete before entering the next program.

 

Children in the Elementary Program normally work with a study plan, scheduled and written for the day or week. Every study plan lists the tasks that each student needs to complete within a given time, while still allowing them to decide how long to spend on each lesson and in what order they want to complete them. In addition to these basic, individually tailored assignments, children have time to explore topics that capture their interest and imagination, and then have the opportunity to share them with their classmates.

 

 

 

Why does the Montessori Method put so much stress on freedom and independence?

 

Children touch and manipulate everything in their environment.  In a sense, the human mind is handmade because it’s through movement and touch that children first explore, manipulate, and build a storehouse of impressions about the physical world.  Children learn best by doing, and this requires movement and spontaneous investigation. 

 

Because of this, Montessori children are given the freedom to move about, working alone or with others. They may select any activity and work with it as long as they wish, as long as they do not disturb anyone or damage any of the material, and put the work back where it belongs when they are finished. 

 

Many exercises, especially at the early childhood level, are designed to draw children’s attention to the sensory properties of objects within their environment: size, shape, color, texture, weight, smell, sound, etc.  Gradually, they learn to pay attention to small details in the world around them. When this happens, the students have truly begun to observe and appreciate their environment—a foundational part of helping children discover and love learning.

 

Our goal in the Montessori classroom, therefore, is less about teaching them facts and concepts and more about helping them fall in love with the process of focusing their complete attention on something, and working to master the challenge with enthusiasm.  Work assigned by adults rarely results in such enthusiasm and interest in comparison to the work children freely choose for themselves. 

 

To allow for this freedom, Montessori classrooms are prepared as a learning laboratory in which children can explore, discover, and select their own work. This freedom grants independence that empowers the students socially and emotionally. It is also intrinsically involved with helping them become comfortable and confident in their ability to master the environment, ask questions, puzzle out the answer, and learn without needing to be constantly helped by an adult. 

 

Sometimes, when people hear that the children have such wide choices, they believe that students are essentially able to do whatever they want. However, this is a misunderstanding of the how choice works in the classroom. Montessori children do have the choice as to which subject they will do first, say reading or math, and which material they will use to complete the lesson. However, playing all day or only working in one area, as well as hurting other children, themselves, or the environment, are never choices. These limitations are a foundational part of the Montessori classroom and are established in the beginning.

 

 

What if a child doesn’t feel like working?

 

While Montessori students are allowed considerable latitude to pursue topics that interest them, this freedom is not absolute.  Within every society there are cultural norms and expectations for what a student should know and be able to do by a certain age.  Experienced Montessori Guides are conscious of these standards and provide as much structure and support as necessary to ensure that students can meet them. However, if it appears that particular students need time and support until they are ready to tackle the next developmental challenge, Montessori teachers provide consistent, non-judgmental support.

 

Is the Montessori Method for all children?

 

The Montessori Method has been used successfully with children from varying backgrounds, including students from all socio-economic levels, those in gifted programs, and children with developmental delays.

 

The Montessori approach evolved over many years as the result of Dr. Montessori’s work with varying populations and age groups.  One of the earliest groups with which she worked was a population of children who had been placed in a residential-care setting because of severe developmental delays. During this time working with children who were deemed “uneducable,” Montessori discovered that these students were actually very capable of learning to read and write using her method of hands-on, child-centered lessons. In an effort to further pursue this discovery and continue her observation of children at work, Montessori opened her first Children’s House in 1907. Throughout decades of pioneering work, Montessori continued to evolve her approach based on her research, which she saw not as a defined answer but as an evolving view of education.

 

Today, the Montessori Method is used with a wide range of children, but is most commonly found in educational programs designed for the typical range of students found in most classrooms. Every child has a personal learning style, with certain gifts and challenges.  Dr. Montessori understood that each child is unique and developed her educational approach to allow for these differences, letting students learn at their own pace through intentional flexibility in the classroom.

 

This flexibility in the classroom is based on the understanding that not all children learn in the exact same way at the exact same age. The Montessori Method’s foundational concept is that you can best teach children by first observing their individual abilities, interests, and natural inclinations toward learning. Because each Guide has the flexibility to respond to students as unique individuals, each child can feel intellectually challenged, even those who would be considered highly gifted.

 

It’s often asked whether the Montessori Method is suitable for children with special needs. As a result of the method's flexibility, children with mild physical handicaps or learning disabilities often do very well in a Montessori classroom setting.

 

It’s important to note that some children may naturally do better in a smaller classroom setting with a more teacher-directed program that offers fewer choices and more consistent external structure. Children who are easily overstimulated, or those who tend to be overly aggressive, may be examples of children who might not adapt as easily to a Montessori program.  Each situation is different, and it is best to work with the schools in your area to see if it appears that a particular school would be a good match for your child. 

 

We would be happy to set up a meeting here at Woodland to further discuss our programs and whether you feel your child would benefit from the Montessori environment.

 

 

How can Montessori Guides meet the needs of so many different children?

 

Montessori guides are trained to focus initially on helping their students open their hearts and minds, creating an environment that leaves them ready and excited to learn. This environment is encouraged by incorporating peace, grace, and courtesy as part of the daily curriculum, and turning the focus of learning from good grades to the students’ innate love of learning. Maria Montessori said, “The goal of early education should be to activate the children’s own natural desire to learn.”

 

As the school weeks go by and the community is continually being built upon this foundation of peace, teachers become increasingly familiar with each child’s unique learning style and temperament, and can then continue to encourage them in their own space and at their own pace.

 

This approach is rooted in Dr. Montessori’s belief that the teachers’ focus should be on observing the children and allowing the individual interests of the students to guide their own daily lesson plans. Students are encouraged to ask questions, think for themselves, explore, investigate, and discover. Daily lessons are typically presented to individual students or small groups, with a simple, clear presentation of the material. The goal of the lesson is to give the learners enough to capture their attention and spark their interest, encouraging them to come back and explore the materials on their own.  In this way, Montessori Guides don’t simply present lessons. Rather, they are facilitators, mentors, and coaches, following the natural interests and skills of each student through the selection of intriguing and developmentally appropriate learning activities, which are designed to meet the needs and interests of each child in the class. The Guide’s primary role, therefore, becomes the preparation and maintenance of the physical, intellectual, social, and emotional environment within which the children work. 

 

This approach focuses on the natural development of children rather than a rigid structure. The ultimate objective of a Montessori classroom is to help the students learn independently and retain the curiosity, creativity, and intelligence with which they were born.

 

Additionally, because the programs also incorporate a range of age groups, children stay in the same program for several years. This gives the teachers a unique opportunity to spend years with each student and their parents, building a strong community among the Montessori families and the faculty at Woodland.

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Why do most Montessori schools want children to enter at age three?

 

Dr. Montessori identified four “planes of development,” with each plane having its own developmental patterns and challenges. In response to this discovery, the programs are designed in accordance with these stages. The Primary Program is, therefore, designed for children ages three to six who possess a highly absorbent mind and are going through periods of rapid development and growth. Learning that takes place during these years comes spontaneously and without effort. Responding correctly to these sensitive periods allows our Primary students to grasp abstract concepts that prepare them for the Elementary Program.

 

Overall, the Montessori Method helps children become self-motivated and self-disciplined, while still retaining the curiosity that so many children unfortunately lose in traditional classrooms. The three-year Montessori experience in the Elementary class tends to nurture a joy of learning that prepares our students for future challenges. However, this process seems to work best when children enter a Montessori program at age two or three, and stay at least through the kindergarten year. Children entering at age four or five do not have the same amount of time to develop the skills, work habits, or values inherent in the Montessori Method. While older children entering Montessori may do well with this late transition, this depends, to a large degree, on their personality, previous educational experiences, and the way they have been raised at home.

 

Montessori programs can usually accept a few older children into an established class, so long as the family understands and accepts that some critical opportunities may have been missed and that these children may not reach the levels of achievement seen in other children of the same age. However, because of the individualized pace of learning in Montessori classrooms and the teachers’ ability to use the children’s interests as alternate avenues for accomplishment and success, this is often not a great concern.

 

 

Why do most Montessori schools ask young children to attend five days a week?

 

Two- and three-day programs are often attractive to parents who do not need full-time care, so the sole option of a five-day program is sometimes confusing. However, we believe that the consistency of a five-day program is incredibly important for young children, and is a critical part of creating a strong community in the classroom. Since the primary goal of the Montessori Method involves creating a culture of consistency, order, and empowerment, most Montessori schools will expect children to attend five days a week. 

 

 

Why do Montessori programs group different age levels together?

 

Sometimes parents worry that having younger children in the same class as older students will shortchange one of the groups—the younger children will absorb the teachers’ time and attention, or that the importance of covering the kindergarten curriculum for the five-year-olds will prevent the guides from giving the three- and four-year-olds the emotional support and stimulation that they need. While these are understandable concerns, the differing age groups are an intentional choice of the Montessori classroom.

 

At each level, Montessori programs are designed to address the developmental characteristics of specific learning stages, which differ with age. Montessori classes are, therefore, organized to encompass a two- or three- year age span, allowing younger students the stimulation and guidance of older students—who have often been in the classroom for a number of years—and the older students benefiting from serving as role models. Additionally, the mixed-age class supports the flexibility that allows students to work at their own pace, because, at any given time, students can find peers who are working at their current level. This means that those children who struggle initially can find the support and encouragement from other students, while gifted children simultaneously gain stimulation from intellectual peers, without requiring anyone to be held back, to skip a grade, or to feel emotionally out of place. 

 

Because Montessori students normally stay in the same class for three years, with two-thirds of the class normally returning each year, the classroom culture tends to remain quite stable. This allows for the building of a true community, which naturally has varying age groups, interests, and skills. Within this community, and the peace education on which it is founded, a strong support system is formed among the students and teachers.

 

 

Why do Montessori classes tend to be larger than those found in many other schools?

 

Many schools take pride in having very small classes, and parents often wonder why Montessori classes tend to be much larger—typically with 25-30 children in a class, covering a three-year age span. Schools that have smaller teacher-to-student ratios tend to assume that the teacher is the source of instruction, which is of course, a limited resource. These programs reason that as the number of students decreases, the time that the teachers have to spend with each child increases. Ideally, we would have one-on-one tutoring. 

 

However, Montessori observed that the best teacher of a three-year-old is often another, older child.  Allowing there to be an educational community among the students that doesn’t rely solely on a teacher is beneficial for both the older student, who assumes the role of tutor, and the younger child, who is learning an academic skill, along with a lesson on how to be a role model. 

 

Because of this, the teacher is not the primary focus in the Montessori classroom. The larger group size allows the focus to shift from an authoritative adult to community-based learning, where everyone has something to share.

 

Is it true that Montessori children never play?

 

All children play! They explore new things playfully. They watch something of interest with an open mind. They enjoy the company of treasured adults and other children. They create stories; they dream; they imagine.

 

This impression of never playing stems from parents who don’t know what to make of the incredible concentration, order, and self-discipline that we commonly see among Montessori children.  Montessori students also tend to take the things they do in school quite seriously. It is common for them to respond, “This is my work,” when adults ask what they are doing. They work hard and expect their parents to treat them and their work with respect.  But it is a joyful, playful work, and anything but drudgery—exactly as learning should be! 

 

 

Is the Montessori Method opposed to fantasy and creativity?

 

Fantasy and creativity are important aspects of a Montessori student’s experience. Montessori classrooms incorporate art, music, dance, and creative drama into the rest of the curriculum, collectively bringing all subjects into a realm of creativity.

 

Additionally, imagination plays a central role in children exploring how the natural world works, visualizing other cultures and ancient civilizations, and searching for creative solutions to real-life problems.

 

 

Will my child be able to adjust to traditional public or private schools after attending a Montessori school?

                                                                                                                                            

Montessori children are typically curious, self-confident learners who look forward to going to school, especially by the age of five. We find our students to be engaged, enthusiastic learners, who honestly want to learn and ask excellent questions. By age six, students at Montessori schools have typically spent at least three or four years in a program where they were treated with honesty and respect. While there were clear expectations and ground rules, their opinions and questions were taken seriously.

 

Unfortunately, there are still some teachers and schools where children who ask questions are seen as challenging authority. We believe asking questions, sharing opinions, and thinking critically to be an important part of education. By allowing children to question and share their thoughts, the students gain confidence as a learner and thinker, which is evident in the students from an early age. We believe this confidence often aides students in adapting to new school situations.

 

There is nothing inherent in Montessori that causes children to have a hard time if they are transferred to a traditional school. It is not hard to imagine an independent Montessori child asking his new teacher, “But why do I have to ask each time I need to use the bathroom?” or “Why do I have to stop my work right now?” Some children may be bored in this new setting, not understanding why everyone in the class has to do the same thing at the same time. All children are different, both in their learning processes and in how they deal with transitions. One child may be very sensitive or have special needs that might not be met well in a teacher-centered traditional classroom; other children can succeed in any type of school. While there are obvious variations in each child, we have found that most students coming from Montessori schools adapt to their new settings fairly quickly, making new friends and succeeding within the definition of success understood in their new school. 

 

Will my child be as equipped or prepared as students in traditional educational environments?

 

There have been an increasing number of studies published in the last few years comparing Montessori education and traditional education. The findings have shown that contrary to what some people may believe, Montessori children typically have a wider understanding of academic subjects and are ahead of their peers when it comes to social development. 

 

These findings are clearly demonstrated in a study by Dr. Angeline Lillard and her colleagues (2017). This study is currently the most comprehensive longitudinal research study on Montessori education. 

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The findings report that Montessori students:

• Are more interested in learning

• Are more self-disciplined

• Have a greater understanding of truth and fairness

• Have more creativity, especially in their writing

• Are more independent

• Have a better understanding of educational concepts, inducing grammar, story structure, mathematical operations, algebra, geometry

• Have a deep understanding of separate subjects, including geography, history, social studies, and science, and how they are all related.

 

You can read more about this study, “Montessori Preschool Elevates and Equalizes Child Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study” here. Dr. Angeline Lillard has since written a book titled, Science Behind the Genius. This is another great resource demonstrating the effectiveness and benefits of the Montessori Method.

 

Are Montessori schools elitist?

 

No! Montessori is an educational philosophy and approach that can be found in all sorts of settings, from the humblest to largest, most well-equipped campuses. In general, Montessori schools consciously strive to create and maintain a diverse student body, welcoming families of every ethnic background and religion, and using scholarships and financial aid to keep the school accessible to deserving families. Montessori is also found in the public sector as magnet programs, Head Start centers, and charter schools.

 

 

Does the Montessori Method teach religion?

 

Montessori schools typically do not teach religion, with the only exception being specific schools that are associated with a particular religious community. However, one of the aims of a Montessori school is the inspiration of the child’s heart. Maria Montessori believed that the future rests in the children’s generation as potential peacemakers. So while our school does not teach religion, we do incorporate foundational moral and spiritual theme—including love, kindness, joy, and confidence—in simple ways that encourage the child to begin the journey toward being fully alive and fully human. These inclusions are intended to nurture a sense of joy and appreciation for life in our students, as well as a sense of connection with the world and people around them.

 

Additionally, Montessori schools incorporate lessons about world cultures in order to share an appreciation of our diverse world. This includes the celebration of certain holidays, including Christmas, Hanukah, and the Chinese New Year, with the focus being cultural rather than strictly religious. Our goal is to share with our students how children around the world would normally experience each festival within their culture through a celebration that includes special foods, songs, dances, games, stories, and presents.