Montessori in Marpole
At our new Montessori in Marpole facility we adhere to these 6 basic principles of Montessori Education:
1: The experience of learning is positive and cultivates a child’s innate sense of curiosity and motivation to become life long learners.
2: The child has the greatest capacity to learn from birth to age six.
3: All children need to be treated with respect.
4: There should be freedom of movement in a classroom to assist with the process of learning.
5: There should be a structured environment where everything is child sized.
6: Children develop at their own pace and potential.
The Montessori Approach
Montessori schools believe that play is a child’s work. Our Montessori in Marpole facility programs are child-directed, emphasizing active, self-paced, individualized learning. Children choose activities based on their interests and “work” for uninterrupted blocks of time. Teachers observe and track their progress, and facilitate their use of materials. Through this approach, it’s thought that children become more confident, independent, self-regulated and self-disciplined.
Montessori cultivates independence:
- You let the child do what an adult would do for a child in a prepared environment.
- You will find the child following their own motivation for learning, rather than the stepwise directions of the teacher.
Mixed age grouping:
- The mixed age group environment creates an atmosphere where children learn to help and be helped by other children, because they interact consistently with children whose age and abilities are varied.
- Young children learn higher level cognitive and social skills not only through mental development, but also by observing others as models.
- Older children learn to be patient and tolerant, and serve as role models and teachers for the younger children. When an older child teaches a younger one, it reinforces previously learned concepts.
Each child is valued as a unique individual:
- The classroom and curriculum is designed around their specific needs and abilities that allow the child to explore and learn at their own pace and on their own terms.
Freedom of movement inside the classroom is encouraged:
- Montessori education recognizes that children learn in different ways, and accommodates all learning styles.
- Children are allowed to explore the environment at their own pace.
- Learning occurs at a comfortable pace for each student, rather than inflicting the same rate on every student in a classroom.
Structured environment:
- Everything is child sized; clean, well organized and uncluttered
- Several key elements of the approach meet the educational goals today’s parents have for their children, including growing into capable people who will be have a strong sense of self, the ability to connect with others, and the potential to be productive throughout their lives.
Hands-on Learning:
- Each area in the Montessori classroom have concrete materials where children can explore using all senses.
- Benefits children with different means of learning.
Benefits of a Montessori Education
A huge benefit with Montessori is that the child is active within their own pace and rhythms – kids who seem distracted in a conventional setting may flourish if allowed to set their own rhythm of activity. Children in Montessori programs also tend to become highly self-regulated. That’s a major advantage, because it’s considered, at this time, a huge criterion for success in school—not intelligence but the capacity to self-regulate. (Self-regulation means how quickly a person returns to a calm state after experiencing stress.)
Montessori environments tend to be quieter, calmer and less stressful than play-based ones, which some children may find too loud, colourful or high-stimulus. When choosing a school, look for a tranquil environment, one in which the colour comes from the children and their activities and paintings. Be very wary of an environment that’s filled with red, yellow and blue, and heavy, heavy doses of print or cartoon characters, et cetera, because those are very visually harassing for the child and will tire the child out.
A traditional school environment tends to be highly structured in terms of time—if you know what time it is, you know what the children are doing—but it’s loosely structured in terms of space. Montessori is the reverse: highly structured in space and loosely structured in time. If you know where children are in the room, you know what they’re doing, but the time is free.
When touring schools, ask about staff qualifications, particularly those of the school’s leaders. Also find out whether they provide professional development: A good centre will do that, and the best centres tend to have the most professional development, on an ongoing basis.
And, of course, examine the physical environment and ask about activities. Is it clean, well organized and uncluttered? Is there a quality of beauty there? Do they take the children outside? What’s the quality of the playground and outdoor experiences, the quality of the food? Do they have a little studio for arts-based activities?
A last point to consider: a large number of very successful people were educated at Montessori schools. Some notable personalities include Jaqueline Kennedy, Beyonce, Jeff Bezos, Princes William and Harry, and Anne Frank.
Thanks to myfirstmontessori.ca for excerpts of this content. https://myfirstmontessori.ca/the-montessori-advantage
Global Montessori has been offering primary child care, after school care, and the Montessori method of schooling in Langley since 1988. In our new Montessori in Marpole facility, we accept infants and toddlers living in and around the area and beyond. For more information, visit https://globalmontessoricenter.ca