Montessori in Brief

In 2009 Dr Steven Hughes came to Auckland, New Zealand and over 90 Montessori teachers and parents attended his day-long workshop. He challenged us to come up with what has been jokingly called ‘elevator speeches’ about Montessori.

This is the scenario: Imagine you get in an elevator on the 15th floor, wearing a conference badge identifying you as a Montessori teacher. A person already on the elevator says,“So,
tell me, what is Montessori?” What would you respond in the time it takes to get to the ground floor?’

So allowing for that fact that here in New Zealand we call it a ‘lift’ and that very few Montessorians in NZ are ever on the 15th floor of any high-rise, this is what several groups came up with in Auckland in 2009.

Montessori is ... in 15 floors

Montessori is everything you would want learning to be. Children are provided with the opportunity to gain confidence and independence with responsibility being a natural outcome. This is done through Montessori classrooms providing a safe, peaceful, structured, engaging environment that allows children to influence the direction and pace of their learning. A Montessori child sees the need, responds to the need, does it well and then makes it better.

Montessori is the perfect place for my child. It’s more than the 3R’s. My child really has the freedom to really learn in a safe and caring place supported by fantastic teaching staff. It’s where she feels values and learns to value others. It’s fun, hands-on and stimulating. Hey, and it gets results too. I really can’t say enough about it. You have got to check it out. He aha te mea nui, He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.

Montessori is a way to develop your child’s skills to manage the world and shine! It is a child-centred collaborative environment to develop a love of learning, to build your child’s freedom to think, develop responsibility, independence, curiosity, personal grace and courtesy.

Montessori is a community of learners that is made up of children, teachers, whanau, family in a multi-age grouping. The community collaborates to provide a beautiful, inviting, cam and inclusive environment which is set up to inspire and challenge learners to research a holistic curriculum. We recognise that the impetus to learn comes from within so we begin with practical everyday skills and learning to get on with each other. We recognise sensory based learning is key and this leads on to fulfilling academic potential. Montessori is a scientifically based approach to education that has stood the test of time and it is one of the largest educational approaches in six continents.

Montessori education is a practical hands-on learning environment using purposeful materials. It develops children’s self-motivation, independence, curiosity and passion for learning. The children are given the opportunity to freely choose their work and are guided by their peers and teachers. Montessori creates a life-long love of learning and well-rounded individuals. Montessori is not only about the education BUT it  is a way of life. Montessori is for me, you and for everyone!

Montessori is a learning community of parents, children and teachers. It is a educational approach that is 100 years old, but proven by modern brain research. Any child will thrive because of the teacher’s role of scientific observation which results in a highly individualised programme; the learning is tailored to meet every child’s current needs. It is ‘brain based’ learning providing activities for every sphere of life and learning;  many that are not available to the child anywhere else in life. The foundation for Montessori is respect; respect for each child’s ability to learn independently following their own inner drive and needs, respect that they will develop self-discipline, peace and empathy, the knowledge that each child will develop respect for each other, humanity, their environment and the universe.

Montessori education is a holistic approach that prepares children for life because;
-children have freedom of choice which helps develop responsible decision making, love of learning and self-discovery.
-Montessori provides a peaceful, collaborative, culturally-aware environment and community, in which the children feel respected and nurtured.
-children have uninterrupted time to explore, engage in and complete their chosen learning activity.
-the Montessori environment is beautiful and enticing for the children to learn in and
-children have learning resources developed by Dr Montessori and others that engage their senses and meet the needs of children at varying stages of development.

Montessori is a child-centred system of education that promotes life-long learning. The environment is created to best cater for the child’s development; including social, moral and academic. The environment and teachers are peaceful and respectful which encourages reflection so that the children can best reach their maximum potential.

Montessori education is an education philosophy based on hands-on real-life experiences and skills following the interests of the young child. Children are free and encouraged to engage with activities of interest interacting with the environment and each other as a community of learners. The environment is attractive, inviting and well-structured with a mixed age group of children from three to six years old in early childhood. Children are encouraged to support each other, care for and respect themselves, others and the environment. In the class you will find areas of learning including daily life skills, materials for sensorial exploration, language and literacy, numeracy, cultural activities. The teachers observe and encourage the children to explore and experiment. They prepare the classroom and teaching to meet the interests of all the children.