Reply to I'm a DC Montessorian. AMA.

Forum Index » Preschool and Daycare Discussion

Reply to "I'm a DC Montessorian. AMA."

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How does Montessori work in the elementary and middle school grades? What children do best in this environment (beyond primary classrooms)? Thanks![/quote]

Lower elementary is ages 6-9 and upper elementary is 9-12. There is a much bigger focus on group projects and collaborative work. While a primary classroom has lots of individualized work, it's not uncommon to see a cluster of older children completing a science experiment together. The most ideal situation is a child who started Montessori as a 3 year old, but that's obviously not always possible. Homework is given, but it will be one or two small projects to be done over the course of a week.

A diverse group of children can benefit since they have the freedom to be social, or to work independently. If a child struggles with focusing, I've found Montessori to be a real gift since it is so hands on.[/quote]

I noticed this as well and realised it was a drawback to have my child do a lot of individual work in private preschool and then more individual work in public elementary. Since many parents take the same route and stop Montessori by first grade often because of cost, what is the Montessori community doing to help these children develop more collaborative skills similar to play based preschools before starting public school? Why is it so different from Montessori preschool to Montessori Elementary anyway?[/quote]

In this instance, Montessori absolutely follows true with what we know about children development. Very young children will engage in "parallel" play, and are not ready for the social structure required for cooperative play. As children are in the primary classroom, they will naturally develop these skills.

Montessori teachers will allow this process to happen on its own, instead of forcing group work and sharing. It is certainly allowed. Teachers are taught to interfere as little as possible and allow children to chat, have conversations, and offer suggestion to each other in all classrooms, whenever they wish so long as it isn't super loud or disruptive. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics