Video: Community Environment

The fundamental aim of Montessori education is to help children become fully-fledged citizens of the world. How do we achieve something so monumental?

One of the active ways we do this is by creating a classroom community, a microcosm of society that utilizes multi-age groups, peer-guided learning and the understanding that everyone in the community needs to take part in its functioning by cooperating with others and participating to the best of their ability. Through working together towards common goals, we develop independent, critical thinkers who understand their role and value within the group. Check out our video:

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FUTURE OF EDUCATION

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Magic mat

There are a few things typical to Montessori classrooms worldwide that might give the casual observer a pause. Picture it: you walk into a beautiful Casa environment, full of children working, many of them on mats rolled out on the floor. The students moving through the room know to step between mats, never on them. Of course, in the beginning of the school year it took many presentations, repetitions and reminders to instill this routine in the students.

PEACE EDUCATION

It is no secret that Dr. Maria Montessori is known for her strong advocacy of peace education and how it relates to an essential yet often “invisible” component of the Montessori Method – Grace and Courtesy. Her vision to help all children to feel safe and cared for while preparing them for adulthood is the very foundation of Peace Education in every Montessori classroom, aimed to help cultivate empathy and kindness.

What does Grace and Courtesy look like in practice?

The purpose of the Grace and Courtesy curriculum in Montessori is to offer our children the best possible assistance on this path. Explaining and modeling clearly, we share the most harmonious ways of behaving, relating and communicating, and help children practice and master them. Step by step, from the simplest skills (like saying “excuse me” or shaking hands) children build a “vocabulary” of actions that allows them to act appropriately and feel confident in social settings. How do we actually practice it in particular age groups?