Montessori is an individualized approach to education for children from toddler through high school that helps each child reach full potential in all areas of life. It is a student-centered approach that encourages creativity and curiosity and leads children to ask questions, explore, investigate and think for themselves as they acquire skills.

A Montessori environment focuses more on a student’s learning than on a teacher’s teaching. Specially trained Montessori teachers guide, coach and facilitate each child’s learning through continuous observation and assessment.

“Our aim is not merely to make children understand, and still less to force them to memorize, but so to touch their imaginations as to enthuse them to their innermost core.” – Dr. Maria Montessori

Montessori schools are based on the philosophy that a child learns best within a social environment that supports each individual’s unique development.

The family is considered an integral part of the individual’s total development and Montessori schools are eager to partner with parents to prepare children for life. The following steps are offered as a guide to finding the right Montessori school for your child.

#1. Familiarize yourself with the Montessori philosophy. Information is available on
this Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators website and on
a number of other Internet sites including school websites.

#2. When looking at an individual school consider the following:
Location
Licensing, accreditations, and affiliations
Size of the school
History of the school
Programmes offered: Preschool, JK/SK (ages 3 – 6),
Grades 1 – 6 (ages 6 – 12), and in some cases
Grades 7, 8 and high school
Tuition fees
Type of ownership

#3. Arrange to visit the school while the children are in session. Every Montessori
school has its own culture and focus and will thus have a unique atmosphere.

#4. Observe the Classrooms.
Are there three ages in each class – 3 to 6 years, 6 to 9 years, 9 to 12 years,
and 15 to 18 years?
Is there a 2 – 3 hour uninterrupted work period in the Montessori environment?
Is there a diverse set of Montessori materials that are in good repair,
clean, and accessible?

#5. Observe the Children in their Classroom.
Is there a variety of activities available?
Do the children work independently and are they engaged in meaningful
activities?
Is there evidence of children interacting with each other?
Is there an atmosphere of enjoyment?

#6. Observe the Staff.
Is there an atmosphere of respect when interacting with the children?
Is staff approachable and responsive to the children?

Montessori children are usually adaptive. They have learned to work independently and in groups. Since they’ve been encouraged to make decisions from an early age, these children are problem-solvers who can make choices and manage their time well.
They have also been encouraged to exchange ideas and to discuss their work freely with others, and good communication skills ease the way in new settings.

Research has shown that the best predictor of future success is a strong sense of self-esteem. Montessori programs, based on self-directed, non-competitive activities, help children develop good self-images and the confidence to face challenges and change with optimism.

Montessori students develop creativity and confidence, critical thinking and problem solving skills, and a positive, collaborative attitude — all key attributes that stay with them throughout their education and life. CCMA accredited Montessori schools have demonstrated their ability to give their students all the benefits of a true Montessori education.

Look for the CCMA symbol and be confident in your child’s future.

1.  The “Whole Child” Approach 
The primary goal of a Montessori program is to help each child reach full potential in all areas of life. Activities promote the development of social skills, emotional growth, and physical coordination as well as cognitive skills. Under the direction of a specially trained teacher, the holistic curriculum allows the child to experience the joy of learning, gives the child time to enjoy the process, ensures the development of self-esteem, and provides the experiences from which children create their knowledge.

2.  The “Responsive, Prepared, Adaptive Environment” 
In order for self-directed learning to take place, the whole learning environment – facilities, room, materials, social climate, and experiences – must be supportive of the learner. The teacher provides necessary resources, including opportunities for children to function in a safe and positive climate.
An atmosphere of support and trust enables the children to explore and discover confidently.

3.  Mixed Age Groupings
The multi-age grouping in each class provides a family-like setting where learning can take place naturally. More experienced children share what they have learned while reinforcing their own knowledge and skills. The multi-age community interaction is intrinsic to Montessori. This encourages rich language experiences, and opportunities for the development of empathy and social learning.

In order to respond to the diversity of individual children’s developmental needs, classes in the Casa and Elementary programmes group children across a three-year age span.  Toddler programmes may have a one year age span in order to comply with Ministry guidelines and/or the individual school’s programming.

Learning with and from each other to develop the social skills that form a class community.  The social setting is like that of an extended family.  The emergent skills of the individual children come together to form the class community.

4.  Co-operation and Collaboration
Children are encouraged to respect and support one another in their learning, and with their daily needs and experiences.  Learning is a social process.

5.  The Montessori Materials 
Dr. Montessori’s scientific observations of the children led her to design a number of multisensory, sequential, and self-correcting materials.  These facilitate learning which builds from the concrete to the abstract in constructing their knowledge.

6.  Self-Directed Learning
Children are free to work at their own pace with materials they have chosen, either alone or with others. The teacher relies on his or her observations of the children to determine which new activities and materials may be introduced to an individual child or to a small or large group. The aim is to encourage active, self-directed learning and to strike a balance of individual mastery with small group collaboration within the whole group community.

7.  Freedom within Limits
Each Montessori class, from toddlers through elementary, operates on the principle of freedom within limits. Every program has its set of ground rules which differ from age to age, but is always based on core Montessori beliefs – respect for each other and for the environment.

8.  The Teacher 
Originally called a “Directress”, the Montessori teacher functions as designer of the environment, resource person, role model, demonstrator, record keeper, and meticulous observer of each child’s behaviour and growth.

The teacher acts as a facilitator of learning. This extensive training includes supervised classroom practice teaching and is specialized for the age group with which a teacher will work, i.e., infant and toddler, 3 to 6 year olds, 6 to 9 year olds, and 9 to 12 year olds.

“Our aim is not merely to make children understand, and still less to force them to memorize, but so to touch their imaginations as to enthuse them to their innermost core.”
Dr. Maria Montessori

Montessori education was founded by Dr. Maria Montessori as a result of her scientific observations of the behaviour and needs of young children. The first woman physician to graduate from the University of Rome, Maria Montessori became involved with education as a doctor treating children labelled as mentally challenged. In 1907 Montessori was invited to open a care centre for the children of desperately poor families in the San Lorenzo slums of Rome.

Montessori called it a “Children’s House” and based the program on her observations that young children learn best in a nurturing environment, filled with developmentally appropriate materials that provide experiences contributing to the growth of self-motivated, independent learners.

Among Montessori’s revolutionary theories were the premise that:

• • Children are to be respected as different from adults and as individuals who are different from one another.
  • Children create themselves through purposeful activity.
  • The most important years for learning are from birth to age six.
  • Children possess unusual sensitivity and mental powers for absorbing and learning from their environment, which includes people as well as materials.

As early as 1912, Montessori was carrying her message throughout the world, including North America. After an enthusiastic first response, a reintroduction of the method in the mid-1950’s followed, by the founding of a number of organizations such as the Association Montessori Internationale of United States (AMI-US), the American Montessori Society (AMS), the North American Montessori Teacher’s Association (NAMTA), and The Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators (CCMA), to name but a few.

There are more than 22,000 Montessori schools in the world today.

Why is Montessori Relevant Today?

Dr. Montessori did not set out to start schools or develop a curriculum.  Her intent was to observe children and learn from these observations.  She noted definitive sensitivities and tendencies in their development, such as sensorial exploration, order, language, precision, and repetition.  She developed materials to meet these characteristics across the ages, and from this developed a highly integrated educational approach.

Montessori education has a curriculum geared to the child’s ability and varied competencies, with a clear path to guiding them to the next level of competency.  While learning in a mixed-age community, the growth of independence within the child is encouraged and leads to confidence and competence as they explore.

The teachers in a Montessori class use observation as a tool for ongoing assessment, which allows for appropriate skill-building in each individual or small group, as well as a way to encourage social awareness of the class, the school, and into the greater world.

Parents who choose a Montessori education, cite their desire for the children to learn successfully in the world that is their future.  They see how an active role in one’s own learning results in a high level of academic development, social awareness, and character development.  In this constantly changing and complex world, knowing how to integrate learning in one’s own life and apply this knowledge is of supreme value.  Parents also want their child in a school where each is valued and respected as an individual.

Current research confirms the benefits of a Montessori education, which provides essential skills for future life and success.  The skills that are often highlighted as necessary for success in the 21^st century include:  critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.  These are also at the heart of what we do.

Some notable graduates include Google founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales, and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.

Montessori education is indeed important, successful, and relevant today.