The Principles We Follow

  • We provide the children with freedom to work within a well-planned and organised environment that enables them to grow and learn at their own pace.
  • We believe every child is an individual profound affected by the quality of its experience.
  • We provide an atmosphere which promotes respect and concern for all individual and the environment.
  • We Believe in a child’s creative potential the drive to learn and right to be treated as an individual.
  • We believe working within mixed age groups between 3 t0 6 years, children may develop a social and well rounded personality.
  • We believe harmonious surroundings help to develop the child’s natural potential.
  • We believe Montessori education provides that best possible foundation for life.
We aspire to emphasise the importance of independence, self-confidence, self-discipline, curiosity, creativity, problem-solving, co-operation and respect for others and self; thereby helping to develop competent, considerate, responsible members of society.

The Philosophy 

The Montessori approach aims to allow children to grow naturally, to retain their individuality and develop their own personality. Maria Montessori’s education principles are based round these central ideas outlined as follows:

Universal Characteristics of Childhood

  • All children want to learn. With the freedom to investigate the world around them, they will become active learners.
  • From Birth to 6 years of age, children have an absorbent mind. Everything that occurs in their life has a profound effect and therefore, the quality of early experience is of fundamental importance to their self-construction.
  • Children pass through sensitive periods in their development.

The Prepared Environment

Freedom
There should be physical, intellectual and social freedom. Everything is child-sized and all activities are within reach to allow free choice. Control flows from self-discipline.

Structure and Order
The classroom is ordered and well planned. The curriculum and teaching materials are carefully selected and presented to the children. This provides a structure for learning.

Simplicity and Aesthetic Awareness
The classroom is not over-crowded or over-stimulated with attention being paid to the development of aesthetic awareness.

Nature and Reality
There is emphasis on bringing about awareness of the real world and in particular, the children are encouraged to take care of and learn to understand and respect the natural world around them.

Intellectual Materials
The Montessori materials cover development activities designed to meet the needs of the children in five curriculum units:

Practical

Sensorial

Mathematics

Language

Culture

The Montessori Method of Education

The Montessori Method of Education is both a philosophy of child growth and rationale for guiding such growth. It is based on the child’s development needs for freedom within limits, and a carefully prepared environment which guarantees exposure to materials and experiences through which to develop intelligence as well as physical and psychological abilities. The child needs adults to expose him to the possibilities of his life, but the child himself must direct his response to those capabilities. With the belief that a child, given the freedom to experience and experiment will be the best gauge of his own readiness for academic, social and physical activities, Dr. Montessori initiated a child-centred personalised programme which integrates all aspects of the child’s development.

The Montessori Method of Education recognises the following unique qualities of young children:

  • Children are to be respected as different from adults and as individuals who differ from each other.
  • The child possesses unusual sensitivity and mental powers for absorbing and learning from his environment.
  • The most Important years of growth are the first six years of life when unconscious learning is gradually brought to the conscious level.
  • The child has a deep love and need for purposeful work. He works not for profit or completion of a job as an adult, but for the sake of the activity which accomplishes or him, his most important goal, the development of himself-his mental, physical and psychological powers.

The Materials used in the Montessori school provide sensorial experience which enable a child to develop a keen sense of awareness of his environment and thus strengthen his ability to cope with it.

Our Objectives then as Montessori Teachers are:

  • To maintain an environment which will develop within each child a feeling of self-acceptance and esteem.
  • To provide an atmosphere which promotes respect and concern for all individuals.
  • To provide stimulation materials and guidance in the use of these materials which will enable each child to realise his full potential.
  • To help the child to accept the limits of life in a democratic society.
  • To extend early home experiences in an environment planned through living and learning with peers.
  • To provide opportunities for exploration and creativity.
  • To foster basic health patterns in daily living.
  • To provide an attitude of appreciation for the material world in which we live.
  • To encourage rational thinking, fair-play, self reliance and individual freedom and responsibility.
  • To respect each other’s individuality and promote attitudes, interests and understandings which will enable him to be a happy, secure contributing member of society.

The Practical Life Exercises

Designed by Dr.Montessori, The Practical life Exercises are the foundation of the Montessori System. The aim is to bridge the gap from home to school and to aid the child in that transition. The Practical Life Exercises are aimed at developing the child in all aspects and as such follows a pattern that:

  • Help the child to grow in self-knowledge
  • Help the child to grow in self-image and independence
  • The exercises give him awareness of his/her environment and of his culture
  • Develop motor co-ordination and control of movement
  • Develop a spirit of helpfulness and responsibility
  • Develop a sense of order and help to build a child’s concentration.

Dr. Maria Montessori realised that the hand was the instrument of the brain and once the intellect had been set to work concentration could begin. All the practical Life Exercises have a purpose, a point of interest and have a great appeal for age children. The exercises are numerous and become more complicated as the child matures.