Learning to think is not the same thing as learning to memorize.  Thinking requires infinitely more effort and involves much more brain activity than reciting something back.  Thinking involves inquiry, innovation, creativity, analysis, synthesis, problem solving, persistence, self-confidence, self-motivation, independence and even courage.  That is why the emphasis in a Montessori classroom is on children learning rather than teachers teaching.  We strive to foster independence and joyful discovery that naturally leads to greater learning and retention.

The world is changing in such a way that more than ever the children of today will need to be able to think for themselves. Rote learning will simply not prepare children for the complexity and fast paced change that tomorrow is sure to bring.  We need them to be able to think for themselves.

The entire structure of the Montessori system from the curriculum, to the way the classroom is set up, to the specific ways in which the teacher interacts with children, is designed to prompt and encourage children to think for themselves, to discover, to make mistakes and learn from their own mistakes.  The teacher in a Montessori classroom is as much a guide as a teacher, keenly observing each child’s interests, and abilities and prepared and ready to introduce the next series of lessons when a child shows he or she is ready to move onto the next level.  Montessori materials are themselves designed to allow a child to recognize when something is not correct, and to correct it themselves.

Within a typical Montessori preschool/kindergarten classroom there well over a hundred different developmentally appropriate learning activities; each one presenting abstract ideas in concrete form.  The depth and breadth of the curriculum allows the Montessori teacher to adapt to address the unique needs of the children in his/her class.  The Montessori teacher further enhances the environment by bringing in a variety of additional lessons to pique the curiosity of the students in his/her particular class.  Learning is individualized so that it fits the pace as well as the interests of each student.

Because there is not a rigid one-size-fits-all lesson plan for each day as there is in a traditional school setting, the Montessori teacher is allowed the freedom to meet the particular needs of his/her students.  The emphasis is always on keeping alive the spark of curiosity, supporting and encouraging independence and nurturing each child’s inherent desire to learn.  In this way we work every day to support our students on their journey to think for themselves.

You may be interested in reading the following articles and viewing the below TED talk on the topic of independent thinking and preserving and fostering the creativity every child is born with:

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/raising-independent-thinker/

http://www.blog.montessoriforeveryone.com/encouraging-independence-in-children.html

http://www.montessorianswers.com/difference-between-montessori-and-traditional.html

Discovering a natural way to learn | Karin Ann | TEDxHongKongED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVgattQId64 

The Importance of the 3-Year Montessori Cycle & the Montessori Kindergarten Year:

The primary Montessori program is designed as a three-year cycle. Ideally children from 3 – 6 years old stay with the same teacher right through their kindergarten year.

The third year, or Montessori kindergarten year, is when all the learning that has taken place in the previous two years reaches fruition and a child’s knowledge begins to fall into place. Your child will be challenged to reach his/her potential by his/her Montessori teacher who knows your child incredibly well and so can provide precisely what is needed next. Children build upon what they have learned, experience rapid academic and social growth and their skill level dramatically increases when they are given the opportunity to consolidate their knowledge within the Montessori classroom. Third year students are ready to explode into more complex learning and discovery and they delve into a wealth of new and interesting materials. They are guided to take on more and more complex work, begin to learn time management skills and have an increased set of expectations and privileges in the classroom. These older children also reinforce their academic skills by helping another child, a well-documented way to consolidate knowledge.

Your child has been unconsciously looking forward to being one of the “big kids” in the classroom so when he/she is put into a school where the kindergartners are looked down upon as being in the “baby class” his/her cycle of maturing is interrupted. It is especially unfortunate for a child who is a younger sibling at home to miss this opportunity to shine. This year of leadership gives a child immeasurable self-esteem and intellectual confidence.

A key advantage of staying at our school is that your child’s teacher already knows your child very well so no time is lost at the beginning of the year trying to assess him/her. Be sure to speak to your child’s teacher about kindergarten during conferences. The gift of this third year can never be taken away and it sets up a child for future academic and social success.

As you plan for your child’s future schooling we encourage you to view a video from American Montessori Society.  We hope this video will provide more information about the benefits of having your child stay in a Montessori classroom for his or her pivotal kindergarten year.

Children may be enrolled for kindergarten if they are 5 years old by August 31 (prior to the upcoming school year). Kindergarten students may attend five full days or five half days at Sammamish Montessori School.

Related article:  Standford University study finds benefits to delayed kindergarten (avoiding early entrance).

25 Reasons to Keep Your Child in Montessori through the Kindergarten Year

Montessori Builds Innovators (Harvard Business Review)

WA State Public School Kindergarten Readiness checklist

In her analysis of Montessori education, University of Virginia Professor, Angeline S. Lillard, Ph.D. notes eight fundamental ideas central to Montessori education that in her words, help provide students with superior educational outcomes:

1. Movement and cognition are closely intertwined; physical movement can enhance thinking and learning.
2. Choice and perceived-control promote children’s concentration and contentment in the learning process.
3. Personal interest enhances learning in a context where interests build on prior knowledge and the children’s own questions.
4. Extrinsic rewards negatively impact long-term motivation and learning.
5. Collaborative (child–child) arrangements are conducive to learning.
6. Learning situated in and connected to meaningful contexts is more effective than learning in abstracted contexts.
7. Sensitive and responsive (nurturing) teaching is associated with more optimal outcomes. (Multi-age classrooms where children stay with the same teacher and many of the same peers promote continuity and close relationships.)
8. Order in the environment promotes and establishes mental order and is beneficial to the child.

More information about Montessori education:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQl-7Lmm4hE (Superwoman was already here)

www.montessori-science.org

www.amshq.org

Why Practical Life activities?

Amit has just started school and his parents watch their little boy endearingly as he attacks real-life chores with serious determination. They are so proud to see him carefully spooning dried beans from one dish to another and concentrating hard to pick up the beans he has spilled. However, Emma’s parents watching their five year old following the steps to sew on a button are impatient to see some “real work” being carried out like reading, math or spelling. Even the best-informed Montessori parent may wonder whether the practical life activities may be using up time better spent on academic pursuits. Of course, Emma’s day is not spent solely on practical life activities but this is the area of focus to her parents.

We need to understand why these practical life exercises are so important in the primary Montessori classroom (ages 3-6) and how they relate to the child’s overall development. We should realize that mastery of the task itself is not the primary goal of these exercises.

Practical life activities may well be the most important work in the 3 – 6 classroom.

These activities lead a child to make intelligent choices and become physically and then mentally independent and responsible. The child learns to concentrate, control muscles, move and act with care, focus, analyze logical steps and complete a cycle of activity. This is the foundation for mental and physical work in all other areas, not just in early childhood but also throughout life.

Practical Life activities hone concentration and fine motor skills.

Children follow a sequence of prescribed directions, which include choosing the work on the shelf, finding a space at a table, following steps to complete the task, cleaning up and replacing the work exactly where it belongs on the shelf so it is ready for the next person. It is the small muscle coordination, motor sequencing, inner discipline leading to good social skills and work habits and ultimately self-esteem, which are so important and directly prepare for and support development in math, reading and writing.

Every child instinctively strives to grow and develop skills to the limit of his/her ability. A child’s love of the routines found in practical life activities, stems from a strong biological need to gain coordination. That need is especially strong between the ages of three and six years. At this age, the mind still runs faster than the abilities of the body. An older child may remember the steps needed to thread the needle, knot the thread, choose the button and piece of fabric and sew the button from front to back and then back to front without going around the edge of the button, but this knowledge may not yet match his/her developing physical ability. In this carefully prepared and stimulating environment children can respond to their inner need to work on a wide variety of skills until their physical abilities can keep up with their hands. Children are developing eye-hand coordination, upper body strength, balance and spatial perception. It is no coincidence that these are the basic prerequisites to successfully learn to read and write.

The practical life exercises have precise and orderly movements and are divided into steps, which are completed in a certain sequence that follow a logical progression (essential skills for understanding mathematical concepts). The concentration and inner discipline required to carry out multi-step procedures on their own help to prepare children for all of the complex academic materials they will encounter as they progress through the Montessori curriculum.

One of the greatest driving forces in the maturation of young children is the overwhelming desire to be independent. “I can do it by myself” is a phrase we hear over and over again. These practical life exercises reinforce this sense of self-sufficiency. Children discover they can exert control over their environment and such control carries with it certain responsibilities. What a thrill they feel when they have mastered a useful activity. They feel privileged as they gain the skills to progress to more and more complex tasks as they feel it implies respect for their skill and good judgment.

We can be sure that children of all ages, having experienced a continuous flow of small successes as they accomplish the exercises of practical life, will not only have the skills in place to continue with even more complex tasks, but will be happier, more confident and well-rounded individuals. They will be ready to progress through their school life with pride and the self-esteem to accept challenges, both practical and academic, with optimism and self-confidence.

Pouring work develops concentration and hand-eye coordination.

About the Article’s Author: Joan Starling, Founder, Sammamish Montessori School serving preschool, kindergarten and elementary students in Redmond WA.

If you are interested in learning more about Montessori education, you may wish to check out one or more of the following books:

• Montessori’s Own Handbook by Dr. Maria Montessori
• The Child in the Family by Dr. Maria Montessori
• The Absorbent Mind by Dr. Maria Montessori
• The Science Behind the Genius by Angeline Stoll Lillard
• Montessori: A Modern Approach by Paula Polk Lillard
• Montessori Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Education from Birth to Adulthood by Paula Polk Lillard
• Montessori and Your Child: A Primer for Parents by Terry Malloy
• At Home with Montessori by Patricia Oriti
• Education and Peace by Dr. Maria Montessori
• From Childhood to Adolescence: Including Erkinder and the Function of the University by Dr. Maria Montessori
• The Secret of Childhood by Dr. Maria Montessori
• To Educate the Human Potential by Dr. Maria Montessori
• Montessori Play and Learn: A Parent’s Guide to Purposeful Play from Two to Six by Lesley Britton
• Montessori Madness! A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education by Tevor Eissler
• Understanding Montessori: A Guide for Parents by Maren and Dana Schmidt

You may also wish to peruse the following websites that contain a wealth of information about Montessori education:

• https://amshq.org/Family-Resources
• montessorimadness.com
• montessoriforeveryone.com
• montessori.org
• montessori-science.org
• www.amshq.org
• www.mariamontessori.com

We have found the following books on brain research and learning to be excellent resources for parents and educators alike:

•  Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science by Tracy Cutchlow
•  Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak, PhD
•  What’s Going On in There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life by Lise Eliot PhD
•  Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Difference Grow into Troublesome Gaps – and What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy, PhD
•  Your Child’s Growing Mind – A Practical Guide to Learning and Brain Development from Birth to Adolescence by Jane M. Healy, PhD
•  Different Learners – Identifying, Preventing and Treating Your Child’s Learning Problems by Jane M. Healy, PhD
•  Endangered Minds – Why Children Don’t Think – And What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy, PhD
•  Failure to Connect – How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds – And What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy, PhD