WHO IS MONTESSORI?

Maria Montessori was a trained physician and academic professor born in Italy in 1870.  Through experience gained from various educational projects, Dr. Montessori developed a highly ingenious theory of education and a corresponding educational method of practice.  Dr. Montessori observed children's educational processes as self-driven, or auto-educative, led by a behavior pattern of cycles of repetitive actions, concentration and fulfillment that supported the development of self discipline, inner assurance, and a preference for productive activity.  Dr. Montessori called this process normalization and considered it to be the natural state of the child as it appears spontaneously when the environment provides the means.  Throughout her lifetime until her death in 1952, Dr. Montessori perfected her teaching methods and traveled throughout the world providing training seminars and lectures on her theory and techniques. 

WHAT IS MONTESSORI'S THEORY?

Dr. Montessori believed the function of education is to create not temporary pupils, but life-long learners.  She understood learning as a skill which must be attained during a critical period in early life if children are to develop into intelligent thinkers later on.  Dr. Montessori described the child' method of operation as "Help me to do it myself," with intellectual growth possible under conditions of substantial environmental support. 

Dr. Montessori identified special time blocks, what she called sensitive periods, when the child is driven to attend to specific areas of his environment.  Here a child explores repetitively, repeating the same activities and actions over and over again as a means to learn about and understand the world.  These sensitive periods are similar to previous critical developmental stages that were related to learning to speak and walk; then as during later development, all energy appears to focus on critical tasks at the right time. If the attention during the sensitive periods is prevented, the natural ability and activity-sensitivity is lost.  Freedom within the environment is therefore considered crucial to the developmental process according the Montessorian theory. To obtain a thorough conceptual understanding of the world, the child repeats actions and activities; this, in turn, provides satisfaction, power of movement and independence. At the foundation of Dr. Montessori's theory is what she described as the absorbent mind. This is the specialized cognitive process that allows the unconscious absorption of environmental input and information which is utilized for concentration during the sensitive period which fosters the development of intellectual thinking.   

WHAT IS THE MONTESSORI METHOD?

The Montessori education is characterized by a distinct and specialized set of cohesive educational materials, an orderly environment, classrooms of multi-aged children, student selected work that is completed in time blocks of long duration, no emphasis on grading or testing, and one-to-one or small group instruction in the academic and social domains.

Dr. Montessori’s classroom materials, or didactic materials, have been expertly devised to correspond to the inner drives of the children during the right time of the sensitive periods.  Not only do the materials teach something new, but they also prepare a child with prerequisite skills for future learning.  The educative materials are ingeniously gradated in order of complication.  Moreover, Montessori materials eliminate disconnect of knowledge with a coherency of arrangement and presentation which facilitates learning in the present as well as in preparation for the future.  Additionally, the materials are carefully designed to enable the auto-educative process; freedom, control and independence in learning is therefore enabled and supported within the Montessori classroom environment.

Teachers in the Montessori classroom provide the means to stimulate intellectual growth by creating the appropriate environment that supports the auto-educative process.  The teacher, through careful observation, eloquently guides a child through the learning processes and creates an individual education plan for each child’s educational progression.

WHAT IS THE BRILLIANT MINDS MONTESSORI CURRICULUM?

Brilliant Minds has adopted a carefully devised Montessori curriculum which utilizes systematic exposure to sensory, motor, language, cognitive tasks that strengthen intellectual functioning in children ages 2-6. We apply the classic four-tiered Montessori domains of study including Skills of Daily Living, Sensorial, Academic and Cultural/Artistic.

Daily Living Skills: 

Within the daily living skills domain the child is first taught to focus mental attention while working to control his own movements.  Activities may include such exercises as maintaining balance, graceful walking, handling materials gently, etc.  Additionally, within this domain, basic self-help and room care skills are taught and practiced, such as dressing skills, washing, sweeping, food preparation, exercise, etc.

The lessons associated with the daily living skills domain foster development of self discipline, independence and self esteem.  Additionally, these tasks are designed to strengthen and develop muscle control to be utilized in later educational areas, such as reading and writing.

Sensorial (Didactic Materials): 

The sensorial materials center on refining the senses (visual, tactile, olfactory, and acoustic). As described earlier, Dr. Montessori developed a set of classroom materials that carefully address the inner needs of the children at the correct time (for more information about the materials, please see the section under “What is the Montessori Method?”).

Here, the child is systematically exposed to various stimuli, such as sounds, textures, colors, etc.  The child works to enter these experiences into an inner mental order and, in doing so, the child is strengthening intellectual functioning by teaching himself to make comparisons, judgments and utilize the power of reasoning in evaluation of the environment.

Academics:

The academic materials include lessons in the areas of writing, reading, mathematics and science.  These areas progress smoothly from the foundation set from exposure to the sensorial materials earlier on. In particular, reading and writing skills have been indirectly developed in the environment from the earliest exposure to the Montessori classroom.

Culture/Art:

The cultural and artistic materials provide exposure to sculpture, art, music and dance.  This domain develops skills of self expression and communication associated with the classic arts.