Practical Life:
Dr. Maria Montessori defines practical life curriculum area as the education for
the skills required in everyday life. It is the first area introduced to a new child.
Because most of the materials are similar to the real life materials used at home/outside,
children are able to recognize them easily, becoming curious to learn to use or manipulate them.
The main objective of practical life activities is to prepare the children for life
and to help them become independent. Often, children say, "I can do it myself" and that's
exactly what the practical life materials are designed for.
Each material is designed in such a way that is self sufficient and has a specific
sequence for a child to follow. This order helps the child concentrate and remember the
steps to be followed for the completion of activity. A pleasant and calm environment
with comfortable furniture and attractive materials enables children to focus and
learn new things.
Another significant aspect of the practical life activities is that each activity
has an indirect purpose for future learning. For instance, a simple activity of
transferring objects with tweezers from one bowl to another enhances the development of
pincer grip that is essential for writing in the later periods.
Sensorial:
Children interact with the physical world through their senses. The refinement of the
senses is fundamental to growth and development of a child physically, intellectually
and socially. The Sensorial materials are designed to meet this need. Each piece of
material is generally a set of objects that isolate a fundamental aspect involving one
or more senses. Sensorial exercises are presented as activities that can be felt,
handled, and manipulated. The constant practice through these activities improves the
awareness by children of the senses that are targeted by the activities. This in
turn tunes their mind to better perceive the way they absorb and interact with
their surroundings.
Language:
A dramatic accomplishment during early childhood is language acquisition.
Maria Montessori observed that the most sensitive period for language acquisition is
from birth to six years old. At approximately the age of two, children become sensitive
to spoken words and begin to use simple words. By the time they are three years old,
their ability to use spoken language increases rapidly. They begin to string words
together to make sentences. They show tremendous interest in learning new and long words.
In a Montessori classroom, various activities are undertaken to cater to this
sensitive period:
- They often read books that are of high literary quality and deal with reality
- Every object in classroom is tagged so as to help children increase vocabulary
- Classification of objects and matching exercises are encouraged to provide
opportunity for children to learn and use new words.
- Group (circle time) discussions and small group discussions are encouraged to the
maximum extent to promote the freedom of expression.
The main role of the teacher, in regard with language area, is to help children read
and write as they are introduced to activities involving letters and words. Each exercise
has a specific purpose; language activities are interdependent on one another, and
therefore the lessons are introduced in a particular sequence.
Math:
The Montessori materials leverage the various concepts of math using concrete
materials. Dr. Maria Montessori devised these concrete tools for the sole purpose
for children to visually absorb the abstract mathematical concepts, thus creating a
tangible memory of the concept presented.
Activities with such manipulative materials give a deeper understanding of the
concepts, allowing children to progress towards the learning of more abstract concept.
Unlike in the traditional school setting, mathematics now becomes a fun process
for a child. Certain activities are referred to as a "game" in Montessori math.
Children play this game in groups, thus paving way for socialization. The lessons are
introduced gradually starting with the concrete, and gradually leading to the abstract,
creating a strong foundation of mathematical learning.
Geography & Cultural Studies:
Dr. Maria Montessori designed the prospectus of the cultural subjects as an
interdisciplinary study of the life of humanity throughout time and in all geographic
regions. The materials presented enable children to position themselves in relation
to the totality of the world. The activities are presented beginning with the
introduction of the Globe followed by the segregation of land and water bodies
of the earth and gradually working through the maps of the continents, specific
countries etc. In addition to learning the physical features of the earth, geography
curriculum covers the study of cultures of various parts of the world. Geography is
an exciting area for children to explore and identify themselves with their country,
world, and people, as well with respect to the nature, culture and economy.
Foreign Langauge
In a world as diverse as the one in which children are growing, they regularly
encounter langauages of the world spoken all around them. As the language ability
is largely formed during the years from birth through 6 years, we, at Lawrence Montessori
School, take care to provide them with opportunities to hear and speak various
language including Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Hindi. Activities such as singing
incorporate songs of the world sung in their native tongue.
Music & Movement
Music is an integral part of children's daily activities. Listening, singing and
learning musical theories help children develop love and appreciation of music from
an early age. Children also learn to move their bodies to help develop coordination,
balance, and flexibility. Music is often introduced to movement to help children develop
a sense of rhythm and beat.
We at Lawrence Montessori believe each child from birth is a
whole person to be respected and loved. We also believe that qualified
and experienced teachers are essential in creating a nurturing environment
in which children can thrive. Most importantly we believe that bringing up a child
is a community endeavor with teachers and parents working together for the
benefit of the child.
