A GUIDE TO MONTESSORI PROGRAMMES FOR DIFFERENT AGES
Montessori education builds on the continuing self-construction of the child—daily, weekly, yearly—for the duration of the programme. Although Montessori schools are divided into multi-age classrooms—assistants to infancy (ages 0 to 3), pre-school (ages 3 to 6), primary (ages 6 to 12) and secondary (ages 12-18)—the prepared environments introduce an uninterrupted series of learning passages, a continuum. The prepared environments described below will each reflect the natural learning characteristics of the child at each stage of development. Montessori education for children aged 0-12 years is widespread around the world. More recently there has been a concerted effort to develop the secondary programme for 12- to 18-year-olds.
Assistants to Infancy (0-3 years)
For children under the age of 3, there are several Montessori environments which offer a wide variety of options and opportunities for involvement by parents.
Created especially for working parents, a Nido is an environment prepared for children from 2 or 3 months until they are walking well.
The Parent-Infant Class provides an environment in which parents and children interact alongside a Montessori-prepared adult who uses the environment to facilitate their interaction. Caregivers are taught how to observe what their babies do in order to know what to offer them.
After they begin to walk, the children join the toddler group, where their primary motor coordination, independence and language are cultivated. Rather than a classroom, it is a nurturing environment where very young children experience their first structured contact with other children. The children engage in the practical activities of everyday life, such as folding, preparing a snack, washing or sweeping; explore a language area, including miniature objects, language nomenclature cards and books; and participate in painting, singing and other artistic experiences.
Children’s House (3-6 years)
The Montessori pre-school classroom is a ‘living room’ for children. Children choose their activities from among the self-correcting materials displayed on open shelves that allow the children to learn through their senses. The pre-school environment unifies the psycho-social, physical and academic functioning of the child. Its important task is to provide children with an early and general foundation that includes a positive attitude toward school, inner security and a sense of order, pride in the physical environment, abiding curiosity, a habit of concentration, habits of initiative and persistence, the ability to make decisions, self-discipline, and a sense of responsibility to other members of the class, school, and community. This foundation will enable them to acquire more specialised knowledge and skills throughout their school career. The activities in the Children’s House are described in more detail in the section ‘Montessori materials’ above.
Primary Education (6-12 years)
As in the pre-school, the Montessori materials in the primary classroom are a means to an end. They are intended to evoke the imagination, to aid abstraction, to generate a world-view about the human task and purpose. The child works within a philosophical system, asking questions about the origins of the universe, the nature of life, people and their differences, and so on. On a factual basis, interdisciplinary studies combine the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic with geological, biological and anthropological science in the study of natural history and world ecology.
The programme is made up of connective narratives that provide an inspiring overview of the universe and the place of humans within it. These narratives or ‘Great Lessons’ span the history of the universe from the origin of the solar system, earth and life forms to the emergence of human cultures and the rise of civilisations. Aided by impressionistic charts, timelines and, in some cases, scientific experiments, the child's study of detail in reference to the ‘Great Lessons’ leads to awe and respect for the totality of knowledge.
Studies are integrated not only in terms of subject matter but in terms of moral learning as well, resulting in appreciation and respect for life, moral empathy and a fundamental belief in progress, the contribution of the individual, the universality of the human condition and the meaning of true justice. There is an emphasis on research and in-depth study using primary and secondary sources (no textbooks or worksheets) as well as other materials. This involves the children’s planning their own trips to ‘go out’ to make use of community resources beyond the four walls of the classroom.
The Montessori-trained adults leading the programme are ‘enlightened generalists’, guides who are able to integrate the teaching of all subjects, not as isolated disciplines, but as part of a whole intellectual tradition.
Secondary Education (12-18 years)
The adolescent programme is centred on real economic participation in society. Until this age the child has experienced only the mediated societies of both the Children’s House and primary settings, but once the child reaches adolescence it is important, for his sense of self and sense of place in the world, for him to contribute to his community. Learning is based around a project—a farm or other small business—which gives the adolescent the opportunity to explore how society really works. Mental and physical work are linked and the areas of cultural knowledge—traditionally separated into abstract ‘subjects’—are integrated and linked to real-world experiences.
The young adolescent (12-15 years) is undergoing profound physical and emotional changes and needs to be nurtured at this vulnerable time. Within the Montessori programme he is given the time and space to understand the changes he is experiencing without the pressure of testing and exams. These can come in the senior secondary years (15-18) when the individual is more secure in himself.
