As a parent in the process of choosing an educational institution for your soon-to-be school-aged child, it’s easy to become bewildered by the variety of educational methods available. However, one method does stand out above them all.
Check out these five advantages of a Montessori School.
Child Centered Learning
Maria Montessori, the Italian doctor who developed the Montessori Method, understood that every child learns at his or her own rate. Thus, rather than teaching generic lessons to a group of similarly-aged individuals, her methods promote teachers as guides, directing each child according to an individualized plan. Kids are not pushed to learn through drills and tests but are encouraged to follow their own boundless curiosity toward–and beyond–academic milestones.
Focus On Developmental Stages
The Montessori Method doesn’t require every four-year-old to read and every six-year-old to do long division. Instead, the method focuses on the vital developmental stages that every child experiences as they grow. Providing children with the tools and guidance to reach and succeed at those stages is the goal of a Montessori-certified educator. Academic success matters, but so does each child’s social, physical, and emotional maturity.
Growing Good Citizens
Montessori classrooms are multi-age classrooms that cover a span of about three years. The family-like structure of these classrooms encourage social development on both ends of the spectrum. The younger children model the older children’s behavior, while the older children act as mentors and sometimes teachers themselves. Aging up in the classroom instills each child with a sense of community and responsibility as they mature from the ones helped to the helpers themselves.
Self-Learning
Every Montessori-certified school is chock full of well-crafted toys specially designed to challenge children at one or several skills. Many of these educational toys are self-correcting. For example, young children who are learning the small-motor skills to button up a shirt will quickly see, on their board, when buttoning hasn’t been done correctly. Assessing the mistake, they can then work to undo and redo until the buttons look right. This encourages them to experiment through trial-and-error and instills a sense of well-earned accomplishment when the task is finally mastered.
Love Of Learning
Perhaps the most long-lasting aspect of a Montessori education, and what the teachers strive to instill in their students, is a love of learning. By allowing the children to follow their interests and curiosity as well as take initiative in the classroom, the students become active agents in their own education. Prodded not to be abashed by trial-and-error, and taking joy in their own accomplishments, they discover that learning is a sublime way to play.
If you’re interested in taking a tour of our Montessori, call us today 512-580-7065 or book a tour here.
