Did you know? Google Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Chef Julia Childs and television show host of her cooking show The French Chef. and Hollywood actress Dakota Fanning all started out in Montessori Preschool. Barbara Walters interviewed Google Founders, both credited Montessori Learning of self-directed learning as being vital to their success.
The students are independent. They choose what to work on, in a self-paced learning environment. Unalike traditional school classrooms, there are less desks for students in a Montessori Learning environment. Why is this? The students use the floor mats to define their personal workspaces. Despite the fact that there is more room to move around within the classroom, every corner has a purpose. A child may choose to sit down and read a book, while another may want to improve their fine motor skills by building blocks. Others may want to find their artistic skills by drawing, as it plays a big role in their cognitive development. Drawing helps the students to learn to write and think creatively, develop hand-eye coordination, hone analytic skills, and conceptualize ideas.
Montessori Learning in Miami – International Montessori Academy – is designed to provide the ideal education environment. Curriculum includes the following: Language, Math and practical life skills. Another area is sensorial activities, which focuses on lessons and activities that help develop the five senses: 1) Seeing 2) Hearing 3) Touching 4) Tasting 5) Smelling – These areas help children clarify, classify and understand the world around them. Other areas that form a part of the curriculum are: Music, Science, Geography and Cultural Studies. In addition to Gardening, Cooking and hands-on exploration of nature.
Montessori Learning materials are objects designed to naturally draw children. For example, once the children are handling the objects, they are also engaged in learning. The Montessori Learning in Miami materials are adaptive. A study in the Harvard Business found that solving a challenging puzzle helps us to improve the skills that we have in pattern recognition. This is the brain’s ability to create meaning, find order and form answers from the data that we have presented with. Similarly, the Montessori materials are self-correcting. Children can figure out their own when something is done incorrectly. Like the example of the puzzle game, when a piece does not properly fit in the wrong space, you find it’s place. Maria Montessori once said: “All that is needed is to remove the obstacles. And this should be the basis of, and point of departure for, all future education.”
Not all Montessori Preschools are created equal. To learn more about International Montessori Academy and what separates us from other Montessori’s, contact us to schedule a tour.