1) The Montessori Method Is Over 100 Years Old
Maria Montessori opened her first school in 1907. Called the Casa de Bambini, or the Children’s House, this educational facility was one of the first to teach each child based on their individual skill levels and personal talents.
2) Montessori Came to Canada in 1912
Beinn Bhreagh (gaelic: beautiful mountain), in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, was a collection of buildings dominated by an elegant mansion that was a family home and nerve centre for all of Alexander Graham Bell’s experiments. It was managed by Mabel Bell and frequently accommodated world-famous people and collaborators for many of Bell’s experiments. Roberta Fletcher joined the Bell family in the summer of 1912 to establish the first Montessori classroom in Canada. https://www.amicanada.com/earlyhistory.html
3) Over 1000 Montessori Schools in Canada
In Canada, Montessori education is available for children from infancy through adolescence in early childhood education settings, child care services and primary and secondary schools. There are over 1000 Montessori schools across Canada from coast, to coast, to coast. Montessori programs are operated independently in various ways.
4) Montessori Classrooms Have Multi-Ages
If you enter a typical Montessori classroom, you might be surprised to see children learning alongside students either older or younger than them. This is because Montessori schools place children in age groups as much as three years apart. This learning method lets young children learn from older students, and it encourages older students to learn how to teach children who are younger than them.
5) Children Choose Their Own Studies
However, there is a certain format that is used to guide the child with the correct lessons and materials through-out their time in a Montessori classroom. Each lesson builds upon the previous lesson. In addition, many schools do follow a monthly lesson plan. Students are given the freedom to choose their own studies from a set of provided works. This “freedom within limits” philosophy encourages a sense of independence and lets children engage with subjects that truly interest them.
6) Lessons Are Based on Observations
The lessons and materials in a Montessori classroom are far from random. Every Montessori teacher knows how to observe their students and choose lessons that will further their academic success. Plenty of hard work and research goes into this process; but to the student, it might seem like the classroom magically has the very project they wanted to work on next.
7) Teachers Act as Role Models
Maria Montessori believed that children learn both consciously and unconsciously and imitate the behaviours that are presented to them. Teachers spend a significant amount of time with their students; this is why every Montessori teacher takes great care to speak respectfully, show a good work ethic, and provide students with a role model that they can be proud to be like.
8) Students Work Uninterrupted
One of the core features of Montessori education is that students are given large blocks of uninterrupted work time. These “work periods” give students a chance to become fully engaged in an activity without outside distractions. In addition to improving the student experience, this also ensures that the student will know how to engage with and complete real work projects later in life. The 3 hour work cycle.
9) Early Montessori Education Improves Math and Literacy
Children who attend a Montessori preschool have been shown to have better math and literacy scores when they enter elementary school. This early-life advantage helps students get ahead in their classes and stay engaged with their coursework throughout their academic careers.
10) Dr. Maria Montessori: A woman ahead by a century!
Click the link below to learn about who she was and what she accomplished. Truly a woman shattering glass ceilings.
https://www.ami-canada.com/history.html
A Montessori education teaches your child how to learn, think, and play. With a focus on individual lessons and real experiences, it’s no surprise that Montessori graduates feel like they can take on the world.
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