INSIDE OUR MONTESSORI CLASSROOMS IN EDMONTON, ALBERTA
Located in Edmonton, Alberta, the Montessori classrooms of West End and Highlands Montessori have all the essential qualities to meet the developmental needs of each child. Get in touch with to know more about our classrooms and teaching methodology we’ve adopted.
The West End and Highlands Montessori classrooms provide a child-centred learning environment that allows preschoolers to work in groups or individually without distractions. Dr. Maria Montessori noted that children learn from experience and interaction with their environment. Self-correcting didactic materials are available, and are designed to stimulate logical thought and discovery.
Educational theories show that learning begins as an individual process which quickly progresses when observation of peers and indirect exposure to more advanced subjects is included. Even though a majority of schools are organized by single age grouping, research has not effectively proven this to be maximally beneficial.
The Montessori system groups children by ability not age. This improves relationships between all students, improves classroom unity, and fosters leadership and personal responsibility. The Montessori Method’s multi-age grouping is used at both of our facilities with classrooms mixing 2- to 6- year olds and 6- to 10- year olds. We provide constant interaction, adult-to-child and child-to-child with peer mentors, as well as a variety of socialization opportunities.
Our unique curriculum introduces lessons simply and concretely and reintroduces the lessons at increasing degrees of abstraction and complexity throughout the school year. The Montessori program provides blocks of uninterrupted work time to allow children to repeat lessons and arrive at new ways of completing. This integrated approach to education is one of the Montessori program's greatest strengths.
THE MONTESSORI METHOD
“I have studied the child. I have taken what the child has given me and expressed it, and that is what is called the Montessori Method"
- Dr. Maria Montessori
The Montessori Method supports the individual personality and learning style of each child. It is a scientific method that is practical and has been tested for bringing out the very best in young human beings. Dr. Montessori believed that the child's mind from birth to age six is quite different from the mind of an adult. The mind of a child is absorbent and effortlessly soaks in the culture and environment of their surroundings.
It is a model that serves the needs of children of all levels of mental and physical ability. Maria Montessori developed materials for refining the senses which help the child to discriminate sound, colour, size, shape, smell, and touch. Her method is adaptable to all subjects and is scientifically within the framework of developmentally appropriate learning led by the child’s needs and interests. This evokes a child who develops an appreciation for personal responsibility, healthy self-expression, independence, and a strong work ethic.
The Montessori philosophy is built upon the idea that children develop and think differently than adults. This method discourages traditional measurements of achievement under the premise that it is damaging to the growth of a child (i.e. criticism and marking). Feedback does exist, but it is provided in the form of a list of skills, achievements, and activities. The Montessori Method is founded on the belief that children should be free to succeed and learn without restriction or criticism.
The main concept of Montessori is to promote the joy of learning within a child. Children who experience this joy become happy, confident, and fulfilled. Montessori emphasizes that children are not merely little adults but that they add the balance to humanity. The Montessori Method is constantly evolving and is the preferred preschool practice around the world.
