EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN 6 – 12 YEARS OF AGE
Around the age of six, the child moves into a new plane of development. This plane is a period of big ideas and visions. The child enters the abstract world and the desire for knowledge and imagination becomes their main driving force.
It is an age of inspiration and lofty ideas, a time for broad horizons. Children’s imagination has no limits, allowing them to travel in time and space. Owing to this, we can give children seeds of knowledge that gradually sprout and grow. Children absorb the world and the entire universe.
COSMIC EDUCATION
Our school curriculum is called Cosmic Education, from the word cosmos = world, and it is based on the principle to go from the whole to the details. All other subject areas, scientific disciplines and details fit into the overall world view.
We teach the children about countless years of evolution. We look in wonder at protozoa, dinosaurs and man. We observe their body systems as well as individual cells. We watch tiny atoms form molecules as they attract or repel each other. We see how clusters of predictable forms are formed this way. We marvel at the hidden order and the simplicity.
We look at humanity through the ages, how we lived and what we thought. We consider the prehistoric man, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Middle Ages… We observe the world of today, what opportunities for service to our planet and for social justice it offers.
We look at the mankind across the whole planet and throughout history by observing how the same basic human needs are met in different ways at different times and in different places on the globe. We thus see how we are in fact the same, and in doing so, we penetrate the “fog” that creates an illusion of separateness.
We look at language and counting, and imagine what life must have looked like before these miracles happened. We listen to language and can see patterns in it. We observe them and make sure we follow them. Then we disrupt these patterns to create poetry.
We see the magic of numbers and play games with them. Following the rules required by the numbers gives us joy. Obedience to the rules of the numbers rewards us with the ability to enter into an endlessly fascinating world. We become brave explorers.
We are interested in the relationship between the electrons that run around the atoms and the planets that revolve around the Sun.
We express what is in our hearts in painting or in poetry. We dance and prepare skits.
All of this is unknown and exhausting for children at the beginning. New children are fragile and little and an elementary classroom is very dynamic and full of energy. They must concentrate fully to achieve what at first seems impossible. They are asked to improve and perfect themselves through hard work.
Each child is presented with a challenge that is big but can be mastered. It is an adventure, sometimes tiring, but we enjoy it all together.
AN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM
The Montessori method is based upon Dr. Montessori’s observations of how the child learns, and upon her conclusions regarding the child’s planes of development. The educational system is designed to benefit each child with their unique strengths and interests.
The elementary community consists of:
PREPARED ENVIRONMENT
Our Montessori educational environment is prepared in advance and then it is finetuned each day, in order to stimulate and support the self-development and education of children. Our integrated curriculum addresses the developmental needs of the child on the intellectual, moral, social and spiritual levels.
The main element of this method is handling of concrete materials which require physical coordination and conscious attention. The child thus moves from physical manipulation of, for example, beads when doing multiplication, to further levels, until they reach abstract counting without materials with only pencil and paper.
MONTESSORI MATERIALS
The material itself is a silent teacher. It guides the child on their journey from the concrete to the abstract. It is always ready to use, waiting patiently on the shelf, showing the children the way and enabling them to acquire new skills. It enables the children to see where they made a mistake, without giving them a sense of shortcoming or failure.
The material respects the pace of the child, does not put time pressure and has no expectations.
Without any doubt, we can say that the development of the child’s skills in all areas is directly proportional to the time and effort that the child devotes to work with materials of their own free will and inner motivation. The child thus develops and advances quite naturally.
In case of a child that does not spent sufficient time working with materials and does not work of their own free will, progress and development are not so clearly evident.
A GUIDE
A guide is an adult with a corresponding Montessori education who represents the values, embodies the standards and policies of the school, prepares the environment and the assistant, connects the child to the environment and the materials so that the child could use them as a means to develop their potential and “construct” themselves. The guide also provides structure, sets limits and boundaries, monitors development and learning and imparts Montessori education, and shares the progress of the child with the parents.
AN ASSISTANT
An assistant is an invaluable adult who offers a second pair of eyes, ears and hands, and supports and assists the guide in preparing the environment, organizing, observing and making materials.
CHILDREN – A THREE-YEAR CYCLE
Children are divided into mixed-age classes – from six to nine and from nine to twelve. Completion of this three-year cycle is essential for the child, as it is the only way for them to fully reveal their individual potential. In order to create a dynamic team in the classroom, to stimulate children to develop and learn, and encourage spontaneous group work, a group size of 30–36 children is ideal, with 10–12 children of each age (grade).
CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT IN ALL AREAS
A child in a Montessori school is viewed as a whole. We do not focus only on the development of the intellectual area and academic skills, but on the development of the whole personality of the child – intellectual, moral, social, spiritual and emotional.
In other words, in order for a child to advance in academic skills, it is necessary that their developmental needs be met in all other areas.
Thus our work with children is not only about presentations, lessons and working with Montessori materials. Group work, planning of going outs, projects, services, meetings and class consultations are an essential part of the program… For children’s development, all these aspects are as important in our classrooms as the child’s individual work.
FUNCTIONING IN A CLASSROOM
OUR DAY
In the Montessori environment, we work in three-hour work cycles. Work cycles are every day in the morning and most days in the afternoon.
Two days a week, the children have only a morning work cycle, ending their school day after lunch. On these days, the children either go home after lunch or can attend extracurricular activities offered at school. Parents can plan other outside-school activities for these afternoons or use the time for family activities.
In between work cycles, we go out with the children – we take advantage of the fact that our school is located in a lovely setting on the outskirts of the city and there is a river nearby with beautiful surroundings and a number of playgrounds. The children can also spend this time in the school yard. The time outside is essentially unstructured, with the children playing games and exploring their surroundings.
Outdoor stay is essential for mental rest and we go out in all weather conditions (except very adverse ones). Please bear this in mind, children need appropriate clothes. It is best if children can change into different pants. They can then safely set out on any adventure without having to worry about getting dirty.
In the fall and spring, suitable clothing is needed in case it rains. Especially in the fall and winter, children need proper footwear, and in winter, sufficiently warm pants, a jacket, hat and mittens or gloves (children play with wet snow in winter so knitted mitts or gloves are not fitting).
On the other hand, in the summer, children need light clothes because they are constantly on the move. A head covering against sun is a must on warm days.
FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY
The Montessori environment is prepared in such a way as to give children the freedom to choose their work, to freely divide their time between work and rest. We encounter that this concept is not always entirely clear in our context.
The freedom a child has is directly proportional to the degree of their responsibility. The more responsibility a child shows in relations to their own development and education, the more freedom they have. And vice versa, the less responsibility the guide sees in a child, the less opportunity the child has to make their own choices.
Freedom here does not mean that children do whatever they want all day (meaning, for example, playing hide-and-seek all day). The children can do what they want to do as long as the activity is meaningful.
The responsibility that the child demonstrates naturally brings about discipline – it is, however, discipline that comes from within, not founded on external incentives like rewards and punishments.
WORK CYCLE
If children work following their inner motivation, they put everything in their activity and work with maximum effort. It would be unrealistic to assume that children work the entire work cycle exerting this maximum effort. After such an intense activity, they need time and space to process and absorb what they have just gone through.
So sometimes we may see children who, from the viewpoint of an outside observer, are doing nothing at all. The children’s guide is aware of this need and gives the children this time and space they need for themselves. This is the reason why we work in three-hour work cycles, during which the children alternate between mentally demanding and mentally restful work, or individual work with group projects, depending on their needs. All of this requires enough time, which the children have due to the work cycles.
Another situation is when the child does not work because they do not know what to choose or just do not feel like working. In this case it is the role of the guide to direct the child towards meaningful activity.
GROUP WORK
Some parents are fascinated by the quiet primary classrooms. The reality in the elementary is quite different. Especially older elementary children initiate formation of groups and work together on big projects. It is their natural developmental need.
As you can imagine, this requires movement and discussion. We need your support by having the courage to believe in your children, and to help us by putting your trust in us, too, that we let children make mistakes, try experiments that do not work out, quarrel and break up the group and then, through genuine effort, achieve something great.
One of the pillars of the work in elementary school is group work. To an untrained eye, it may seem like a mayhem. For example, children plan a trip from start to finish. They write lists, make phone calls to book accommodation, communicate with parents, fill in questionnaires, do their own accounting, draw an itinerary on maps, etc. For children aged 8 to 9, this is a big task.
To understand oneself, to respect others and the community, to use basic skills, to practice cooperation, to support others and develop own initiative and courage, all this can be achieved only if children try such projects on their own. Adults must guide them but they also must be able to step back. They must ask questions, not answer them. Older children organize, try out roles, resolve relationships with others through big work.
In this atmosphere, created by older children, the younger children work. Of the two school terms, the first one is the calmer and more routine, before the new children settle in. But even during the first term, groups are formed for skits or projects. Even the youngest children participate and enjoy it very much.
Great energy that is used constructively, uplifts children to study math, history, geography, natural sciences, language and art. The work of the children is driven be desire. They become passionate learners and hard workers. It is contagious and spreads to children who still hesitate. We encourage them so that they all may reach the level of their ability. Some children take a lot longer than others but it is all part of the process.
CARE FOR ENVIRONMENT
Care for environment, its maintenance and cleaning is part of the child’s development, a component of the work cycle. Children vacuum, mop, dust, take care of the materials and so on. They learn practical skills but also gain a sense of belonging to the environment and responsibility for the way it looks around them.
If the classroom is vacuumed by the cleaning lady, the children don’t really care and may let the pieces fall to the carpet when sharpening a pencil. If it is a child who vacuums the classroom, they readily remind others how much effort it took. The children thus support each other and lead each other to maintain order and beauty around them.
GOING OUT
”Going out” is an integral part of our work.
Going out is a small expedition of a group of 2 – 4 children to learn. Going out is not something “extra”, it is a part of the educational process in a Montessori elementary school and it is very much different from a standard school trip. Children “go out” to deepen their knowledge acquired at school and to get experience in the world outside the classroom. This way, by being able to get oriented in the wider environment without the help of an adult, they foster their independence, learn to work with sources and strengthen their self-confidence.
“When the child goes out, it is the world itself that offers itself to him. Let us take the child out to show him real things instead of making objects which represent ideas and closing them in cupboards.” Maria Montessori
The most common reasons for children to go out are these three situations:
- The children work on something and they need to get more information or they want to see how something works in real life. This could be a visit to a museum, a factory, a scientific institute, a bakery, a zoo, etc.
- The children need to buy something that they need for their work and cannot find it at school.
- Service to the public – for example, cleaning a park, planting trees, helping someone in the neighborhood…