Curriculum
Dr. Maria Montessori
Who Was Maria Montessori?
Montessori education derives its name from Maria Montessori, a woman, who in many ways, was ahead of her time. She was born in Chiaravalle, Italy, in 1870 and became the first female physician in Italy when she graduated from medical school in 1896. The clinical observations she made during her medical practice led her to analyzing how children learn, how they build themselves from what they find in their immediate environment.
She accepted a challenge in 1906: to educate 60 children of working parents in the San Lorenzo district of Rome. It was there that she founded the first Casa de Bambini, or "Children's House," and developed what ultimately became the Montessori way of education. She saw the children's almost effortless ability to absorb knowledge from their surroundings, as well as their tireless interest in manipulating materials. Every piece of equipment, every exercise, every lesson Dr. Montessori developed was based on what she observed children to do "naturally" by themselves and unassisted by adults.
Children teach themselves. This simple but profound truth inspired Montessori's lifelong pursuit of educational reform. She tirelessly dedicated herself to furthering the self-creating process of the child.
In 1952, Maria Montessori died in Nordwijk, Holland, but her work continues. Today, there are close to 5,000 private and approximately 200 public Montessori schools in the United States alone, and Montessori schools exist on every continent except Antarctica.
Infant/Toddler Montessori Diploma Program
During the first three years of life, a child’s brain absorbs more information from the environment than at any other part of his lifetime. Every sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell is taken in and processed. It is an amazing, wondrous period in a tiny, complete human being’s life.
The Montessori Infant/Toddler environment provides a safe, calm, carefully designed setting for optimal learning that nurtures the physical and spiritual being. Sensory, cognitive, language, social, and cultural activities address the natural tendencies of the child’s developmental process. Even at this early stage, a child is soon able to make choices for his own independence.
Montessori Infant/Toddler educators are special caregivers. They embrace a child-centered philosophy that demands a respect for the child and support for all his incredible potential. Within the safety of the prepared environment and under the watchful observation and WILLIAMS’ ACADEMY Infant/Toddler Diploma Program was designed with careful consideration of these ideals. Our training provides you with a solid foundation in Montessori philosophy and methodology, focused specifically on the developmental needs of the youngest Montessori children. We successfully prepare you with the knowledge and resources you need to joyfully guide and care for infants and toddlers in the Montessori environment.
Early Childhood Montessori Diploma Program
Montessori believed that in the time of the absorbent mind (birth–6 years), the joy of learning is more evident and effortless than perhaps at any other stage of life. Through natural curiosity, the child absorbs information, assimilates it with his senses, and constructs his own knowledge.
The Montessori method of education gives children ages 3–6 unique opportunities to learn more thoroughly, quickly, and efficiently through experience, guidance, and practice. The Montessori educator is the dynamic link to the environment, providing a peaceful, ordered, caring context to support learning and advancement of the skills inherently being sharpened at this important period of development. All roads point toward independence and active connection to the world.
WILLIAMS’ ACADEMY Montessori Early Childhood Diploma Program embraces this philosophy and prepares you to be a knowledgeable and compassionate Montessori educator. Working with our outstanding curriculum manuals and resources provides you with a strong understanding of Montessori philosophy and methodology as it relates to children in the 3–6 age range. WILLIAMS’ ACADEMY training fully prepares you to confidently guide and enrich the lives of children in the Montessori early childhood environment.
Practical Life: The Skills of Daily Living
As every parent knows, the preschool child wants to be with adults, to take part in the activities of daily adult life. The Montessori Practical Life materials allow him to do just that. When a child enters the preschool at three years of age, the Practical Life area provides the link between home and school.
In the classroom, with child-sized tools that actually work, a young child is able to perform the same activities he has seen adults do:
Polishing
Scrubbing
Pouring
Sweeping
(and many others)
The pace is unhurried, and an adult is nearby to help if needed, but not to interfere.
These exercises correspond to a child's sensitive period for refinement of movement and coordination as well as his/her growing sense of independence. "I can do it myself" is the motto the young child, and Montessori encourages and fosters this independence.
Preschool-Kindergarten: Ages 3-6 Curriculum
Language Arts
Oral expression:
Listening
Communication skills that include adequate verbal expression
Articulation
Vocabulary enrichment
Speaking in front of peers
Show and Tell
Student presentations
Reading:
Phonetic sounds and names of letters
Word building skills
Decoding 3- to 4-letter words
Sight words
Phonograms
Literature discussions:
Listening skills
Read-aloud sessions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry
Creative stories
Writing:
Simple compositions
Pencil control
Correct letter formation and spatial consideration
Simple research in conjunction with cultural activities
o Beginning punctuation
Our Curriculum
3-6 Years Old
Having created the foundations of their personality, three-year-old children arrive in the prepared environment ready to develop and perfect their abilities.
Elementary-aged children typically can be characterized by their curious minds, their ability to abstract and imagine, their moral and social orientation, and their energy for research and exploration.
Elementary children work in small, mixed-age groups on a variety of projects which spark the imagination, engage the intellect, and develop their reasoning abilities.
The children enjoy a continuation of their learning as they join us for a summer of fun. The cultural area of the classroom will be transformed each week to reflect a different theme.