Waikato Business News November/December 2019

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2019
37
What is
special about
Montessori?
The Montessori philosophy has been fairly
unknown in New Zealand but is gaining
greater popularity, largely due to our
increase in diversity and “growing up” as a
multicultural, globalised country.
Dr Maria Montessori was
a ground-breaking educator
in the early 1900s
who studied children and how
they learn. She developed her
own teaching methodology,
wrote books and expanded
her schools to multiple countries.
Montessori is famous
in China, India, Holland, and
USA amongst other countries,
and so our new New Zealanders
know all about it. It is our
longer term New Zealanders
that are just figuring out what
Montessori is about, and we
are loving the educational
value of it as an alternative to
“play care” for pre-schoolers.
Montessori really starts to
shine for most families in our
3-6 year old classroom. We
are frequently asked by parents
when a child will start to
do mathematics, read or write.
It is true that we do teach preschoolers
these things, but
to answer this truthfully, we
actively follow Montessori’s
principles by “following the
child” and we operate on the
child’s timeframe, not our own.
The role of the Montessori
teacher is to observe the children
and guide them to new
tasks when they can master
the tasks they have already
been shown. For every piece of
“work” on the shelf, (we value
the activities and so we call
them “work” but the reality is
that the activities are “play”),
there are simpler prerequisite
tasks, and more challenging
tasks that come afterward.
The younger children will
be learning the simpler prerequisite
tasks (cutting / snipping
a strip of paper into little
pieces to post in an envelope
and take home), but all activities
have a purpose which then
allows the child to be extended
to more complex tasks.
For example, learning to
“control” scissors by cutting
over long and short lines, but
NOT snipping the whole way
through the paper, then cutting
wiggly lines, then moving
up to cutting spirals and then
square spirals! Yes, as a preschooler.
What fun!
The practical life curriculum
from our 2-3 year old class
develops from dry pouring
(beads) to transferring water
- and this activity requires perfection
of movement and fine
motor control. More activities
include glass in our 3-6
classroom - which breaks, and
therefore teaches natural consequences.
It is also a good
reason why we wear slippers
inside - to protect the feet, but
also for good Tikanga Maori
- because we should remove
shoes when we are inside. This
demonstrates respect to our
classroom, as outside shoes
are for outside, and they are
dirty and noisy. Respect is also
shown for our tipuna (ancestors)
by removing shoes.
Grace and Courtesy lessons
are also given in the classroom
where we give the child the
vocabulary, actions and steps
required for them to be a valued
member of society; greetings,
shaking hands, respecting
others, and continuing to use
all of the self-help and independence
skills that have been
learnt in the Young Community
where they have learnt to
use the toilet (we “train” dogs,
but we “teach” children how
to use a toilet), to put on coats
and shoes, and put away after
ourselves.
In the 3-6 classroom, practical
life skills grow into using
tweezers for fine motor-skills
- also a pencil grip. The children
will thread objects, and
this eventually develops into
sewing. Interest in puzzles
demonstrates interest in troubleshooting
and potentially
mathematics.
Everything has an order of
learning and in a Montessori
classroom, and we focus on
“concrete” concepts and activities
like counting before we
focus on “abstract” activities
like addition and subtraction.
Our children learn two dimensions
before three dimensions
- what two, twenty and two
hundred FEEL like in weight,
as well as what they look like
in relation to each other, before
we start asking them to calculate
physically and later in
their head. The simple things
come first. Correct language
is important in Montessori
and this is important because
vocabulary is important for
literacy. The more vocabulary
that a child is exposed to
through every day activities,
the easier it is for them to learn
to read. Curriculum areas also
include activities that focus on
geography, science, history, art
and of course on caring for the
outside environment, just like
we are expected to do for our
inside classroom, so there is
no shortage of opportunities to
talk about everyday things like
a “pigeon” (correct language)
rather than a “birdie” (baby
language). We set children
up to learn and even better, to
have a love of learning.
A true Montessori classroom
should operate as though
the teacher isn’t there, and
therefore one thing that you
will find when you look into
our classrooms during our
Montessori work cycle is that
our children are all self-directed,
engaged and busy by
themselves or with a friend,
doing their own work or putting
away after themselves.
Because the children are all
busy, a Montessori school
is therefore quiet, clean and
tidy. It is this respect for each
other and the environment that
we strive for - a “normalised”
Montessori environment. We
therefore find that the best age
to start to teach children all of
these skills is under three and
a half. Any older and it is difficult
to introduce these concepts,
and it is effectively too
late. Montessori schools (there
is one on Newells Road) also
require Montessori preschool
attendance before enrolling,
for this same reason. Of course
regular schools are still a post
Montessori pre-school option
- children just need to learn to
leave their shoes on inside!
What is special about a
Montessori schooled child?
Our children work for the
joy of the process rather than
for the end result as an adult
would, and therefore they
repeat activities / work over
and over until their inner need
is fulfilled. This also develops
the skill of concentration. Children
utilise all of their senses
and they learn by using these
senses at their own pace. Their
motivation also comes from
within and is not be imposed
through punishment or reward.
They learn from older children
by watching, listening and
interacting, and so our classrooms
tend to be mixed age
to allow for role-modelling, as
well as for the skill of co-operation
to develop.
In short, Montessori children
naturally want to learn
and be involved in routine
tasks throughout the day so that
they can also learn to be independent
functioning adults in
our society. Our toddlers will
push you away from the cheese
grater at meal preparation time,
because they know how to do
that and want to show you.
There are a number of Montessori
preschools in Hamilton
that you can enrol your child at,
however the newest addition to
the city, Fountain City Montessori
Tawa is now open to view
10am-2pm or by appointment
and is located near the hospital,
with a sister site on Brooklyn
beside Claudelands showgrounds.
We invite you to come and
see what Montessori has to
offer, and how quiet, clean and
calm a day care can in fact be -
with children who actively tidy
and put away after themselves,
and wipe their own noses.
Come and see for yourself!
www.fcm.nz Rowena Harper,
Managing Director.
Our NEW Tawa Street
Montessori daycare is now
open to view!
We are the second Fountain City Montessori site - a family orientated, nurturing,
calm and respectful environment for 0-6 year olds near the hospital. We expect to
be offically open in December. In the meantime you can come along to one of our
tour times, between 10 - 2pm, or by appointment. We look forward to meeting you!
Open 6.30am - 6pm 07 843 0441 www.fcm.nz
103 Tawa Street, 3206 Hamilton, New Zealand