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Montessori jobs are designed to integrate four main learning principles:  Coordination, Concentration, Independence, and Order.

 

Coordination– One of the main accomplishments in early childhood is the mastery of physical control and coordination.  Coordination is essential for children to write and draw, balance while walking and running, and perform everyday tasks like tying shoes and zipping or buttoning up jackets.  As students hone their coordination skills, their sense of self-reliance and self-worth grows as well.

 

Concentration– Concentration, or cognitive control, is another key component of Montessori learning principles.  This type of mental focus is crucial for students' successful transition to kindergarten and elementary school.  Although people typically believe that young children have very short attention spans, we find that the opposite is true when we match students with activities that precisely meet their interests and developmental needs.  At Star City Montessori, we create an environment that fosters concentration and focused effort that will serve as the foundation for student's future academic pursuits.

 

Independence– Fostering children's independence and autonomy is a critical part of Star City Montessori philosophy.  A healthy sense of self-reliance lays important groundwork for students' self-care and future learning habits.  For example, students strengthen their independence, initiative, and self-care skills by choosing their own learning activities, taking responsibility for their belongings, and participating in mealtime set-up and clean-up routines.

 

Order– Children have an instinctive need to make sense of the world around them; this is why they thrive on bedtime rituals and daily routines.  At Star City Montessori, we fulfill and nurture this innate love of order by establishing a regular daily schedule and designing lessons that are carefully thought out and logically sequenced.  This sense of order sets the stage for students to develop effective organizational skills.

 

Through these principles of Coordination, Concentration, Independence, and Order, we teach students to treat themselves and others with respect and dignity and prepare them to enter society as responsible, caring, and confident lifelong learners.

 

 Montessori Principles

 

The Absorbent Mind

 

One of the principles discovered by Montessori reveals that the mind of the child up to the age of seven is absorbent in nature.  Everything in the child's environment and experience is assimilated into the personality and character of the child.  Because of this principle, our staff is diligent in providing a carefully prepared environment filled with interesting and inviting lessons that are also beautiful and pleasing to the young child.  Everything is scaled to their size and is designed to be appealing to them while providing ample opportunity for movement.  The children are the caretakers of their environment and are comforted by its order and beauty.

 

Sensitive Periods

 

Between the ages of three and six, children are in the developmental sensitive period for language (vocabulary, writing and reading), good manners, order, and sensorial refinement.  During this sensitive period, the child learns effortlessly.  After the age of six, the absorbent mind begins to diminish as rational and abstract thinking emerge.  Understanding the importance and significance of these sensitive periods, Montessori teachers endeavor to provide each individual child what is needed and when it is needed.

 

Freedom in Education

 

Freedom in the Montessori classroom means freedom to do what is right. The children learn to honor a few carefully chosen, well-understood, and strictly enforced ground rules.  Beyond that, they are free to find work to do among many interesting choices.  The fruits of this freedom are individuality, self-discipline, concentration, and positive social interactions.