Frequently asked questions

Montessori	Traditional
Teacher is a facilitator for learning	Teacher teaches children to impart knowledge
Differentiated instructions	Same activities given to all children
Mixed age groups	Same age group children in one classroom
Each child learns at his/her own pace	Every child is expected to learn at the same time
Emphasis of collaboration	Emphasis on competition
Self-evaluation	Test to evaluate
Inquiry based learning	Standard based learning
Freedom to choose the place to work in the classroom	Students expected to sit at assigned places
Hands on activities	Concepts taught through textbooks or rote learning

In a Montessori school, children aged 1.5 to 3 and 3 to 6 years are in the same classroom, as they share the same sensitive periods which interest them in similar activities. Research has proved that children's emotional, mental and psychological needs are met within mixed age groups. Children learn a lot through observations, therefore characteristics acquired by the older children inspire the younger ones to grasp faster.

Language development is accelerated in a set up where children are of mixed age groups. The younger children listen to and benefit from the older ones who have fluency in their spoken and written language.

Children of different ages help each other. Older children feel a sense of responsibility towards the younger ones and younger children find more comfort in associating with older children than adults. This facilitates social skill development too.

Montessori children, after the age of five are normally curious, self-confident learners who have inculcated values which prepare them for the world outside, along with developed skills essential for further schooling. There is nothing inherent in Montessori that causes children to have a hard time if they are transferred to other schools. Most of them adapt to their new setting fairly quickly. Montessori is an international method where children receive excellent training for further school success.

In Montessori schools, the class routines have a lot of flexibility within structure. Children are allowed to choose their own activities from a prescribed range of work, where children have uninterrupted work patterns. Self-discoveries and positive work habits can only develop when children are left free to explore things on their own. This also allows them to make decisions about what to do in the classroom, which in turn develops confidence.

Montessori is a skill based curriculum where all the necessary and age appropriate skills are inculcated in children. Most of the subjects are similar to traditional schools such as; Math, Language, History, Geography. However, the method follows an inquiry based approach. Children develop conceptual understandings e.g. Shape and space, colours, continents, cultures etc. through art, craft, music and language. The curriculum is an integrated one which cultivates natural curiosity in the child.

Children are free to choose their own activities; however there is a lot of teacher guidance and observation to keep a close watch on how each child is progressing. This gentle guidance helps them master the challenge at hand and protects them from moving on before they are ready, which is what actually causes children to “fall behind”.

Montessori schools practice differentiated learning where different activities are given to different ability groups. This stimulates the quick learners to discover deeper layers of learning while simultaneously structuring the curriculum to support lower level students.

There has been a growing body of research that proves that Montessori students perform as well or better than non-Montessori school children. A method of schooling that focuses on personal development rather than exams produces more mature, creative and socially skilled children, scientists have found. In one of the researches conducted, it was proved that five-year-old Montessori pupils were better prepared for reading and math, and 12-year-olds wrote "significantly more creative" essays using more sophisticated sentence structures. Montessori children display greater values like ‘Empathy and Honestly’, ‘Respect and Responsibility’ as compared to non-Montessori children.

For more information visit https://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/sep/29/schools.uk or American Montessori Society.

Children at the end of 1 year are more mobile and are able to walk with stability. They are able to do more things with their hands, as they are free from crawling, thus the curiosity and willingness to know more is at its peak. At this point children are able to grasp things and their hand-eye coordination develops more. Children also learn to communicate at this stage; therefore we need to encourage this development by constantly offering rich and continuous language. If children are given the freedom to move and explore when they are younger, their motor development will flourish.

In today's day where both parents are working, the need to have the child in a secured and nurturing place has become important. We have crafted an environment that caters to all of the above mentioned developments to take place. Therefore, we encourage parents to start early.