What is Montessori?
Montessori education is a unique system that nurtures young students in an enthusiastic learning environment using the latest teaching methodology rather than the formal one. Montessori is a place where students pique and develop their interests and learn new activities. Montessori education was developed by Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, and educator based on her theories and experiences with students.
The Montessori education provides foundational education where children are moulded to show inquisitiveness in gaining knowledge and be adept in initiating learning with a supportive and well-structured learning environment. Children are trained by expert faculty who are Montessori certified and support students to be confident, independent and develop a love for learning.
The Montessori School of Tokyo is for students in the age group of 2 to 15 years. A few of the best Montessori schools in Tokyo are Chiyoda Montessori School, Global Indian International School, Classic International Montessori School, Discovery Montessori School, Early Learning School, and more. Students from various other countries can also pursue education in the Montessori school of Tokyo.
Programs in the Montessori school of Tokyo are designed keeping in mind the developmental ages of the children that focus on building their abilities and skills. For submitting applications in the Montessori school of Tokyo, at least one of the parents must be a native speaker, or fluent in English.
How Does Montessori Education Benefit a Child?
● The Montessori method discards the traditional way of assessing students and rather gives scope for students to choose the activity they like.
● Students at a young age are exposed to various activities that help them hone their talent, be independent and develop creative, critical thinking, intellectual and problem-solving skills.
● Montessori education with its excellent learning materials guides students for better interaction and collaboration.
● Through group discussions and interactive activities, students develop interpersonal skills and broaden their learning horizons.
● In Montessori education, students are introduced to child-centred classrooms wherein they are accountable for their learnings as they are given a chance to practice, review and progress based on their interests.
● Montessori education encourages children with self-assessment and self-correction that helps them in overcoming mistakes on their own. It is a knowledge powerhouse that instils coordination, independence, and concentration in children.
● The exclusive learning resources, routine, and well-structured classrooms give them the independence of self-education as to what they are learning.
● The Montessori School of Tokyo follows a 3-year programme where the students learn and master academics excellently.
● In the Montessori class, students learn to interact and gain support from their older fellow mates which makes them a part of the community and they imbibe qualities like sharing, respecting, helping, and collaborating.
What are the Magnitudes of Child Development in Montessori Education?
Maria Montessori being an educator observed that the physical developments in each child, like crawling, walking, talking, etc happen during the same years and it is easily detectable in a child, but observing the mental development milestones is a little difficult and hence has divided this into four important stages called the absorbent mind, reasoning mind, social consciousness, and transition into adulthood.
Young minds from birth to six years old are sensitive and it is important for parents or adults to support them at this stage. Let’s get a little deeper into the understanding of these four stages:
The Montessori theory of child development is called the four distinct planes of development that is an important phase between infancy and early adulthood. These developmental phases include both physical and psychological changes and accordingly the education system needs to be planned wherein children get the maximum benefit of learning.
Stage 1: The Absorbent Mind
The absorbent mind stage happens in childhood between birth to 6 years old children. In this stage, children have a fresh and soft mind wherein they are keen to learn and absorb things around them. At this stage, they yearn for physical independence and try to grasp information from everyone and everything around them.
In this stage, the Montessori curriculum is designed with learning materials that help the children to explore activities freely without much intrusion by teachers. Activities related to movement, toileting, language, music, reading, writing, order, grace, etc are designed.
Stage 2: The Reasoning Mind
This plane of development happens in childhood where children are in the age group of 6 to 12 years. In this stage, the children have a shift from a sensitive period to thinking logically and abstractly. Children here use more of their imagination, philosophy and like to be in a group.
At this stage, they start thinking about society and want to learn more practical subjects like Maths, Science, and History. Montessori education in this stage is imparted with well-designed classrooms where children develop social skills by working together and helping their younger peers. With the support and guidance of teachers, they are able to learn the practical subjects in depth.
Stage 3: Social Consciousness Development
Adolescence is the new journey a child embarks on wherein their physical and psychological changes are observed. Here the observation was that children have less energy than in the earlier stages to excel in academics.
Hence the development should be focused on building skills that would prepare them for the smooth transition to adulthood. The Montessori education here encourages adolescents to participate in activities like cooking, building furniture, and stitching that makes them collaborate better and be independent.
Stage 4: Transition into Adulthood
This is the most important phase where the adolescent reaches maturity and this plane of development is for students in the age group of 18 to 24. In this developmental phase, they choose the path in life like a career or anything that makes them successful. Adults who have been able to have a fulfilling life at this stage are those who have successfully passed through the earlier developmental phases.
Children enjoy learning and exploring new things when they are given the independence to do so at their own pace and time. The Global Indian International School is a pioneer Montessori school of Tokyo that helps children develop their skills, intellect, capabilities at a ripe age.
Montessori education has resources that go beyond reading and writing. Students from the Montessori schools are more confident, independent with high self-esteem, and with extraordinary qualities like helping each other, gratitude to older people, and compassion towards one and all.
The Global Montessori Plus pedagogy provides a holistic growth of children by combining the traditional and modern teaching methodologies.
