N8226 945th Street
River Falls, WI 54022
715-426-0350
Below is a list of commonly asked questions about Montessori.
However, the best way to learn about Montessori education is to visit our school! We invite and encourage you to schedule a time to observe one of our River Falls, WI, classrooms. Please call the administration office at 715-426-0350 for details.
At the beginning of this century, Italian physician Dr. Maria Montessori revolutionized our understanding of the way children learn. In her work with children, she observed that they naturally absorb knowledge and information from the world around them, and are anxious to practice their growing skills. Montessori created a rich curriculum based on her findings. She introduced what are now universally accepted teaching and materials techniques such as individualized learning and the use of child-sized furniture and materials.
Every lead teacher at Heartland Montessori School has received extensive training and is certified by the Association Montessori Internationale. Teachers learn a broad curriculum as part of their training; they also learn to keenly observe children and to evaluate individual levels of readiness for lessons. Each Heartland teacher supplements this training yearly through workshops and seminars. We invite and encourage parents to learn about the curriculum by attending “Montessori Night of Discovery” activities held in the fall. Detailed literature is also available at our school.
Mixed age groups naturally reflect family, neighborhood, and work-place environments. In a mixed-age classroom, younger children have the opportunity to learn from older classmates; older children gain confidence from sharing their experience. This interaction fosters independent learning and creates a stimulating classroom atmosphere.
Class size is designed to be large enough to foster independence and an optimal learning environment, but small enough to allow for appropriate guidance and supervision – 2 adults for 24-27 children. Children in a Montessori classroom choose their own work within guidelines set by the teacher. This framework offers a great deal of freedom, but each freedom has corresponding responsibilities.
Conflicts arise naturally out of interaction between different people. The balance of freedom and responsibilities found in the Montessori classroom teaches each child to have respect for self, for others, for the classroom, and for the materials. In addition, with guidance from teachers and staff, children at each level at Heartland are taught conflict resolution skills. They begin the life-long process of learning to respect others’ opinions and to search for win-win solutions for conflicts.
In a Montessori classroom, children develop skills needed to work independently, to organize time, and to use resources effectively. In most schools, the only time left for acquiring these skills after a highly structured school day, is time spend at home doing homework. The Montessori philosophy supports the idea that, when the school day is structured differently, work is completed during school hours so that children can spend their afternoon time in activities with family and friends. These activities can be as important as school work in developing responsibility and independence in children.
Maria Montessori believed that a non-competitive atmosphere for children worked best for optimal learning. Children need a chance to gain mastery with skills before they are exposed to competition. “Never let a child risk failure until he has a reasonable chance of success,” she wrote. Self-confidence comes from the recognition of progress in one’s own work, rather than from comparison to the work of another.
Twice a year teachers meet with parents for an in-depth conference. Between conferences, parents are encouraged to schedule visits with their child in the classroom, to educate themselves about the curriculum, and to contact teachers with questions or concerns.
The real world many of us experience as adults can be described as people working together with other people of varying ages and backgrounds, in a productive and cooperative atmosphere. When seen in this light, the Montessori classroom is in fact a very close reflection of the “real world.”
Montessori is not a trademark name and simply refers to the Montessori Method of teaching. Though different Montessori schools will share similarities, from a few to many, each school is independent.
AMI stands for Association Montessori Internationale. AMI was established by Dr. Maria Montessori to maintain, propagate and further her ideas and principles for the full development of the human being. AMI accreditation assures the highest level of training for our teachers and standards for our classrooms. An AMI consultation is conducted at least once every three years. School consultations safeguard and enhance compliance with Montessori standards. For more information about AMI, log on to www.amiusa.org.