Practical Life – Part 3

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Today we conclude our series on Practical Life. 

One important aspect of the Practical Life environment is that all the materials used are real life objects. Maria Montessori was a great believer in the “reality” principle – objects and tasks should reflect real life, with instruments adapted to a child’s size and potentiality. The Practical Life activities are naturally interesting exercises for the child since they are activities he/she seen grown-ups do. The sequencing for Practical Life begins with scooping and spooning, rolling and folding, twisting, squeezing, grasping and controlling, stringing and lacing, pounding and pushing, care of the self, care of the environment, grace and courtesy, and ending with food preparation. Materials are sequenced according to the following progressions: using hands to using tools, large to small, left to right, top to bottom, gross motor to fine motor, no transfer to transfer, two handed to one handed to two handed in opposition, size and shape of medium used, dry materials to liquid, simple activities to complex, few materials to many, short activities to long, skills in isolation to skills in combinations.

Children benefit from all aspects of the Practical Life environment. They learn the direct aims of independence, concentration, coordination, and order, as well as the indirect aims of the actual skills being practiced. Practical Life is the foundation of the Montessori classroom and enables the child to become a well-adjusted individual.

 

Practical Life – Part 2

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Today we continue our series exploring the Practical Life area of the Montessori classroom, focusing in this post on the ways in which Practical Life skills benefit other curriculum areas. 

Many of the exercises in the Practical Life area are preparation exercises of Sensorial works. The exercises help to fine tune the development of the child’s senses. Many uses of the five senses occur in the Practical Life area: sound, sight, and touch are used in equipment-bases activities, such as bean scooping; smelling and tasting are involved in the preparation of food.

Practical Life not only develops the child’s senses and teaches real life skills, but sets the basic foundation for other areas to come. For example, understanding size, weight, and equal distribution are skills which are vital when the child is introduced to the Math area of the classroom.

Perhaps the most significant is the development of the pincer grip, which allows the child to correctly grip a pencil and begin working in the Language area.

Practical Life – Part 1

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Today we are looking back at a series that we posted back in the summer, Practical Life. 

In a Montessori classroom, the Practical Life area is one of the first areas that a child explores. This section of the classroom provides the child with real-life materials that help to develop coordination, concentration, independence, and order.

Through the exercises of Practical Life, the child learns the skills that enable him to become an independent being. From birth, the child is striving for independence and concerned adults, parents, and teachers should help him on his path by showing him the skills he needs to achieve this end. Having been shown a skill, the child then needs freedom to practice and perfect.

In a Montessori classroom, preschool children learn basic motor skills in the Practical Life areas by teaching themselves and learning from other children rather than by specific adult instruction. As the child becomes absorbed in an interesting activity, he develops concentration. If the activity is appropriate and meets a need, it will be interesting for the child. The longer the child is absorbed by an activity the  better for the development of concentration.

Through activity, the child learns to control his movements. The idea that the path to intellectual development occurs through the hands is a major theme in the Montessori Method. The exercises of Practical Life provide opportunities for the development of both gross motor and fine motor movements. In addition, the child learns to keep the environment in a clean and ordered way, putting everything away in its right place. He is taught to approach each new task in an ordered way, to carry it out carefully, to complete the activity, and finally, how to clean up and put the materials away. Engaging in this complete process encourages logical thinking.

Another great post on Practical Life can be found here as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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It’s Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for, and hopefully that includes some extra down time at home. Here are some great Thanksgiving craft ideas from Living Montessori Now to do with your children over the holiday.

We hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, surrounded by family, friends, and plenty of love.

Why Montessori?

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Montessori’s education program is unique. Children are encouraged to make decisions and play an active role in the classroom. A solid foundation at each level promotes strong academic skills and a true love of learning. An authentic Montessori program is based on self-direction, builds a strong sense of self, sustained concentration and development of independence.

What sets Montessori apart from other programs?

• Emphasis on the whole child
• Mainly individual and small group instruction
• Child works at his/her pace
• Children are encouraged to collaborate, teach, share ideas and help each other
• Environment and method encourage self-discipline
• Develop leadership skills
• Mixed age groups

Montessori grows a child’s love of learning by providing an excellent foundation, creating a well-rounded individual that leads the way to a more advanced education.

Would you like to share this content with friends and family who are curious about Montessori or interested in enrolling? Click below to share via email or post to your social networks – or get a printable version here.

Spanish Immersion Program at MASS

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Spanish Immersion Program coming to MASS!

MASS is excited to announce we are offering a Spanish/English dual immersion program beginning this August for the 2014 school year. In this program, your child will be immersed in a rich, dual-language environment incorporating Montessori materials represented in BOTH Spanish and English. A certified teacher will guide your child and help improve their cognitive skills, increase creativity, achieve higher academic achievement, and a heighten communication skills.

Please call MASS at 770-205-6277 to find out more, or take a moment to stop by the newly created Spanish vignette in the Primary building at MASS to see some hands-on Spanish materials and literature.

Thank you Ms. Nena, Mrs. Gilbert and Ms. Cattell for presenting “Spanish Night” on January 21, 2014 at the MASS campus. We are excited to get this educational program started!

Winter Break is How Long?

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With Winter Break halfway behind us, many parents may be wondering how to fill some of the waking hours. Here are a few things you can do inside and out, so when you hear, “I’m bored!” scan the list for a few ideas.

Go On a Scavenger Hunt
Inside scavenger hunts could include hiding parts of a building kit in different places in the house. Clues are given to the whereabouts of the pieces. Once all items are found, directions are given and your child can make his/her own creation.
Outside scavenger hunts can be creating using a checklist and a camera. Create a list items found in your neighborhood (pine tree, roof top, red door, Spot the dog, etc.). Then take a walk together and have your child take pictures of each item. Once home, organize a digital presentation that your child can share with the family at dinner time.

Make Ornaments For Trees – Inside and Out
Homemade ornaments for the Christmas tree will create memories for a lifetime. Hands On As We Grow is filled with great ideas. Or, create birdfeeders for your trees outside.

Imagine a New World
Turn your playroom into a grocery store, tea shop, or woodshop. It is a great way for siblings to play together. Dramatic play also helps children learn to problem solve and build their imagination.

Build With Blocks
Working with blocks helps the child’s small muscle skills. It also allows the child to form mental pictures and the opportunity to recreate the image in concrete form.

Get Artsy
Paint, sculpt, and draw with seasonal crafts, or make your own Christmas and Thank You cards. You can even host an art show for the neighborhood children, creating an opportunity for them to show off their creations to their parents – a great way to build community.

Turn Trash Into Treasure
Use your recyclables to create your own robot, superhero, building, or anything else your child imagines. Allow him/her to draw out their design first, then collect their supplies and create their masterpiece.

Read, Read, Read
Create a contest in your house to see who can read the most books, and read together as a family. Take trips to the library to generate interest in new books and topics. To interact with your community, take a trip to the local nursing homes to read to the elderly.

Go Out!
Take your family bowling. Check out the local bowling alley’s website for discounted days.
Try out a new restaurant.
Play hide and seek.
Take the opportunity to explore what our local area has to offer with Atlanta’s holiday activities.

We hope you enjoy every moment of the break together and have a wonderful holiday season!

Technology in the Classroom: What Teachers Think About the Latest Trends

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Edudemic shares an interesting perspective on current developments in the classroom, including the incorporation of various forms of technology – how teachers feel about the top 10 current educational trends. European and North American teachers were polled by Menco Platform, social knowledge-sharing platform, to see which trends were exciting and which were more hype than substance for classroom leaders. The results paint an interesting picture of the future of technology and its role in the classroom.

Top 10 Educational Trends

Montessori Primer – Technology at Home

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Studies show that students do not enjoy working at home on the same things that they are doing at school, and that students who do a lot of paperwork for homework are not as efficient in class. Technology can be a great way for children to practice skills they are learning at school in a format that engages their mind and interest in a different way.

Students are increasingly engaging with technology through smart phone and tablet apps, and a growing number of these activities are Montessori-themed. But are “Montessori apps” effective? Bobby and June George, owners of Baan Dek Montessori in Souix Falls, South Dakota, and of Montessorium, a company devoted to creating “self-guided learning experiences for children,” maintain that they are. In their interview with blogger Lori Bourne of Montessori for Everyone, the Georges give a brief overview of their products, how they got started, and why they consider their products to be true to traditional Montessori ideology.

“If Maria Montessori were alive today, we think that she would be at the Apple store, playing with an iPad, thinking hard about these complicated issues… In our opinion, Maria Montessori would be trying to open up and discover new ways to think about how we learn.” – Bobby and June George

Montessori Primer – What Are Typical Uses of Technology In a Montessori Classroom?

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“What purpose would education serve in our days unless it helped humans to a knowledge of the environment to which they have to adapt themselves?”- Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori saw children as global citizens who need to learn real-world concepts, and in a Montessori classroom, children are actively engaged in real-world learning. Technology has the potential to play an important role in this dynamic approach when computers are used as a tool to reinforce skills – to be relatable to the life skills children are developing – rather than as the focus of a specific computer education class taught within a one hour period in isolation. Currently in our classrooms, there are iPads and desktop computers. The students use these tools to enhance research and presentation, and to reinforce skills learned within the classroom. At the elementary level, students learn to create PowerPoint presentations and videos to support the communication of their research. An example at the primary level may include using the computer to watch an educational video showing how seeds grow, reinforcing scientific concepts and inspiring the children on gardening day.

In her article Integrating Technology into the Montessori Elementary Classroom, former Montessori educator and current education advocate Elizabet Hubbell describes in detail a full school day of a lower elementary Montessori student and how technology plays a major role in her educational journey. The beginning of the article is a brief overview of a staple in a Lower Elementary classroom – the work plan. The work plan is used as an organizational tool for both student and teacher. Although the work plan varies from classroom to classroom, the essential part is usually present; subjects/areas to be practiced throughout a specific week. The students are responsible for completing tasks and the teacher uses it to notate areas of focus for each child as well as a record keeping tool.

The article then follows the child from one work to the other and demonstrates how technology is incorporated in several aspects of the classroom. First, the child works on creating “Famous Places” cards to add to the classroom collection. She uses the computer to research, create, add pictures, and resize the card to match the ones already in place. The article then touches on other sections of the classroom where technology has been and continues to play a major role, including a plethora of ways to incorporate technology to help children manipulate math in a high tech way.

Although this article does not specifically measure student learning outcomes, it does provide a good base for usage of technology in many facets of the Lower Elementary classroom. It also provides many specific examples, including work created by students through the use of classroom technology. Hubbell also addresses the negative outlook some Montessorians might have of integrating the “new” with the “old school” way of teaching Montessori by validating positive learning experiences provided by the use of technology.

Please join us for our next post as we look at the use of technology in the home!