Atmosphere
At Parkdale Montessori School, the children engage in learning activities in an atmosphere of freedom, joy, cooperation, and respect. Our Montessori classrooms are especially designed to meet the needs and interests of children from 18 months to 6 years of age.
Classroom Environment
Our Montessori learning environment is very different from the traditional model of education. Our program provides children with the opportunity to respond to their natural tendency to learn and engage in purposeful tasks.
Our Montessori classrooms are geared to the size, pace, and interest of children. They offer space for movement, for individual work, and for small group activities. Each classroom is designed to facilitate maximum independent learning and exploration, and has a full range of AMI-approved Montessori educational apparatus for the appropriate age level. These specifically designed materials are sensory-based, self-correcting, arranged according to subject area, and neatly placed on low and open shelves within easy reach of all children.
Each Montessori classroom is designed for a mixed-age group. This provides an opportunity for younger children to learn from older peers, while older children gain satisfaction in sharing their knowledge while reinforcing their own learning.
Curriculum
In most traditional learning settings, teachers are given a curriculum which all children follow together at the same time. The curriculum is structured with little regard to the children’s individual interests and abilities. The Montessori curriculum is different. It is designed to help all children reach their fullest potential at their own unique pace, without feeling “behind” or “ahead”. Our curriculum is geared to children who have varying abilities, in a community in which everyone learns from one another and everyone contributes.
Our Montessori program is introduced to each child by a Montessori-trained teacher through one-on-one or small-group lessons called “presentations”. Presentations of new activities are shown based on each child’s interests and readiness. Presentations are reintroduced if necessary or modified at times depending on a child’s learning style. Sometimes, they arise spontaneously when the child makes a discovery. Over the course of the program, children are introduced to presentations with increasing degrees of abstraction and complexity. Children with a high level of ability are constantly challenged by the wide variety of materials and their many uses.
Subject areas are integrated throughout the Montessori curriculum rather than being presented as separate disciplines. Once children have been introduced to a new activity, they are free to engage with this particular material on their own, for as long as they want and as often as they wish.
Language
We offer a bilingual learning environment at each level (i.e. English and French). In the Toddler Community, French is conversational. In the Casa Program, the focus is on oral French as well as vocabulary building through visual materials, manipulatives, classified cards and themes.
Activities Cycle
Parkdale Montessori has two extended uninterrupted time periods for the children to engage freely in tasks and absorb themselves in their activities. This leads to deeper learning, higher concentration, and a great sense of accomplishment.
Children
The children are encouraged to explore their classroom environment, express their ideas, collaborate, and help others. They are free to choose their activities on their own, to learn independently and at their own pace, and to engage in activities for as long as the material holds their interests. The children develop physically, socially, intellectually, and creatively within a joyful environment.
Montessori children often refer to the various activities of the classroom as “work”. Children are free to “work” either at small tables or on mats, wherever they feel the most comfortable. When the children have completed an activity, they return the materials to the shelf, ready for the next child to use.
Children are encouraged to experiment, investigate, make wise choices, solve problems, and be self-reliant. The children enjoy a great deal of independence, as well as freedom of movement and choice. Of course, freedom exists within defined limits of appropriate behaviour, and is balanced with responsibilities. This freedom within a safe space is crucial to the Montessori program. However, it is always tempered by two important limits that will be beneficial throughout life – respect for others and respect for the environment.
Teachers
Every classroom is led by a professionally trained Montessori-certified teacher. Our teachers facilitate learning by preparing the classroom environment and directing the children to purposeful activities which are appropriate for their specific age, abilities, needs, and interests. They know when to give a lesson, reinforce previously presented information, or move on to the next challenge. They also know when to step in, set limits or lend a helping hand, and when it is in the child’s best interests to step back and not interfere. Through observations, our teachers guide students to new and challenging materials. They also recognize and accommodate different learning styles. Our teachers carefully monitor each child’s progress and keep meticulous records of each child’s presentations.
Montessori teachers play an unobtrusive role in the classroom. They act only as guides, facilitators, and interpreters of the children’s needs. Our teachers also maintain a positive Montessori learning environment where each child is respected and feels valued.
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