OUR SCHOOL
The Learning Nest
At South Florida Montessori Academy, we embrace Dr. Maria Montessori’s vision that a child’s work is to create the person he or she will become. Thus, we begin with the end goal in mind – young, compassionate adults who eagerly tackle life’s challenges by using their critical thinking to actively solve these problems.
In a traditional, lecture-and-textbook setting, the teacher is the focus of the class and is responsible for the child’s actions. Conversely, in Montessori education, the focus is on helping children develop self-discipline, motivation, and skills to learn for themselves. The Montessori approach puts children at the center of the learning process.
The traditional educational system was designed during the industrial revolution when the masses moved into urban areas to work in factories. They created an effective method of training the following generations of factory workers. Children were instructed to memorize and regurgitate facts – to stop working when the bell rings – to sit in nice, neat rows of desks, and to ask for permission to move. It is no longer a relevant educational system in our modern culture.
Today, successful people work on projects not factory lines. They are rewarded for creating things rather than following orders. And they are expected to adapt quickly to change within their profession rather than work at the same job for 50 years. As we peek into the uncertain future of the 21st century, AMI Montessori schools offer a safe harbor for parents: a research-based method that has been proven to develop some of the brightest minds of our times and is well positioned to develop the movers and shakers of tomorrow.
Our world doesn’t need more test takers, memorizers, or followers. Now, more than ever, we need critical thinkers, entrepreneurs, and doers. Montessori education prepares children to take on the future with confidence and zeal, propelled by the gift of self-knowledge and a lifelong passion for learning.
South Florida Montessori Academy deeply respects each child and believes that all children, through curiosity and guided exploration, inherently love to learn. A South Florida Montessori Academy Montessori education balances freedom with responsibility and sets high standards of intellectual, social, and moral development that is firmly rooted in the developmental stages of children.
Key Principles
1. Freedom of movement to interact with peers and choose activities that nurture the excitement of learning. Maria Montessori saw freedom as the single most important factor in allowing children to develop as spontaneous, creative individuals.
2. Children naturally love to learn and are intrinsically motivated.
3. The prepared environment is essential. The classroom is a responsive environment prepared with multisensory, sequential, and self-correcting materials to support self-directed learning and the development of independence. The focus is on the process, not the results.
4. Children learn at their own pace and level. Individual and small group instruction enables the child to learn at his or her own pace, with tailored instruction for each child. Through such individualized instruction, teachers are able to develop strong relationships with their students by understanding each child’s strengths and challenges and how to further unlock their potential.
5. Montessori focuses on the similarities in people which leads to understanding and peace. The curriculum emphasizes the integration of geography, history, world cultures, community service, and peace education. Through the exploration of cultures, children gain a basic global perspective and begin to understand issues facing all of humanity.
6. Our children practice stewardship of the earth through integration of the “green curriculum.” Students learn that we, as humans, are the custodians of the earth and have a responsibility for the environment that sustains life.
7. Freedom and self-discipline become parallel paths. Self-discipline is acquired gradually through absorption in meaningful work. The child is guided by respect for the teacher, for the work of others, and for the materials themselves. The freedom to use our innate powers to develop physically, intellectually, and socially is what leads to growth of the human spirit. A Montessori classroom provides this freedom within the limits of an environment that encourages a sense of order and self-discipline. Children thrive on order and structure, but need freedom within that order to explore and learn.
8. All classes are multiage. In a three-year period, children experience being the youngest, the middle, and the oldest in the community. At different stages and moments, students learn from other students and practice with them as well. At other times, students teach other students. In this way, students reinforce their own learning and master skills while helping others.
Prepared Environment
Using Montessori philosophy and AMI standards, South Florida Montessori Academy provides a safe and stimulating prepared environment which, through discovery and exploration, allows children to develop holisticially. This education builds a solid foundation for a child’s life. The end result of such an education is an independent, self-confident child with a love of learning.
The Montessori environment is carefully prepared to encourage exploration and facilitate learning. All parts of the classroom are scaled to the size of the student, and children are free to respond to their natural drive to work spontaneously and independently with scientifically-designed Montessori materials. All Montessori classrooms are designed for multiage groupings which allow both individual and social development. Both older and younger children benefit from such an enriched learning environment. Younger children benefit from the broader perspective and experience of the older children who are there to help them, while older students have the opportunity to refine their skills by assisting the younger children. Each child’s unique personality is encouraged and each child is respected as an important member of the community.
Children’s inherent love of learning is encouraged by giving them opportunities to engage in meaningful activities under the guidance of a trained adult. Because learning is a natural activity, children choose their own work. Students learn more easily and concentrate for longer periods of time when they choose what they want to learn. Classroom materials are carefully constructed to provide children with a hands-on understanding of the subject. Montessori materials are self-correcting so the child cannot progress until they do the work correctly. This gives children the opportunity to learn using the powerful method of trial-and-error. All objects and materials in a Montessori classroom share similar characteristics: they are proprtioned, limited, simple, and inviting.
Objectives
- To provide our children with an integrated educational experience.
- To recognize and affirm the individuality of each child.
- To provide an environment where students can grow in accordance with their own needs.
- To help children develop in such a way that they remain in touch with their own nature and develop respect for the environment in which they live.