“The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.” - Dr. Maria Montessori
Interactions with the Environment
Maintaining Order
This is about preparing yourself and the environment to receive children comfortably. The overall demeanor of a Montessori directress or assistant directress is one of calm with purpose. When you are working in an environment of under threes, they are just learning to move around, you must model the appropriate behavior. You move slowly and calmly around the classroom, be careful not to rush. Everything you do in the sight of the children is as you would have them do. You speak in a voice that is caring and soft. You maintain order in your classroom because you are in order. Your person is under control, your dress is nice, but not distracting and you are confident and cheerful.
You teach peaceful concepts in the classroom. You foster a classroom of cooperation not competition. The environment is one of order with shelves that are clean and lessons that are accessible. The materials in the classroom are always kept in the same place. This fosters order in the children. They have entered a period of their lives where order is extremely important. (If you keep the same schedule, routine, and classroom set up as much as possible, you actually eliminate a lot of discipline issues).
It is the child's responsibility to put items back in the right place. Your job is also sometimes to gently remind them to put their work away. The most powerful model, is you, so be sure you are putting your things away. It is also the child's and your responsibility to keep the classroom tidy by reminding children gently to push in their chairs if they forget and don't forget to always push in yours! There is much more to say...click the links below for more information on this topic.
Reasonable Requests
We not do expect the children to do anything we, ourselves, would not do. If children are only allowed to eat in one area, then we also follow that rule. At Montgomery Montessori, children are not allowed to carry drinks around, or eat on the rugs in the classroom. You must also not eat on the rug or carry a drink around but drink and eat at a table as the children are required to do. When you are in view of the children, it is important to model all of the behavior we expect of them, no loud talking, carrying more than one item at a time, or rushing. We carry items with two hands just as we have taught the children. In every classroom there are ground rules that everyone must follow. See the link below for a list of ground rules beautifully written, these are the rules that must be present in a Montessori classroom for it to work effectively. These are the established rights of the classroom for everyone, it is your job to gently, but firmly and consistently make sure no one (including yourself) is infringing those rights. Montessori Ground RulesAs the term implies there are established limits of behavior which enable a number of children moving and working in close proximity to do so in harmony. In the Montessori Classroom a child may move about freely but not run or push. He or she may talk softly and respectfully but never shout. When the child is finished with his or her work it must be returned to the shelf in its proper place. The following shows how the child’s rights and responsibilities are nurtured, developed and supported in a Montessori Environment: Right:The child is free to work with any material displayed in the environment that he/she has had a presentation. Responsibility: He or she must use the material respectfully. He/She must not harm the material, themselves, or others. The material may not be used in a way that disturbs the activities of others in the environment.
Right: The child may work on a table or rug, whichever is suitable to the work chosen. Responsibility: The child should keep materials on his/her rug.
Right: The child has the freedom to use the room as his/her needs dictate within the constraints of the rules. Responsibility: The child will restore the environment during and after an exercise. The child is responsible for rolling up used rugs, placing the chair under the table and returning his or her work to the shelf.
Right:The child has the right to work undistracted by others. He/She may initiate, complete or repeat an exercise along and without a break in concentration. Responsibility: No child should touch the work of another without an invitation to do so. No child is allowed to interfere with another’s learning cycle. If the child must leave the work temporarily he/she may continue at a later time with confidence that it will be as it was left.
Right: The child has the right not to join a group activity. The child may continue working with individual exercises during group activities or may stand apart as an observer of group activities. Responsibility: The child is not allowed to interfere or disrupt and activity he/she has chosen not to join. This teaches responsibility to the group.
Right: The child has the right to work alone. Responsibility: The child is not forced or encouraged to share his or her work. With appropriate materials and reasonable respectful ground rules sharing comes as part ofthe natural process. Generosity of spirit develops from within as the child matures with a sense of self, grounded in confidence and security.
Right:The child has the right to do nothing. Invariably in “doing nothing” the child is learning through observation, thinking and resting. Responsibility: The child’s idleness is not allowed to disturb or distract others in the classroom.
Something to think about......
This image shows two students who have worked together to create this maze using red rods, a Montessori material that helps teach the child to differentiate between shortest to longest. How does the environment that you see in this photo help support this activity? Could this activity take place in a class full of tables and chairs? How are these two students illustrating the ground rules? Now, look at the image below. What rules are these three students following that allow them to work so close together but do three separate, independent lessons?
Now go to The Gentle Guide by clicking on the label or going to the navigation panel on your left. Hope you are still having fun learning! Take notes and review as much as needed!
Interactions with the Environment
Maintaining Order
This is about preparing yourself and the environment to receive children comfortably. The overall demeanor of a Montessori directress or assistant directress is one of calm with purpose. When you are working in an environment of under threes, they are just learning to move around, you must model the appropriate behavior. You move slowly and calmly around the classroom, be careful not to rush. Everything you do in the sight of the children is as you would have them do. You speak in a voice that is caring and soft. You maintain order in your classroom because you are in order. Your person is under control, your dress is nice, but not distracting and you are confident and cheerful.
You teach peaceful concepts in the classroom. You foster a classroom of cooperation not competition. The environment is one of order with shelves that are clean and lessons that are accessible. The materials in the classroom are always kept in the same place. This fosters order in the children. They have entered a period of their lives where order is extremely important. (If you keep the same schedule, routine, and classroom set up as much as possible, you actually eliminate a lot of discipline issues).
It is the child's responsibility to put items back in the right place. Your job is also sometimes to gently remind them to put their work away. The most powerful model, is you, so be sure you are putting your things away. It is also the child's and your responsibility to keep the classroom tidy by reminding children gently to push in their chairs if they forget and don't forget to always push in yours! There is much more to say...click the links below for more information on this topic.
Children Love to Work and Play
Cleaning the Montessori Classroom
Reasonable Requests
We not do expect the children to do anything we, ourselves, would not do. If children are only allowed to eat in one area, then we also follow that rule. At Montgomery Montessori, children are not allowed to carry drinks around, or eat on the rugs in the classroom. You must also not eat on the rug or carry a drink around but drink and eat at a table as the children are required to do. When you are in view of the children, it is important to model all of the behavior we expect of them, no loud talking, carrying more than one item at a time, or rushing. We carry items with two hands just as we have taught the children. In every classroom there are ground rules that everyone must follow. See the link below for a list of ground rules beautifully written, these are the rules that must be present in a Montessori classroom for it to work effectively. These are the established rights of the classroom for everyone, it is your job to gently, but firmly and consistently make sure no one (including yourself) is infringing those rights.
Montessori Ground RulesAs the term implies there are established limits of behavior which enable a number of children moving and working in close proximity to do so in harmony. In the Montessori Classroom a child may move about freely but not run or push. He or she may talk softly and respectfully but never shout. When the child is finished with his or her work it must be returned to the shelf in its proper place. The following shows how the child’s rights and responsibilities are nurtured, developed and supported in a Montessori Environment:
Right:The child is free to work with any material displayed in the environment that he/she has had a presentation.
Responsibility: He or she must use the material respectfully. He/She must not harm the material, themselves, or others. The material may not be used in a way that disturbs the activities of others in the environment.
Right: The child may work on a table or rug, whichever is suitable to the work chosen.
Responsibility: The child should keep materials on his/her rug.
Right: The child has the freedom to use the room as his/her needs dictate within the constraints of the rules.
Responsibility: The child will restore the environment during and after an exercise. The child is responsible for rolling up used rugs, placing the chair under the table and returning his or her work to the shelf.
Right:The child has the right to work undistracted by others. He/She may initiate, complete or repeat an exercise along and without a break in concentration.
Responsibility: No child should touch the work of another without an invitation to do so. No child is allowed to interfere with another’s learning cycle. If the child must leave the work temporarily he/she may continue at a later time with confidence that it will be as it was left.
Right: The child has the right not to join a group activity. The child may continue working with individual exercises during group activities or may stand apart as an observer of group activities.
Responsibility: The child is not allowed to interfere or disrupt and activity he/she has chosen not to join. This teaches responsibility to the group.
Right: The child has the right to work alone.
Responsibility: The child is not forced or encouraged to share his or her work. With appropriate materials and reasonable respectful ground rules sharing comes as part ofthe natural process. Generosity of spirit develops from within as the child matures with a sense of self, grounded in confidence and security.
Right:The child has the right to do nothing. Invariably in “doing nothing” the child is learning through observation, thinking and resting.
Responsibility: The child’s idleness is not allowed to disturb or distract others in the classroom.
Something to think about......
Now go to The Gentle Guide by clicking on the label or going to the navigation panel on your left. Hope you are still having fun learning! Take notes and review as much as needed!