A Place for Learning & Discovery
The most important time for learning is the period between birth and six years of age. Children are eager to learn from new people and experiences. They absorb all the environment has to offer and it is our responsibility to ensure the world they experience is rich, safe, nurturing, and intelligent. The foundation of self-esteem and all future learning is constructed during these early years. This happy and intelligent setting offers your child an opportunity to develop strong social skills as well as explore language, music, practical life skills, art, math, geography, science, culture and large motor activities.
The child learns independently using the components of the environment: the teacher guides and observes the child who chooses his activities. The teacher is the link between the child and the environment. The learning environment cultivates individualization, freedom of choice, concentration, independence, problem solving abilities, social interaction, interdisciplinary breadth, and competency in basic skills.
Toddler Classroom (2 – 3 Years)
Toddlers are given opportunities to work in the development of language skill, art, music sensorial, and practical life. The practical life area is particularly emphasized as the activities in this area give children the chance to develop skills to care for themselves and their environment in the following areas: control of movement, and grace and courtesy Practical life activities are simple and can be accomplished by each child.
They offer repetitive cycle, which helps the child establish patterns of order and sequencing. Due the fact that these are very real activities, each child becomes grounded in reality, building the child’s self esteem is the ultimate goal and this is accomplished through! repeated successes with these activities.
Through song and dance, and freedom of choice, the toddlers have access to a variety of large muscle activities that offer them opportunities to jump, climb, balance, crawl, or skip. These exercises as well as creative art activities, are offered for each child to choose. This freedom in a safe space is crucial to the toddler program. however, it is always tempered by two important limits that will be beneficial for a lifetime, respect for others and respect for the environment.
Pre School Classroom (3-4 years)
The Montessori classroom is a “living room” for children. Children choose their activities from open shelves with self correcting materials and work in distinct work areas – on tables or on rugs on the floor. Over a period of time, the children develop into a “normalized community” working with high concentration and few interruptions.
Kindergarten (3-6 years)
Over a period of time, the Kindergarten children develop into a “normalized community” working with high concentration and few interruptions. The classroom includes the following components:
The practical life exercises enhance the development of task organization and cognitive order through care of self, care of the environment, exercises of grace and courtesy, and refinement of physical movement and coordination. The sensorial materials enable the child to order, classify, seriate, and describe sensory impressions in relation, length, width, temperature, mass, color, etc. The Montessori math materials, through concrete manipulative materials, allows the child to internalize the concepts of number, symbol, sequence, operations, and memorization of basic facts.
The language work includes oral language development, written expression, reading, the study of grammar, creative dramatics, and children’s literature. Basic skills in writing and reading are developed through the use of sandpaper letters (loose alphabet letters), and various presentations allowing children to effortlessly link sounds and symbols and to express their thoughts in writing.
The child is also presented with geography, history, life sciences, music, art, and movement education.
Virtually every environment will also have an elliptical line on the floor. This is generally used for “walking on the line” activities that help children develop gracefulness and for the “silence game” where children can practice sitting without making a sound. The line is also frequently used for a large group meeting area. It is here, or in some other designated area, where the class meets as a whole. Often a class will have on or two large group meetings each day. One will usually serve as an opening meeting and precede a more individualized work period, and another will serve as a closing or transitional group time preceding the next activity (i.e., time outdoors, lunch, dismissal, etc.) The group meetings may be used for large group presentations of materials, movement, and music activities, group celebrations, snacks, games, and discussions.
Lower Elementary (6 – 9 Years)
As in Montessori pre-schools, the children continue to be educated in classrooms having a three year range of ages, that is, 6-9 year olds and 9-12 year olds. This age range is crucial to self-development in terms of leadership, role-modelling, respect for different abilities, opinions and personalities, social skills, a sense of fairness, compassion and desire to assist others.
The Great Stories and The Fundamental Needs of Humans form the underlying base and structure of Montessori primary education from Grade 1 to Grade 3. As well, the children study Maths, Geometry, Language Arts, Cultural Geography, Physical Geography, History, Zoology, Botany, Matter & Astronomy, Health, Art and Music. And Indonesian Curriculum (K13)
The mixed age group allows the children to learn from each other, and because of each other. The younger children are inspired to further activities through observing the older ones, and the older children reinforce their own knowledge by sharing it with the younger ones. Children become functioning members of their own community. They are treated with respect and dignity and learn to treat others in the same way.
Upper Elementary (9-12 Years)
The Prepared Environment, loved and familiar from the 3-6 year old Montessori classroom, continues to promote independence, self-confidence and respect for oneself, others and the environment. It continues to engage and stimulate learning through the primary years with its unique and beautiful Montessori equipment until the children reach the level of abstract understanding that negates the need for concrete representation of concepts. The newly introduced Great Stories bring awe and wonder to the 6-12-year-old enquiring mind, stirring the imagination and reasoning powers that children of this age possess. The Upper students study about Language Arts, Cultural Geography, physical Geography, Botany & Microscope Study, Astronomy & Ecology, World History, Math, Matter & Energy, Health & Science, Zoology, Scientific Method & Technology, and Indonesian Curriculum (K13)
Adolescence Program (Junior High 12 -15 Years)
Adolescents are emerging from childhood and preparing themselves for their adult role. From the Montessori point of view. Adolescence, like the previous developmental planes of infancy and childhood, is a period of Physical, intellectual and social transformation, governed by the special tendencies and dispositions that characterize the age group and generate the developmental achievements of the period. The adolescence student is initiated by a problem that needs a solution. For example, if the class initiates a micro – enterprise based on keeping poultry, the need to learn about the Biology and needs of poultry is real.