Teaching and Learning
The general eduction method used is the Montessori Method. There are no religious, political or philosophical beliefs taught in the Center. The Child Care Program Plan has been developed by and is evaluated in writing annually to a teacher-qualified staff person.
Parent conferences will be held twice within the school year to notify parents of the child's intellectual, physical, social and emotional development.
We have two infant rooms at Northfield Montessori, for children ages 6 weeks to 16 months. The children are supervised at all times, Monday through Friday 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.
We are licensed for 24 infants in and our ratio is 4:1.
The following schedule describes the program plan for infants, age 6
weeks to 16 months. Children are supervised at all times, Monday
through Friday 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.
6:30 - 8:30 am
Infants
arrive at varying times, staff will obtain parents' information, and
infants have quiet floor activities including balls and rattles.
7:00 - 9:00 am
Northfield Montessori provides fruit, cereal and juice for breakfast. Parents provide formula for bottle feedings.
9:30 - 11:00 am
Special
activities to stimulate various age groups, and there are naps for
younger infants. Activities may be individual or done in groups of 2 or
3. Areas of focus include small muscles, exercise and free exploration.
11:00 - 12:30 pm
Northfield Montessori provides table food for lunch and infants are fed in infant seats, high chairs or held.
12:30 - 2:30 pm
This is quiet time for older infants to nap.
2:30 - 3:30 pm
This is quiet time for younger infants to nap.
3:30 - 5:00 pm
The
infants are introduced to other areas and people. This includes special
activities, walks, stroller rides and visits to other rooms.
5:00 - 6:00 pm
Staff members speak with parents, relaying any concerns or items of interest from the day.
We have three toddler rooms at Northfield Montessori, for children ages 16 months to 33 months. The children are supervised at all times, Monday through Friday 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. We are licensed for 42 toddlers in these rooms with a ratio of 7:1.
The following schedule describes the program plan for toddlers, age 16
months to 33 months. Children are supervised at all times, Monday
through Friday 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.
6:00 - 8:00 am
Toodlers
arrive at varying times, staff will obtain parents' information, and
toddlers have breakfast time. This creates a warm and friendly
environment to welcome the children.
8:00 - 8:30 am
Children
are still arriving and are greeted, along with having the use of the
gym and play equipment, puzzles, coloring and play-doh. This develops
small and large muscle groups and social skills.
8:30 - 9:00 am
This is Group and Story Time which encourages social and language development.
9:00 - 9:20 am
Music experiences, instruments will be rotated between classes. This develops an appreciation for the arts.
9:20 - 9:30 am
Hand washing before snack time. This helps reinforce personal hygiene.
9:30 - 9:45 am
Snack and clean-up time, and the toddlers practice appropriate table manners and develop nutritional eating habits.
9:45 - 10:00 am
Bathroom time to promote personal care and hygiene.
10:00 - 10:30 am
Art experience and table activities to encourage intellectual, social, visual and creative development.
10:30 - 10:45 am
Building blocks and table activities for small muscle development.
10:45 - 11:15 am
Outside time (weather permitting) for large muscle development.
11:15 - 11:30 am
Hand washing in preparation for lunch.
11:30 - 12:00 pm
Lunch time.
12:00 - 12:30 pm
Bathroom time to promote personal care and hygiene.
12:30 - 2:30 pm
This is nap time.
2:30 - 2:40 pm
Bathroom time to promote personal care and hygiene.
2:40 - 3:00 pm
This is snack time to develop skills for good nutrition, manners and a feeling of independence.
3:00 - 3:30 pm
Story time to develop language and listening skills.
3:30 - 4:00 pm
This
is outdoor play time (weather permitting), otherwise indoor play on gym
and play equipment. This includes large muscle activities to develop
coordination and a sense of independence.
4:00 - 6:00 pm
Building blocks and table activities for small muscle development.
We have four preschool rooms at Northfield Montessori, for children ages
33 months to 5 years. The children are supervised at all times, Monday
through Friday 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. We are licensed for 120
pre-schoolers in these rooms with a ratio of 10:1.
The following schedule describes the program plan for pre-schoolers, age 33 months to 5 years. Children are supervised at all times, Monday through Friday 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.
6:00 - 8:30 am
Pre-schoolers arrive at varying times, staff will obtain parents' information, and pre-schoolers have breakfast and activity time. This includes using the gym and play equipment. This creates a warm and friendly environment to weloome the children, and develops small and large muscle groups and social skills.
8:30 - 8:50 am
This is Circle Time including calendar and weather, Good Morning song and presentation of material. This encourages social and language development.
8:50 - 9:15 am
A variety of large muscle activities are introduced to the children. Music is added to enhance the enjoyment.
9:15 - 9:30 am
Hand washing and bathroom break before snack time. This helps reinforce personal hygiene.
9:30 - 9:45 am
Snack and clean-up time, and the pre-schoolers practice appropriate table manners and develop nutritional eating habits.
9:45 - 11:00 am
This is Montessori Work Time where a variety of activities are available to the children. Teachers work with individual children, as well as small groups to introduce Montessori materials. Children are free to choose their own 'work' from all areas of the Montessori classroom. These activities encourage prosocial behaviors such as taking turns, sharing and working with a friend. This also includes developing independence and initiative in the children, along with encouraging problem solving and critical thinking skills.
11:00 - 11:30 am
This is free play time including books, puzzles, dress up clothes and outside (weather permitting.)
11:30 - 12:00 pm
Lunch time
12:00 - 12:30 pm
This is story time, along with other quiet activities such as puzzles and books.
12:30 - 1:00 pm
This is Circle Time with stories, finger plays and presentation of materials. This promotes social and language development.
1:00 - 2:30 pm
This is Montessori work time, to encourage social and intellectual development.
2:30 - 3:00 pm
Time for singing, large muscle activities, games and finger plays. It encourages large muscle skills and dramatic activity.
3:00 - 3:10 pm
Bathroom break and hand washing, to develop personal hygiene skills.
3:10 - 3:30 pm
Snack time which also develops appropriate table manners and nutritional habits.
3:30 - 4:00 pm
Closing activities for the pre-school day. This is time for reinforcing concepts learned during the day and encourages positive social interaction.
4:00 - 6:00 pm
This is Daycare Time including art projects, free play and outside time.
Reinforce learning and good learning habits
WHAT IS IT?
It is a five day program, either half day or full day.
WHO TEACHES IT?
Our teachers are all trained to teach up to the age of 6 years, and many are certified to teach beyond that.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER IN THE MONTESSORI CLASSROOM?
The Montessori teacher has an unobtrusive role in the classroom. She is there as a guide. She gives a child the opportunity of teaching himself through the use of Montessori materials when he is most ready and eager to learn a subject. The child learns by doing and his knowledge is acquired by absorption and understanding. His learning is reinforced by repetition of work, and the inner satisfaction of mastering a task or understanding a subject.
In contrast, the usual role of the traditional teacher is to be the controller of the classroom. She is the enforcer of discipline and the center of the classroom. The teaching is done by the teacher and learning is reinforced by external repetition, rewards and punishment as well as peer group pressure.
WHERE IS IT?
It is in the Montessori classroom. Your child will be learning on an individual basis as well as in group activities. As he progresses to more complex experiences, the necessary books, workbooks and other materials will be made available to him.
WHAT IS THE CURRICULUM IN THE KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM?
The curriculum is structured by the child who sets his own learning pace. It is an individual curriculum. In a traditional kindergarten, the curriculum is established for the class, and is based upon the group's norm. This fixed curriculum is limiting to the child who is an eager learner.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?
There are many advantages to continuing with Montessori through the kindergarten year. For the returning Montessori child, it is the year that all previous learning will fall into place. This is the year that things really happen.
By not returning, the ball is dropped. The learning that he had done in preparation for this year is not brought together. The previous years are not wasted, but they are not built upon in a traditional Kindergarten as they are here in Montessori. It is stopping in mid air, and really is a loss to the child.
The Kindergarten year at Montessori is the most productive year of a Montessori education. Some Montessori educators describe this year as the time when there is a 'learning explosion'. This is a time that the learning absorbed during the earlier years of Montessori training fit together, the child shows spurts of intellectual growth. Keeping the child in the Montessori environment during this tear continues the process made earlier and reinforces his learning skills and good learning habits.
HOW ARE GOOD LEARNING HABITS DEVELOPED?
Northfield Montessori fosters good learning habits through developing self-discipline, concentration, a sense of order and persistence in completing a task.
WOULD TRANSFERRING TO A TRADITIONAL SCHOOL AT THE KINDERGARTEN LEVEL BE MORE LOGICAL THAN AT FIRST GRADE?
No, it would not. The Montessori classroom is more closely related to the kindergarten than to the first grade. The transition is more natural at the first grade level.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MY CHILD GOES TO FIRST GRADE?
This common concern is frequently expressed. No child can learn too much. He will not be bored, but should be an eager learner, and have a positive attitude towards school. He should have a fine foundation for future school experiences that are very positive.
ARE THE FIVE YEAR OLDS SEPARATED FROM THE THREE YEAR OLDS?
No. They are not. It is to the advantage of all the children that they be mixed. Children learn more from other children than they do from adults. The older child reinforces his own learning by helping a younger child. He also is less apt to be a bully and to be more considerate by sharing a classroom with these younger children. Children are encouraged to help and teach each other. It does not impede their academic or social growth. By the very nature of their studies however, the older children will tend to be involved in a number of activities on their own
IS THERE PRESSURE APPLIED UPON A CHILD TO ACHIEVE CERTAIN STANDARDS DURING THE KINDERGARTEN YEARS?
There is an absence of pressure applied upon a child. Instead, there are unlimited opportunities for growth. Special efforts are made to guide the child.
IS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT ALL THAT IS STRESSED?
No, it is not. A well-rounded school experience which includes social and cultural development is stressed. Remember, we are preparing your child for the future, so our total cirriculum planning is done to give your child the best foundation for his academic progress.
REMEMBER:
The Montessori goal is to stimulate each child's innate curiosity to instill in him the desire to learn so that he may derive satisfaction from his accomplishments and become motivated to increase his knowledge.
A DIFFERENCE TO BE A DIFFERENCE HAS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The longer that the child is in the Montessori environment, the greater the probability that the child will make the learning skills and good learning habits he has acquired a permanent part of his development. Northfield Montessori believes that this should make a difference in how well he does in his later school years.
Spoken Language
Listening
Writing
Reading
Comprehension
The goals of early childhood education at Northfield Montessori are:
- to cultivate the child's natural spontaneity for learning
- to bring the child to the fullest possible realiation of his/her
indivdual potentialities
During the beginning of Kindergarten year, each child will be assessed by the Kindergarten Teacher. Classroom instruction may be individual, small group or whole group interaction. The Montessori classroom materials can be divided into three main groups:
PRACTICAL LIFE EXERCISES
These are designed to perfect coordination, gain confidence in particular skills, lengthen the span of attention and concentration and establish good working habits.
SENSORIAL MATERIALS
These help the child to become aware of details by isolating single defining qualities, such as color, weight, shape, texture, size, sound and smell. The equipment helps the child distinguish, categorize and relate new information to what he/she already knows.
ACADEMIC MATERIALS
These await each child's moments of interest in language, writing, math, science, geography and art.
Language
- Phonetics- Initial consonants, blends, vowel sounds
- Word Building (decoding and incoding of phonetic words)
- Environmental print
- Sight words
- Phonograms
- Sentence structure/grammer
Science and Health
- Hands on experiments
- Weather
- Five Senses
- Nutrition
- Human growth and development
- Solar System
- Life Science
Geography
- Multi-cultural awareness
- Uses of maps/globes