This is the second in a series of articles, aimed at parents who are interested in the HBM Primary learning environment.
Montessori primary children experience a totally integrated curriculum referred to as cosmic education. Subjects are introduced in a series of connected stories that spark the child’s imagination, called the great lessons. Cosmic education seeks to expand the child’s knowledge by providing him with a coherent whole view rather than a mix of unrelated bits of information; that assists in helping the child classify new information in a coherent way. The stories give the child a context for all future learning in a way of seeing the relevance in the detail of what they learn.
Especially designed Montessori materials enable the children to literally see and explore abstract concepts and the primary child uses these concrete experiences to develop a deep abstract understanding of complex concepts. The materials cater for different abilities and ages in the class. They provide a scope and sequence allowing each child to move at his own pace. Children continue their week over weeks and months (as they need) until the work is ‘so easy’ for them that they teach it to someone else. This assures the teacher that the child has achieved mastery.
The environment is structured and orderly to facilitate the child to make choices for their learning. All activities and materials are placed on the shelves with everything clear, complete and in good repair. Materials with missing parts are removed from the shelves. The children are actively involved in maintaining order and making decisions about how the classroom could work for everyone.
Preparation for life
Montessori education is a preparation for life and not just an academic preparation. The Montessori environment is rich with learning opportunities for the children to explore their culture and the world. Social, emotional and spiritual learning experiences are valued as highly as intellectual learning experiences. Rich cultural experiences including music, art, singing, drama, celebrations from other cultures, plant and animal studies are a feature in the classroom.
by Kerin Goosen