A responsive pathway of learning
A key principle of Montessori education is that there are critical stages in every child's intellectual development. As children pass through each phase, they are capable of applying what they already know to learning more complex subjects and concepts. To meet these evolving developmental needs, the Gladwyne Montessori School is divided into five educational divisions.
From birth to three years of age, most children absorb directly, like a sponge, from their immediate environment. For these curious youngsters, the Gladwyne Montessori School offers the Parent/Infant program for children up to 12 months, and the Parent/Toddler program for children 12 to 24 months. Both programs meet one day a week and encourage these young explorers to develop important motor and visual coordination skills. The weekly sessions also give parents an opportunity to meet and share the experience of parenting.
For children 24 months to 3 years of age, the Stepping Stones program offers an exciting educational experience that responds to their developmental needs. Here is where children are firstintroduced to basic Montessori materials. The skills and concepts children learn in Stepping Stones are directly applied to more complex learning as they move into the Primary division.
The Primary division serves children 3 to 6 years of age. At this stage, repetition and manipulation of their environment are critical to the development of students' concentration, coordination and independence. Building on the skills learned in Stepping Stones, students in the Primary division learn skills for everyday living, such as table washing and flower arranging. They enjoy movement and foreign language classes. They begin to explore geography and the basics of human culture. They develop the ability to concentrate and follow a project through to completion. As they continue to manipulate Montessori materials, they gain a foundation for early progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
Children ages 6 to 9 have highly active imaginations and are increasingly aware of the world around them. In response, the Lower Elementary division presents students with a "big picture" view of the world, encouraging them to use the reading and writing skills learned in the Primary division to delve more deeply into the sciences, arts and humanities. In mathematics, for example, students use Montessori learning materials to discover for themselves the connections between concrete ideas ( 2 + 2 = 4 ) and more abstract mathematical concepts ( 1/2 + 1/6 = 2/3 ).
The curriculum of the Lower and Upper Elementary divisions corresponds to what conventional schools teach in grades 1 through 6. Beyond the "3Rs," students also study French, music, arts and crafts, physical education, human history and culture, science, and the roots of language.
The Gladwyne Montessori School experience culminates in the Upper Elementary division for children ages 9 to 12. By this time, students are fully prepared to apply all they have learned about how to learn. Their hands-on activities broaden in scope to include practical manipulation outside the classroom. In science classes, for example, students gather data in the field, use measuring instruments in class, conduct research in the library and then organize their discoveries into increasingly refined research reports.
As students pursue their interests, their classrooms teem with energy. Geometry is in the air, biology is in the air. An atmosphere of horizontal or cross learning results, where students, guided by their teachers, apply what they've learned in one subject to gain a new or deeper understanding of another.
Learning together
At the Gladwyne Montessori School, students of different ages learn together with the same teachers as they move through each division. This approach allows teachers to monitor each student's development and provide appropriate guidance. It lets older students serve as role models and assist their young classmates. And it gives younger students a glimpse of the more demanding curriculum they'll face in the future. Over time, this process promotes an atmosphere of caring and community.