Building Relationships Following Montessori Principles
At Southbank Montessori; We Will Build Relationships By:
- Developing collaborative partnerships with families and children to enhance children’s well-being and learning
- Recognising the family as the child’s first and most important teacher
- Respecting and valuing the child’s home culture and incorporating this cultural diversity of families in our daily practice
- Interacting with all stakeholders equitably and respectfully
- Ensuring that the Service connects with the values and beliefs of the diverse children’s cultures and communities by encouraging families to share cultures and beliefs
- Providing opportunities for families to communicate with us about their child’s learning
- Providing opportunities for families to learn about the Montessori method of Education
- Creating opportunities for families to be involved in decisions about their children
At Southbank Montessori; We Will Implement the Montessori Philosophy By:
- Acknowledging that children’s interactions with the materials and their environments are their work to build themselves
- Referring to children’s choices in the prepared environment as their work
- Preparing environments for the child with only the child in mind
- Allowing children freedom of choice in the prepared environments
- Ensuring materials and activities are easily accessible for children
- Programming for minimal interruptions
- Allowing time for repetition to consolidate learning
- Providing a comprehensive range of developmentally appropriate Montessori materials for plane 1 of development
- Providing a comprehensive range of developmentally appropriate Montessori materials for each of the 5 Montessori curriculum areas – Language, mathematics, practical life, sensorial and cultural
Providing a comprehensive range of developmentally appropriate Montessori materials which are:
- Self-correcting
- Allow for individual exploration
- Allow for spontaneous interaction
- Encourage problem solving
- Isolate concepts to be taught
Providing a selection of developmentally appropriate non-Montessori materials which reflect Montessori principles of:
- Simplicity
- Beauty
- Isolation of concept to be taught
- Demonstrating the use of the Montessori and non- Montessori materials to enable children to experience success
Presenting Montessori and non- Montessori materials in a sequential manner enabling children to build on previous knowledge and make links to earlier experiences:
- Role modelling grace and courtesy
- Role modelling equity and respect
- Teaching children socially appropriate behaviours
- Seeking, documenting and implementing children’s input into the prepared environments and materials, we provide interests
Observation methods will include the following methods but are not limited to:
- Anecdotal
- Running records
- Learning stories
- Photographic records
- Individual learning portfolios
- Programming and planning for individual children and whole group based on these observations and educators’ reflections on them
- Using the Montessori curriculum and the Montessori materials first and foremost in all programming and planning for individual and the group.
- Using documented observations and reflections of the child’s interactions with the Montessori materials as they progress through the curriculum areas in all learning
- domains as a significant indicator of developmental progress
- Valuing the input of relevant professionals in planning and programming for individual children
- Providing opportunities for individual and small group interactions
- Empowering children to make decisions about working independently or with others
- Not expecting children to share materials or activities
- Ensuring that inside and outside learning environments are prepared with equal attention to Montessori principles
- Allowing children freedom of choice of inside or outside learning environments where possible
- Recognising that children work for the process and not the end product and
- encouraging and acknowledging effort and achievement in that process and not a finished product & displaying children’s work only at their request
- Using acknowledgment and encouragement not reward
