Our Montessori Program is exclusively available at our Burke Campus and open to children ages 3 through 5.
The Montessori Approach
The Montessori approach is a method of observing and supporting the natural development of children. This educations practice embraces individualized instruction for children, mixed age groupings of students, a structured curriculum, and a prepared environment using specialized Montessori teaching materials. This approach helps children develop creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and time-management skills, as well as to contribute to society and the environment.
The basis of Montessori practice in the classroom is respected individual choice of research and work, and uninterrupted concentration rather than group lessons. Group lessons are seldom found in a Montessori classroom, but learning abounds at Northern Virginia Academy of Early Learning. Our Montessori classrooms provide an environment that supports independent, self-directed learning and self-assessment.
The Philosophy
The Montessori philosophy is built upon the idea that children develop and think differently from adults. The premise of a Montessori approach includes the following:
- Children are capable of self-directed learning.
- It is important for the teacher to be an “observer” of the child instead of a lecturer. This observation of the child interacting with his or her environment is the basis for the ongoing presentation of new material and avenues of learning.
- There must be numerous “sensitive periods” of development (periods of a few months or even weeks), during which a child’s mind is particularly open to learning specific skills or knowledge and various levels of social interaction.
- That children have an “absorbent mind” from birth to around age 6, possessing limitless motivation to achieve competence within their environment and to perfect skills and understandings.
- That children are masters of their school room environment, which as been specifically prepared for them to be academic, comfortable, and to encourage independence by giving them the tools and responsibility to manage its upkeep.
- That children learn through discovery so materials with a control for error are used. Through the use of these materials, which are specific to Montessori schools, children learn to correct their own mistakes instead of relying on a teacher to give them the correct answer.
- That children most often learn alone during periods of intense concentration. During these self-chosen and spontaneous periods, the child is not to be interrupted by the teacher.
- That the hand is intimately connected to the developing brain in children. Children must actually touch the shapes, letters, and temperatures about which they are learning.
The Montessori Environment
The Montessori learning environment is much different than a regular classroom. Instead of information passing from the teacher to the student, the teacher is skilled in putting the child in touch with the environment, and helping him learn to make intelligent choices and to carry out research in a prepared environment. The teacher then protects the student’s concentration from interruption. This fosters a love of lifetime learning in the student.
It is the role of the teacher to prepare, and continue to prepare, the classroom environment, to link the child to it through well-thought-out introductions to books and materials, projects, and lessons, which nurture the child’s exploration and creativity.
The Montessori school environment is arranged according to the subject area – sensorial, practical life, science, geography, language and literacy, mathematics. The children can be found cooking, cleaning, caring for animals, in the library corner, etc. Children are always free to move around the room.
There is no limit to how long a child can work on something he or she has chosen. At any one time in a day all subjects are being studied, at all levels, by children of mixed ages learning from each other. The learning is facilitated by careful observation, individual lessons, record keeping, and encouragement of the certified Montessori teacher.
Our Montessori
Northern Virginia Academy of Early Learning’s Montessori program is designed to assist young children develop the fullness of their individual potential in a warm and nurturing environment. Children will utilize the Montessori equipment and curriculum to develop important life skills. This program encourages children to explore their world through learning, to express themselves, to think independently, and to play cooperatively.
Dr. Maria Montessori believed strongly that parents play a critical role in their child’s education. The parents are the child’s first and most influential teacher. That is why our Montessori program encourages parents to be involved in school activities.
Northern Virginia Academy of Early Learning’s Montessori program features:
- Sensory Education: Learning through the senses, i.e., sort, match, and compare objects by shape, touch, taste, and sound.
- Mathematics: An understanding of how to express mathematical terms. Items used are number rods, golden beads, and spindle boxes.
- Cultural Studies: The usage of globes, puzzle maps, and flags to understand other cultures, people, and countries. Elements of the natural world are also taught through pictures and name cards.
- Creative Arts: Music, arts and crafts, storytelling, movement and drama activities are an integral part of the Montessori classroom. Musical instruments, music styles, and art media are a part of the creative process.
- Literacy Skills: The usage of language materials, like sandpaper letters, for tracing and feeling their way through their fingers while told the sounds.
- Practical Life: To develop life skills which will allow greater freedom in the classroom and beyond.
