MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL

The Montessori preschool classroom at Capital Day School is drawn from the vision of Dr. Maria Montessori, who believed that the environment which encourages the fullest development of student potential is one that affords the opportunity to explore intellectual as well as creative abilities.

A Montessori classroom is comprised of three grade levels, a teacher, and the environment; together they create a learning triangle. It is prepared by the teacher to encourage independence, freedom within limits, and a sense of order. The student, through individual choice and unrestricted time limits, makes use of what the environment offers to develop herself, interacting with the teacher when guidance is needed.

A primary Montessori classroom is prepared to motivate children to develop a love of learning. There, children between the ages of 3 and 6 are given the

freedom to move about their environment independently and with no time limits on their work. This develops concentration skills and requires an uninterrupted block of time, preferably 3 hours. The children learn how to use the materials with individual or group instruction. Once they understand how to do their work, they can choose which work they would like to do independently.

The fundamental values of any Montessori classroom are the following:-Children achieve mastery at their own pace-Critical thinking skills are always being developed-Children should learn to be self-starters-The opportunity to focus and explore at their own pace helps children become independent learners-Choice gives children a sense of control; they feel like what they are doing is more important because they are coming up with themselves -Adherence to a constructivist or “discovery” model, where students learn concepts from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction.

At Capital Day, our Montessori students are guided by Alyssa Baesler. Her 7 years in early childhood education at CDS have always included many of these Montessori values. From Pre-K through 8th grade, the CDS curriculum focuses on the development of critical thinking skills and nurturing independent learners, so adding a Montessori program fits right in.