How many children are best in a Montessori environment for the Second level or Workshop II?
102745
I am sure, being a teacher at a montessori school you can simply ask another lecturer with more experience.
899757
Choices are a great thing for young children. They learn through their play, and allowing them to make choices has so many benifits: they are more interested in what they are doing, they get more confident in themselves and their ability to make decisions (rather than be dependant on an adult making them for them), children at different levels of development are able to work at different levels which are appropriate for them, etc. There are TONS of websites and magizines with more information on this. They key to organization is this: a quality teacher is able to skillfully weave in specific goals. All of the activities available should promote learning. For this age, that could be a block center (geometry, physics, social skills, hand-eye coordination), an art center (creativity, small muscle development)...the list goes on and on.
331155
a nursery is for babies. Primary school is from ages 5 to 12 (in my country that is).
285059
I teach preschool.   I love it.  There is nothing more rewarding then seeing their faces and their eagerness to learn.
1125094
Here's the website for the Montessori school in Kolkata, India.\n\nhttp://www.learn4good.com/great_schools/india_nursery_playschools_kindergartens.htm
725855
Second Grade Skill Builders-Interactive Sites\n\nhttp://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_2nd.htm
1034952
I actually work at a Kumon center and participated it in myself and i think its worth it. It shouldn't take too long for your daughter to progress to the appropriate level if she is advanced. It's important to start at a level that is lower because often times the child doesn't have the strongest foundation possible and reviewing the "easy" stuff is helpful. Since Kumon is done at each child's own pace, it can be useful for kids who are behind, ahead, or somewhere in the middle. \nhope this helps!
828128
IMO, it should be play with a purpose.  Look for a program that has some structure in terms of what happens throughout the day, but that gives him lots of opportunities to explore, play, and be creative.  Look at the art projects... do they actually look like the kids have been playing and creating or has the teacher cut out a bunch of pieces and then instructed each child precisely how to glue them together (we called them "pat-pat projects" because all the kids did was pat-pat the pieces to make them stick).  Do the kids get lots of sensory experience or do the teachers avoid things like playdough, finger painting, sand, and water because they are too messy?  \n\nIf they work on letters and number, do they do them in fun, creative ways or do they do tons of worksheets?  At this age, they should be playing more than doing seat work.  Honestly, learning the rules of getting along with other children, waiting for your turn, how to wait in line, how to wash hands and put away toys and trash, how to hang up coats and backpacks... those are the skills they need to be working on at 3.  A little academic instruction at 4 is great but even at 4 it should be done through play and exploration.
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The premises of a Montessori approach to teaching and learning include the following:\n\n    * A view of children as competent beings capable of self-directed learning.\n    * That children learn in a distinctly different way from adults.\n    * The ultimate importance of observation of the child interacting with his environment as the basis for ongoing curriculum development. Presentation of subsequent exercises for skill development and information accumulation are based on the teacher's observation that the child has mastered the current exercise(s).\n    * Delineation of sensitive periods of development, during which a child's mind is particularly open to learning specific skills or knowledge, including language development, sensorial experimentation and refinement, and various levels of social interaction.\n    * A belief in the "absorbent mind", that children from birth to around age 6 possess limitless motivation to achieve competence within their environment and to perfect skills and understandings. This phenomenon is characterized by the young child's capacity for repetition of activities within sensitive period categories, such as exhaustive babbling as language practice leading to language competence.\n    * That children are masters of their environment, which has been specifically prepared for them to be academic, comfortable, and allow a maximum amount of independence.\n    * That children learn through discovery, so didactic materials that are self-correcting are used as much as possible.\n    * Independent problem solving is encouraged.
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I am a Montessori Directress in a school for underprivileged children in Chennai,India.\nI have found that the Montessori Method has been phenomenally successful. The child develops in all areas,- cognitive, social and emotional. The variety of material and the freedom the children are given helps them to learn skills in keeping with their learning style and capacity. \nEven if the children are not sufficiently motivated as the previous answer mentioned those children are better off in such an environment where they are not forced to produce results which they can't. The child does not lose his confidence and self-esteem, which he may in a traditional school.
340229
depending what preschool's philosophy...how you like the program and how it runs? check with the university nearby...often you will find wonderful diversity of kids from around the world.   i took my two kids to preschool at the university at age of 2... they love it and its been wonderful experience for them!
544677
Haven't had one yet.\n\nI think fourteen is the youngest appropriate age, unless the kids are really mature.
423352
One and two year olds learn in the context of safe, secure and responsive relationships. By your careful noticing of what they say and do, and your caring, sensitive responses, you teach them that they are valued, that the world is safe and that their needs are going to be met. That way they learn to recognize their own feelings and also learn to recognize and care about others'.  This foundation of social and emotional skills provides the basis for their capacity to develop their abilities for language and literacy.  They will enjoy hearing songs and stories from you and reading books together. This will help them learn a lot of important literacy and language skills, as will your natural every day conversations with them.  Seeing you read other things like instructions, articles, etc will help show them how important reading is.  Counting with them in the course of playing, letting them experiment objects (for example, pouring blocks from one container to another) will help them with early numeracy skills.  One of the most important things you can do is to follow their lead in play. When they want to build with blocks, watch, comment on what they are doing and then add something to make it just a little more challenging and interesting, but with out taking over the play.\n\nYour everyday nurturing care will teach them a lot. Your conscious use of every day opportunities to directly experience language and mathematical concepts (counting steps as you walk up; counting how many children are in the dramatic play area; letting children help set the table for lunch and count how many place settings for how many children, etc) will help them with their school readiness skills.
259507
Private schools can do as they please.  They can accept 2-year-olds to kindergarden if they want.  However, most private schools test ALL incoming kindergardeners to determine if they are ready, and just to give the kindergarden teachers a bit of information about the kids coming in.
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Here you go:\n\nhttp://www.montessori.edu/europe.html
197873
I don't think there is one answer for all those age groups.  The ratio would be different for 3 year olds than for 12 year olds.  I say that from my background as classroom teacher (all grades from K to 10 over 32 years) and special education teacher.\n\nIn my teaching career I found that if class numbers were 20 or less, the learning situation was much better than in bigger classes.  When I taught high school, classes of 25 were not as difficult as classes of 25 younger students.  With numbers less than 20 after about third grade I sometimes found there was not enough interaction and variety in the class.     \n\nAs a special education teacher I found that 1 on 1 was rarely if ever the best scenario - too intense and too much pressure on the child.  None of us could cope with being taught 1 - 1 all day.  For teaching of specific skills in special education I preferred groups of about 6 or 8.\n\nI did not ever teach children as young as 3 (other than my own children), but I would guess a ratio of no more than 10 or 12 to 1 would be workable.  For kindergarten I would recommend no more than 15 - 1.\n\nThose are my thoughts on it.  I hope this helps.
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Infant, toddler, pre-schooler, primary student, secondary student, youth, youngster, young one, little one, baby, kid.