Have you ever visited a Montessori House of Children? The Montessori classroom or ‘Montessori environment’ would have definitely caught your eye! A Montessori environment does not look like the typical school classrooms that come to mind. There are no benches, no teacher standing imposingly at the blackboard and no bags that look too heavy for the little shoulders that carry them.
Montessori environments look a lot like a contemporary home setting. However, the furniture is modified to suit the children’s need for accessibility. There are low-level shelves with neatly-arranged activities and materials (that look like toys, but aren’t) that are inviting and pleasant to look at. The walls are usually plain with few pieces of carefully chosen art work, hung at the child’s eye-level. The classroom walls may not be painted in bright colours, but there remains a sense of liveliness as the children can be seen freely moving around, talking to each other, engaged in independent work on their mats, rugs, chowkis (little desks) and tables.
The classes in a Montessori school have children of different ages working together based on their similar developmental needs. The Primary environment or House of Children (often referred to as ‘Casa’ as an ode to Dr. Montessori’s Italian origins) has children between the age group of 2.5- 6 years. These children prefer independent work in social settings. They are capable of choosing the activities (work) by themselves once they have been shown how to use them by the guide (the Montessori trained teacher). You could spot a 5-year-old working on a multiplication problem alongside another 3-year-old pairing colours, while another child may be busy engaged in rolling chappathis or watering the plants outside. There is Freedom for the child to move, work, talk and observe!
Many Montessori Houses of Children offer a reading corner, a snack corner, a space for music, messy art/ water work, storage space and a little work desk for the teachers. There are also spots where one could patiently sit down and observe the environment and the children. Observation is the cornerstone of the Montessori method. We need to observe children to understand their needs, assess their learning and present the next activity using the materials (also called means of development). The prepared environment must also have access to wash basins at the child’s height and toilets that are clean and child-sized/easily accessible.
It’s important to remember that Montessori environments are dual in nature- there is the inner workspace inside the building, and the outer environment- like a garden or a plot of land that allows for freedom of movement in the sun while being safe inside the school campus. Children could play here, grow plants, make their own structures and even choose to bring work outside or books to read on the grass! If this is not possible due to infrastructure, ensure that there is plant life within the classroom, a safe space with play equipment for children to use and frequent trips to places that help children connect with nature- like the nearby park.
A Primary Montessori environment for 2.5-6-year-olds is designed keeping their needs in mind. An Elementary environment for 6-12-year-olds is quite different. These differences arise due to the changing characteristics of the child in each plane of development that lasts for 6 years. The areas of learning in Primary include Language (one or more languages), Arithmetic, Practical Life, Sensorial, Culture- History, Geography, Biology, Music, Movement & Art. There are ways to provide an environment at home for Montessori homeschoolers without modifying your homes considerably. All you need is a reliable curriculum and a course that helps you navigate the curriculum while keeping in mind Dr. Montessori’s principles.
The adult guide or teacher is very much a part of this environment. She or He acts as a link between the child and the materials, guiding the child’s inherent desire to learn to the right resources and developmentally appropriate activities. The adult themselves must be a resourceful person who models themselves in the right manner for the child to observe and absorb.
When you walk into a Montessori space, there is a feeling of calm, curiosity, and beauty that naturally arises. Rather than a single voice that is telling everyone what to learn and how to learn it, you’ll be able to hear a buzz of learning emanating from the children as they move around this beautiful space designed just for them in a busy world that is otherwise made for and ruled by adults.
