Montessori Faq

There are many differences, including:

• Montessori programs work on three-year cycles. Children stay in the same classroom for three years.
• Montessori classrooms have children of mixed ages. Multi-age classrooms encourage cooperative learning and allow for broad emotional and social development.
• Because children develop and master skills at their own pace, Montessori students work according to their developmental levels rather than their biological ages.
• The primary role of the Montessori teacher is not the transmission of information, but rather to nurture development and to guide activities, resources, and materials that allow the child to take the next step in learning.
• Montessori students are free to move around the classroom instead of staying at desks. 
• The Montessori teaching materials are unique. Most were developed by Dr. Montessori to meet specific developmental needs of children of different ages.

The multi-aged aspect is intentional and integral to the Montessori experience. Not only does it provide children with an environment which mirrors the real world, but it also allows children to both lead and follow. The multi-aged classroom blends academic, social and emotional contexts together for robust developmental benefits, builds stronger relationships with teachers over multiple years and allows children the freedom to learn at their own pace.

Montessori classrooms are organized around a three-year developmental cycle of learning (two-year cycle for toddlers and adolescents), designed to respond to the needs and characteristics of each specific stage of a child's growth. A child has the same guide and classroom for three years, and each year the lessons build upon the prior year's work.

The different arrangement of a Montessori classroom mirrors the difference in Montessori education from traditional education. Rather than putting the teacher at the focal point of the class, with children dependent on her for information and activity, the classroom shows a child-centered approach. Children work at tables or on floor mats where they can spread out their materials, and the teacher circulates about the room, giving lessons, answering questions or resolving issues as they arise.

Montessori children are free to choose within limits and have only as much freedom as they can handle with appropriate responsibility. The classroom teacher and assistant ensure that children do not interfere with each other, and that each child is progressing at an appropriate pace in all subjects.

Classroom teachers keep extensive records of lessons given and work practiced, and also offer the benefit of their individualized observations of the child’s work in the classroom. Parents of children at all levels at CMS meet at least twice a year in conference with their children's teachers to learn more about classroom work and behavior. Because students work independently and one-on-one with the teachers, assessment happens all day, everyday, through careful observation of each individual child. 

Traditional schooling relies a lot on summative assessment. Summative assessment relies on testing, which is usually done at the end of one unit, or a cumulative standardized test at the end of the year. This model is data-driven and typically in a format for adults to measure different points rather than giving students constructive feedback. Montessori relies much more on formative assessment, which allows the teacher to be more flexible and observe the child’s individual learning needs. With this approach, a teacher can assess what the student can accomplish by observing and determining the right time to move on to a new lesson or spend more time on another.

Community Montessori School (CMS) upholds Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) standards and is an AMI member accredited school. Dr. Montessori founded the AMI in 1929 to preserve her legacy. AMI ensures that Montessori schools and teachers are both well-grounded in the basic principles of the method and ready to carry those principles forward in the modern educational world. AMI offers teacher training and conferences, approves the production of Montessori materials and books, and, through their AMI-USA branch office, accredits schools.  CMS is also certified by the Kentucky Department of Education.

From the early stages, Montessori schools focus on helping children develop high self-esteem, a strong sense of motivation, effective coping skills, and a sense of respect and responsibility. All of this learning will help set them up for success in any educational setting.

Research has shown that Montessori students are well-prepared for later life, academically, socially and emotionally. In a Montessori classroom, the passion for learning is fostered and internalized by the children, leading them to be lifelong learners. In today's world, being able to "think outside the box" is a vital component to success, and a Montessori education encourages the creative and critical thinking that fosters this trait.  Increasingly, the world of modern education and business favors creative thinkers who combine personal initiative with strong collaborative skills: exactly the characteristics which Montessori education nurtures.

Beginning in middle school, students begin to apply skills learned in elementary school to lessons, topics, and assessments that they will encounter in future traditional modes of instruction in high school or college. They will experience homework, periodic testing, essay writing, academic research and analysis, in addition to working on solving real world problems as an individual, in small groups, and as a whole community. Developmentally, the work of adolescents is the construction of self and the concept of the adult. As students work on defining themselves as a future adult, they are refining their skills academically, emotionally, and socially. The result is an eighth grade graduate who is confident in their sense of self, their strengths and interests, and their ability to contribute to a world and community outside of themselves.