Video: Blueprint for the classroom: A Way to Move Forward

How do we encourage peacefulness and respect in the Montessori classroom? Together with the children, we prepare a blueprint for our classroom community!

We invite children to share their vision for a wonderful classroom and then ask them: “What do we need to do to achieve that?” Using their ideas and beliefs, we help them define ground rules, from “listening to the person who is talking” to “being gentle with one another”. By engaging them in the process, the children feel heard, take ownership of the rules and feel personally responsible for the classroom community. Check out this video to see how we do it!

Want to learn more? Read our next article:

VIDEO: COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT

Comments

Další články

Planting Toddlers in Mud

April showers bring May flowers... here we are in the blustery, chilly beginnings of Spring. It is a time of much anticipation as the first leaves and flowers appear, but also often much frustration for parents as seemingly endless mud, rain and puddles interfere with outside play.

PEACE EDUCATION

It is no secret that Dr. Maria Montessori is known for her strong advocacy of peace education and how it relates to an essential yet often “invisible” component of the Montessori Method – Grace and Courtesy. Her vision to help all children to feel safe and cared for while preparing them for adulthood is the very foundation of Peace Education in every Montessori classroom, aimed to help cultivate empathy and kindness.

Communicating with the Toddler Child

As teachers, we are often asked what special tips or tricks we use to get children to cooperate. Most often parents ask questions like “How can I get my child more interested in dressing and eating by themselves?”or “How can we make the mornings run more smoothly?” It can feel challenging when our patience is tested, but we must remember that children are learning to develop their own will and sense of obedience which is a natural process lasting until around six years of age.

Positive Language: How to turn a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’

“Life can become much easier, simply by changing the words that we use” - Alicia Eaton, AMI Montessori Teacher and Child behavioral specialist

Magic mat

There are a few things typical to Montessori classrooms worldwide that might give the casual observer a pause. Picture it: you walk into a beautiful Casa environment, full of children working, many of them on mats rolled out on the floor. The students moving through the room know to step between mats, never on them. Of course, in the beginning of the school year it took many presentations, repetitions and reminders to instill this routine in the students.