The Classroom
A Montessori classroom is built on five core principles.
Montessori Teachers as Guides
Trained Montessori teachers will provide demonstrations to students on how to do their works and then step back to allow the students to explore the materials on their own.
Multi‐Age Classroom
Students in a Montessori environment are grouped together within a 3‐year age range. The multi‐age classroom allows students to learn from their peers at younger ages and step into mentoring roles as they become the oldest students in their classes.
Montessori Materials
The guides carefully prepare the classroom environment with activities that isolate the particular skills on which the students are working and encourage independent learning. Montessori materials tend to engage the senses and are often tactile in nature.
Child-Led Work
The students are encouraged to explore materials at their own paces and according to their own interests. The guides are there to redirect and provide assistance as necessary.
Uninterrupted Work Periods
Students are provided with long periods of uninterrupted work time, ideally about 2 hours. While this may seem like a long time for children to remain focused, most children quickly adapt to this routine and easily fill the hours with their own important work.
