The Montessorians at the Waverley Montessori Preschool have been working away this year, mastering the Montessori material in the classroom. As many of you know the Montessori method involves exploration and discovery of concepts by working with the Montessori materials. Today I will write a little about how the Montessori method works at the Waverley Montessori Preschool.
In the classroom, our qualified Montessori teachers present the material to the child. During presentation, the Montessori teacher shows the child how the objects are used with brief instructions. If the child shows interest, the child will then repeat the activity for the teacher. Following the first presentation, the child will approach the material on their own and masters the material.
One of the most important equipment in the classroom is the sensorial materials which comprise of objects which can be grouped together or arranged according to a physical trait, for example, colour, shape, size or texture. Examples of this are the pink towers and red rods. This teaches the child to distinguish the difference between different objects and develops the child’s language and vocabulary.
Our mathematics equipment is used to teach the children to count and is an introduction to arithmetic. One of the first materials introduced to the child is the series of tens rods. These are not only graduated in length but are also have coloured red and blue sections that can be counted. This overcomes many difficulties children face when first learning to count.
I hope this information helps as a small introduction to the Montessori Method.
Mrs. Zarine
Waverley Montessori Preschool Blog 