Montessori of Loyola Program

Philosophy

“Education is a natural process carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words, but by experiences in the environment.”

-- Maria Montessori

Vision and Mission

The goal of education should not be to control the child but to spark the child’s interest and imagination in learning about the world around him. We believe that the child has a natural desire to learn and that the presence of a stimulating, prepared environment and knowledgeable teachers can nourish the unique gifts of each child and develop a love for learning that will prepare him for life.

Cognitive development, however, is not the sole focus of education. A larger goal is the development of the child as a whole. The ultimate aim is to encourage the transformation of each child into an independent, self-propelling and caring individual, with a growing knowledge of his or her abilities and gifts, and an awareness of his or her role and responsibilities in a warm and nurturing community.

Features of the Program

Our program is based on the belief that the period from 0 to 6 years old is a critical period for the development of children.

The young child’s mind is absorbent, capable of remarkable progress and development through exposure to an environment suited to his potentialities.

The school aids this development through a well-designed “prepared environment”, where children work with materials under the guidance of knowledgeable teachers.

At the start of the year, and throughout the next months, Montessori teachers present exercises to children, individually or in small groups, that are appropriate to their level of development. Children gradually gain an ability to work independently and at more complex levels of activities, as they go through a three-year cycle in a Montessori environment.

The program of Montessori of Loyola is characterized by certain features:

Multi-sensorial Approach.

Our system allows the child to learn by seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching. The multi-sensorial approach allows children to receive impressions and absorb learning in a powerful way. Thus, the classroom is filled with a wealth of concrete materials that aid in his development.
Numerous research in math, reading and in other areas have validated the value of well-designed concrete materials to teach abstract concepts for pre-school children whose ability to learn from lecture-type situations is limited and unsatisfying.

Learning by Doing.

Children love to work with their hands and explore their environment. Montessori materials absorb and engage them and fill them with satisfaction. These carefully designed materials match the developmental needs of children and help propel them to more mature cognitive levels while building a growing sense of empowerment about their abilities.

The child participates in the process of learning and is not a mere passive receiver of information from an adult. Whether by counting actual red counters to understand number concepts, or by using wooden alphabet letters as the child sounds out and builds words, the child actively participates in building knowledge through concrete materials.

Individualized Learning.

Lessons are carefully presented and sequenced by the teacher to ensure that the presentation for each child is appropriate for his level of development. Each child is supported as he develops at his own unique pace.
Those who can rapidly advance are not held back by a pre-set curriculum. Those who need time to master concepts are allowed and encouraged to repeat the various activities to develop a good foundation for learning.

Indirect Preparation.

Long before a child reads and writes, or adds and subtracts, a child in the Montessori environment is already involved in activities that will set the stage for the development of future skills. The school offers an integrated approach wherein seemingly inconsequential activities, such as pouring rice from cups or matching shapes to their insets, play a role in the development of various critical skills. When brought together, these early activities pave the way for the more academic pursuits such as reading and writing. Moreover, children learn from other children. Quite often, parents are astounded how children pick up advance concepts quite casually by observing older children work with more complex materials.

Unusually Rich Curriculum.

Children are exposed to a rich range of learning materials and activities to spark their love for learning. Toddlers and young children love the school’s Practical Life and Sensorial Arts sections. The school’s hands-on materials and curriculum for Reading and Language Arts are particularly outstanding and significantly account for the children’s deep love for books and rapid progress in reading. Math learning thrives because of the use of well-designed and attractive concrete materials in the Math area that convey abstract concepts. The school’s Cultural Arts section is also unusually rich, with a variety of materials in Botany, Zoology, History and Geography.

The world of adult knowledge is not kept off-limits but is presented in a way that is most meaningful to children. The school provides a wealth of activities under each area of learning that can keep children engaged and stimulated throughout his pre-school years.

Moreover, the school continually updates its materials to expand its range of offerings for the children. It has developed Language materials that are being sold to Montessori schools in the US.