Montessori Education

Montessori education is a child-centered educational approach based on Maria Montessori’s observations of children. It acknowledges that children are naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the whole child—physical, social, emotional, cognitive.

Montessori offers a prepared environment  that encourages children to work independently and fosters the internal curiosity of the child as motivation to learn and to learn respect for environment. 

The school has trained Montessori teachers and the complete battery of Montessori materials.
   Montessori Method
  • Teacher has unobtrusive role in classroom
  • Environment and method encourage self-discipline
  • Group and individual instruction
  • Class is comprised of a mixed-age grouping that encourages collaboration and cooperation and encourages children to help and teach one another       
  • Child chooses own work, sets his or her own learning pace, discovers new concepts, and spots his or her errors from self-teaching materials
  • Child works as long as he wishes on chosen work. The school day offers a long, uninterrupted work period               
  • Multi-sensory materials for physical exploration           
  • Child can work where he chooses, move around and talk at will (yet not disturb the work of others); group work is voluntary
  • Child reinforces own learning by repetition of work and internal feeling of success
 Traditional Method
  • Teacher is center of classroom as "controller"
  • Teacher acts as primary enforcer of discipline
  • Mainly individual instruction
  • Same age grouping
  • Most teaching done by teacher
  • Curriculum structured for child
  • Child is guided to concepts by teacher
  • Child generally allotted specific time for work
  • Instruction pace usually set by group norm
  • If work is corrected, errors are usually pointed out by teacher
  • Few materials for sensory development
  • Child usually assigned own chair, encouraged to participate, sit still  and listen during group sessions
  • Learning is reinforced externally by repetition and rewards
Providence Montessori Christian School | 1200 Wilmington Avenue, Richmond, VA 23227 | 804-584-6390