“When a child concentrates, his character is changed.”
Montessori is an educational approach designed to encourage and guide the child to reach their maximum potential, at their own pace. The classroom is meticulously prepared by the Directress with small hands and great potential in mind. Presentations are carried out in silence, allowing the child to observe the challenge at hand, without being distracted by speech. Initial presentations are simple and concrete, and become more complex and abstract as the child progresses through the activities. This allows the child to master one challenge and feel confident before the next, more demanding/taxing activity is presented to him/her. The goal is to enable each child to reach their full potential in each area of the curriculum.
The material in the Montessori classroom have an in-built control of error and are therefore self-corrective. This means that the child can detect and correct any mistakes without needing to consult with the Directress. This gives the child an enormous sense of self-worth and instils a sense of pride and accomplishment which spurs them on to reach their potential. There are no rewards or punishments in the Montessori classroom, the reward is the sense of achievement which comes from mastering each new challenge.