This approach groups children of different ages together in the same classroom, which may raise questions for parents unfamiliar with the model. In this blog, we’ll address some common questions about multi-age classrooms and explain how they benefit your child in a Montessori school.
The first thing that you may observe when you enter a Montessori classroom is students’ arrangement. To be exhausted, Montessori classrooms are different from the normal classroom style in the sense that children within Montessori schools do not progress with the same age group, but rather are regrouped in a three-years-cycle group. At first, this approach can be viewed as somehow strange, but it is quite reasonable if considering the perspectives of a child’s development and has a number of advantages for students. Now let me expand on the necessity of such multi-age classrooms as one of the aspects of Montessori education and how your child may be helped by it
Another approach that is typical for a Montessori classroom is the mixed-ability students’ grouping where three years of age are gathered in one group. For instance, a class in a learning institution can have children aged between 3-6, 6-9, 9-12 and so on. It also does not relate to the usual classes in which depending on the age or achievements of the students, they are divided into classes. The other merit of multi-age grouping is that it provides the students the best opportunity to learn in a mixed band and learn from one another unlike in the other sorts of grouping.
Conduct of a class that embraces learners of almost every age should warrant a different learning pattern for the learners. In a Montessori setting, children learn based on the era they belong to; this eliminates cases whereby a child has to wait for the other children in his age bracket to be ready to move on or cases where children are pressured to move to the next level when they are not ready. That while being able to progress through the material as fast as they wish if they are smart; or as slowly as they need if they are slow learners. This makes it possible to follow developmental stages of children which maximise a child’s motivation through learning material that is interesting and which corresponds to the development stages of a child.
Multi-age classrooms entail a social structure that enables students to learn and play with their peers of different age brackets. This diverse social setting enables children to have proper communication and interpersonal skills, understanding of others, and sharing. The younger children are learning from the older ones as the older students are also able to acquire leadership and mentoring abilities. Such forms of interactions are important in fostering emotions of togetherness and this has a rich background in Montessori. In the multi-age environment the children establish cooperation, tolerance to peers, and develop friendships which in result is essential in their everyday lives.
Montessori teachers are selected in a special way so as to handle the complex features of a multi-age class. They act as monitors, always watching the progress of each child and helping them in the next teacher meeting that will help them to learn. The friendly environment of the classroom involves a variety of material and activities that this age group can work on meaning the children can do work that is complex and still at their developmental level. There is much peer teaching and even in physical activities children work in pairs and groups and learn from each other and even from their findings.
First, it is necessary to state that the organisation of classes for children of different ages in Montessori schools has several advantages, which are not only connected with academic successes. They are responsible for enhancing the child’s social, emotional and cognitive development in an integrated fashion. While encouraging children to feel they belong and encouraging a student-oriented environment, implementing a prepared environment and following the Montessori principles of observation, respect for a child’s personality, and hands-on activities, Montessori’s multi-age system has benefits of creating competent citizens. Allow me to assure you that when choosing Montessori for your child, the multi-age classroom is special and it is here where your child is prepared in all aspects of life to succeed in the future