Miami Shores Montessori School : "dedicated to the whole child"

Welcome to Miami Shores Montessori School, a home for your child, where he or she will have the opportunity to learn, explore, grow and become an independent individual. Our school is here to help your child reach his or her greatest potential in an environment, not unlike your home, in which children are surrounded by thoughtful teachers and caregivers who focus on their development and provide experiences which help to contribute to their emotional, spiritual and intellectual growth as well as foster independence.

Our school adheres to the Montessori philosophy, a method of teaching developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in 1907, which focuses on the individual child and cultivates a child’s natural desire to learn.

At Miami Shores Montessori School each child learns at his or her own pace in a carefully prepared environment with materials and activities regarded as “lessons.” These activities promote the development of social skills, emotional growth and physical coordination as well as cognitive development. We utilize the “whole child” approach. This approach focuses on helping each child reach his or her full potential in all areas of life and at the same time allowing children to experience the joy of learning.

Dr. Montessori identified a child’s unique aptitude and desire for learning as the “absorbent mind” marked by sensitive periods for early knowledge. These are periods of intense fascination for learning a particular task or skill. She further believed that the most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the stage between birth and age six. For, that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest instrument, is being formed.

The Montessori methodology allows each child freedom, within limits, all with the goal of helping the child develop him or herself. This is accomplished through especially designed materials that are created to stimulate the child’s natural desire to act and learn through action. At our school, children work on individual tasks or in cooperation with their peers. Children progress at their own pace so that they are only competing with themselves and, therefore, success becomes its own reward. The teacher is viewed as a “directress” carefully guiding each child’s activity in the environment. Our teachers attentively observe each child, so that after children have been introduced to a lesson, they are not held to any time frame to complete the task, thereby avoiding frustration and feelings of defeat. Teachers ensure that each child is supplied with activities and challenges suitable for him or her to solve. Moreover, the teacher matches the materials to each child’s inner needs and is committed to a supportive and encouraging environment that assists each child at his or her rate of development.

The Montessori method subscribes to the philosophy that the environment in which learning takes place is equally as important as the child and teacher. It is for that reason that children of different ages are grouped in the same room. A feeling of community develops as older children aid the young ones and become role models to them. Children relate to each other and easily learn from their peers. They receive lessons individually and in small groups and progress to more complex activities and materials through a natural sequence and only when they have a solid understanding of basic concepts. These activities and materials will gradually lead the children from concrete perception to abstract thought. Children in a Montessori classroom have ample opportunities to work at their own pace and are able to choose lessons from the areas that interest them the most. The physical room in which they are learning has been carefully created to enable them to move freely with materials and furnishings proportioned to their size and reach.

The Montessori curriculum focuses on the elements of our everyday life. In doing so, children acquire the means, in a series of carefully sequenced steps, to master a wide variety of concepts and activities. The areas of learning that are addressed are:

Practical Life – Practical Life Lessons are the foundations of the child’s development. They involve competence in the care of the self, care of the environment, motor coordination and social interaction skills.

Sensorial – Sensorial Lessons involve the development of the five senses which aid in classifying differences and details providing a solid base for individual development. They lay the foundation for the mathematical mind.

Language – Language Lessons focus on activities that develop proficiency in speaking, writing, reading and composing through expressive and comprehensive experiences. Language activities are based on phonics, linguistics and sight-reading skills carefully matched to the learning style of each child.

Mathematics – Math Lessons lead to the understanding of numbers and arithmetical processes through the manipulation of materials that follow a distinct sequence and create a concrete impression of the abstract.

Cultural Subjects – Cultural Subjects focus on the child’s desire to learn more about the world through lessons in Geography, History, Science, and Community Education including ethics and social awareness.

The Arts – Music, visual arts, dramatic arts, and dance and movement educations are an important part of our Montessori curriculum.

Spanish, Computer Science and Yoga further enrich our program.