At Vineyard Montessori School, we have witnessed that “curriculum” of any description will not really help learning happen unless there is consistency in the following principles:

1. Respect for the child as a human being possessed of natural tendencies for growth and development as a whole person.
2. A prepared environment which is responsive to the observed needs of the child in striving for mastery and understanding of the realities he/she meets.
3. Provision of an observable control of error within the material to enable the child to function totally as a creative being, according to his/her sensitivity, unhampered by the obstruction of the adult or the other children.
4. Attention to the development of the practical and social life of the children particular to their level of maturity.
5. Admiration, compassion and patience towards the children and oneself in this joint venture of learning about the world and the role of the individual in it.
6. Deep respect for children as individuals.
7. Multi-age classes that allow teachers to develop close and long-term relationships with their students, allow them to know each child’s learning style well, and encourage older students to become role models, mentors, and leaders to younger students.
8. Integrated curriculum that is carefully structured and connects subjects within programs (e.g., history and cultural arts to maximize the opportunity for learning and to build from program to program to progress from concrete to abstract learning).
9. Independence which is nurtured and leads to children becoming purposeful, motivated, and confident in their own abilities.
10. Peace and conflict resolution that are taught daily and children learn to be a part of a warm, respectful, and supportive community.
11. Character development, which is a central focus of the AMS Montessori curriculum. The child creates, in a very real sense, the adult that is to be, through his/her experiences, interactions, and environments.
12. Hands-on learning that is central to the curriculum in all programs and leads to children being engaged rather than being passive with their work.
13. Environments that are responsibly and carefully prepared with multi-sensory, sequential and self-correcting materials to support self-directed learning.
14. Teachers and children and teachers and parents that work together as a warm and supportive community.
15. Self-expression nurtured in all children. Children experience art, music, poetry, theater, writing, and other forms of creative arts with confidence and passion.

Source: Montessori in the 21st Century. The American Montessori Society. 2003.

At Vineyard Montessori School, we have witnessed that “curriculum” of any description will not really help learning happen unless there is consistency in the following principles:

1. Respect for the child as a human being possessed of natural tendencies for growth and development as a whole person.
2. A prepared environment which is responsive to the observed needs of the child in striving for mastery and understanding of the realities he/she meets.
3. Provision of an observable control of error within the material to enable the child to function totally as a creative being, according to his/her sensitivity, unhampered by the obstruction of the adult or the other children.
4. Attention to the development of the practical and social life of the children particular to their level of maturity.
5. Admiration, compassion and patience towards the children and oneself in this joint venture of learning about the world and the role of the individual in it.
6. Deep respect for children as individuals.
7. Multi-age classes that allow teachers to develop close and long-term relationships with their students, allow them to know each child’s learning style well, and encourage older students to become role models, mentors, and leaders to younger students.
8. Integrated curriculum that is carefully structured and connects subjects within programs (e.g., history and cultural arts to maximize the opportunity for learning and to build from program to program to progress from concrete to abstract learning).
9. Independence which is nurtured and leads to children becoming purposeful, motivated, and confident in their own abilities.
10. Peace and conflict resolution that are taught daily and children learn to be a part of a warm, respectful, and supportive community.
11. Character development, which is a central focus of the AMS Montessori curriculum. The child creates, in a very real sense, the adult that is to be, through his/her experiences, interactions, and environments.
12. Hands-on learning that is central to the curriculum in all programs and leads to children being engaged rather than being passive with their work.
13. Environments that are responsibly and carefully prepared with multi-sensory, sequential and self-correcting materials to support self-directed learning.
14. Teachers and children and teachers and parents that work together as a warm and supportive community.
15. Self-expression nurtured in all children. Children experience art, music, poetry, theater, writing, and other forms of creative arts with confidence and passion.

Source: Montessori in the 21st Century. The American Montessori Society. 2003.

The design of the child’s learning spaces calls upon our common sense and creativity. A Montessori classroom takes into consideration:

• The size of the children who will live and learn here. Not only tables and chairs must fit, but distances between one area and another, the height of bookshelves as well as the dimensions of sponges and the weight of trays, the level of paintings and mirrors.
• The layout of the room (s). It should provide for accessibility, proper lighting, and varied-use spaces. That is, group and individual, busy and contemplative. The environment should call from the child varied responses for total participation of the personality.
• Choice of materials and changes. Originally based on knowledge of child development and Montessori principles, choices and changes depend on astute and ongoing observation of the particular children in our care.
• The preparation – use- preparation cycle. Maintaining the materials and the space in tip-top condition is the on-going responsibility of the adult team and of the students as well.
• Aesthetics. Each and every choice we make, whether color scheme, a painting or sculpture, even the number of items on a shelf matters. Cluttered shelves, a carelessly chosen drawing with little merit, a puzzle of poor design are not only marks of disrespect for a child’s being, but make for a cluttered mind and slow development of good taste.

Preparation of an environment is an art and a delight to the adults who care and participate in the growth of the children in their care.