Category: Lower Elementary

While we (shamelessly) love to show off our school and community in the Villa di Maria blog, we are also here to spread the word about Montessori beyond our campus—demystifying and celebrating the Montessori method of education in the hopes that more people will discover its benefits for children and families. You’ve seen our recent … Continue reading “Montessori Theory: The Four Planes of Development”

How do we assess students without tests? For most of us tests were a big part of the school experience. Whether we liked them or not, tests feel familiar to us—they were how we proved we knew something, how we passed classes and grades, how we qualified for the next higher level of education. Tests … Continue reading “Assessment in the Montessori Classroom”

We Montessorians sometimes use terminology that’s unfamiliar to folks more accustomed to a traditional school model, and this can lead to a bit of a mystification around the philosophy. It can even lead to the notion that Montessori schools are out of reach for the general population—that the methods in a Montessori school are too … Continue reading “Montessori 101: Environment vs. Classroom”

Ever wonder, why do we call teachers “guides” or “directresses”? What do we mean by an “environment,” as opposed to “classroom”? Are we simply being esoteric, or is there a deeper reason? We Montessorians sometimes use terminology that’s unfamiliar to folks more accustomed to a traditional school model, and this can lead to a bit … Continue reading “Montessori 101: Guide vs. Teacher”