Assessment & Curriculum
Montessori education is designed to identify and meet the needs of children at every stage of development from the earliest years to the adolescent. This cohesive approach supports the child in acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in today’s world.
Keeping track of children’s progress and growth over time are critical tasks for Montessori teachers and deeply intertwined with the work of guiding children through the breadth of the Montessori curriculum.
In Montessori, continual assessment is organically built into the essential functioning of an authentic classroom. The daily use of observation combined with the ability of the learning materials to reveal a child’s understanding along with rigorous record keeping enable Montessori teachers to closely follow their students’ development.
In the elementary class there are additional tools, such as daily recording of activities by the child and regular one-on-one conferences with the child that contribute to the teacher’s effort to assess every child’s progress.
VIDEOS IN THIS CATEGORY:
A TO I & PRIMARY:
MONTESSORI’S INTUITION (6:53)
Dr. Montessori's informed intuition led her to techniques of working with children, such as the three period language lesson, that reflect today's scientific discoveries about human learning.
THE ALPHABET OF LIFE (7:13)
Dr. Silvia Dubovoy, Ph.D., on the personality of the child.
PRIMARY & ELEMENTARY:
CREATING A LEARNING COMMUNITY (23:40)
Capturing ordinary days in Montessori environments…Montessori focuses on meeting children’s needs.
GOING OUT (12:40)
Preparing the elementary child for the future includes going beyond the classroom.
LITERACY (24:18)
Capturing ordinary days in Montessori environments….The natural development of a literate human being, able to express himself and communicate successfully with others, is at the root of authentic Montessori practice.
NEW CLASSROOM (12:09)
Starting with threes: the fundamentals of starting a Montessori program.
OBSERVATION OF THE TEACHER (16:16)
An exploration of the role observation plays in our daily practice in both the primary and elementary setting.
ASSISTANTS TO INFANCY (0-3):
HUMAN BONDS (19:00)
An examination of the human relationships and settings that best support our youngest children on a daily basis.
JOURNEY TO INDEPENDENCE (21:47)
An exploration of how Montessori practice supports the natural unfolding of human development in the earliest years. This video includes topics such as the need for sharp observation skills, the importance of dynamic language, what "toddler" concentration looks like in the infant community and a brief overview of when a child is ready to transition from the infant community into a primary setting.
THE CHILD’S WORK (19:56)
Young children are driven by an internal growth process to seek out experiences that meet their constantly evolving developmental needs.This video includes a discussion of the development of the child's will, how learning is deeply tied to movement in these early years and how nature provides a road map for the adult in meeting the constantly changing needs of children.
PRIMARY (3-6):
CONNECTION (7:57)
The Montessori primary teacher is asked to become the “dynamic link” to the prepared environment for the child.
MY PINK TOWER (7:26)
A story of matching the primary child to appropriate work.
PEER TO PEER LEARNING (9:39)
Nested primary communities of multi-aged children automatically create and expose children to a variety of social roles.
ELEMENTARY (6-12):
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING (15:34)
The elementary age child is naturally drawn to working in a group and challenging herself.
MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES (17:33)
A look at the Montessori teacher’s role in setting the tone and supporting social-emotional development in the elementary classroom.
FUNGUS (6:02)
A story of elementary group work.
PSYCHOGEOMETRY (5:57)
Kay Baker, Ph.D. discusses Dr. Montessori’s work titled Psychogeometry.
SNAKES (8:34)
A story of elementary “Big Work.”