The pre primary child learns through observing and interacting with his environment. So it is very important to create just the right environment. The environment should have hands on activities that the child uses to explore and learn. Setting the right boundaries will help the child develop self-discipline.
In this course the student teacher will learn how to prepare this “right” environment.
Core Montessori Subjects:
At the end of each of these core subjects, the student teacher makes an album with notes on these subjects for future reference, that will be graded. Additionally, they are tasked with creating a lesson plan and presenting an activity that they create.
Exercises of Practical Life
In this area the child is given opportunities to develop control of movement, concentration, grace and courtesy. The child is given activities to develop his fine motor and gross motor muscles.
The child also learns the necessary skills to take care of herself and the environment, leading her towards independence.
The child through multiple exercises involving pouring, scooping, tying, lacing, sweeping etc. becomes independent and productive at a very early age. This builds their self-esteem.
Sensorial
In the Sensorial curriculum, the education happens through the senses. For example, smooth and rough are learnt by first feeling concrete material. After the child has experienced the sensation, it is named. Short and long are not just two random words, instead they have meaning that the child experiences by holding a long rod and then a short rod in his or her stretched arms. The child is able to recognize the meaning of these words.
Math
Between the ages of 3 and 6 the child is experiencing everything through their senses. . To take advantage of this growth, Math concepts are also presented to the child using their senses. For example, the child is allowed to feel a unit bead to understand what a unit is. He sees practically how 10 units make a ten and so on. So Math operations are understood using concrete material.
Geometry
The student teacher will learn the basics about geometry in order to be able to show the child the world of shapes. The Geometric cabinets and geometric Solids are a few of the materials that are used for this area.
Language
Through the cooperation of the senses the child fixes the image of a symbol associating it with a sound. Beginning sounds, ending sounds and analysis of all the sounds in the word follow this. The child then starts forming words with the short vowel sound like “cat.” This is the beginning of the reading process. The orthographic complications are introduced to the child using concrete experiences with objects and pictures with the help of the moveable alphabet.
The child is taken through the process of writing starting with writing on sand, writing on a chalk board, tracing, refinement of pencil grip leading into an explosion into writing.
Cultural
The cultural curriculum includes history, geography, botany, zoology and astronomy. It is an extension of the language curriculum as reading and writing skills are used extensively .The foundation of the cultural curriculum is formed by presentations like air, water and land, living beings and non-living things.
History is introduced using the timeline, calendar time etc. Geography includes political as well as physical geography. Concrete materials are used to teach continents and countries. The layers of the earth are learnt by a hands on experience of making the layers using clay. Botany will include parts of a leaf, tree etc. Zoology will include parts of a fish, life cycle of a butterfly etc. Astronomy includes the study of the planets in our Solar system.
Other Subjects:
These subjects will enhance the teaching experience and provide the student teacher with new skills.
Child Nutrition
This area talks about the nutrients and their importance for a healthy body. The student teacher will learn different ways to show children how to be responsible for their own health and well-being. The student teachers get hands on experience in this area by creating a snack with all the nutrients that a child of this age needs and they are also graded on the way they present their snack in a way that entices the child to eat it.
Child Psychology
Child Psychology deals with growth, development and behavior of children. It studies children at various ages and stages of growth and the influences, which affect growth. This branch of psychology will greatly change the student teacher’s attitude to children and improve their ways of facilitating the child’s learning. The student teacher is tasked with doing a case study on a child of their choice.
Child Psychology will also help the student teacher know herself better, thereby playing her role as a teacher effectively.
Music
Music can significantly enhance child’s development. Music stimulates the creation of neural bridges in the area of the brain that is responsible for particular types of mathematical computation. It therefore, helps to develop and exercise a child’s abstract reasoning skills. Children who are exposed to music experience significant benefits, both intellectually and creatively. The student teacher learns how to present songs to the child by performing a song of their choice, with actions. They also make their own music book that they can use in their classrooms.
Arts and Crafts
The student teacher will learn how to incorporate art into the Montessori curriculum. For one of their assignments, they choose one craft to present using the same steps that has been shows in the curriculum.They will also learn to make a few arts and crafts that they will include in their art files which can be used when they teach children.
Specific Learning Disabilities
The student teacher will be introduced to Learning disabilities. This area helps them get an awareness of the learning differences in children and ideas to restructure their teaching process.
Story Telling
The student teacher will learn about the characteristics of a good storyteller. They will be introduced to the usage of puppets, voice modulation, etc. which will make their narration powerful and fun. They will be given an assignment to make props and narrate a story of their choosing.
Circle Time
The student teacher will learn how to present concepts through circle time activities. They will gain experience by conducting a circle time activity as a part of the assignment.
Observations
Observation of Pre-Primary children within the Montessori environment is an essential aspect of teacher training. It is only through the acquisition of excellent observation skills that the guide is able to properly assess each child and truly be “the dynamic link” between the child and the environment, knowing when to “kindle the flame of interest” and when to step back and allow the child to interact with the environment on his own.