If you have ever seen a Montessori classroom, then you have noticed that it is very different from any other type of classroom. There are no toys, no blocks, no manipulatives; there were probably no bright bulletin boards on the walls. There were all these materials on neatly organized shelves. You probably wondered, "what in the world do the children do all day in this classroom???" In this post I will be explaining what exactly a Montessori classroom looks like, why it is so crucial to the Montessori philosophy, and why it is so special!
Just a little bit of background, the Montessori classroom was specifically designed to meet the needs of the child. Maria Montessori called this the prepared environment. This prepared environment has natural lighting, soft colors and organized spaces for different centers. It is an extension of the home, including paintings on the walls conveying a homelike feeling tone. The materials in a prepared environment are easily seen and accessible, fostering independence as children can easily choose what they want to work on. Everything has a place inside of the prepared environment, achieving a sense of harmony and order. The prepared environment is set up to encourage free choice. It has child sized desks, sinks, toilets, chairs, and shelves. This encourages autonomy. The prepared environment becomes the teacher, so that the teacher can take a step back and become the observer. The teacher will scaffold and aid the child in their learning, but it is truly the environment, the classroom, that the child learns from.
In the Montessori philosophy, there are three components that are crucial to a true, successful Montessori classroom. The components are the child, the teacher, and the environment. One cannot have a true Montessori classroom with one of these pieces missing. The child is responsible for their learning. They are independent and guide their own learning. The teacher encourages this by making the environment interesting and appealing to the child's needs. The environment teaches the child.
So what in the world does this prepared environment look like? It fosters independence and discovery, but what does that mean you, might ask? Well let me tell you! The prepared environment is beautiful. It should look appealing to the children. They want to touch the work, because they are intrigued by it. The prepared environment allows for freedom. Freedom to move, freedom to explore, freedom to develop a child's social interactions. It has structure and order, providing harmony for the child. The classroom should appeal to the child, facilitating learning. There should also be nature inside of the classroom. Another component of the prepared environment is the Montessori materials. These materials are crucial to the classroom. Each material or piece of work serves a specific purpose. They are unlike toys or manipulatives, because they develop a very specific skill to the child. Manipulatives on the other hand can be used to teach different things; they can be manipulated. Montessori materials cannot, because they were created specifically for one or even a few ideas in mind. The last component of the prepared environment is the community. The community in the prepared environment is the mixed age groups. Each child can experience being the youngest, middle, and oldest child. Each serves an important lesson to the child.
That was a quick summary of the prepared environment. Here are some pictures of some beautiful prepared environments. Please share if you have anything else you would like to add to this topic! Or if you have any ideas about your classroom you would like to share!
