The Primary Level (3 – 6 year olds)

Primary classes are peaceful environments where concentration and independence deepen and grow. As with all authentic Montessori environments this is the children’s classroom and everything is designed around their needs. The children spontaneously learn through concrete hands-on activities which draw their interest, spirit and imagination. The lessons experienced by the child build a solid foundation for future learning. This is especially important for the young child through the age of six, because they have what Dr. Montessori called the “Absorbent Mind” through which he literally absorbs knowledge from his environment. Therefore, everything in the Montessori classroom environment serves a purpose of laying a foundation for the child physically, intellectually and emotionally. There is a special emphasis with connecting the child with nature and things that are real in the world. Dr. Montessori specified that the primary aged child is in the sensitive period for connection with the world.

The Elementary Level (6 – 12 year olds)

The elementary child is entering a period of imagination, socialization and moral justice. Dr. Montessori believed that “The older child is oriented toward intellectual discovery and investigation”. They want answers to the big questions who, what, when, why, how and where. She said that, “the Universe is an imposing reality and answer to all human questions”. Her plan for educating the elementary aged child was to give him a vision of the universe and raise a thinking child. She called this plan Cosmic Education. Cosmic education enables the child to discover the answers to his own questions. Through integrated study of science, history, the arts, literature and world cultures, students gain understanding and strengthen the basic skills of reading, writing, spelling and mathematics. Elementary education is offered free of charge due to our charter school status.

Multi-Age Classrooms

San Tan Montessori classrooms are multi-age communities. Dr. Montessori termed these the “Planes of Development.” The characteristics of each plane are unique. The classrooms are specially prepared and the teachers trained accordingly to serve the developmental needs and interests of the children at each level. Multi-age classrooms also nurture continuity and strong relationships between students and teachers. The older children have opportunity to practice leadership skills while reinforcing their knowledge through teaching their younger peers. The younger children have a model of which to aspire.

Prepared Environments

Montessori classrooms are designed to help children fully develop their unique potential through a carefully prepared learning environment that meets their individualized needs. Developmentally appropriate hands-on Montessori materials facilitate learning in a hierarchy from simple to complex and concrete to abstract. Everything in a Montessori classroom is child sized, beautiful and inviting.

Freedom Within Limits

Montessori environments encourage children to move about freely, within reasonable limits of appropriate behavior. You will not find students confined to desks. There are countless opportunities for activity in the classroom, and the student is encouraged to choose what meets his developmental needs. When he completes his work, he puts it away as he found it with consideration for the next child to work with it. Through this process, the child develops a sense of personal responsibility. They are caring for their environment, the materials and their peers. This allows the child to prepare for a lifetime of meaningful independence and a high sense of responsibility.

Montessori students learn to do it themselves

Many people assume that a non-traditional classroom is necessarily one without structure a place long on "freedom" and short on learning. In the case of Montessori classrooms, nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, Dr. Maria Montessori very carefully structured what she called the "controlled environment," a setting which begins with a built-in order and then sets both children and teachers to work learning from the environment and from each other. Behind it all, unobtrusively, the teacher guides the overall activity. This approach to teaching is "indirect." It does not impose external tasks and timed deadlines on the child nor does it abandon the child to the dead-end of permissiveness. Instead, the child discovers the lifelong joys of investigation and the value of self-discipline.

Our students learn concentration

In a Montessori setting, the child selects activities that have sparked his curiosity. He stays with that activity as long as he chooses. He may join with other children in a small group and benefit from the mixed-aged grouping found in the Montessori classroom. A low student to teacher ratio ensures that each child is engaged in productive work and that no child is blocking another's pathway to investigate and discover. The child has become the center of the learning process. He comes to realize that all the world is a treasure house of wonders and that the key to unlocking those treasures lies in the power of his concentration.