Montessori Schools in Bangkok
Montessori Schools and Montessori Kindergarten in Bangkok are like Montessori everywhere: they are all completely different. This is due to the fact that the term “Montessori” can be used freely by anybody. And since there is no international body who ensures that schools that call themselves Montessori actually follow the Montessori principles, the quality, style, and approach vary a lot.
We therefore advise parents who are interested in sending their children to a Montessori school to not only do extensive research but also make themselves familiar with the history and teachings of Maria Montessori. In this way, they can judge for themselves if they think their child is suited to Montessori, and if so if their school of choice is actually following the real Montessori Method. Here a few things you might want to know:
“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”
Montessori History and Philosophy
Montessori Education is based on the principles developed by Maria Montessori, who opened her first school for children of low-income workers in Rome in 1907. The school was called “Casa dei Bambini”, Home for Children, and was furnished with some tables, some chairs, a blackboard, and a cabinet filled with materials that Montessori developed in her earlier career when she had researched how to teach kids with special needs. Maria Montessori created the materials after she realised that students seem to understand complex concepts better when they engaged all their senses and worked with the materials for long uninterrupted periods of time.
Activities at school included personal care, such as dressing and undressing, and care of the environment like sweeping, dusting and gardening. Otherwise, the children were free to move around and play with the Montessori materials. Those children who were let to play alone showed episodes of deep concentration and multiple repetitions of the same activity.
Maria Montessori concluded that working independently children seemed to reach new levels of autonomy and become self-motivated learners. She began to see the role of the teacher as a facilitator of young human beings who are free to move and act within the limits of a prepared environment. The goal: to grow children to become independent and responsible adults who share a love for learning.
Today educators all over the world borrow Montessori’s name, insights, and materials to organize kindergartens, elementary schools, special needs programs, or even full 12-year curricula. It can also be used for homeschooling.
Characteristics of The Montessori Method
The following characteristics are shared among most Montessori schools and programs who take Montessori’s teaching seriously:
- Students are free to choose what to learn
- Uninterrupted blocks of study time, usually three hours
- Students play and learn independently and often all by themselves*
- Open classrooms that allow free movement
- Use of specialised Montessori Materials
- Mixed age classes (from 0-3, 3-6 or 6-12) so children can learn from each other
- A trained teacher
- No homework
- No grades
Montessori at Sprouts Kindergarten
Maria Montessori once famously said: “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” We think there is a lot of wisdom in this and we use her words as a guiding teaching principle.
We also agree with mixed classrooms and that children should be free to choose what they want to do, and as well as needing long periods of uninterrupted play. But we also think that learning and their sense for independence and self-awareness especially evolves when we support them with a strong bond of social belonging and clear daily routines in which free play and other activities are embedded.
Further Links:
Montessori International Association
Montessori Association Thailand
Watch the Sprouts Video: