KARINGAL PRIMARY SCHOOL - MONTESSORI PROGRAM

Karingal Primary School offers 2 streams of education from Foundation to Year 6. We refer to these as Mainstream and the Montessori Stream. This page outlines the Montessori theory and program.  To learn more about our Montessori program please  book a tour today.

WHY CHOOSE A MONTESSORI EDUCATION?

The primary goal of a Montessori program is to help each child reach their full potential in all areas of life. This unique approach instills a love for learning, nurtures independence, and fosters a sense of responsibility in children.

A Montessori Education encompasses:

• The natural development of the human being.
• Children learning at their own pace and following their own individual interests.
• Children teaching themselves using materials specially prepared for the purpose.
• The child being an active participant in their own learning.
• Understanding coming through the childs’ own experiences via the materials and the promotion of children’s ability to find things out for themselves.
• Learning based on the fact that physical exploration and cognition are linked.
• The child working where they are comfortable; children can move around and talk at will whilst not disturbing others.
• The teacher working in collaboration with the children.
• The child’s individual development bringing its own reward and therefore motivation.
• Tne evironment encouraging internal self-discipline.
• A child working as long as he/she wishes on chosen project.
• Mixed age groups.
• Working and learning matched to the social development of the child.
• A shared emphasis on intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual development.
• A shared focus on the acquisition of academic, social, practical and life skills.

WHAT IS THE MONTESSORI METHOD?

Montessori education is an ‘aid to life’, educating the whole child through supporting each child’s intellectual, physical, social and emotional growth, fostering self-esteem, a sense of joy, respect for others, and promoting a lifelong passion for learning. It emphasizes a child’s developmental needs, following their natural curiosity, independence, freedom of movement, and love of learning.

In our carefully prepared Montessori classrooms, children are free to explore and engage with a wide range of hands-on materials at their own pace, allowing them to develop self-discipline, problem-solving skills, and a sense of responsibility.

Karingal Primary School offers a unique Montessori Influenced Curriculum aligned with the Victorian Curriculum.

Further reading: https://montessori.org.au/about-montessori

There are many reasons why you would choose the Montessori method at Karingal Primary:

Child-centred & individualised:

• Tailored learning experience to meet each child’s unique strengths, needs and interests.
• Empowers children to learn at their own pace and according to their individual style.
• Ample opportunities for students to explore concepts in depth and delve deeper into subjects of personal interest.

Hands-on learning:

• Strong emphasis on experiential learning, where children actively engage in hands-on activities through muti-sensory, sequential, and self-correcting materials.
• Children explore and learn through experimentation and the process of trial and error, fostering deeper engagement and enables them to retain information effectively.

Self-directed learning:

• Promotes self-directed learning by giving children a voice, empowering them to choose subjects and how they learn it.
• Supports the development of independence, decision-making abilities, self-motivation, self-discipline, and a sense of responsibility.

Mixed-age classrooms:

• Typically consist of three year levels.
• Crucial to self-development in terms of leadership, role-modelling, respect for different abilities, opinions and personalities, social skills, a sense of fairness, compassion and desire to assist others.
• Younger children learn from peers and older children consolidate their own learning through teaching younger peers.
• Promotes collaboration and opportunities for a variety of safe, lasting, and meaningful friendships.

Respect for the child:

• Recognises children as capable learrners who are respected and trusted to make decisions.
• Explicit teaching and appropriate resources and opportunities for each child to function in a safe and positive environment.
• Fosters relationships, mutual respect, self-confidence and a willingness to try new things.

Whole-child development:

• Emphasis on the natural development of the whole child, including cognitive, physical, emotional and social growth.
• A comprehensive education that cultivates confident, independent, and compassionate individuals.

Further reading: https://montessori.org.au/node/4689

BENEFITS OF THE MONTESSORI METHOD?

Mastery of Fundamental Skills and Basic Core Knowledge

• Students learn required Victorian Curriculum fundamentals, including math facts, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, sentence analysis, writing, and library research skills.
• Students also explore mathematics, science, technology, literature, art, music, history, language, geography, civics, economics, anthropology, and huma societies.
• Integrated activities to learn life skills.

Cosmic Education

• Clear understanding of the natural world, of human knowledge, and of themselves, and an awareness of interdependence and gratitude.
• Preparation for adolescence as independent, confident, responsible, emotionally intelligent individuals, balanced in physical, intellectual and social achievements.
• Academically and practically prepared to pursue self-education in many areas; to make responsible decisions; to recognize limits and give, ask for, and receive help, as needed.

Individually Chosen Research

• Students explore topics that capture their imagination through independent reading and library research.
• Children gather information, assemble reports, and teach what they have learned to their classmates.

Further Reading: https://montessori.org.au/differences-between-montessori-and-traditional-education