Montessori classrooms typically have a three-year age span among the students. Pre-Primary, which comprises both preschool and kindergarten, is made up of students ages 3 through 6. Primary (grades one through three) is made up of students ages 6 through 9. Intermediate (grades four and five) is comprised of students ages 9 through 12. Montessori normally includes grade six in intermediate; however, Kentucky incorporates grade six into middle school. At Coleridge-Taylor, students are individually supported to meet their specific learning needs.

Dr. Maria Montessori found multi-age classrooms to be most beneficial for children. Educational research now supports this practice, although it's typically only found in Montessori schools.

There are many wonderful benefits to the multi-age setting:

• Children learn from one another by observing and interacting.

• Young children learn higher-level cognitive and social skills, not only through mental development but also by observing others as models.

• Collaborative learning is encouraged. Children of different ages interact and learn from one another. Older students in the classroom are encouraged to give lessons to younger students. The older student solidifies what he or she knows by teaching it to the younger student, while the younger student focuses deeply on the older student's lesson. This is more powerful than an adult giving a lesson because children connect more deeply with other children.

• Multi-age grouping helps children develop a sense of community and supports social development. Students in this environment learn to respect others as individuals. Students learn that we don't all have to be the same because all students are being respected for who they are.

• Students work at their own levels, which may vary in different curriculum areas. Groups are flexible and often differ depending on interest, subject matter, and/or ability.

• Children who are given the freedom to interact with children of different ages build a sense of themselves and a sense of confidence, which provides a foundation that will help them move through life with the belief that they can try new things and not be afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone.

Montessori teachers have implemented the philosophy that supports multi-age grouping for more than 100 years. This concept has recently moved into the mainstream due to the work of many educational theorists and researchers. Some states are now recommending that their preschools and elementary classrooms implement multi-age grouping.

Montessori Myth Busting

Many people do not understand the Montessori educational approach, how the classrooms work, and the benefits of this type of education. Below are some of the myths about Montessori and the truth that explains the principles behind Montessori teaching methods and how they can help students achieve great success in education and life

Myth #1—Montessori is just for gifted students.

Montessori students often appear advanced for their age. In reality, Montessori schooling helps each student develop his or her own individuality in a way that puts emphasis on his or her inborn intelligence, skills, and talents. Montessori gives students the opportunity to gain mastery of skills at a pace that allows them to be successful. The Montessori classroom takes full advantage of a student's intense desire to learn. The teacher takes cues from the student’s interests and organizes learning to make the most of these interests.

The Montessori curriculum is expansive and stretches beyond three grade levels to meet the learning needs of each student. It is rare that a student exhausts the entire curriculum in each subject area. If he or she does, the teacher will arrange participation in lessons at the next level

Myth #2—Montessori classrooms are chaos.

If observed for an hour or more, a Montessori classroom will prove to be far from chaotic. The classroom may be noisy, but learning is active and busy! The flow of learning at its best allows students to do things for themselves. A great deal of emphasis is placed on teaching independence. Self-discipline is encouraged even in very young students. The teacher acts more like a guide and allows the student to learn using materials that have been specifically designed for this exact purpose.

Students do not move around the classroom in groups, and they all are not asked to do the same activities at the same time. Instead, they use a wide range of self-correcting materials. First, the teacher models a lesson using a learning material. Sometimes an older student may demonstrate the lesson. This provides leadership opportunities within each multi-age class. Students practice to understand the lesson concept. Practice is often repeated to continue to develop and fine-tune skills. The teacher and assistant monitor the class, checking in for understanding and further clarification of lessons. The role of the teacher and other adults in the classroom is to observe activities and facilitate self-discipline rather than directing activities and being an enforcer of rules.

The Montessori philosophy is that students should have the opportunity to be peaceful and absorbed in their activities or jobs. Through this, Montessori students teach themselves important life skills

Myth #3—The Montessori method is just about “special materials.”

Montessori materials are specifically designed to develop students’ skills and observation through their five senses, which appeals to all kinds of learning styles. Montessori materials and lessons introduce a learning concept or skill in an impressionistic way that imprints an understanding of a concept in students’ senses and ultimately in their memories. From these lessons, students can then begin to apply their knowledge or understanding in more abstract ways.

Montessori education considers how each student learns best. For example, tactile learners need to place their hands on the actual materials repeatedly to learn. Visual learners need to see it repeatedly. In traditional school settings, teachers often present lessons verbally, appealing mostly to auditory learners.

The curriculum and materials are multidimensional and concrete. Students may re-explore the same materials at different levels. For example, a younger student can first sensorially explore solid geometric objects. An older student may want to name them, match them to cards, or trace and cut them out. And an even older student might explore areas or angles with these same materials. When these materials are used often and at different levels, the opportunities for learning are endless

Myth #4—Montessori doesn’t allow for social development.

• The respect the teacher shows each student is a model for students to respect each other. As young students interact with each other and with the adults, they gradually become more giving and more sensitive to others.

• The multi-age span within each class allows younger students to learn from older ones, which occurs naturally.

• Montessori respects the student and his or her occasional need for privacy. Areas and activities in the classroom cater to the student’s need to be alone and allow him or her to interact with classmates.

• Students learn how to handle both positive and negative social interactions, such as disagreements or conflicts, which helps them sort out problems. In Montessori, this is referred to as learning grace and courtesy. Adults “walk students through their words,” empowering them by teaching ways to handle situations in a positive manner

Myth #5—Montessori is not academically rigorous.

Parents worry that the Montessori way of learning will not prepare their child for the next level of education. As Dr. Montessori learned when she researched child development and how children learn best, this is far from true. She determined that even very young children can understand a complex concept if they are introduced to it in a concrete manner.

One illustration of this is that when students learn multiplication fact families by using color bead chains for skip counting, they have a much greater grasp of multiplication when it progresses to abstract symbols.

The list of Montessori materials that provide rigorous learning in concrete ways is long. The stamp game, cubes, triangle boxes, checkerboard, sandpaper letters, and sentence analysis are but a few examples.

Education Experts Say

As cited in Angeline Lillard’s renowned study that was published in the journal Science in 2006, “Montessori students proved to be significantly better prepared for elementary school in reading and math skills than the non-Montessori children. They also tested better on ‘executive function,’ the ability to adapt to changing and more complex problems, an indicator of future school and life success.”

According to neuroscientist Dr. Steven Hughes, “If we decided that the purpose of education should be to help every child’s brain reach its highest developmental potential … Montessori education presents a radically different—and radically effective—educational approach that may be the best method we’ve got to ensure the optimal cognitive, social, and emotional development of every child.