Early Education     K-12    

Can you explain the Montessori style of education?



Montessori schools strive to develop a curriculum that is developmentally appropriate and where children learn in both a tactile and intellectual way. Maria Montessori founded Montessori in 1907 in Italy. It came to to the United States in 1911. She recognized human tendencies, which drive behavior in every stage of development and felt education should facilitate their expression, including communication and purposeful activity. Child development is divided into four planes with the first plane covering birth to around six years of age and the fourth plane from eighteen to twenty four.  A Montessori classroom is typically mixed age with a large degree of student choice of activity. Teachers utilize a constructivist or discovery model where students learn by doing rather than through direct instruction. There are many specialized and targeted materials that are used in a Montessori classroom.


Deborah McLean
Head of Lower School
Poughkeepsie Day School
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
845-462-7600
poughkeesieday.org