Learning Materials in the Montessori Environment
To be able to meet the learning needs of children, Montessori teachers have to make efforts and spend time on carefully preparing the essential learning materials – with children having varied levels of understanding and different capabilities in a single classroom, it is the responsibility of the Montessori teacher to see that children belonging to each age and level of ability find proper learning material they need.
Preparation of Materials for the Montessori Classroom
The Montessori teacher needs to ensure that the classroom consists of basic materials that have been precisely and expertly designed by Dr. Maria Montessori. Moreover, it is the responsibility of the teacher to include supplementary materials to support the curriculum.
Care must be taken to consider each material diligently and make sure that it is reflective of the fundamental ideas of Montessori Method prior to adding the same to the environment. As far as possible, these materials are best made of natural materials so that they reflect reverence for nature.
Real and scaled to suit the size of children, learning materials need to be beautiful and fascinating to children. The Montessori school environment is normally arranged in accordance with subject area such as cleaning, gardening, cooking, library, art, and so on. Children are allowed to move around freely, and they are not made to stay at their desks.
Role of the Montessori Teacher in Arranging and Maintaining Learning Materials
Having established the Montessori classroom and arranged the learning materials carefully, it is essential for the teacher to regularly care for and maintain them. The teacher sees to it that all materials are neatly arranged and stored in shelves. Children are allowed to take what they need and then they are expected to store them safely after finishing their work.
The Montessori teacher is expected to carefully observe the children and understand their areas of interest and their needs. It is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that the learning materials are all interesting and useful. Managing the learning materials is an ongoing process that calls for considerable care and close attention.
Sharanalaya School has been helping children to develop into good-natured adults. We make children feel invited to perform their own functions and conduct their own experiments by providing interesting materials.