Bishop Hamilton School - West Campus

Classes span a three year age group. These family oriented groupings allow the younger children to learn from the older ones, the older children model behaviour and teach the younger ones, a strong sense of community results, the guide, as the teacher is known, comes to know the children well.
An emphasis is placed on the concrete with progression to the abstract over time. Children, using many of their senses, work with materials which are beautifully presented in the prepared environment.
The curriculum covers an entire span of interests and abilities. The elementary curriculum, for instance, covers six years.
The integrated curriculum covers an extensive area of subjects. All are available to the child. The integrated approach allows the child to delve deeper into specific areas of interest.
The prepared environment fosters independence in the child because it is child-centred. Materials on the shelves are readily accessible and chairs, tables, and other furnishings are child-sized.
The prepared environment is orderly and provides a framework of discipline. Materials have to be returned to the same place, ready for the next child to use. Discipline becomes self imposed as children follow their own inner directives to learn and to adapt to their environment.
The child learns at his own pace because the curriculum is geared towards the individual needs of each child.
Freedom from interference allows the child to work for as long as required with a piece of material until such time as the child feels satiated. Repetition of key concepts through the use of different materials ensures variety for the child.
Respect for each other and for the environment creates a sense of joy and peace in the classrooms. “Grace and courtesy” lessons engender in the children sensitivity towards others.
The three hour uninterrupted work cycle protects the children’s time from interruptions and scheduling. The children are able to develop powers of deep concentration as a result.
The teacher or “directress” plays an unobtrusive role. Children are directed by an “intrinsic motivation” to learn and to discover, not by a desire for rewards or recognition.
The child learns through movement; through “interacting” with the environment using body and mind.

What are Montessori principles?