Montessori is focused on teaching for understanding. In a primary classroom, three and four year olds receive the benefit of two years of sensorial preparation for academic skills by working with the concrete Montessori learning materials. This concrete experience gradually allows the child to form a mental picture of concepts like: How big is a thousand? How many hundreds make up a thousand? And What is really going on when we borrow or carry numbers in mathematical operations?
We well know that young children learn by observing and manipulating their environment, not through textbooks and workbook exercises. Interacting with the materials, which gradually increase in abstraction, not only develops academic skills, but also independence and confidence. By the kindergarten year the children are virtual masters of the environment. They love to help the younger children with their work, actually teaching lessons or correcting errors. The very process of explaining a new concept, or helping someone practice a new skill often leads the "teacher" to learn as much, if not more, than the pupil
By the end of the kindergarten year, Montessori students will often have developed academic skills that may be beyond those of children enrolled in most American kindergarten programs. However, parents should remember that academic progress is not our ultimate goal. Our true aim is that the children will have a sense of self- confidence, enthusiasm for learning, and feelings of being closely bonded to their teachers and classmates. We want them to truly enjoy school and feel good about themselves as students.
Once children have developed a high degree of self-confidence, independence, and enthusiasm for learning, they normally can adapt to all sorts of new situations in school and beyond.
