Te Whāriki - Best Early Childhood Education (ECE) Curriculum

From birth to age six, a child passes through different stages in their development, a window of opportunity in which they learn specific skills. These periods are referred to as ‘sensitive periods’ in Montessori education. During these periods, the child will be passionately absorbed with one aspect of the environment; this moment enables a child to acquire a specific skill set, character trait or behaviour without any apparent effort. These periods are universal for children of all cultures and the sensitive periods are characterised by order (age 1-3), language (age 0-6), refinement of the senses (age 2-4) and refinement of movement (age 2-4 ½).

The “absorbent mind” is the mind’s capacity to take in information and sensations from the world that surrounds it, this information is unconsciously absorbed by the child and used to shape who they become. Within a few years, a child learns to move and control their body, talk and communicate ideas, and soon gain independence.

Role of a Montessori Teacher
The role of the teacher is to understand child development, plan and support children’s learning by observing and being mindful of children’s changing interests and needs.

Montessori Materials
Dr. Montessori used what she knew about the senses to develop a series of sensorial materials for young children, these materials were designed to isolate one skill and to be self-correcting. This allows the child to concentrate their efforts and encourage independence in their own learning.

Prepared Environment
Dr. Maria Montessori believed the experience provided for children should be hands-on (and modern science has affirmed) that moving and learning are inseparable. In the prepared classroom, children work with specially designed manipulative materials that invite exploration and engage the senses in the process of learning.

Normalisation
Normalisation in the Montessori environment is refer to the focus, concentration, and independence of the children, by their own choice, for a sustained period of time. It means they have acquired the internal freedom to initiate work, be independent, and adhere (by choice) to the rules of the environment.
A well-prepared Montessori environment facilitates the process of normalization by offering engaging, hands-on materials, three-hour work cycles, and minimizing the disruption of concentration.

Five Curriculum Areas
The Montessori Curriculum is divided into five key areas of learning: Practical Life, Sensorial, Mathematics, Language and Culture. Each curriculum area has a dedicated space in the prepared environment.

The Practical Life area is the foundation of Montessori philosophy. The purpose is to help the children develop co-ordination, concentration, a sense of personal independence and a sense of order. The precise movements of the Practical Life material challenge the child to concentrate, work at their own pace uninterrupted and to complete a cycle of work which typically results in the feelings of satisfaction and confidences.

There are four categories of Practical Life

• Care of a Person: dressing, washing hands, toileting hygiene, hanging up their coat and polishing their shoes.
• Care of the Environment: washing tables, folding napkins, dusting, plant and animal care.
• Grace and Courtesy; greetings, classroom walking and talking, shaking hands and classroom manners.
• Control of Movement: walking the line and silence game.

Sensorial Exercises in the Montessori classroom are designed to help a child’s sensory integration. Sensory integration is the way the nervous system processes information from the senses. When sensations flow in an organized manner, the brain can use these sensations to form perceptions, behaviour, and learning. These include sensorial exercises such as gradations of colour, dimension, sound, tactile impressions, comparisons of smell and taste, geography, and geometry.

Mathematical concepts are introduced to children at very early age, it is introduced by using concrete sensorial materials that children can hold in their hands. These materials help children understand basic math concepts such as shape and number recognition, counting and concepts of 2 and 3 dimensions. These materials are symbolic, and that symbolism changes over time until children are ready to explore the materials and find solutions on paper or even in their heads.

Language
Children are able to absorb language from their environment and easily learn how to speak, read and write if language is present in their environment from age 0-6, in which Dr. Montessori refers to as sensitive period for language. Language material such as sandpaper letters, moveable alphabet or phonetic object games are also used in the environment which are designed to expand children’s vocabulary and explore spoken and written language.

Culture
Culture allows the child to explore the natural world around them and includes:

• Science and nature
• Geography which include topics such as continents, landforms, earth layers, and the solar system
• Botany which includes topics such as ecology, classification, and physiology of plants
• Zoology which includes topics such as classification, and the physiology of animals
• History which includes; time lines and using a calendar
• Arts and Music