All About Montessori

[buds]

fristrom:

Hi Buds, 6 letters in that particular set

Hmmm... that's roughly about 2 or 3 sounds in 1-month, fristrom...
And your child is in N2 right? Assuming they're having Phonics
lesson daily, if your child manages to grasp the concept and
provide positive response and participation during lessons, i
suppose it should be fine. Did the teacher say she still cannot
recognise the letters or cannot say the sound of the letters....
I'll see what i can suggest from your reply..

[buds]

dubaimom:

Buds, Thanks for your reply. :lol:

It was my pleasure and you're welcome.

dubaimom:

My boy has achieved the skills that you mentioned. What is the teacher ratio here for the mainstream KG vs the Montessori?

If it's a Montessori childcare environment, the number of children in a
class would relatively be the same as per a mainstream kindergarten,
with the exception of maybe extra teachers at hand. ie. One Montessorian
and the other Early Childhood Teacher. Mebbe between 20 - 25 per class
to 2 teachers in a Montessori Childcare set up (depending on the centre &
its class size) as compared to 25 children to 1 Early Childhood Teacher in
a standard 3 or 4 hours mainstream kindergarten for K1 level.

You wouldn't believe it if i told you i ever had to take a class of 37 when i
was teaching mainstream kindergarten when i first started! :shock: But i
enjoyed it to bits... The satisfaction was indescribable.

[dubaimom]

:!: Can’t imagine the mayhem you had to handle. Hats off to you!


DO you know what should I be looking out for in terms of a certified Montessorian? I know some teachers / principals are AMI trained or certified.

Another question:
From what I gather, most schools use the Montessori methods and supplement with worksheets (usually at the request of parents). Does that mean that each individual has a specific work targetted at his level or its just a piece of work for the masses?

Sorry for the questions. I am unable to visit some schools and watch how they conduct their lessons. Schs r taking precautions for H1N1 and don’t allow visits until they get the green light from the Ministry.

Cheers…dubaimom

[shaynamommy]

Hey, Dubai mom, welcome back home. I have placed my 5yo dd in 2 different Montessori schools before and they are totally different. I started with the kindergarten and transferred her out to a montessori childcare due to my relocation. After 2 months, I transferred her back to the kindergarten again (despite the distance) mainly due to the reasons below. Based on what I hear and see, every Montessori pre-school is different here.


Here are some of the key things that matter to me as a parent:

1. Teacher to student ratio: 1 to 8 at the kindergarten while at childcare they had 2 teachers to a group of 24 students or so.

2. Syllabus - if you are intending to let your kids remain in mainstream education ie attend a local primary school, pure Montessori methods may not work. In the kindergarten that my dd is at now, they supplement the Montessori methods with the traditional teaching methods to better prepare them for P1. Hence, it is a more holistic approach - they tap on the encyclopaedic nature of Montessori method but do not deviate too much from the kiasu Singaporean curriculum. For eg. at K1, my dd is already doing worksheets for P1 assessments.

3. Progress of each child - make sure that the school allows each child to progress according to their ability and not their age.

4. Teachers - ask how long the teachers have been around. At my dd school, the teachers have been there since she started with them at 2 yo.

Good luck with your school hunt.

[dubaimom]

Hi Shaynamommy,


Thanks for the advice.

I'm planning to place my son in a Montessori kindy. Which kindy is your daughter in?


Cheers!

[shaynamommy]

Hi, Dubaimom, are you staying in the East part of Singapore? The kindy is at the Siglap area and I will PM you if you are interested.

[mummy NnN]

My girl joined this centre this Jan, when she’s 28mth…

This girl took 3+ mths to get used to the centre…
Getting used means liking her teachers, her friends and most importantly stopped crying alot when reach school in the mornings, and during her stay there.
Her teachers are rather patient…
I am seeing improvement and development in my girl…
Apart from some occasions of milk bottle caps mixed-up, loss of panties, etc all in all, I am rather pleased with this centre…

[dubaimom]

Hi Shaynamommy,


I’m in the West. Looks that your daughter kindy is out of the question. Sigh!

But thanks anyway.

[Twins]

shaynamommy:

Hi, Dubaimom, are you staying in the East part of Singapore? The kindy is at the Siglap area and I will PM you if you are interested.

Hi Shaynamommy
I'm looking for a preschool for my youngest son as we will move soon.
Can you PM me the name and contact details of this kindy?

Many thanks!

[Idono]

hi all,


I’m new here & really need help as I’ve just moved house to tampines. I’ve a son 5 1/2 yrs old and need to go on full day care. Anyone knows if there’s any MMI in tampines / simei area? I need those that offers full day.

Appreciate it v. much!!!