Montessori Education
The Montessori pedagogy resonates particularly well with children aged 3-12 years due to its approach centered on:
- Personalized learning experiences,
- Understanding the sensitive periods of a child’s development,
- The use of specially designed materials.
This approach fosters the child’s autonomy in their learning journey, thereby enhancing their self-confidence. Children gradually progress from manipulating Montessori materials to grasping more abstract concepts, particularly in reading and mathematics. This method yields remarkable results in reading, thanks to a sensory-motor approach that links sounds to letters and introduces writing from an early age. In mathematics, it also delivers significant outcomes by guiding children progressively from handling concrete objects to understanding fundamental concepts. See more about the 3-6, 6-12 classes, or Montessori.
Our school is particularly grounded in respectful pedagogy, peace education, and social cooperation.
Respectful Pedagogy
For a child to be in a learning state, they must be in a climate of both material and emotional security. Respectful pedagogy is based on communication, listening, and empathy.
“Communicating non-violently, being available for the child, observing and listening to them to understand their needs are the basic attitudes of a compassionate educator. The adult must then find a balance between excessive control and withdrawal: it is essential to provide the child with the environment they need to act and experiment independently. This involves trusting the child while providing them with flexible but clear guidelines.”
— Sophie Bouquet-Rabhi, La Ferme des enfants. Une pédagogie de la bienveillance, Actes Sud, Arles, 2011.
Our team is trained in welcoming emotions according to the Faber and Mazlish method, active listening based on Thomas Gordon’s principles, and the grammar of emotions by Isabelle Filliozat.
Peace-centered Education and Social Cooperation
Throughout their schooling, the child develops the ability to express their viewpoint with arguments, learns to listen to others, respect them, cooperate, and manage their emotions within a group. They learn to handle conflicts by becoming mediators.
For example, the approach using “multiple intelligences” helps (re)value all the students’ skills, which boosts their self-confidence.
The “philosophical debate” allows students to gradually find a new position within the class group. Some shy or usually passive students in groups can increase their self-confidence by regularly speaking during a debate fueled by themselves and their peers, with the adult’s interventions limited to regulating the exchanges. As a result, students who have been stimulated more frequently speak up in other classes, and for some, this leads to becoming much more dynamic in class and also more attentive to their classmates.