Montessori – Then and Now
Previously : Loth Lorien Montessori “A Solid Foundation” ( Est 1982)
For toddlers and children aged 2 – 4 years
Loth Lorien is named after the enchanted land of the elves in JRR Tolkien’s “The Lord of The
Rings” and the little school was Mrs Hajat’s first step into the world of education. She founded the nursery on a shoe-string budget with one assistant, Mrs Sarah Nkhata and a small class of nine students.
Although initially a nursery school, Mrs Hajat shortly completed her Montessori training and with the addition of new equipment and learning materials, she soon transformed the nursery school into an impressive Montessori institution.
The story of Maria Montessori
Dr Maria Montessori invented the Montessori method of teaching and was the first woman to graduate from The University of Rome Medical School. In the early 1900′s she spent time studying the behavioral and learning patterns of mentally disabled children. She believed that each individual child can achieve results with the correct attention and with the right amount of time and she soon proved her theories by achieving excellent results with children who were initially shunned by society. By 1907, she was working with many different groups of children and soon her teaching had spread to the furthest corners of the Globe and the results have been astounding.
What is the Montessori Method of Education?
Our schools are firmly grounded in the Montessori system and we work on the basis that;
- Children are to be respected as individuals who differ from each other.
- Their absorbent minds are the most retentive during the first six years of their development.
- They are sensitive to their environment and therefore, importance must be placed on constructing a structured and stimulating environment to gain maximum benefits.
- The five senses should be encouraged to develop alongside motor skills, colour recognition, number sense and the use of vocabulary.
- Equipment in a Montessori school is designed to develop and improve the student’s concentration, coordination and confidence, whereas interaction teaches social skills, listening skills, the ability to follow instructions and enhances memory.
Our Teaching Style
Parrot fashion learning is heavily frowned upon and thus a different approach is taken. Your child will soon be developing life skills that will lead to an easy and manageable transition from Montessori to a primary school and higher education. What we provide is a learning method by which children become independent and competent learners, with expansive memory skills and accomplished social skills.
Children are taught to communicate in different scenarios and various activities are performed from start to finish at their individual levels to boost confidence. The learning environment is prepared by the teacher to suit the individual levels within the class and each child is encouraged to explore that environment. All furniture and equipment is suited to the child’s ability. Students are treated as independent from each other and progress is monitored on an individual basis.
We develop genuinely strong and unique bonds with every student and although we have been operating for over twenty-five years, we still remember little stories and humorous anecdotes from each and every one of our students. This is due to our high teacher:student ratio from nursery through our primary school.
Some of these amazing children have gone on to international universities across the globe, and have become professionals in a variety of fields. Many students now have families of their own, and continue to send their children back to the same school which they attended.
