Elementary Level I Courses
The course descriptions, student-faculty contact hours and type of instruction are as follows:
Child Development & Philosophy Introduction (30 hours) 3 to 5 quarter credit college course in Child Development, taken in the last five years is required of all students. A grade of B or higher is required. If a student does not have this prerequisite, it can be met by taking any Child Development course as described prior to the start of the classes. Those whose Child Development course was taken more than five years ago may meet this requirement by completing a reading assignment and take home exams on books specified by the course director. This requirement should ideally be completed before the course begins. Students who enroll too late to do so will have their certification withheld until the requirement is met.
Montessori Philosophy (16 hours) Provides an overview of the basic philosophical ideas of Montessori, including relationships of Montessori’s ideas to those of other educational philosophers. This class also includes historical perspectives on Montessori and the Montessori method, and the unique qualities of the 6 - 9 child. (Lecture and discussion)
Classroom Leadership & Observation (36 hours) Offers techniques and guided practice to prepare a teacher to direct a 6 - 9 classroom including preparing the physical, spiritual and psychological environment, observation, initiating activity, record keeping, parent education, administration, learning differences, professionalism, and stress management for teachers. Includes eight hours devoted to children with special needs. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations, field observations, videotape)
Curriculum Design and Strategies (8 hours) Offers a variety of methods for integrating the various aspects of the 6 - 9 curriculum, explores different strategies for presenting the curriculum, and investigates a broad array of teaching strategies suitable for a variety of learning styles. (Lecture, demonstration, practice)
Math Curriculum (60 hours) Demonstrates the materials and approach for developing the "mathematical mind", as well as pre-math and arithmetic skills, exploration of the decimal system and place value. Also includes work with all four operations, fractions and decimals, number bases, operations with fractions, and pre-algebra. Activities for problem solving, probability and statistics, estimation, measurement, money, time, and data collection and display are evaluated. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations small group work, practice.)
Geometry Curriculum (24 hours) Demonstrates the materials and teaching methods for Geometry; includes plane and solid figures, angles, similarity, equivalence, and congruence. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations, practice.)
Language Curriculum (60 hours) Explores the approach and materials developed for facilitating elementary children's learning in language skills, including writing and reading, literature appreciation grammar, spelling, research skills and language arts. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations, practice.)
INTEGRATED CULTURAL consists of:
History and Geography (40 hours) Demonstrates Montessori's concept of “Cosmic Education", including philosophy and hands-on uses of materials and material making. This includes discussion and presentation of materials for multicultural, multiethnic curriculum and activities for the classroom. Timelines, the Montessori map materials, and other resources are covered. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations, practice.)
Life Sciences (24 hours) Further elaboration on Montessori’s ideas of cosmic education is offered through materials and presentations in Botany and Zoology. We use the Five Kingdom based materials to supplement the classic Montessori presentations. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations, practice.)
Earth and Physical Sciences (32 hours) Materials, experiments and presentations in the physical sciences including geology, chemistry, astronomy, physics, atmospheric and climate study, and simple machines (Lecture, discussion, material making, demonstrations, practice.)
Movement (8 hours) Appropriate movement education activities for both inside and outside the classroom. Using movement across all curriculum areas. (Lecture, demonstrations, participatory activities)
Fine Arts (32 hours) Provides exploration of numerous activities designed to help children experience and appreciate music, opera, drama and the visual arts. Use of arts activities to integrate all curriculum areas. (Lecture, discussion, participatory activities.)
Practical Life (8 hours) Offers an exploration of the application of Montessori philosophy to every-day activities in the elementary child's life with emphasis on appropriate materials. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations.)
Peace Education (8 hours) Nourishing the spiritual life of the child, developing strong values, and promoting respect for self, others and the environment will be the focus of this course segment. (Discussion, lecture, activities)
Computers/Information Technology (4 hours) The majority of classrooms will have some computers available; how can they be integrated into a Montessori elementary environment? (Lecture, discussion, activities, demonstrations)