Elementary Level II Courses
The course descriptions, student-faculty contact hours and type of instruction include:
Montessori Philosophy and Child Development (12 hours) Provides a brief review of the basic philosophical ideas of Montessori, including relationships of Montessori’s ideas to those of other educational philosophers. The class emphasizes both Montessori’s view and Developmental Psychology theories regarding the unique qualities of the 9 - 12 child. (Lecture and discussion)
Classroom Leadership, Observation and Curriculum Strategies (22 hours) Offers techniques to prepare a teacher to direct a 9 - 12 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. Discussion of the preparation of the child and parents for leaving the Montessori environment is included. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations, field observations, videotape)
Math Curriculum (52 hours) Demonstrates the materials and approach for developing the "mathematical mind" including improper fractions, decimals, ratio, percentage, squaring and square root, cubing and cube root, number bases, and pre-algebra activities. Activities for problem solving, probability and statistics, estimation, measurement, and data collection and display are evaluated. The connection of math to the science and cultural areas is explored. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations small group work.)
Geometry Curriculum (24 hours) Discusses the philosophy and demonstrates the materials and teaching methods for Geometry at the 9 - 12 level; includes equivalent and congruent figures, the study of area and volume and the Pythagorean theorem. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations.)
Language Curriculum (36 hours) Explores the approach and materials developed for facilitating upper elementary children's learning in language skills, including writing and reading, literature appreciation, grammar, spelling, research skills and language arts. This subject area is also integrated into the cultural areas. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations.)
INTEGRATED CULTURAL consists of:
History and Geography (28 hours) This course reviews 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 9 - 12 classroom. Timelines, the Montessori map materials, student research projects, and additional content formats and learning experiences are covered. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations.)
Life Sciences (24 hours) Further elaboration on Montessori’s ideas of Cosmic Education is offered through materials and presentations in Botany and Zoology. We present the Five Kingdom based ,view of the life sciences emphasizing internal functions of the living world. Human anatomy and physiology is also covered. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations.)
Functional Geography/ Physical Sciences (30 hours) Materials and presentations for the 9 - 12 class include geology, chemistry, astronomy, the solar system, meteorology, physics and other key areas. (Lecture, discussion, material making, demonstrations.)
Fine Arts (16 hours) Provides exploration of numerous activities designed to help upper elementary children experience and appreciate music, movement, dance, opera, drama and the visual arts. Importance of using arts activities across all curriculum areas. (Lecture, discussion, practice, participatory activities, demonstrations.)
Practical Life/Spirituality (8 hours) Offers an exploration of the connections between spirituality, practical life and the cosmic curriculum. Discusses ways in which Practical Life activities at this level help develop and nurture the spiritual life of the child. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations.)
Computers/Information Technology (4 hours) Demonstrates the uses of computers in the upper elementary classroom with an emphasis on the computer as a research tool, a writing tool and a concrete instructional tool in many subject areas. (Lecture, discussion, demonstrations)