Room 13 is a small community run almost entirely by the students. They keep the room in order, tend to the plants and a small garden, organize special events and generally move about the school independently. In most terms they either make lunch or morning tea. This includes budgeting, making a shopping list within the budget, deciding as a group what food to purchase and purchasing the food. Individuals make their own morning tea. When the children make lunches, they do so in groups of three once a week (under adult supervision). The small group makes lunch for the entire class, including serving and cleaning up afterwards.
By operating as a small social community in which children learn to work together, resolve conflicts peacefully, encourage and acknowledge each other, social skills, character and community service are promoted.
Montessori education aims at enabling each child to reach full potential and to encourage a lifetime of learning, high level of challenge and responsibility. The Montessori teacher asks the ‘right questions’ and challenges students find new solutions or discover the answers on their own. Students are encouraged to explore topics that interest them and are taught how to use reference materials, libraries and the internet to gather information and discover the facts. Along with the New Zealand curriculum, practical life skills are taught, with real life assignments such as budgeting and cooking.
It is important that a primary student gains confidence and develops a love of learning. Under the Montessori philosophy children take each step as they become ready and extra practice is given until a level of competency is achieved. Learning is self-paced, based on each child’s own needs with individual learning plans developed for each student to offer challenging activities while providing opportunities to succeed. This does not mean that areas of challenge for each child are ignored.
The goal is to provide an all-round education. So while children can move ahead at their own pace in areas that they excel at, they are firmly grounded by the teacher in areas which not be their strong suits.
The Montessori teaching method as applied in Room 13 unlocks the child’s potential and sparks a passion for learning, while teaching practical life skills.
