At the Roots of the Montessori Methodology

Think about it for a moment… We welcome children who can barely walk, and we say goodbye to them when they go to university. What an undertaking! And all in the spirit of relationships, immersion in the English language, and the pursuit of independence. Independence, first physical and then, in addition, intellectual. It is a great endeavour!
All the more so at this juncture of the school’s developmental leap, it is worth returning to the basics, to the foundations of Montessori pedagogy. Such a foundation is educating the child in accordance with their potential and capabilities. In accordance with the psycho-physical stages of their development.

Children of the Universe and One Developmental Plane

In Montessori pedagogy, the development of children aged 6 to 12 constitutes a single developmental stage (plane), as children of this age display similar characteristics. Maria Montessori gave children of this age the nickname ‘children of the universe’. In response to the needs of their burgeoning imagination, she designed the entire elementary programme around the five great lessons: the origin of the universe, the coming of life on Earth, the emergence of humankind, the story of language, and the story of numbers. Montessori also developed a single training programme for elementary teachers working at this level, that is, those teaching children aged 6 to 12. This was the original concept, and historically speaking, in primary school programmes, all children from grades 1 to 6 were taught together in a single classroom. At our school, EMS, we have previously had experience of a single, combined class for pupils in grades 1 to 4.

Practical Division and the Loss of Coherence

Over time, many schools, for practical reasons, have divided this stage of development into two sub-stages – the lower elementary and upper elementary classrooms. And so have we. And although this works well, we feel that we are only utilising half the potential offered by the foundation of the method – namely, mixed-age classes. We feel that, despite our best intentions, we face many challenges associated with dividing grades 1 to 3 and 4–6 into different classrooms. Many members of the teaching staff feel there is a lack of coherence between the curricula for the younger and older classes. According to the method’s creator, the programme should flow seamlessly as a single entity. Instead, as a somewhat novel solution, it is implemented by two different teaching teams. These teams, of course, communicate regularly with one another, but this communication cannot be as deep as we would like it to be. The depth of understanding we are referring to can only stem from the direct experience of teachers who spend every day in the same classroom with the children and work alongside them. These challenges are particularly acute when pupils move from grade 3 to grade 4. Fourth-grade pupils sorely miss the teachers from the lower elementary years and their younger classmates, whilst fourth-grade teachers must get to know the children in their groups without any background or deep understanding of why the child’s development is in a particular place.

Open Lessons and Untapped Potential

Another problematic area is that Montessori pedagogy features the wonderful concept of the open-lesson policy. This means that children can attend lessons outside their own grade level, provided they do not slow down the pace of the lesson. Currently, this is only possible within the three-year cycle. It is a shame to waste this potential.

That is why, two years ago, we began moving towards a return to this fundamental Montessori concept, which involves bringing pupils from grades 1 to 6 together in a single group, in a single classroom. Of course, lessons will be organised into ability groups. The method doesn’t assume that all the children will have a single lesson together. That’s why, last year, we took the first step in this direction by mixing one grades 1 to 3 classroom and one grades 4 to 6 classroom on the same floor, to create a space for them to coexist. Evolution rather than revolution – that was our guiding principle. It worked; the first step towards bringing them closer has been taken. What next? A new building with three very large classrooms on the first floor opens up another possibility for us: combining the younger group (grades 1 to 3) with the older one (grades 4 to 6). In our view, this will resolve many potential negative situations that currently drain our energy as we try to prevent them.

Why are we so sure? Maria Montessori foresaw over 100 years ago, and we now know – as it has been studied repeatedly – that children benefit greatly from a mixed-age classroom model: among other things, higher levels of social skills, learning from peers – more challenging educational tasks, the development of leadership skills, and an emphasis on cooperation rather than competition. And, like any system of interconnected elements, the system strives to achieve balance.

Why Mixed-Age Classrooms Make Sense

We believe that our pupils can only benefit if subject teachers from the upper elementary grades are able to get to know, support and participate in the development of children from the 1st grade, and if teachers from the lower elementary level are able to support and participate in the further development of their pupils in the upper elementary years, right up to grade 6.
A return to a single, coherent stage of development will ensure continuity in the child’s experience to the extent that we would wish. And to the extent that Dr Montessori intended.

A Voice from Montessori Practice

To support our thoughts, we would like to share the words of Susan Mayclin Stephenson, an international Montessori consultant and author, on this subject:
“Years ago Karin Salzmann, first president of the AMI affiliate in the United States, asked Mario Montessori and his wife Ada about the fact that 6 to 12 classes were being split into 6 to 9 and 9 to 12 recently.
Their reply was that even though Dr. Montessori talked about 6 to 9 and 9 to 12 differences in development, she never intended for children to be separated into these two groups. Age 6 to 12 together was her intention.
In my own experience—having taught several different age groupings at this plane of development—I have found that the wider the age spread the more authentic Montessori, the more student to student teaching, the more independence and creativity of choice; seven-year-olds sometimes are ready for 10-year-old work in some areas, and I have seen many 11 and 12-year-olds return to the first great lessons materials and work to explore based on what they have learned throughout the six years.
This also eliminates the temptation to revert to traditional, teacher-centred group lessons and tasks. Over the last 50 years, I have spoken to many people who have tried different age groups and found that children aged 6 to 12, when kept together, are far more exciting and require less work from the teacher, as the children inspire one another, teach other children and learn from one another.
I believe that this is precisely why the AMI diploma courses for this age group are designed for children aged 6 to 12!”

Continuity in the Child’s Experience

Our old-yet-new idea involves transforming our four current groups from the lower and upper elementary levels into three large classrooms (each classroom with a floor area of around 120 m²) with around 30 pupils each. This space will accommodate pupils and teachers from both the lower and upper elementary levels, meaning there will be two form tutors – one for grades 1–3 and the other for grades 4–6.
In considering this change, we are not seeking novelty. We are seeking greater coherence — one that allows a child to develop without feeling distinct boundaries between stages, and enables the teacher to accompany them through a continuous and longer-term process. This solution allows us to respect each child’s individual pace of learning, whilst opening up space for pupils to learn naturally from one another.

Change Prepared with Care

We are aware of the responsibility that such a decision entails. That is why we are preparing for it gradually — through observation, teamwork and dialogue. We look closely at what the children need, and it is in this that we see the right pace of change.
What remains constant is our point of reference: the child — their development, their safety and their place in a well-prepared environment.

What Comes Next

We are currently discussing this idea internally, analysing the pros and cons, and identifying potential issues during the transition period. We are also considering organising a trial week at our school at the end of May, during which we will combine grades 1 to 6. Stay tuned for updates on this project!