There is tremendous diversity within the community of thousands of Montessori schools around the world. No Montessori schools are the same. Each school reflects its own unique blend of facilities, programs, personality, and interpretation of Dr. Montessori's mission. The Monticello Academy's educational program constitutes a blend of the Montessori Method with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) objectives.
At the Monticello Academy students learn in a unique Montessori environment. Young children are given exploratory freedom in an environment prepared with educational materials designed for their self-directed learning activity. Applying this non-traditional method involves the teacher assisting the child with their inner natural guidance for his or her own perfect self-directed development. Each student will learn in a way that caters to their individual learning style and academic engagement. The instructors follow the students and help them explore subjects, lessons and activities they find interesting.
Each teaching space at the Monticello Academy has five distinct areas which constitute the prepared environment; the Practical Life Area, the Sensorial Area, the Mathematics Area, the Language Arts Area and the Cultural Area. Classrooms are arranged into Study Centers, with clusters of student-sized tables and open areas for floor work. Each Study Center is surrounded by shelves of books and materials pertaining to a particular area such as Language Arts, Mathematics, History, and Geography. Students are allowed to move about the classroom and choose resources; working individually or in small groups.
Multi-age classes in prepared environments are taught based on individual student abilities; maximizing curriculum options, encouraging cooperation, and fostering self-confidence in students. Whole-class instruction is minimal, with lessons being given to individuals or in small groups. Students spend blocks of time on work, thus enabling them to explore a topic or material thoroughly. The individual student progresses at his or her own rate, either moving ahead without having to wait for the rest of the group, or taking the time he or she needs to internalize the learning material. Real-world scenarios have shown our Monticello Faculty and Staff, if a student is interested in any simple or complex lesson-for instance- negative integer numbers, (an algebraic concept) the teacher will work with the student to expose them to variant aspects of the subject.
All classroom activities are taught within an Arts-Integrated learning environment. Students at the K-2 level begin a creative exploration of colors, paints and various art making materials while tending to core subject and classroom assignments.
Averages of 6 fieldtrips are planned per month. Fieldtrips take the students to a variety of local and regional locations. A trip to the San Antonio Quarry, for example, allows students to explore educational concepts related to the earth, rocks, limestone, and other building materials. Museum expeditions allow students to see fine art exhibitions, while theater excursions expose these students to various key performing art aspects. Students attending the Monticello Academy are also allowed to explore different avenues of arts integration through various means in accordance with accelerating through the basic K-2 educational milestones-Math, Science, Reading and Writing. Students enrolled in the Monticello Academy are well prepared to enter into either traditional or nontraditional learning environments after graduating from this campus and advancing into the 3rd grade.
At the Monticello Academy students learn in a unique Montessori environment. Young children are given exploratory freedom in an environment prepared with educational materials designed for their self-directed learning activity. Applying this non-traditional method involves the teacher assisting the child with their inner natural guidance for his or her own perfect self-directed development. Each student will learn in a way that caters to their individual learning style and academic engagement. The instructors follow the students and help them explore subjects, lessons and activities they find interesting.
Each teaching space at the Monticello Academy has five distinct areas which constitute the prepared environment; the Practical Life Area, the Sensorial Area, the Mathematics Area, the Language Arts Area and the Cultural Area. Classrooms are arranged into Study Centers, with clusters of student-sized tables and open areas for floor work. Each Study Center is surrounded by shelves of books and materials pertaining to a particular area such as Language Arts, Mathematics, History, and Geography. Students are allowed to move about the classroom and choose resources; working individually or in small groups.
Multi-age classes in prepared environments are taught based on individual student abilities; maximizing curriculum options, encouraging cooperation, and fostering self-confidence in students. Whole-class instruction is minimal, with lessons being given to individuals or in small groups. Students spend blocks of time on work, thus enabling them to explore a topic or material thoroughly. The individual student progresses at his or her own rate, either moving ahead without having to wait for the rest of the group, or taking the time he or she needs to internalize the learning material. Real-world scenarios have shown our Monticello Faculty and Staff, if a student is interested in any simple or complex lesson-for instance- negative integer numbers, (an algebraic concept) the teacher will work with the student to expose them to variant aspects of the subject.
All classroom activities are taught within an Arts-Integrated learning environment. Students at the K-2 level begin a creative exploration of colors, paints and various art making materials while tending to core subject and classroom assignments.
Averages of 6 fieldtrips are planned per month. Fieldtrips take the students to a variety of local and regional locations. A trip to the San Antonio Quarry, for example, allows students to explore educational concepts related to the earth, rocks, limestone, and other building materials. Museum expeditions allow students to see fine art exhibitions, while theater excursions expose these students to various key performing art aspects. Students attending the Monticello Academy are also allowed to explore different avenues of arts integration through various means in accordance with accelerating through the basic K-2 educational milestones-Math, Science, Reading and Writing. Students enrolled in the Monticello Academy are well prepared to enter into either traditional or nontraditional learning environments after graduating from this campus and advancing into the 3rd grade.