Holistic | Child-Centered | Transformative
The Montesssori Approach to Education
About Montessori
Montessori is an approach to education developed by Italian physician Dr. Maria Montessori more than a century ago, in which children learn in a prepared environment with specially designed materials. Montessori is a child-centered approach that fosters independent learning and where the role of the teacher is to guide children in their journey of self-discovery and learning process, rather than to be the main source of information.
The Montessori philosophy respects children’s natural development and allows them to flourish academically, emotionally, physically, and socially. Children learn at their own pace, in mixed-age groups to encourage peer-to-peer learning.
Our Programs
Our main goal is to provide individualized attention. We limit our number of students to groups of 12 children in age cohorts following the Montessori approach (2-3 years old, 3-6 years old, 6-9 years old, and 9-12 years old). This allows every child to enjoy a personalized education and close attention to his/her needs while opening opportunities for peer-to-peer learning.
School Calendar
The Earth School follows the international school year, with classes starting at the beginning of September and ending at the start of June. We respect Rwandan official holidays, some of which are movable, and are notified with a few days in advance. The full calendar is available on the Admissions page here.
Academic, Social, and Emotional Assessment in the Elementary Program
Our High Academic Standards
BASELINE, MID-YEAR, AND END-OF-YEAR ASSESSMENTS
At the beginning of each academic year, our students take baseline assessments that include Language (English and French) and Mathematics, as well as Personal Growth, Normalization, and Work Habits. This information is used to develop an Individualized Montessori Education Plan, IMEP for each student. The IMEP then informs the weekly and monthly lesson planning that guides the work in the classroom.
The academic, social, and emotional assessments are conducted three times per year and school reports are presented to parents in December and June at the Parent/Teacher Conferences.
DELF Prim TEST OF FRENCH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
All students age 7 and above, prepare to pass the DELF Prim test, which is usually taken in May. The DELF Prim is an official certificate awarded by the French Ministry of Education to certify the proficiency in French as a foreign language.
TEACHER OBSERVATIONS/ANECDOTAL RECORDS
Teachers take daily observation notes that include academics as well as social/emotional development areas. Daily observations are used to inform the weekly planning, to set goals for each child, to share at parent meetings, and to inform bi-annual school reports.
ONE-TO-ONE INTERVIEWS WITH STUDENTS FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT
Based on the daily observations, teachers have one-to-one conversations with students throughout the week. They provide guidance and support to help the children self-assess the work done and goals achieved, set new goals in specific areas of learning, development, or character building, identify together specific interest each child may have, etc.
STUDENT PORTFOLIOS AND STUDENT JOURNALS
Teachers and students choose samples of student’s work to keep in their portfolios. These samples must include work in different areas of the curriculum. Portfolios are a wonderful way to show student’s progress in specific areas, for example, keeping writing samples from when a student started learning cursive writing. Student journals also become part of the student portfolio as they are added at the end of the year or when a journal is finished.
DEMONSTRATION OF MASTERY OF SKILLS
After a child has practiced with a material/activity to develop a specific skill and is ready for the next level of presentation of new materials, lessons, or activities, the child demonstrates mastery of skills to a teacher. This is also the moment for the child to “teach” or “share” his newly acquired knowledge to another child. The teacher ensures that the child has opportunities to be a role model and feel proud of their accomplishments. They can be recognized during Circle Time by presenting to the whole class.
Academic, Social, and Emotional Assessment in the Primary Program
Our High Academic Standards
TEACHER OBSERVATIONS/ANECDOTAL RECORDS
Teachers take daily observation notes that include academics as well as social/emotional development areas. Daily observations are used to inform the weekly planning, to set goals for each child, to share at parent meetings, and to inform bi-annual school reports.
ONE-TO-ONE INTERVIEWS WITH STUDENTS FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT
Based on the daily observations, teachers have one-to-one conversations with students throughout the week. They provide guidance and support to help the children self-assess the work done and goals achieved, set new goals in specific areas of learning, development, or character building, identify together specific interest each child may have, etc.
STUDENT PORTFOLIOS AND STUDENT JOURNALS
Teachers and students choose samples of student’s work to keep in their portfolios. These samples must include work from different areas of the curriculum. Portfolios are a wonderful way to show student’s progress in specific areas, for example, keeping writing samples from when a student started learning to color, to trace shapes, cursive writing, etc. Student journals or workbooks also become part of the student portfolio as they are added at the end of the year or when a journal/workbook is finished.
DEMONSTRATION OF MASTERY OF SKILLS
After a child has practiced with a material/activity to develop a specific skill and is ready for the next level of presentation of new materials, lessons, or activities, the child demonstrates mastery of skills to a teacher. This is also the moment for the child to “teach” or “share” his newly acquired knowledge to another child. Teacher ensures that child has opportunities to be a role model and feel proud of their accomplishments. They can be recognized during Circle Time by presenting to the whole class.
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