The Montessori philosophy places an emphasis on individual student choice in learning and a balance between whole class lessons and individual lessons

• emphasis on individual student choice in learning
• balance between whole class lessons and individual lessons
• students work independently with self-checking materials at times
• emphasis on individual exploration of curriculum
  

The Three Montessori Methods

Individualization
The use of individualized materials in the Montessori classroom allows for a varied pace that accommodates many levels of ability. A younger child may work for many weeks on the same piece of equipment without slowing down other members of the class. Likewise, older or more advanced children can move from one piece of equipment to another very quickly. Children are continually challenged by the wide variety of materials. The habits and skills emphasized in a Montessori class are lifelong: to work efficiently, observe carefully, and concentrate effectively. Self-motivated learning is encouraged.

Citizenship
Children are taught to respect each other, their classroom, and the school environment generally and are encouraged to participate in classroom and school-wide activities. In multi-age classrooms older cihldren are given many opportunities to be of assistance, often teaching the younger ones. All children are encouraged to evaluate their own personal work and progress.

Experiential Learning
The Montessori classroom stresses the importance of "learning through experience", and the variety of materials used by the children satisfies this need to learn by doing. Children learn by choice as they select materials and/or activities that interest them. The teacher observes the children at work and encourages them to choose more challenging materials, as their skills develop. Many Montessori materials are made to be self-correcting so that the children may discover their own mistakes and learn from them.