Park View Montessori school has been serving families since 1976.
The Montessori Method of education was developed as a result of the observations and insights of Dr. Maria Montessori, and has spread all around the world. At Park View, the classrooms are carefully prepared to offer a safe, fun environment where each child explores and progresses at his own pace, guided by a caring, experienced, professional educator. Park View Montessori has been serving families since 1976 in Mt. Prospect and we offer 4 programs: Infants – 6weeks to 15 months, Toddlers – 15 months – 24 months, 2-3 year old, and Preschool 3-6 years. Throughout the Montessori experience and especially in the Kindergarten year teachers intend to allow children to experiment on their own (within the limits of safety and good manners) and think for themselves. This autonomy gives children not only a sense of competency but also one of social responsibility.
Developmentally appropriate lessons offer the child experience with materials and activities across a broad-spectrum curriculum. Throughout all the classrooms, children practice the skills of daily living: developing small and large motor skills, eye-hand coordination, concentration, mental and physical stamina. Dr. Montessori’s unique material appeal to all the senses and allow the child to refine the tools he’ll use to learn about the world: vision, touching, hearing, smelling and tasting. Math activities provide real objects to count and sequence, instead of mere recognition of numerals. Language activities develop vocabulary and precise use of the spoken and written word. As we guide the child’s development, we are also lead by them as they reveal their interest to us, so that one class might learn about the animals, the weather, the landforms, the songs and the folktales of another culture, while another class delves into learning about seeds and plants, their nomenclature, parts and types, and their processes of growth.
Dr. Montessori stressed the importance of offering an environment to meet each child’s unique needs. To that end, Park View Montessori School is tree-nut and peanut-free. Morning and afternoon snacks and a hot lunch are provided daily.
Differences Between Montessori & Traditional Classrooms
| Montessori Classroom | Traditional Classroom |
|---|---|
| Mixed age groups (students ages 3 to 6 are grouped together in one primary classroom) | Same age groups (all kindergarten in one classroom, 1st graders in another) |
| Students choose where in the classroom they want to work and may move around freely at any time | Students are expected to sit at assigned desks or tables |
| Uninterrupted work cycles, students choose when and for how long to work on each activity, many subjects are integrated | A certain block of time allotted for each subject, all students work on the same subject at the same time |
| Child-centered: a carefully prepared environment encourages students to practice self-discipline | Adult-centered: teacher controls the classroom and enforces discipline |
| Use manipulatives, materials that appeal to the senses, purposeful, real-life experiences | Use worksheets, rote learning, and textbooks |
| Focus on the process, do not use tests or grades | Focus on the product, use tests and grades |
| Emphasis on collaboration | Emphasis on competition |
| Students independently use self-teaching materials, learn from each other, teacher provides individualized lessons for each child | Teacher gives direct instruction to the whole class and to groups of students, based on a pre-determined curriculum |
| Inquiry-based learning | Standards based learning |
| Students have the opportunity to advance academically at their own pace, without limits | Students are expected to be within the norms of what is average for their grade level |