Switzerland Montessori School

Hello from Switzerland! I began my teaching practicum here about 2 weeks ago. I have been placed at a private Montessori school here in Kusnacht, about 30 minutes from Zurich. Some of you may have heard of this type of school before and some may have not. As for me I didn’t know what a Montessori school was and had to do a little research before I arrived. For those of you who don’t know the Montessori method is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children. The Montessori method views the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It attempts to develop children physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively.

Specifically I am working at the Colourwoods Montessori Kinderhaus, which has children from the ages of three to six. From what I have observed and taken part in, the school seems to be very unorganized and crazy. It has been very interesting to see how the classroom operates and how the teachers go about planning lessons (if they even plan a lesson) and running such a different room than I am use to. I was curious how this method is used and implemented and I’m not sure if I like it. I have also been told by a couple of the part time teachers most Montessori schools are not run in the same fashion. I’m hoping as the weeks continue I get used to the schedule and understand more of the material. As for now I work with students doing whatever they want. So far I guess you could say it’s been an interesting learning experience and hopefully I can do more as my time here goes on.

3 thoughts on “Switzerland Montessori School

  1. Sam,
    I had the opportunity to observe in a Montessori school back home and it was definitely a very different and interesting experience. The teaching style is very different, but it was interesting to see how the students responded to it. Hope you’re having a good experience there!
    Maya

  2. Sam,

    I have never heard of a Montessori School either. I think that the idea of a Montessori school is very interesting. I think that is a great approach to prepare the students in a well-rounded way. I’m sure this gives the students many life, problem solving and social skills. I have also found in Dublin that the schools are a bit unorganized don’t have much structure in place. We are finding that there are not many resources available to us to create lessons like we would at home, unless we wanted to fund the lessons. For us too, it has been a good learning experience, but very different.

    Goodluck!
    Baileigh

  3. Sam,
    Well, you are having an interesting (and hopefully ultimately valuable) experience. I’d love for you, one day, to travel to see Amelia’s school and for Amelia to come and see your school.
    Wishing you the best,
    Robert

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