We were invited to tour Turramurra Montessori Academy, located at 197 Kissing Point Rd, South Turramurra. To our surprise, it was only a 19-minute drive from Top Ryde (or a 9-minute drive from Eden Gardens).
There was so much to learn at our visit! We opened the Pandoras Box of the Montessori Approach to education and it was pretty fascinating. Let’s see if we can summarise it!
Dr Maria Montessori
Dr Maria Montessori was an Italian physician, educator, and innovator, acclaimed for her educational method that builds on the way children learn naturally. She opened the first Montessori school in Rome on January 6, 1907.
Dr Maria Montessori developed her unique method of educating children over a professional career of 50+ years through intense scientific observation of children from many ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds from birth to maturity. It is based upon a deep understanding of child development.
About the Methodology
The key principles of the Montessori Methodology are independence, observation, following the child, correcting the child, the prepared environment and the absorbent mind. It is characterised by providing a prepared environment: tidy, simple and real, where each element exists for a reason in order to help in the development of the child. Children work with materials that were scientifically designed to help them explore our world, develop basic cognitive abilities, recognise errors by themselves and become responsible for their own learning.
The hands-on materials are carefully selected and placed on child-height shelves, everything in its place and on view for children to select. This offers the child opportunities to commit to interesting and freely chosen work, which brings out long periods of concentration that should not be interrupted.
In a typical Montessori classroom, you would see objects in baskets, trays, or boxes arranged on a shelf in an orderly and appealing way. Each activity contains purposeful work that is designed to teach a specific concept.
About Turramurra Montessori Academy
The Turramurra Montessori Academy opened in April 2019 and in October 2020 was very proud to achieve an Exceeding the National Quality Standards Rating.
Their mission is to provide excellence in early childhood education, achieved by providing students with an exceptional learning experience that encourages curiosity, discovery, and the development of their natural talents and abilities.
They accept children aged 2 – 6 years and open from 7:30am – 6:00pm. They offer nutritious catered meals and have designated short-term parking for families.
Outdoor Area at Turramurra
Each day the educators set up the outdoor play area based on children’s interests. Every day is different; however, on a typical day, they prepare the sandpits with toys, set up a quiet space, create a music area, and set up an obstacle course where children can practice their gross motor skills.
If children show a particular interest in a Montessori material, such as the Pink Tower, they would create a space where children can sort and compare toys by size to further their interests, skills, and knowledge of visual discrimination.
Similarly, if children are interested in dinosaurs, they would create a space where children can explore and learn about dinosaurs. This might include setting up a small world, creating an activity where children can sort different species of dinosaurs, or implement an activity where children can match the dinosaur to their footprint.
Staff at Turramurra
Turramurra Montessori Academy sees itself as a big family. They have a great relationship with the children, each other, and the families at the service.
The team values the uniqueness of every child, they commit to each learning experience whole-heartedly, and they genuinely believe in the Montessori philosophy.
To find out more about Turramurra Montessori Academy, visit www.montessoriacademy.com.au or you can contact their Family Care Team over the phone on 1300 000 162.
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