Elementary school (6-15 years)
Children learn easier, because we respect their needs for:
Movement
Children learn much more easily if they can involve more senses, including touch. To create concrete ideas, they have great materials that they can manipulate with and that allow them to understand abstract concepts such as fractions, square roots, scales in music, the movement of the Sun around the Earth etc. In addition, children move around the classroom completely freely and within an agreed time, they can decide for themselves where and with whom to complete which task. We allow them to use the work and leisure phases of the brain much efficiently. At the same time, they are exposed to the requirement to master how to organize their work and time.
Choice
The feeling of well-being is bigger and learning more pleasant when children have a feeling of choice or control over certain parts of education. With growing responsibility for their performance, they can choose at which table they will learn and with whom, or whether they will take their work on the floor and when they will fulfill the task to which they have committed themselves within the agreed timeframe. With the support of knowledgeable teachers, children have the opportunity to find their own strategy of self-discipline and ability to self-reflect. Children get more responsibility with their growing ability to cope with them.
Interest
A child learns better when he is interested in what he is learning. Or when the subject is related to his immediate life situation, and when he can be active and creative. The teacher ensures the fulfillment of the compulsory school curriculum, as is the case in any other school, but at the same time takes the best interests of the child into account and includes him in the process of planning the content of education. The child uses his interests to make individual progress and at the same time they get feedback from teachers and other students on what they can be really good at and with what they can help others. They gain value, healthy self-confidence and they can feel successful.
Inner motivation
External motivation to reward an activity, such as money or marks, negatively affects the motivation to engage in an activity when the reward is not provided. Children who learn for grades are demonstrably making a much smaller effort to do something extra for fear of making mistakes. That is why our children receive verbal evaluations. We support internal motivation that is more lasting and independent of external circumstances, and we do not use rewards or punishments, but a system of natural consequences. The mistake is the feedback, information about how to work and an opportunity for improvement. Thus, a child can be creative without fear of failure.
Cooperation
The environment of mutual cooperation can make learning very easy so there are students from several years in one class. Pupils are not limited to their year's curriculum, but can join older and younger classmates. They learn by imitation, cooperation and discussions. They learn to ask for help and to accept it if they need it, and kindly help less experienced children. Younger children see where their older classmates' efforts can lead and older children repeat and reinforce the curriculum as they help younger ones and learn to be good leaders of the group. With the help of the stories of real concrete and anonymous heroes of the present and past children, we put it at heart that each of them has the power to change their part of the world, if they wish. We encourage them to look for opportunities as they can be beneficial.
Contextual learning
Any subject matter organized into meaningful wholes is often deeper and richer than teaching abstract or taken out of context. Therefore, children are constantly encouraged to approach tasks creatively and interdisciplinarily. Teaching is not divided into subjects, although the content of the curriculum is rather more than in regular schools. The way of learning is diametrically different: disciplines are constantly intertwined and are enriched by excursions, debates with experts and trips to nature in order to perceive that our lives are influenced by historical context, geographical and geo-political location, social group culture, emotional and mental settings people around us, and that together with other people and everything on the planet, we are one interacting and indivisible whole.
Great adults
The role of teachers is to offer students many stimuli for thinking and processing. They show children various ways to approach individual topics, how to process them and present them to classmates. During the first three years of school, children touch on many topics and gathers information and try to process them better from year to year. Over the next three years, they form systematic units, complex projects, and combine the amount of data they have collected so far. The last three years, they make the data useful in their community. Adults in the classroom have the role of guides: they present the curriculum to the children with the help of teaching materials, diagrams and stories and ask them questions that lead them to think and self-reflect. We use Rosenbergs's technique of non-violent communication.
Order
Order in the environment is beneficial for learning, because children do not have to waste their mental energy on orientation, where they will find what learning material. When they want to practice the curriculum, they do not have to wait for instructions from the teacher, but they automatically know where to find the necessary things and how to work with them, or they can ask for help and re-explanation at any time, without fear of ridicule. With the help of the teacher and her assistant, the children learn to recognize when the curriculum is sufficiently trained and to distribute their capacities effectively. The school, well equipped with teaching materials and educated and experienced teachers, allows children to practice the curriculum independently and sufficiently to transfer to the middle school (střední škola).
Learning must mean development of self, not a mere teaching of facts
We work according to the principles of Montessori pedagogy. The advantage over a regular school is our individual approach to children and the three-hour working cycle that children plan with the help of a teacher. Based on the skills and knowledge of individual children, the teacher gives individual or group lessons in the field of Czech language, mathematics, geometry, biology, history, geography, music and fine arts. After working hours, the children evaluate what they have learned and their independent work. As a result, they will learn to estimate their skills and the time they need to achieve the desired results. We have prepared for them easy-to-grasp and fun forms of learning what is just a drill in a regular school. We use children's inner motivation to learn, which is the engine of all our activities. We support them in research, putting different information into a broader context, the ability to express themselves orally and in writing, in mathematical and abstract thinking. From the first grade, children learn English, later on they add German.
Application
If you are interested in elementary school Montessori Kampus for your child, let us know and come to the information meeting in February 16th, 2023 from 17.00 o'clock in Montessori Kampus, Husova 17, České Budějovice. The meeting is held in Czech language but you can bring someone with you who will translate for you.
In February, prospective parents will be asked to come to visit the classroom for two hours during the morning. In March, the prospective child will come for a week to take part in the classroom so that he or she and the teachers can experience how the montessori approach fits the child.
In April 3rd, 2023 from 15.30, there will an official application ritual held. Parents will hand over to the school the official application.
School fee: 7100 CZK / month + lunch 65 CZK / day
Schedule and holidays
- 07.30-08.15 Arrival
- 08.30-11.45 Morning work cycle
- 11.45 - 12.15 Garden time (play, rest, learn)
- 12.15-13.00 Lunch
- 13.00-15.00 Afternoon work cycle (free afternoon on Friday)
- 15.00-16.00 Garden time (play, rest, learn)
Montessori Kampus is open every weekday and closed on state holidays and following holidays given by MSMT:
- Fall holidays: 2 days in October
- Christmas holidays: usually 22st December - 2nd January
- Half year holidays: Friday after giving certificates
- Spring holidays: 1 week in February / March (moveable week)
- Easter holidays: Thursday before Easter Monday
- Summer holidays: 1 July - 31st August
First day of school and handing over certificates:
- first school day: 1st September from 8.30 to 12.00, no afternoon school
- handing over certificates: last day of January from 8.30 to 10.00, no afternoon school
- handing over certificates: last day of June from 8.30 to 10.00, no afternoon school