Questions to ask, things to look for when touring Montessori elementary school?

[Biscuits & Gravy]

I will admit that I know just the basics about Montessori. DS will be in kindergarten next year, and our public school system has charter and magnet schools. I just realized that the charter within walking distance for us is Montessori. I'm going to find out more details, but want to be prepared so that I can get the right information, ask the right questions, and know a bit of what to look for.

Also, he has been in a play based preschool. They have structure and routine, and work on social growth as well as fostering independence. They do not focus on academics as part of the curriculum. Will this help or harm him in a transition to Montessori?

[MattBronsil]

Originally Posted by Biscuits & Gravy

I will admit that I know just the basics about Montessori. DS will be in kindergarten next year, and our public school system has charter and magnet schools. I just realized that the charter within walking distance for us is Montessori. I'm going to find out more details, but want to be prepared so that I can get the right information, ask the right questions, and know a bit of what to look for.

Also, he has been in a play based preschool. They have structure and routine, and work on social growth as well as fostering independence. They do not focus on academics as part of the curriculum. Will this help or harm him in a transition to Montessori?

I think the hardest part of transitioning into Montessori has more to do with getting used to the non-teacher lead work cycle than Montessori usually having accelerated academics. This is because the teacher realizes all her students are on different levels in everything, so being "behind" should never really exist in Montessori.

Another problem I have heard about is how familiar a student is with the materials. A student who knows the stamp game will have less trouble understanding how to use that to find square roots of numbers.