OMS Montessori is accredited by the Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators (CCMA).
OMS Montessori is a not-for-profit private school offering an authentic Montessori education in the nation’s capital. An OMS education is grounded in creating the conditions for students to be in a state of flow or focused engagement while they are learning academic and life skills. The classrooms are set up for students to learn primarily through activities rather than through a lecture or demonstration. Our controlled environment helps children reach their goals at their own pace while preserving children’s natural joy in learning, whether they are working, playing, studying or exploring.
In Montessori, the educators’ role is to guide the student’s education by demonstrating the use of the materials and activities, and by being available to the individual student as a resource and mentor. The student receives lessons from the educator but chooses which activities to do. The educator is free to interact with students individually – by offering help, working side by side, or giving a presentation on a new activity; or the educator can step back and observe how each student is progressing, and plan what to introduce next. The educators guide the student’s learning through presentations and provide individual support, guidance and direction according to each student’s needs.
The Montessori curriculum follows the innate development of the child and is consistent within accredited schools throughout the world. The curriculum and class setup for each age is responsive to that particular age range.
While each program is responsive to the age it serves, all programs have the following characteristics in order to maximize the Montessori experience:
Why Choose a CCMA accredited school
The Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators (CCMA) “provides mutual support and services to its members and acts as a unified voice to organizations and agencies.” All members must be accredited by the organization. This involves an in depth review of all policies and procedures, a self-evaluation, and an on-site visit of each class by two consultants. The re-accreditation process is repeated every 5 years.
Montessori Pedagogy
Maria Montessori
Montessori Organizations
Focused engagement
A student in a state of focused engagement is very concentrated, content, and energized rather than tired by the activity. He or she also experiences a strong sense of wellbeing. Because the activities available in a Montessori classroom match the characteristics of each appropriate age, the students work for themselves rather than for the educators. They feel good about themselves and their accomplishments, interact well with one another, and are easily guided by their educators.
Students learn through what they do
A Montessori classroom is set up with a series of sequenced materials and activities that cover all the curricular areas appropriate for the ages it serves. The educator introduces each activity to an individual student or to a small group by demonstrating its use. The educator assesses the students’ understanding and progress by observing the activity, and then plans which presentation to give next to the specific students.
Mixed Age Community
A Montessori classroom is set up for a mixed age group of students who share similar characteristics. Students in a Montessori class naturally learn to interact with peers younger and older than themselves. The mixed age community provides opportunities for all students to be leaders, team players and mentors. The three-year cycle in a Montessori class provides an enriched learning environment, deep relationships between students and educators and a supportive classroom culture.
Three-hour work periods
Dr. Montessori graphed the levels of concentration she observed in her classrooms and found that the most intense concentration came towards the end of a three-hour work period. During the three-hour work period students receive academic lessons, choose their appropriate work or activities, and are establishing their own personal work habits and concentration.