We are favorizing quality to quantity
WELCOME IN OUR EXCLUSIVE SMALL-SIZED CLASS.
WE OFFER ENGLISH/FRENCH/SPANISH MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL AND SUMMER CAMP PROGRAMS IN BROOKLYN .
CLASS-SIZE REDUCTION IN A MONTESSORI ENVIRONMENT IS A SUCCESS STORY. PARENTS LOVE IT, AS THEIR CHILDREN GET MORE INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION.
Our program offer several schedules:
8.30 am to 2.30 pm = Montessori / English (no languages teaching included) NEW!
8.30 am to 3.30 pm = Montessori / English ( 1h French or Spanish teaching)
8.30 am to 4.30 pm = Montessori/ English ( 2h French and/or Spanish teaching)
8.30 am to 5.30 pm = Montessori/English (3h French and/or Spanish teaching)
early drop off and late pick up possible
AT ATELIER DE LA CASA WE TAKE PRESCHOOL SERIOUSLY, ARE YOU READY TO SEE YOUR CHILD STARTING HIS SCHOLAR JOURNEY BEING AHEAD FROM THE START ?
WE ARE FAVORIZING QUALITY TO QUANTITY TO GUARANTY SUCCESS
WE ARE IDENTIFYING OURSELVES WITH A PROGRESSIVE MONTESSORI TEACHING APPROACH.
Maria Montessori herself continued to evolve her methods throughout her lifetime, incorporating new ideas and approaches as they emerged, why not continue? We have added modern teaching methods and materials to her approach in order to meet the needs of today’s 21st century children. Maria Montessori had classes of 25-40 kids. We have reduced the size to 5/6 per guide/teacher, which allows us to know our students better and consequently optimize our teaching by adding more techniques, curriculums and lessons that wouldn't be possible in a setting with more students. We are definItely not a regular Montessori environment, we are more than that. We are also following the New York City curriculum and the chosen language national curriculum as well. Our educators supplement traditional Montessori materials and hands-on activities placing a greater emphasis on interdisciplinary learning and project/theme based learning, allowing children to explore topics in depth and make connections across disciplines. Children that are knowledgeable have explored relevant and significant concepts and can remember what they have learned or seen.We have different themes every 1 to 2 weeks (for example: Volcanoes and Landforms, From caterpillar to Butterfly, Lifecycle of a Plant, Five Senses, Weather Study, The Human Body, etc. Our students are exploring with their hands, ears, eyes, nose, taste and even voice.
WE ARE A TRILINGUAL MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL
TEACHING MULTILINGUAL IMMERSION CLASSES, WE ARE PREPARING OUR STUDENTS TO BE GLOBALLY AWARE...
AT ATELIER DE LA CASA, YOU CAN CHOOSE THE OPTION BILINGUAL (ENGLISH/FRENCH OR ENGLISH/SPANISH) DURING SCHOOL HOURS.
BUT YOU CAN ALSO CHOOSE THE TRILINGUAL OPTION ADDING A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE THAN THE ONE CHOSEN FOR SCHOOL FOR AFTER-SCHOOL HOURS OR SIMPLY REENFORCING THE BILINGUALISM OF YOUR CHILD, WE OFFER 1 AND 2 HOURS AFTER SCHOOL OF IMMERSION IN FRENCH OR SPANISH.
REMEMBER THIS IS THE AGE OF ABSORPTION, ANY LANGUAGE IS QUICKLY LEARNED, WE ARE TEACHING THROUGH MONTESSORI, CURRICULUMS OF THE LANGUAGE'S COUNTRY AND PLAY.
RESEARCH SHOWS THAT LEARNING LANGUAGES AT AN EARLY AGE BOOST PROBLEM-SOLVING, CRITICAL-THINKING AND LISTENING SKILLS, IN ADDITION TO IMPROVING MEMORY, CONCENTRATION, AND THE ABILITY TO MULTITASK. CHILDREN PROFICIENT IN OTHER LANGUAGES ALSO SHOW SIGNS OF ENHANCED CREATIVITY AND MENTAL FLEXIBILITY. THE MULTILINGUALISM HAS THE ADVANTAGE TO OFFER A GREAT EXERCISE FOR THE BRAIN, SWITCHING FROM A LANGUAGE TO AN OTHER ONE.
SMALL CLASSES AREN'T TRENDY THEY ARE EFFECTIVE AT FOSTERING STUDENTS SUCCESS!
IMAGINE HOW MUCH MORE YOUR CHILD WOULD BENEFIT FROM AN EDUCATION IN A SMALL CLASS-SIZE...
AT THE AGE OF ABSORPTION (2/3 TO 6 YEARS OLD) THE ABSORBENT MIND IS THE CAPACITY FOR CHILDREN TO LEARN FROM THEIR ENVIRONMENT QUICKLY AND WITHOUT RULES - WHY STARTING TO LEARN LANGUAGES IN THIS TIME FRAME IS A PIECE OF CAKE. CHILDREN UNCONSCIOUSLY ABSORB SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS AND DEVELOP THEIR PERSONALITIES DURING THOSE FORMATIVE YEARS ( THIS IS "THE" IMPORTANT TIME TO FRAME OUR CHILDREN'S MINDS POSITIVELY AND PROJECT THEMSELVES AS A STRONG, CAPABLE AND SUCCESSFUL HUMAN BEING.
OUR PROGRAMS
ROOTED IN MONTESSORI PHILOSOPHY OUR APPROACH IS BUILT ON A DEEP RESPECT FOR INDIVIDUALITY OF EACH CHILD.
OUR CURRICULUM IS A MIXOLOGY OF MONTESSORI & NEW YORK STATE CURRICULUM, IT IS DESIGNED TO INSPIRE MASTERY AND EXCELLENCE. BY CHALLENGING AND EQUIPPING STUDENTS WITH DEEP CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND KEEN ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS, WE'RE HELPING THEM BECOME MORE CONFIDENT IN THEIR INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES.
OUR LESSONS PLANS SUPPORT YOUR CHILD 'S INDIVIDUALITY BY OFFERING THEM EXPERIENCES THAT ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY & CRITICAL THINKING.
WE ARE STUDENTS CENTERED, OUR MONTESSORI METHOD FOSTERS RIGOROUS, SELF MOTIVATED GROWTH FOR CHILDREN IN ALL AREAS OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT, COGNITIVE, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL. USUALLY MONTESSORI CLASSES SIZE ARE BETWEEN 25 TO 40 KIDS MIXED BETWEEN 2 YEARS TO 6 YEARS OLD) AS A SMALL CLASS SIZE (10/12 CHILDREN) WE ARE ABLE TO REACH OUR FULL CAPACITY TO TEACH EFFICIENTLY AND REACH OUR CURRICULUMS GOALS FASTER.
In childhood, the Montessori term “work” is where the traditional definitions for play and work meet. In Montessori, a child's efforts ,focus and determination are not minimized or written off as futile, this is the roots for success. The word “work” is a respectful way of referring to the natural inclination to explore and learn, or as most people refer to it as “play”.
ATELIER DE LA CASA IS MORE THAN A WARM AND NURTURING PLACE, OUR HIGHLY TRAINED TEAM IS COMMITTED TO INSPIRING, EDUCATING AND GUIDING YOUR CHILD TOWARD IN ENGLISH, FRENCH AND SPANISH LANGUAGE WHILE LEARNING LIFE SKILLS, EXPLORING TOPICS, LEARNING ABOUT THE WORLD AND GAINING A STRONG ACADEMIC FOUNDATION.
EMBRACING EACH CHILD 'S UNIQUE POTENTIAL, WE EMPOWER CHILDREN TO BECOME INDEPENDENT, KNOWLEDGEABLE, SELF CONFIDENT, CARING CITIZEN OF THEIR COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD.
OU GUIDES ARE ACTIVE IN THEIR OBSERVATION AND TEACHING
WE DON'T HAVE A TRADITIONAL 2/4 ASSISTANTS FOR 1 TEACHER, TRYING TO TEACH 20 TO 30 STUDENTS.
OUR FORMULA IS 3/6 STUDENTS PER GUIDE/TEACHER AND THIS IS FANTASTIC!
IN OUR BIGGER CLASSROOMS , WE ARE KEEPING THE SAME FORMULA WITH A GUIDE/TEACHER LEADER PER CLASSROOM.
Hello everyones, I am Lili-Gen, I m native french, I have been teaching for 20 years, I have experienced International, Academic, Montessori schools and private teaching. When my son Matteo was born, I started asking myself what kind of education I wanted my precious one to grow into (question, all of us wonder about), let me offer you my perspective from 20 years working with kids, and being inside the school system...from my experience there is no perfection, at this age of curiosity development (sign of intelligence) the number of kids in a classroom is being the factor number one in failure unless you have the attention of the teacher constantly, why small groups of 3/6 is being a great point at ATELIER DE LA CASA.
Today’s classrooms are more diverse than ever. Each student/child has individual strengths, weaknesses, and interests—as well as social, behavioral, and cultural factors—that all impact their learning process. Teachers are put in the difficult position of trying to meet each student/child’s unique needs to ensure that all students
succeed, regardless of their learning style.
How can teachers address the needs of all students at all levels, at the same time? Struggling students may be left behind, while advanced students may not be challenged sufficiently. The “one-size-fits-all” approach to education is outdated. Instead, learning must be strategically tailored to work for each student.
Montessori and small sized classrooms allow teachers to modify and improve their lesson plans to meet the needs of individual students by collecting and analyzing data. By being close, teachers determine areas of study where students struggle and excel, and at which stage in the learning process miscommunication may have occurred. It allows teachers to make the necessary adjustments to their teaching approach.
As a teacher we’ve all had that student who takes one look at an assignment and shuts down. They sit and stare. They develop a sudden and pressing need to go to the bathroom. They start to talk and distract others. They run, hide, If students lack the confidence and sense of self-efficacy needed to be successful now and in their future, they will choose to do nothing rather than try and fail yet again. Our job as educators is to give them the tools they need in order to be successful. At the age of absorption (2-6) our kids need their minds to be framed positively, why this is the period they need us more than ever to be close...we are creating a lifetime foundation, we need to teach to their level. This means a commitment to getting to know our students as well as possible: academically, cognitively, culturally, and emotionally.
Strong from my teaching experience, I designed my perfect Montessori program, separated in 2 parts, English in the morning and 2nd language immersion in the afternoon. A second language being as important as english and being taught by immersion at the same level than english with the aim not to become an exotic enrichment but for the student/child to become fluent. We also offer after-school language teaching using Montessori, immersion, play and curriculums. The main idea is to not dissociate the focus to learn a new language with the general teaching a child need at this age in the same language (motors, geography, history, biology, writing, emotions...etc).
If you feel like me, that your child need great attention to have a wonderful beginning, a mind framed to be a winner and develop a love of learning, this is for you! with our qualified team support, our intimate sized group, we are targeting quality teaching . Our focus is the positive development of our children, our future.
Montessori preschool/Summer Camp English French Spanish in Brooklyn.
The Montessori classroom prepares the child for literacy in two main ways: a well- prepared environment and the guidance of the teacher. Dr. Montessori believed in a well-prepared environment with wide parameters. This point leads to the next critical factor: giving the child the freedom to develop at his own pace:
“Allowed to trust their own ears and their own judgments many children show amazing facility as they begin to develop language.”
Montessori promote hands on, self paced, collaborative, joyful learning. Children in Montessori follow their interests, wherever that passion leads; giving them strong academics, leadership, self discipline, responsibility, independence, initiative and a lifelong love of learning.”
Children are innately interested in learning about the world around them and through their natural curiosity are able to develop themselves. By providing an environment that supports natural development, Montessori education enables children to develop the fundamental capacities that they need to become happy and fulfilled adults who contribute to society.
Maria Montessori observed that the child rapidly acquires language from birth until six years of age without ever being taught, and she believed that this phenomenon provided evidence for her theory on the Absorbent Mind (Montessori, 1949, p. 94). The Absorbent Mind states that children from birth until three unconsciously take in their environment and shape themselves from any information and stimulation they can come into contact with. The child from three to six years of age is consciously using specific things in his environment to build up his mental and physical faculties. Hence, as linguists today found, language seems to be learned almost intuitively and the child is born with the instinct to decipher and acquire the language of their culture (Chomsky, 2000).
Authentic Montessori environments encompass the following principles:
BENEFICE OF AN INTIMATELY SIZED, ONE CLASSROOM=CLOSER TEACHERS
1. Each Student Gets Noticed
In a smaller class, it’s more difficult for students to hide and get left behind. Having fewer students means that each one can get the attention they need from their teacher. They are also encouraged to take part in discussions and driven to express their opinions.
3. Learning is Enhanced
Not only do students learn more in small classes, but they also learn faster. And this means the class progresses through the course material more quickly. Their learning is enhanced by the confidence that students develop. They are encouraged to share their opinions and ask and answer questions, which also benefits their peers.
5. Classes Become a Community
With fewer students per class, individuals can connect more closely with their peers and become more confident and comfortable when it comes to sharing their ideas and perspectives.
6. Opportunities to participate
Small groups mean fewer voices, which means the students those voices belong to have more chances to speak up in their class. They can apply the knowledge they’ve acquired as they participate in discussions.
7. Focus on Learning
In learning environments with a limited number of students, teachers can spend more time teaching the material and less time trying to regain the attention of those who are easily distracted. Teachers can also cater to students’ different learning styles and ensure that they stay engaged and understand what is being taught, the student is then trained to stay focus and productive until it becomes natural
8. More Feedback
Teachers have more time to individualize their feedback, ensuring that each student understands the material, can get the help they need and can reach his or her potential.
10. Ideas Are Shared
With fewer students in a class, there is more time for them to share their own ideas, express their opinions and describe their perspectives. They can really dive into where these ideas come from and enrich their international education abroad. Which means even shy students have the chance to embrace their ideas and share them with the peers.
We know that learning is easier when you have an excellent teacher. That's why most of our educators have achieved an advanced degree in their field. Our instructors are passionate about the subjects they teach and bring this enthusiasm into their courses.
A Montessori teacher has a deep understanding of child development and has been thoroughly trained to guide children towards productive and challenging experiences, both individually and collectively, that will provide a firm foundation for their future.
Multilinguisme is most effective when implemented from birth.
Starting as early as possible. Create an environment where it is normal to speak and hear various languages at all times. A study shows that babies can absorb as many as 5 languages from birth. It positively impacts their development. However, all communication has to be done via live interaction – talking with a baby, reading books, singing songs, etc...
During this time, the child can learn his language effortlessly and without fatigue. After the age of six, when the sensitive period has passed, it becomes much more difficult for the child to learn to read and write
Children are able to absorb languages from their environment and easily learn how to speak, read and write if the languages in its various forms is present in their environment during the period of the Absorbent Mind (Montessori, 1949). The quality and quantity of language a child is exposed to during the sensitive period directly affects his language skills and brain organization . language should be connected to emotion and for a child to acquire the language they must be spoken to directly .
Language in the Classroom
language is given in all the Montessori areas and throughout the day,.Enriching the child’s vocabulary expands his capacity to clearly communicate to others and express himself.
Language learning is not presented as a school subject, but as a communicative tool that is integrated with all other subjects and routines.
The key to the students’ success is the full immersion approach to language learning. Atelier De la casa instructors operate with the understanding that, in order to learn a language, students have to use it in a meaningful, real-world way. That means learning the language through conversations, play, academics, reading, culture, art and music with less emphasis on more common teaching methods like rote vocabulary memorization.
Language learning in a Montessori classroom involves activities that elicit language from the children and make them aware of the content, meaning, and context of the language they are hearing and using. We are using many activities in language training with young children (2 years and up).
Developing Citizens of the World with Montessori: Teaching and Learning a Second Language
Immersion programs conduct the school day entirely in the language the children are learning, or target language. This includes all lessons in all subjects. Immersion programs allow children to learn the target language similarly to the way they learned their native language — by being completely immersed in acquiring language from the environment.
The five key areas of learning in the Montessori environment include; Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics, and Culture.
1. Practical life includes life skills to help develop independence, coordination, concentration, self-control, self-awareness, confidence and include:
#Care of Self (food preparation, dressing, washing),
#Care of Environment (cleaning, gardening, care of pets, environmentalism),
#Grace and Courtesy (greetings, manners, social interactions),
#Control of Movement (refining movements, walking the line, moving quietly).
2. Sensorial activities allows the child to refine each of their senses:
Includes the manipulation of specifically designed materials that isolate qualities. Refines fine motor skills, visual and auditory senses and develops coordination and the ability to order and classify. Materials include Pink Tower, Brown Stairs, Knobbed Cylinders, Colour Tablets.
3. Language is based on phonetic awareness. Children work through specific hands-on and tactile language materials such as the sandpaper letters to the moveable alphabet. Language is not an isolated topic but runs through the curriculum. The spoken language is the foundation for writing and then reading.
4. Mathematics is developed with the use of concrete learning materials. The sensorial area is the preparation for mathematics. Hands-on materials are used such as number rods, sandpaper numbers, number boards, spindle box, number tiles, beads, and games. Each exercise builds upon another and the child gradually moves to from concrete to abstract areas such as place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and fractions.
5. Culture allows the child to explore the natural world around them and includes:
Geography, Botany, Zoology, History, Science, and more (continents, landforms, earth layers, solar system),
Freedom for children to work at their own pace, without interruption, choosing from a range of activities that are developmentally challenging and appropriate.
Exploration is encouraged so that children find things out for themselves, make mistakes and correct them independently.
Respect for each child as an individual personality with unique talents.
Respect for others, the community and the environment.
Montessori language teaching can be defined as an approach based on a full immersion in a language environment with self-corrective activities, fostering autonomy and the quintessence of problem-solving learning by developing the critical ability towards a foreign language.
For this reason, the European Council, within the Strategic Framework for Education and Training (ET 2020), following the resolutions of the European Council in Barcelona 2002, has produced a Manual whose year 2011 version lists a series of guidelines, among which:
“The target language (TL), that is the language studied, shouldn’t be presented as a separated subject but as an instrument of communication to carry out other activities”. In order to achieve such an objective, it is essential to create a “language” environment inside their classes where young students can find motivation and the right references.
Making students accustomed to mental opening and flexibility, to compare themselves to others and thus appreciating the consequent enrichment and benefits they can get from it, has become a fundamental principle for every teacher and trainer. The knowledge of foreign languages is the primary vehicle through which these principles are realized. Training the citizens of the world who are able to study, work and in few words “live” in a globalized, multi ethnic, multicultural and multilingual world, is one of the objectives of the European Council and is the main “responsibility” of teachers of foreign languages with children.
The full application of Montessori’s principles enables a natural language learning among young students by fostering the use of communication in the target language, communication that will become more and more familiar thanks to the acquisition of new sounds.
The ability to understand and communicate in more than one language is essential in present’s globalized world and what facilitates and fosters the learning of a foreign language is how early students start studying it and with which methodology.
As underlined by Krashen, Dulay and Burt in Language Two (1982), people who handle more than a language have higher verbal skills than the monolinguals and are even more skillful in understanding the meaning of new words. In the countries where the educational systems provide for the learning of one or more foreign languages in the early age, following the learning abilities typical of infant age, the passage to higher levels of education proved to be facilitated and the majority of the population reaches significant competences in other foreign languages.
Children in immersion programs quickly become bilingual. As well, they learn that there is more than one way of expressing an idea or saying something, and they develop an understanding of the relationships between words and meaning. Overall, children who learn a second language develop mental flexibility as well as an increased awareness of the importance of communication with others.
It is important to remember that language is a point of departure - not a point of arrival. The world is opened up to the child when he is given rich vocabulary that is rooted in reality. It is a means for understanding the world around him and it drives the child to seek out the truths of the world.
Montessori English/French/Spanish preschool/Summer camp
in Brooklyn /Greenpoint/Prospect Lefferts Gardens
Once the child is able to better express himself, to be confident about the knowledge he accumulated because he has been taught closely... his personality begins to truly surface and shine and this is our GOAL!