One of the core principles of Montessori education is individualization for each student. While concepts for exposure are somewhat standardized by the materials on the shelves and the lessons in our albums, it is the responsibility of the teachers to scaffold the depth of those concepts and experiences for each child to create truly individualized learning that speaks to a child’s whole self. The goal is not only to facilitate a child’s acquisition of skills, but also to consider the role teachers play, and the role we as parents can play, in helping craft that experience to create a positive lifelong relationship with learning for the child. In addition, intentional and knowledgeable scaffolding leads to greater progress and concept retention for children. Scaffolding opportunities include modified lesson presentations, follow-up guidelines, and student-teacher feedback around completed work. We will also discuss the balance between using standards/benchmarks for accountability and progress tracking while still maintaining an individualized experience for the student.

Jessica Davis was a Montessori student for her Early Childhood and Elementary years. Later, she received degrees in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education, with her master’s work in Reading, as well as her 6-12 Elementary Montessori Credential. She is currently finishing a graduate degree in Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum at Indiana University. After teaching Lower Elementary for over a decade, she is now Assistant Head of School at Bloomington Montessori School. Bloomington Montessori is an AMS accredited school in Bloomington, Indiana that has been serving its community since 1968. BMS is a private not-for-profit school that serves over 200 children ages 3-12.