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In a previous blog , we discussed the value of inclusion and how Montessori’s tenet of following the individual needs of the child makes it inherently inclusive. The Circle of Inclusion Project (University of Kansas) and Raintree Montessori (Lawrence, Kansas) listed 11 specific ways in which Montessori education addresses the needs of all children, including those with disabilities. Included in this list is “Individualization within the context of a supportive classroom community.” In today’s blog, Michelle kindly shares her classroom experiences to provide real-life examples of how Montessori meets that specific goal. Case 1 After working with three boys on the Stamp Game, I invited them to select a static addition card from the basket that they would like to work on with the material. Michael and Ephraim took a card that contained four-digit numbers. Jeremiah chose a card that contained two-digit numbers. I then asked the boys how many equations they were going to accomplish that mo...

The main thing is that the groups should contain different ages, because it has great influence on the cultural development of the child. This is obtained by the relations of the children among themselves. You cannot imagine how well a young child learns from an older child; how patient the older child is with the difficulties of the younger. —Maria Montessori The Child, Society and the World. It was my first year teaching in the Montessori lower elementary environment. I began my teaching career teaching high school, and was progressively making my way through the younger age groups. So far, I had taught every age group but Year 1–3. I have to admit, I was nervous about the children having separation anxiety and about getting through my first day with 18 first graders. But nothing prepared me for the parent who requested to have her child segregated from the older children in class. I thought that perhaps she was unsure of the mixed- or multi- age culture found in the Montessori envir...