FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
2. What is your class size and student / teacher ratio?
3. Is there be transportation to and from school?
4. Do children wear school uniforms?
5. How is the IMS Montessori program different from traditional education?
7. How are the teachers selected?
8. How do teachers ensure that each child is achieving the minimum educational standards - and more?
9. What happens when a child leaves Montessori?
10. How does your bilingual program work?
11. Does IMS accommodate children with special needs?
12. What can I read to understand more about Maria Montessori and the Montessori Method?
Q: Where is the school?
A: IMS is located in three campuses:
South Horizons: Our Toddlers and Casa dei Bambini children have a large facility in which to learn and grow located in a purpose built kindergarten facility with an outdoor playground at G/F Blocks 23 to 23A South Horizons, Phase III (Entrance on right side of Lee Nam Road, after Ap Lei Chau Bridge Road) in South Horizons residential complex in Ap Lei Chau very close to the Aberdeen Tunnel.
Mid-Levels: IMS has just established a new campus for our Toddlers and Casa dei Bambini children in a cozy, tree lined environment with several outdoor playgrounds nearby at M/F, Tung Fai Gardens, 17 Po Yan Street, Sheung Wan.
Tin Hau: Our Montessori Primary Years program has moved from Morrison Hill to a lovely, purpose-built primary school campus, surrounded by trees, at 62 Tin Hau Temple Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong. |TOP|
Q: What is your class size and student / teacher ratio?
A: There are a maximum of 25 children in each classroom with two teachers. The student teacher ratio is 12.5:1. |TOP|
Q: Is there be transportation to and from school?
A: Bus service runs for all locations on Hong Kong Island, including Outlying Ferry piers and Central Post Office. Possible locations on Kowloon will be defined shortly. Fees for bus services are collected directly by the bus service company. |TOP|
Q: Do children wear school uniforms?
A: Yes. Parents find that the school uniform is helpful, as children wearing a uniform are more likely to focus on what he or she is doing, rather than on what another child is wearing. |TOP|
Q: How is the IMS Montessori Program different from traditional education?
A: The Montessori program encourages active learning – learning through doing in a multi-sensory (touch, smell, sight, hearing, experimentation) prepared environment. Children learn best when their interest is engaged. The teacher’s job is to kindle the spark of interest in the child, so as to achieve the child’s maximum potential in all areas. The multi-age classroom has many advantages, as supported by recent research. This environment offers a better match for children’s uneven developmental patterns. A teacher is more likely to address differences in development within an individual child. There are no grade limits to restrict the very bright child. If, however, a child is having difficulty, the teacher will focus on this area with the child and ensure that the child is progressing. Older children are role models and teachers to the younger ones, and they inspire the younger children to excel. They gain confidence and pride in their ability to help and reinforce their own knowledge and understanding of a subject.
A number of recent studies show the benefits of Montessori education:
- Montessori Education Provides Better Outcomes than Traditional Methods, Study Indicates
- A Comparison of Montessori and Traditional Middle Schools: Motivation, Quality of Experience, and Social Context
- London Times article on Montessori research: Montessori children "develop better social and academic skills than those at conventional schools."
- Long-Term Public school longitudinal study: This study supports the hypothesis that Montessori education has a positive long-term impact. Additionally, it provides an affirmative answer to questions about whether Montessori students will be successful in traditional schools.
Q: How is IMS accredited?
A: IMS is working with the Association of Montessori Internationale (AMI) to gain affiliation and accreditation. This body is the original organization established to provide curriculum, teacher training, affiliation, accreditation and resources to Montessori teachers and schools world-wide. We also regularly review the standards of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP). |TOP|
Q: How are the teachers selected?
A: The teacher plays a critical role in a child’s education experience. IMS has looked all over the world to hire superb teachers with a passion for teaching. Each classroom has at least one teacher who is Montessori qualified. To be a certified Montessori teacher, the teacher generally holds an undergraduate degree and receives an additional year of training in early childhood education, psychology, and the Montessori method. IMS’ Putonghua speaking teachers are teachers from China who are well versed in early childhood and/or Primary education, most of whom already have or are working to attain their Montessori teaching credentials while working at IMS. |TOP|
Q: How do teachers ensure that each child is achieving the minimum educational standards - and more?
A: The Montessori program is very challenging, with no limits on what a child can achieve, but with expectations of what a child must learn. Throughout the Montessori program, the teacher and the student have a contract that defines what needs to be taught by the teacher and learned by the child, each week, month, and year. Within those boundaries the child is encouraged to freely select materials which will support these learning objectives. Standardized test taking skills are important for the child. Testing is part of the IMS curriculum starting at age seven. IMS focuses on the relevant standard tests for the U.K. and the U.S. Children have the opportunity to take the Stanford tests (U.S. standards) and the British National Curriculum exams each year. In addition, IMS has computer programs supporting core subjects that offer standardized testing opportunities in a SAT format (Standardized Achievement Test used by U.S. Universities as a standardized entrance exam). |TOP|
Q: What happens when a child leaves Montessori?
A: Montessori children are unusually adaptable, especially those that have stayed in the program through age 12. They have learned to work independently and in groups. Since they have been encouraged to make decisions from an early age, these children are problem-solvers who can make choices and manage their time well. They also have been encouraged to exchange ideas and to discuss their work freely with others, and they have developed good communication skills that help ease the way into new settings. Research has shown that the best predictor of future success is a sense of self-esteem. Montessori programs, based on self-directed, non-competitive activities, help children develop good self-images and the confidence to face challenges and change with optimism. |TOP|
Q: How does your bilingual program work?
A: Each classroom has two teachers: an English-speaking teacher and a Putonghua-speaking teacher. Chinese is taught within the Montessori context, with input from Montessori programs in Greater China and Singapore. Care has been taken to incorporate the best elements of the East and West to support respect for those cultures. The focus is on spoken language first, emphasizing communication. Character recognition is also emphasized at the earliest ages. Pin Yin is introduced once the child has a strong grounding in phonics. The multi-sensory environment fosters academic learning, while the child absorbs the language from the surrounding environment. |TOP|
Q: Does IMS accommodate children with special needs?
A: Yes, to the extent that we can meet the specific needs of the child and those of the other children as well. Generally, children with special needs and those learning a second language tend to do well in a Montessori program because children learn better in a “multi-sensory” environment, where they can hear, see, touch and experiment. Some children with special needs may require the assistance of a Shadow Teacher in the classroom, or additional support outside of the classroom. |TOP|
Q: What can I read to understand more about Maria Montessori and the Montessori Method?
A: There are many wonderful books written about Montessori and her methods. http://www.montessoribooks.com.au/ is a good source. Several favorites are:
Montessori: The Science behind the Genius by Angeline Stoll Lillard, Ph.D.
Traditional school is in constant crisis because it is based on two poor models for children's learning: the school as a factory and the child as a blank slate. School reforms repeatedly fail by not changing these models. One hundred years ago, Maria Montessori devised a very different method of educating children, based on her observations of how they naturally learn. This book does much more than explain the scientific basis for Montessori's system: amid the clamor for evidence-based education, this book presents the studies that show how children learn best, makes clear why many traditional practices come up short, and describes an ingenious alternative that works. Everyone interested in education, at all levels and in all forms, will take from this book a wealth of insights on how to improve teaching effectiveness. Indispensable reading for anyone interested in what psychologists know about human learning and development.
Montessori in the Classroom: A Teacher's Account of How Children Really Learn by Paula Polk Lillard
What really happens inside a Montessori classroom? How do teachers teach? How do children learn? This fascinating day-by-day record in the year of the life of a Montessori classroom answers these questions by providing an illuminating and practical glimpse of the Montessori method in action.
The Secret of Childhood by Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori describes the child with warmth and the exactness of a scientist. She also discusses the array of materials and techniques needed to release his learning potential.
Montessori: A Modern Approach by Paula Polk Lillard
One of the best books for anyone seeking answers to the questions: What is the Montessori method? Are its revolutionary ideas about education relevant to today's world? Paula Polk Lillard writes both as a trained educator and as a concerned parent -- she has many years as a school teacher, but it was her enthusiasm for the education her own child experienced in a Montessori school that led her to become a leading voice in the Montessori movement.
Montessori Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Education from Birth to Adulthood by Paula Polk Lillard
This book describes the Montessori approach and sketches its application from preschool through early adulthood in a short but thorough volume. It is a useful tool for parents analyzing educational alternatives. |TOP|
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