7 Tips to Setting Up a Montessori Classroom
This is it! The countdown is beginning, laminators are heating up, and the difficult task of setting up the classroom for the new year is underway. While every classroom (home and school) will look different, there are a few guiding principles to keep in mind while putting together your environment.
1. See things from a child’s perspective
Walk around on your knees if you need to so that you know how things look to them. Make sure that work is accessible and that there are wide enough paths around tables, shelves, etc. for them to walk while carrying their work.
2. Don’t be afraid to rearrange and retry
I’ve talked a lot about this before, but it bears repeating. Nothing is set in stone; try something, and if it doesn’t work, try it a different way. Ask for someone else’s opinion if you’re really struggling.
3. Put a lot of thought into the environment
Even when you’re not in the room, be thinking about different options and improvements. Sometimes it helps to get away and not actually be there…that’s often when the great ideas come. Visit another Montessori school for ideas on how to organize and arrange a classroom.
4. Keep the classroom organized
Make sure you have specific “sections” for each curricular area, and arrange the work on the shelves from easiest to most difficult. This helps the children to navigate their way through the myriad of choices during the first few weeks.
5. Go for form and function
In the Montessori prepared environment, every part of the room should be beautiful. While there are often budget limitations, it’s important to use attractive, sturdy shelves, tables, and chairs. Whenever possible, materials should be “real” (wood, glass, bamboo) and not plastic. The children will rise to the level of the materials, and show more care in handling them if they are good quality.
6. Control the environment, not the children
If you have materials for a special presentation, or a very complicated work that would need teacher involvement, keep it out of sight until you’re ready to use it. If you put it out into the room, and a child asks to see it, it’s very disheartening if you’re not actually ready to show them right then.
Also, if there’s a work that’s consistently being used incorrectly (or being played with inappropriately), that’s a sign that the children aren’t ready to do it. Put it away and plan on re-presenting it later in the year.
7. Less is more
Don’t cram the shelves till they’re overflowing. This is confusing and bewildering to the children, and makes it harder for them to make good work choices. Better to put out a few exquisitely beautiful materials than a shelf full of mediocre ones. Better to have one gorgeously framed painting than a wall full of cheap posters.
Keep some work off the shelves to put out later in the year. Let the work “breathe” – keep some space between each tray or container. The children will be more comfortable, and so will you.
I work in a Public Montessori school and my classroom is quite tiny (as we were not built to be a Montessori school, but a Traditional one). Anyway, I found in the past that if I only put 2-3 materials on my shelves at first it becomes more confusing to my students later on as I have to then start shifting things around to make room for new materials-by the end I usually have around 5 materials on one shelf (that’s how small my room is). Also, I found that my 2nd and 3rd year students want to start where they left off which means I have had to put most of my 3 year curriculum out from the get go. I haven’t had any problems doing this thus far but wanted to get some opinions on putting more materials on the shelves in the beginning of the year, particularly for returning students.
One last thing. For the possibility that I wanted to hold off on presenting materials that were already on my shelves, I was thinking about putting white fabric in front of a shelf/cabinet that I didn’t want the students to use just yet-uncovering it as “new material” at a later time. Or, I thought about just turning the shelf/cabinet around. What do you think about that?
There’s no hard and fast rules – you need to put out as many materials as your class needs, based on class size and levels.
It is nice to keep a few things tucked away for the second half of the year, though, and maybe swap some that you’ve had out from the beginning.
I’ve seen teachers do both – put white paper or cloth over materials that they’re not ready to present yet, or turning a shelf around. Or, even telling the class that they can’t do the work yet, but that you do plan on presenting it in the future (that works with elementary kids).
Lori,
Thank you for the encouraging post. You give me such a positive feel for starting the year.
Your post has caused miracles in my classroom! I have been thinking of ways to bring about a turn around in my classroom. Thanks to you all that burden has been taken care of. I can now help other preschool teachers set up their classroom.
So glad to hear it, thanks for your comment!