Join us as we explore the world of early childhood education with Atiyyah Cariem, a seasoned Montessori guide and passionate advocate for igniting a lifelong love of learning in young minds. With a unique blend of experience spanning traditional and Montessori classrooms, Atiyyah brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to our conversation.
Drawing from core Montessori principles like fostering independence, respecting the child’s natural development, and creating prepared environments, Atiyyah shares her approach to nurturing curiosity and imagination in the young learners at the Lynedoch Community School situated at the Sustainability Institute.
Whether you’re an educator, parent, or simply curious about the power of early education, this interview promises to be an inspiring insight into teaching that nurtures and enables children to discover (for themselves) what makes their world special.
Grown ups are blighted by distractions and children are too, how do you enable them to focus and concentrate?
Concentration is essential for a child’s development. The Montessori environment is prepared with learning materials that are interesting to them and that meets their developmental needs. The Montessori classroom has a 3-hour work period where children are allowed to work without interruption (we try to keep their mornings free and schedule extra-murals after lunch). This 3-hour period provides children with the opportunity to choose work that interests them and then to concentrate deeply on their work of choice without interruption. How long or short a child engages in an activity depends on them.
The child still needs to exercise their will and self-control to remain focused on the task, but the environment is designed and equipped to support them in this process.
You mentioned you were disillusioned about the general lack of connection to nature and asked the question – ‘Why does nobody else care about this”?
People in general have lost their connection with nature. It is my goal to reconnect the children I teach with nature, and to help them notice and appreciate the beauty around them. Without this appreciation they will not grow to love the natural world. Everything will be seen as just a resource to be used and abused with no regard for the Earth’s well-being.
Please tell us more about the delightful lesson where you introduced the story of the Cape weaver and how they build their nests and the different types of wings found in birds of prey: ‘spoed vlerke’ (speed wings) for swallows and falcons and the ‘krag vlerke’ (power wings) of the eagles and buzzards.
This story sparked an interest in birds that started with small walks around the grounds and woodland area of the Sustainability Institute, where they identified and learned the names of the birds they saw.
They then used their library visits to get more books about birds to read about the different types of nests (and tried building some themselves). This activity made them realise how hard it was and led them to marvel at how well birds were able to do it…without hands!
A term later while on their walks they noticed how fast the swallows flew and that their wings were shaped like a boomerang which led them to want to explore the different types of wings that birds have.
They then went on to build models of each wing type out of cardboard and we displayed them from our class ceiling. Another term later we went on a field trip to learn more about birds of prey. This was like a key opening a door for them. They not only learned about birds, they learned they were capable. They were capable of going outside and discovering something new, they were capable of going to the library and finding books to further their research, they were capable of making something that could display what they learned to others and they were capable of organising an excursion.
In the developmental stage of early childhood, 3-6 year olds ask “what is this?”. The 7-12 year olds ask “why is this?”. In the Montessori pedagogy the teacher isn’t the source of information. You mentioned you are “not trying to put the whole world in the classroom”, you rather create a base from which they can explore the world. That said, you are a constant observer so you know how to read a child. Tell us more.
The Montessori classroom is designed in such a way that children need to leave its confines to find out the answers to all their questions. We have limited books and materials so ‘Going-Out’ is part of their curriculum. This is where children organise outings to find out more about their topics of research. For example, the research they did on birds was followed up with many short outings into the garden to observe birds. By observing they noticed the different types of wings each bird had. They then planned another outing to a bird sanctuary where they could closely observe birds of prey. After this they planned a beach outing where they could observe oceanic birds that had wings designed to soar.
Another example would be a group that researched cars and the history of cars. This led them to making a timeline and organising a trip to a car museum. There they spoke to the owner and had a chance to see the cars and other vehicles that they otherwise would never have got close to. They start their research in the classroom and then go out to find out more.
You mentioned that you have some children under your care for up to six years which gives them continuity and enables them to develop trust with you. During that time there is no rush for development and how to manage emotions is learned first before academics. How does that play out?
I have worked at a school that has a 6-12 year programme, a 6-9 year and a 9-12 year programme. The 6-12 year programme gives the older children more time with the younger ones, setting a good example of behaviour and work ethic. They provide a firm and stable foundation for the new children who come through from the children’s house. The younger children observe how the oldest children conduct themselves, how they progress, the work behind that progress and the “big” work they do and are so inspired to follow in their footsteps.
What about instilling a love of reading if so many believe they can’t read? You mentioned you had weekly spelling games to encourage reading and that this helped the children to become confident enough to inspire each other.
The love of learning goes hand in hand with a love of reading. When I first started, the love of learning was there but there was a fear of reading. While on their short outings they noticed creatures and plants and used books to identify them, it quickly became apparent that the ability to read was important. Those who could were relied upon to extract the information from books, while those who couldn’t realised the importance of this skill.
We had many class discussions to address where the class was at academically and how to accept where they all were individually and what needed to be done to help them improve from there.
The class agreed as a whole on the spelling tests and after two terms they decided to discontinue them because they felt they were doing enough independently, to improve their reading and writing skills. The spelling tests helped them hold themselves accountable and encouraged consistent reading practice. Along with the spelling tests we also started writing newsletters, letters to parents, role-play scripts, interviews and class rosters/schedules. This often entailed sitting with the children and verbally forming sentences that we could then put on paper. It meant reflecting on an experience, or a message and deciding what words to use. In the beginning, the guide provides many prompts to enable the children to express themselves using appropriate vocabulary but with time they will develop the skills and confidence to draft a letter, research paper, script or story independently.
It sounds like an ideal scenario and that the love of learning develops out of being safely guided to explore their curiosity. How do you discipline poor behaviour?
Children need to be respected but so many adults demand respect without giving it. Consider the threat: “you can’t talk to me like that” but the adult assumes they can do anything they choose simply because they are a child.
Discipline is a result of knowing there are consequences for choices that affect other people in a negative way. They practise controlling emotions and how relationships are compromised if emotions aren’t managed correctly. They see how communicating their feelings can improve relationships and the feelings they are experiencing then change too. This helps to remove power struggles although they still occur.
If children are emotionally and mentally sound they are better able to focus on a lesson and are also more likely to succeed at a task. If we do not address and help them manage their emotions we are almost setting them up for failure and continuous failure affects their self-esteem and drive to learn and explore new things. It’s like skipping a rock, one success leads to another and vice versa.
Montessori is human centred – it is all about raising better human beings. Fighting is a human problem.
Nestled in Lynedoch Valley, the SI provides the ideal setting for this transformative approach to learning. Its serene ambiance and close proximity to nature foster an environment where children can freely explore, question, and discover the wonders of the world around them. The Lynedoch Community School believes every child in Lynedoch Valley deserves the best education to reach their full potential. We support children from Lynedoch Valley with full scholarships to access high quality education best suited to their needs. They receive daily meals, transport, socio-emotional support and can participate in creative arts and sport. Parents and guardians are also supported through workshops and community support.
Our learners attend our Montessori primary school, where we focus on providing diverse learning experiences for children aged 6-12. Our goal is to help them become confident and active community members.