Mixed Ages (Montessori)

In Montessori education, Mixed Ages classrooms are a fundamental characteristic, where children of various ages learn together in the same environment.^[1] Age groupings are based on Montessori’s planes of development. Children from 3 to 6 years of age learn together in the Children’s House, 6 to 9-year-olds share the lower elementary level, and the upper elementary level is made up of 9 to 12-year-olds. As the work is tailored to individual progress, children learn at their own pace. This mixed age setting fosters cooperation rather than competition among children.

Contents

• 1Montessori Quotes
• 2Research and Critiques
• 3Comparisons to Other Methods
• 4See Also
• 5Glossary of Montessori Terms
• 6Please help to translate this page into your local language
• 7References

Montessori Quotes

• “The fundamental principle of scientific pedagogy must be, indeed, the liberty of the pupil; such liberty as shall permit a development of individual, spontaneous manifestations of the child’s nature.”^[2]
• “One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.”^[3]