Playtimes HK Magazine September 2018 Issue | Page 27

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In another classroom children age
six to eight years – the equivalent of
grade 1–3 in a regular school – are
working to a three-hour work cycle on
a variety of tasks. The children do not
sit on chairs; they have a work area on
the floor. They are free to move around,
but not to go to other people’s work
area. They are allowed time to settle,
but then they concentrate. “Montessori
is freedom within limits,” says Dr
Christie Leung, school supervisor of
Discovery Montessori Schools. “A
successful Montessori classroom is
very calm and works in harmony,” says
Christie. “The freedom allows children
to build their own self-discipline, they
learn to respect others and to make
the right choices.”
Discovery Montessori Academy
is an intimate school, so the staff
number is fairly small compared
with other schools. It is close-knit
and feels like a family rather than a
large corporation. It’s comforting to
the children. There is an open-door
policy and parents have been known
to come and spend the best part of
a week familiarising themselves with
the school. There is no homework so
parents are encouraged to come for
update meetings to keep informed
of their child’s progress. The school
prides itself on its communication
with parents.
The school currently has IB
candidate school status and is working
toward becoming an accredited IB
school in the next two to three years. It
is the only Montesssori school in Hong
Kong working with an IB curriculum.
Ms Tammy Chan, principal of
Discovery Montessori Schools,
believes that the combination of
Montessori and IB is a natural fit.
Montessori builds the foundation
of subject matter while IB provides
children the skills to present. And, as
we’ve seen, the presentations are a
key part of school life here.
Tammy feels that a lot of people
misunderstand Montessori education,
especially when it comes to its use as
a curriculum for elementary education.
“They are worried because of the
mixed ages and because you can’t
see [results] so clear-cut. But we have
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