MONTESSORI EDUCATION IN PRESCHOOL

The general goal of our project partner schools for pre-school education is to provide Montessori education for groups 4-6 age children through the use of concrete educational materials.

Montessori Education in preschool period

4 Participating countries: North Macedonia, Turkey, Italy and Slovenia

Start: 11-09-2020 - End: 11-08-2022

Project Reference: 2020-1-TR01-KA229-092143

EU Grant: 80.088 EUR

Programme: Erasmus+

Key Action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Action Type: School Exchange Partnerships

The general goal of our project partner schools for pre-school education is, “To provide sound education foundations for our 4-6 year-old children in the preschool education period.” In all our partner schools
- Through the use of concrete educational materials, an educational environment has been created for children to learn by living and doing.
- Montessori education units consisting of daily life, sensory, mathematics, language, and cosmic education tools have been created in order to develop the basic skills of our 4-6 year-old children in creativity, language, self-care, mathematics, and science.

In partners schools, as Montessori materials are not designed according to children's interests and needs and educational activities that encourage children to use Montessori materials as educational tools are not organized, the children participating in Montessori education, such as language, self-care, acting independently, taking part in the group, interest in mathematics and science skills were not developed and Montessori training activities were terminated. In order to apply Montessori method techniques and activities, which are used as a common and effective method in European countries in the process of developing basic skills of preschool children in creativity, language, self-care, mathematics and science in the classrooms; cooperation with 4 preschool education institutions from 4 different European countries based in Turkey, Italy, Slovenia and North Macedonia that are possessed of Montessori materials, that have different experiences about the problems and solutions in the application process of Montessori education method will be made.

To be done within the scope of cooperation to be established between Italy, Dieresione Didattica ”III Circolo Baldo Bonsingnore”, North Macedonia, JOUDG "Breshia", Slovenia Osnovna sola Orehek Kranj and Turkey, Asım Kocabıyık Kindergarten:
- Designing Montessori materials in line with children's interests and needs
- Adding and removing materials in the classroom environment
- Evaluating the individual development of children
- Intervention to material use
- Directing children's attention to Montesori activities
- Experience sharing will be made in preparing Montessori activities where daily life, sensation, mathematics, language and science education materials will be used.

As a result of the cooperation with educational institutions with experience in applying Montessori teaching methods, our goal is:
- Using the Montessori units we established in our classes in an efficient way.
- To give our teachers the ability to prepare and apply Montessori training activities.
- To provide our children with basic skills in the fields of language, daily life, self-care, mathematics, and science by including our children in a training process using Montessori materials.
- A booklet of Montessori class design examples is to ensure that at least 120 Montessori activities and a "Preschool Montessori education plan" are prepared, which include the use of daily life, sensory, mathematics, language, science materials.

Our project activities will last 24 months and 4 transnational staff training activities will be organized to prepare Montosori class material layout, daily life, sensory, mathematics, language, and science education departments and Montessori training plan. 4 pre-school teachers and 1 English teacher from each country will participate in all transnational educational activities.
C1- A booklet with examples of Montessori class design. 20 Montessori activities to be implemented in the 1st and 2nd
months of the academic year will be prepared.
C2- Daily life, 40 Montessori activities to be implemented in the Sensory unit will be prepared.
C3- 60 Montessori activities to be applied in Mathematics, Language and the cosmic education department will be prepared.
In C4, a "Preschool Montessori education plan" will be prepared, which includes at least 180 teaching hours to be implemented during one academic year in partner schools.

Activities prepared within the scope of the project will be implemented by giving education to students in all schools. The implementation of Montessori activities in partner schools is on the server:
- An educational environment will be created in all of our schools where children will learn by doing, living, trying.
- The use of concrete and realistic teaching materials in group games will improve our children's creativity and social skills.
- Language development activities will prepare our children for reading and writing
- Mathematical activities will support the recognition of numbers, counting, matching, and comprehension of four operations
- Cosmic educational activities will increase children's interest in science.