In the preschool-kindergarten classrooms, children interact continuously, sometimes choosing to work on projects together, and older children often help younger ones. Children also eat snack and lunch in groups. Each day there are group activities and outside play. As children get older, and naturally more social, the work provided is more group oriented.
In the elementary classroom there is constant socialization and group work. Children ages 6-12 are natural collaborators and the classroom and curriculum is designed to meet that need.
In middle school, social connections become even more critical. It is the Montessori adolescent guide’s job to find ways to allow youth to experiment with independence within a safe structure and facilitate ways for learners to refine their own moral compasses, develop a stronger sense of responsibility, and contribute more to the planning and decision making within the learning environment.