math at guidepost montessori.
Our approach to building a mathematical mind
Children don’t need to hate math—and, indeed, they can love it if, instead of being asked to follow a procedure without understanding why or memorize math facts out of context, they’re introduced to math in a way that makes abstract concepts come to life.
Guidepost’s approach to math invites children to notice real mathematical relationships in the world and to describe them, first in a fully tactile and concrete way, and then increasingly abstractly.
features of guidepost montessori's math curriculum:
Real experiences with quantities
Using a gradual sequence of materials—from rods divided in ten equal parts to red disks they sort into piles—children come to vividly understand quantities and how they relate to one another, building a foundation for future success in math.
Ingrained sense of place value
Children build an ingrained sense of place value, the foundation of doing advanced operations, using materials which allow them to see that reaching 10—units, tens, or hundreds—creates a change of shape, making the more abstract use of a 0 easier to understand.
Performing operations concretely
From counting to ten as 3-year-old to multiplying large numbers like 355 by 13 as a 5-year-old, children use materials carefully designed to highlight important mathematical relationships in a visual and tactile way.
Nido
In Nido, the foundation for math is built using sensorial materials that accelerate the child’s the child’s observation and awareness of:
- Patterns and order
- Sorting and categories
- Quantity and dimension
Toddler
In our toddler program, children continue with more sophisticated sensorial exploration and add:
- Formal counting and number awareness in natural language
- Mathematical vocabulary as a part of life (with food prep for example)
Children’s House
In Children’s House, children use materials that unlock:
- All four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) with 4-digit numbers
- Dynamic subtraction and addition (borrowing and carrying)
- Fractions and their operations
at guidepost montessori, we believe every child is tremendously capable.
But what’s even better, the children believe it too.
Every child at Guidepost Montessori knows they can accomplish real things and engage in real learning. Not because someone tells them so, but because they choose it, experience it, and succeed at it every single day.