The Laren School

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The Laren School is a learning community offering alternative education for 3 - 15 year olds using the Montessori approach.

Program Description, Elementary

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At the elementary level, the child enters a new stage of development. The emergence of the reasoning mind; a strong interest in social organizations as well as peer groups are major developmental changes at this stage. A different class structure and curriculum are given to address these major developmental changes.

The lessons are primarily aimed to develop and coordinate reasoning skills. The materials and activities strongly support the child’s need to manipulate and explore connections of ideas.

Studies are integrated not only in terms of subject matter but also in terms of moral learning. As a result, there is appreciation and respect for life, moral empathy, and a fundamental belief in progress, the universality of the human condition, the meaning of true justice and the importance of the contribution of the individual.

1. The Great Lessons

The “Great Lessons” are connective narratives that provide a framework and an overview for organizing and integrating studies in history, geography, science, mathematics and language. Materials are impressionistic charts and timelines which span the history of the universe, origin of the solar system, earth and life forms to the emergence of cultures and rise of civilizations. More than the facts, the Great Lessons inspire awe and respect for the integration of all knowledge and the contributions of early men. Furthermore, the lessons plant the seeds of realization that the continuation of civilizations lies in man’s contribution to it, furthering the hope that the students themselves will see their own place in the cycle of life.

2. Mathematics and Geometry

Armed with key concepts laid at the primary level, mathematics at the elementary moves the child to abstraction. Work with the materials simultaneously tackles arithmetic, geometric and algebraic connections. Visual materials present operations with fractions, decimals, squaring, cubing and algebraic equations. Analysis of basic geometric shapes leads to an understanding of theorems and their applications. Geometry work includes the study of equivalence, area and volume.

3. Language and Reading (English and Filipino)

These areas introduce the child to formal grammar, sentence analysis, etymology and interpretive reading. Activities in spelling, structure and style are given to enhance writing skills. These language rules and tools provide the essential supports in the student’s creative writing endeavors as well as research skills. Strong emphasis is laid on analysis of classical and contemporary literature including outstanding works of Filipino authors.

4. Cultural Studies

Includes studies in Natural and Physical science, history, geography, art, music and drama. Students discover that geography is the story of the earth's origins and its accommodating environments. They learn that biology is the study of the coming of life to preserve the harmony of the earth. They investigate history as the story of human beings who come to fulfill the plan set in motion at the creation. The study of language helps them understand how humans communicate, not only in spoken and written word, but through art and music as well. Through mathematics and science, they explore the formulas that human beings have developed to transmit their ideas to inventions. Often these explorations take the children beyond the confines of the classroom to investigate further.

Program Description, Pre-school

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The preschool program caters to pre-school children aged 3-6 year old. Children at this age learn primarily through the senses aided by the Absorbent Mind. Sensitive Periods for learning, or periods of acute sensitivity to specific areas of development such as language, coordinated movement, classification and order, are addressed.

The program strongly emphasizes functional independence, development of the will and provides a strong foundation for concept and skill development. The mixed-age group provides a myriad of opportunities for social development.

The younger children come in for a three-hour cycle and the older ones participate in Extended Day class, going to a second three-hour cycle.

There are five broad curricular areas:

1. Practical Life

This area emphasizes independence in practical living skills. It allows the children to function independently in caring for their own needs and the needs of the class environment. Activities incorporate motivations for orderly and logical thinking as well as precision and exactness of movements – both fine motor and gross motor. Practical Life activities also increase concentration skills and help children develop problem-solving strategies.

2. Sensorial Activities

These are a set of activities that aims to refine the child's senses. Sensory impressions are concretized through the Montessori materials. These materialized abstractions allow for rich manipulative and direct experiences of the different sense impressions that surround the young child. The Sensorial materials also help children organize and classify all sense impressions absorbed since birth. All five senses are engaged as the child learns to make fine distinctions in quality and gradation. Furthermore, the materials extend the child's learning and include language for all the sensory experiences.

3. Language

While there are specific materials in the classroom for the development of skills in language, the whole classroom life is the main language experience of the child. Every activity, object, and experience in the classroom may be used in language lessons so that language learning is interwoven in the everyday life of the child. Auditory, spoken, written, and read language are discovered by the child and explored through a variety of lessons. Language symbols are presented using a sight/sound/touch approach. Writing and reading skills are developed enabling the children to creatively express ideas in writing and do simple research.

4. Math

Mathematics integrates the child's sensorial exploration. Concrete materials allow the child to experience and internalize concepts of quantity, number symbolization, the decimal system, and place value. The child gradually moves from the concrete towards the abstract, exploring the processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

5. Cultural studies

Cultural studies provide key lessons which aim to broaden the child's understanding of the world and its people. Lessons in Geography, History and Science lead to knowledge of land and water formation, ecosystems, basic human needs and diverse world cultures. Art, music and drama are integrated as part of daily activity. Physical development is enhanced through movement and coordination activities both indoors as well as outdoors.

Back to Programs Offered

Contact Information

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Address:
Unit 313, 3rd Floor, La Fuerza Plaza I
2241 Don Chino Roces Avenue
1231 Makati City

Email:
larenschool@gmail.com

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Laren-School/110344368201?ref=ts

Telephone:
(02) 893-7046

Educators

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Andie Lim, Head of School

17 years experience as Executive Director of a Montessori school in the Philippines
Completed a Master of Education, Major in Montessori Education at the Loyola College in Maryland
Holds an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Diploma in the Primary (3 - 6 years old) Level, also from the Loyola College in Maryland
Founding Member and Past President of the Foundation for the Advancement of Montessori Eduction in the Philippines (FAMEP)

Hope Leyson, Education Director

14 years experience as Class and Head Directress of a Montessori school in the Philippines
Completed a Masters in Education major in Special Education from De La Salle University, Manila with High Distinction
Completed a Montessori Primary Course at the Montessori Institute of Atlanta, Georgia in 1993
Completed Post Masteral Advanced Studies in Education at Loyola College in Maryland, and a Montessori Elementary Course also at Loyola College
Faculty member of De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University

The Laren School Name

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The LAREN School takes its name from the model school and teacher-training center established by Dr. Maria Montessori in 1936 in a town called Laren, not far from Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Located on the grounds of the Groenendaal estate in Laren, the school was christened the Maria Montessori Montessorischool or "MM Montessorischool".

From 1936 to 1939, it served as a model school and housed a training center preparing teachers to work with children aged 3 - 6.

Photo and text (translated from the original Dutch) obtained with the kind assistance of Mr. Joke Verheul, Secretariat, Association Montessori Internationale

The Montessori Approach

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Montessori is a comprehensive educational approach from birth to adulthood based on the observation of children's needs in a variety of cultures all around the world.

Dr. Maria Montessori developed this educational approach over a century ago, based on her understanding of children's natural learning tendencies as they unfold in "prepared environments" for multi-age groups (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-15 and 15-18).

The Montessori environment contains specially designed, manipulative "materials for development" that invite children to engage in learning activities of their own individual choice.

Under the guidance of a trained teacher, children in a Montessori classroom learn by making discoveries with the materials, cultivating concentration, motivation, self-discipline and a love of learning.

Today, Montessori schools are found worldwide, serving children from birth through adolescence. In the United States, there are more than 4,000 private Montessori schools and more than 200 public schools with Montessori-styled programs. The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), founded by Maria Montessori in 1929, maintains Montessori educational principles and disseminates Montessori education throughout the world.

Programs Offered

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Pre-school (click for description)
Ages 3 - 6 years

Lower Elementary (click for description)
Ages 6 - 9 years
(Traditionally, grades 1 - 3)

Upper Elementary (click for description)
Ages 9 - 12
(Traditionally, grades 4 - 6)

Middle School
Ages 12 - 15
(Traditionally, grades 7 - 8)

Vision and Mission

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Vision

The LAREN School assists individuals in growing to their fullest potential and instills in them a deep sense of independence and social responsibility. With the knowledge that they are citizens of their country and of the world, they will make contributions based on the highest order of ethics and conscience.

Mission

In order to fulfill this vision, the LAREN School aims to:

Help students recognize their capabilities as well as imperfections so that they may be able to realsitically evaluate their efforts and themselves

Provide strong academics through the Montessori curriculum and materials

Promote freedom within the classroom while encouraging and requiring the self-discipline students need to use that freedom well

Instill social justice and citizenship by providing community service activities and projects

Nurture lifelong learners by encouraging students to question even established thinking, and by giving them the skills to search for their own answers