No

Children acquire their first language before the age of three. After this age the child’s brain continues to maintain the neural plasticity that allows the child to acquire a second language with correct pronunciation and without any risk of confusion with the first language.

The best age to become bilingual begins at birth and continues for the entire pre-school period. When children simultaneously and naturally acquire more than one language, they are likely to become fully bilingual in a seemingly spontaneous way. They won’t even realize what had happened…

International schools are monolingual schools that follow the curriculum of their specific country. In our case, the school offers immersion in Italian-English bilingualism while adhering to the current curricular guidelines of Italian schools.

The Montessori Method is structured to help each child reach his or her maximum potential. The composition of every class includes children with different abilities and skill levels. It is a community in which the children learn from each other and each child contributes. The individual path of study that the Montessori method offers is particularly suitable for educating children with special needs since each child’s performance is viewed on its own terms, without the pressure of peer comparisons or the dangers of discrimination and exclusion.

Transitions are challenging for most children, especially when they are leaving a positive and beloved environment. Nevertheless, children that have experienced a Montessori environment are “equipped” with autonomy, a method of study, self-esteem, a sense of responsibility and a love of learning that allows them to adapt quickly to new contexts.

Maria Montessori discovered that children allowed to freely choose which activity or subject to focus on do this with extraordinary productivity and efficacy which stimulates both their capacity to learn and their concentration. This freedom is guided and supervised by the teachers with clear rules and self-discipline which leads the children to gradually cover all the topics of the programme. So, “paradoxically”, in the Montessori method children gain both freedom of choice and thinking as well as respect for rules and self-discipline. The teacher’s supervision ensures that everyone enjoys freedom appropriately in various settings (work, lunch, playtime) and across different ages. An organised and peaceful working atmosphere characterizes the classroom.

Our school is not a religious school. Our ethical values ​​are universal and compatible with the Judeo-Christian tradition that inspired the work of Maria Montessori.

Research shows that Montessori children are well prepared for future academic, social and emotional life. In addition to performing well on standardized school tests, Montessori children are considered above average for criteria such as (i) listening attentively, (ii) using basic skills, (iii) showing a sense of responsibility, (iv) showing enthusiasm for learning and (v) adapting to new situations.

It is interesting to read the opinions of the two founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergei Brin, both Montessori alumni, on the influence this type of training has had on their lives. Similar considerations are reported by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.

The Montessori Method emphasises learning through all five senses rather than learning only by listening or reading. Children in Montessori classes learn at their own individual pace and according to the activities they choose from a wide selection of possibilities. Learning is an exciting process of discovery that leads to concentration, motivation, self-discipline and love of studying. Montessori classes often have a mixed age group, creating a community of children where the older spontaneously share their knowledge with the younger.

A Montessori classroom often gives the impression of a ‘beehive’, with each child deep in concentration and busily getting on with his/her task.

The Montessori teacher moves from one child/group of children to another offering help and support and speaks calmly without raising his/her voice.