Our vision of language
“Peace is a practical principle of human civilization and social organization that is based on the very nature of man. Peace does not enslave him; rather, it exalts him.... And because it is based on man’s nature, it a constant, a universal principle that applies to all human beings. This principle must be our guide in building a science of peace and educating men for peace.” (Education and Peace)
Montessori Hossegor believes strongly that a second-language is enrichment to life, gifting children with life-long benefits.
"And Dr. Montessori was right, because especially nowadays, if one becomes adapted only to one nation, one is not adapted to the world of our times."
Mario Montessori
The Human Tendencies and Montessori Education
Peace and education through language
As monolingual children grow the more native words s/he gathers and the more effortlessly does s/he perfect the oration of his native tongue leaving behind the ability to orate language that do not originate within his community. The bilingual child unlike the monolingual adult is able to store the words of a foreign language into his/her word bank. As this word bank is built up, the child develops preconceptions of how a language is spoken, that is, how a language ought to sound. When we try to learn a foreign language as adults we can understand the difficulty in learning the language. These difficulties arise out of the preconceptions that we have built up during our many years of speaking our native language. The preconceptions surface because we have preconceived notions of how a language is suppose to sound and that language is our own native language. When we speak French we do so with an English accent. Preconceptions can suppress cultural understandings and acceptance. Take for example the subjunctive mood, used frequently in French but it is much less common in English. This is a tense that expresses emotion but that does not mean that emotion is not expressed in the English language. Learning another language is the doorway to understanding another culture and when we learn another culture we can truly comprehend the way in which another human being experiences and expresses life. With these tools children are better equipped to live in a more peaceful society adhering to Dr. Montessori’s vision of peace.
The natural process of learning a language
The first step of language acquisition is to acquire passive language skills; here the child is able to understand English. Gradually children gain productive language skills, where they are able to fluently speak English. Children are never forced to speak English adhering to the integrity of Dr. Maria Montessori’s vision for classroom environments.
The Children's House
Young children have the Absorbent Mind and can absorb a second language effortlessly as naturally as their first language.
Elementary Years
Children enrolled in the Montessori Hossegor elementary program receive the Montessori elementary curriculum based on Cosmic Education and along the way achieve the benchmarks put forth by the National Education of France. Children will learn to understand speak, read, and write in English in addition to French.
How to support language development?
Early enrollment at Montessori Hossegor is critical for the acquisition of the English language. For families that wish to enroll their child after the age of three there must be a strong and supportive family unit, have previous Montessori experience or a good knowledge of the English language.
Enrollment
Early enrollment at Montessori Hossegor is critical for the acquisition of the English language. For families that wish to enroll their child after the age of five there must be a strong and supportive family unit, have previous Montessori experience or a good knowledge of the English language.