Early Childhood Education with Montessori Credential (B.S.)

Dr. Maria Montessori believed in the incredible genius of children — inquisitive by their very nature, hungry for knowledge, and more than capable of setting out to find their own solutions to the world’s problems. The role of the teacher, she believed, should dovetail with this concept of how children learn: Educators, she wrote, should be guides and mentors — not answer bearers.

“Never help a child with a task,” she famously wrote, “at which he feels he can succeed.” In other words, allow children to learn by doing, offer them hints instead of detailed instruction, let them soak in the how and the why and the what at their own pace — and in their own way.

The educational theorist was writing and studying in the early 20th century, but Montessori’s child-centered approach to education, dubbed the Montessori Method, has more than stood the test of time. According to the American Montessori Society, there are more than 4,000 Montessori schools across the United States and thousands more worldwide.

And there’s little wonder why.

Montessorri schools pride themselves on letting children be children. On creating robust educational environments that invite discovery, that facilitate learning through active play, and that foster multi-age peer relationships to promote social, emotional and cognitive development.

Our bachelor’s degree in education with a Montessori credential will prepare you to lead a classroom in a Montessori environment, teaching young children ages 2 ½ to 6. Our Montessori program meets rigorous Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education standards along with Early Childhood Education state requirements — and our graduates work in Montessori Method educational environments across Hawaii and the nation.

B.S. Early Childhood Education with Montessori Credential (Online)

Learning Outcomes

This program prepares candidates interested in working with young children ages two and a half years through six years in private schools and other education environments with Montessori credential. This major meets MACTE accreditation standards and state registry requirements for ECE.

Upon completion of the our initial teach licensure programs, a graduating student will demonstrate the following competencies:

1. Knowledge of subject matter such as reading/language arts, mathematics, social sciences, science, visual arts, musical arts, and kinesthetic arts (Content Knowledge)

2. Knowledge of how students develop and learn, including how to engage students in developmentally appropriate experiences that support learning (Developmentally Appropriate Practices)

3. Knowledge of how to teach subject matter to students and apply a variety of instructional strategies that are rigorous, differentiated, and focused on the active involvement of the learner (Pedagogical Content Knowledge)

4. Knowledge and application of appropriate technology for student learning (Technology)

5. Knowledge and use of appropriate assessment strategies that enhance the knowledge of learners and their responsibility for their own learning (Assessment)

6. Skills for adapting learning activities for individual differences and the needs of diverse learners while maintaining safe, positive, caring, and inclusive learning environments (Diversity)

7. Skills in the planning and design of meaningful learning activities that support and have positive impacts on student learning based upon knowledge of subject matters, students, the community, curriculum standards, and the integration of appropriate technology (Focus on Student Learning)

8. Professional dispositions, professionalism in teaching, ethical standards of conduct consistent with Marianist values, and positive and constructive relationships with parents, the school community and colleagues (Professional and Ethical Dispositions and Communication)

B.S. Early Childhood Education with Montessori Credential (Online) Degree Requirements

Required Coursework

Students working toward a Bachelor’s degree must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours of coursework, which includes general education requirements, electives, pre-major requirements (if applicable) and major requirements.

Pre-Major Requirements (13 credit hours)

• PSY 202 Child Development
• ED 101 Introduction to Chaminade ECE*
• ED 215 Music, Art & Creative Movement in Early Childhood Education
• ED 217 Health & Family Issues in ECE
• ED 233 Intro to Early Childhood Education I

*Prior to taking any early childhood courses, it is required that the student ED 101 Introduction to Chaminade Early Childhood Education course.

Major Requirements

• ED 222 Educational Technology
• ED 431 Montessori Performance Final
• ED 432A Culturally Appropriate Practices and Montessori Methods
• ED 432B Development of the Senses and the Montessori Methods
• ED 440 Language Arts & Montessori Methods
• ED 445 Math & Montessori Methods
• ED 461 Montessori Child Development
• ED 466 Montessori Philosophy
• ED 474 Curriculum Foundations
• ED 479 Leadership & Guidance in Ed
• ED 493A Seminar Montessori Early Childhood
• ED 493B Seminar Montessori Early Childhood
• ED 497A Student Teaching: Montessori Early Childhood
• ED 497B Student Teaching: Montessori Early Childhood

Note: Student Teaching and Seminar must be taken after completion of academic courses. Ed 493A and ED 497A must be taken concurrently in the fall student teaching term and ED 493B and ED 497B must be taken in the following spring student teaching term.