Montessori Part 1 - Early Years Care and Education

Course details

To meet the needs of an expanding ECCE sector Portobello Institute aims to provide a solid, integrated, unified approach to the delivery of ECCE training. FETAC Certificates are now obtained through a new Common Award System (CAS) and awarded by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).

Our Montessori and Early Childhood courses aim to develop in our Learners the highest level of professional competence as practitioners, establishing in them a wide knowledge and a deep understanding of educational practices in conjunction with the principles set down by Síolta: the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Aistear: the Framework for Early Learning.

Learners have two routes of progression to further studies following completion of stage 1. Please see Access Transfer & Progression below for further details.

Stage 1: Montessori Pedagogy

By the end of this stage Learners will be able to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of both the local and national frameworks which guide the education and care provision of Early Years settings, specialising in Montessori Pedagogy and Curriculum for the 3-6 year old. Over one hundred years ago, Maria Montessori, the first female physician in Italy, devised a very different method of educating children, based on her observations of how they naturally learn. Today, Montessori education is more in line with what developmentalists now know about how children learn and develop. Learners are qualified as Montessori Teachers for the 3-6 year range and may seek employment for this role within the pre-school sector.

Entry Requirements

• Entry to this course is by direct application to the college. There are no previous academic requirements.

Course Content Modules

Early Learning Environment

Montessori Philosophy, Practical Life Skills and Sensorial Education

Early Childhood Literacy and Numeracy

Montessori Language Development and Montessori Mathematics

Early Childhood Arts and Culture

Montessori Arts and Culture

Work Experience Over the Duration of the Course

Learners will spend 50 hours applying work skills to consolidate child development and learning in a Montessori school. This work experience is considered an integral part of the continuing learning process in which the Learner learns to apply the knowledge gained during the course.