Our independent study program is designed for families wishing to guide their child's learning at home with the support of an MdMCS teacher, the structure of MdMCS provided curriculum, and the resources of the MdMCS learning community.

 

Program Outline:

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• Students enrolled in our program will be partnered with a teacher who will develop a teacher-student agreement and individualized learning program based on the child’s developmental phase, experience with academics and schooling, and areas of interest.

• Teacher and student will design work contracts and plans, choosing from a variety of curriculum options provided by MdMCS.

• Each MIIS enrolled student will work with the MIIS teacher on a schedule designed collaboratively by teacher, parents, and student. 

• Students will receive instruction and guidance from their teacher through a tailored combination of streamed lessons, Google Classroom, phone, and in person.

• Serves children ages 6 to 13 years (grades 1 to 8).

 

Unlike programs based on standardized curriculums, our independent study program is based on the Montessori principles of choice, independence, relatedness, and ownership over learning. It differs from our classroom based program in that the instruction and learning practices will take place in the home and not in a Montessori prepared environment.  Children participating in independent study will not have access to the social learning environment or Montessori materials of our classrooms. However, regular student-teacher conferences allow for continual realignment of the curriculum to respond to the child’s concept readiness and personal interest.

 

The MIIS teacher will own responsibility for offering full-course instruction, tracking progress and documenting student learning. The ability to observe and foster the learning of a MIIS enrolled student correlates to the frequency and manner by which the student participates in scheduled conferences and live streamed lessons, produces and submits projects and returns completed learning packets. Although the program provides for distance-based learning, the Montessori teacher-student agreement remains a core value. Teachers continue to be responsible for providing engaging instruction and students continue their role in applying, practicing and expanding the lessons at home. Each MIIS enrolled student will produce a student portfolio to document their learning and progress in all content areas over the course of the year. The MIIS teacher will guide and oversee the portfolio process every step of the way.