TALLER 1 AND 2

Maria Montessori chose the word Taller to name the group for children aged 6 to 12. She chose this term to reflect an environment similar to a workshop, where children could actively participate in their own learning. The idea of taller reflects a pedagogical approach centered on autonomous work, exploration, and active learning.
Just like in an art studio or a laboratory, children in Taller I and II have the opportunity to manipulate materials, experiment, and work either individually or in small groups,fostering their creativity, independence, and sense of responsibility.

As children enter primary education, they begin to consolidate their personal and social identity, with greater skills to manage impulses and regulate emotions. This stage is marked by emotional stability and a sense of calm, where internal conflicts diminish and energy shifts toward cognitive learning and peer relationships.

It is a time when group awareness grows stronger, and the feeling of belonging becomes essential to healthy development. In addition to offering individual mentoring spaces where each child feels supported, we also focus on nurturing the group’s social dynamic.

That’s why we promote conflict resolution, establish spaces for dialogue, and encourage shared decision-making. These practices strengthen group cohesion and foster a respectful, collaborative environment.

We understand the prepared environment as a set of elements referring to the characteristics of the space and materials that create an ideal ecosystem,providing children with the tools they need to find answers to their own questions.

The classroom contains materials that are always accessible and organized by areas of knowledge. These materials are designed to interconnect easily, encouraging links between disciplines and supporting cross-curricular learning.

We know that this kind of learning is far more meaningful than content presented in isolation. This organization allows children to freely choose what they want to work on and to move throughout all classroom spaces,understood as both indoor and outdoor environments.

Cosmic Education is the central concept of the pedagogy developed by Maria Montessori for the 6–12 age group. At this stage, children’s reasoning minds are more prepared for abstraction, their focus shifts to social relationships and actions, and their interest in culture, current events, and understanding the universe emerges more strongly than ever before.

At MA, we understand the interests that arise in this second stage of development and structure our spaces and daily dynamics to respond to children’s social and cultural questions,always through the interconnection of all the elements around them.

At MA, we believe that all learning must be integrated and interconnected. Just as we know the brain is more efficient when various areas and neural networks work together, Montessori also proposed learning environments where different areas of knowledge are presented in a connected way.

Starting from a specific interest a child may have, we offer materials that respond to their questions. This leads to research and exploration through multiple channels: visual arts, movement, mathematics, languages, geography, botany, geometry, music…

These transversal learnings have greater impact on the brain, because they activate multiple neural networks and make knowledge more accessible and longer-lasting.

At MA, we believe that meaningful learning cannot happen without emotions being at the center and that joy is learning’s best ally. Knowing this, learning must arise from the child’s own will, and our responsibility is to provide the conditions so that every child can go as far as they desire.

Following the development of cosmic awareness, the goal is for children to understand the meaning and purpose of the universe, to recognize the importance of all living beings on Earth, and to awaken a sense of gratitude, responsibility, and respect for nature. Nurturing the awareness that each human being plays a vital role in the balance of the world—and that our actions have an impact on the universe—is the seed that underlies the educational values of peace, now more relevant than ever.

This attitude of respect toward ourselves and our surroundings goes hand in hand with promoting cooperative and collaborative work, as opposed to competitive work.

Children aged 6 to 12 find joy in being part of a group. Their greatest satisfaction comes from feeling they are contributing to their community’s well-being. At MA, we educate through social joy, something the brain perceives as essential to survival.
That’s why we encourage children to choose what, how, where, with whom, and when to work.
At MA, we understand cooperative work as a sum of complementary individual contributions which, when shared, create a richer form of learning compared to simply adding up isolated parts. Thus, working in a group isn’t just doing the same thing side-by-side, it’s understanding that my contribution enriches the whole, and vice versa.

The autonomy we offer around how children work is the most distinctive and relevant aspect of our pedagogical approach:

• What to work on: based on their own interests, encouraging motivation.
• How to work: choosing the areas they want to integrate, supporting transversal learning.
• Where to work: in the classroom, in the garden, or out in the city, making learning contextual.
• With whom to work: alone, in pairs, in groups, or with children from other age groups, fostering cooperative learning.
• When to work: managing their time and planning.
• With which tools: using various techniques and disciplines, allowing for creativity and emotional connection.

All of these practices support the development of executive functions,cognitive processes related to attention, working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, reasoning, planning, problem solving, creativity, and emotional regulation.
These functions develop significantly during this stage (6–12 years), when the brain builds key connections between the prefrontal cortex and other areas. For this reason, at MA we offer environments that support not only academic learning but also meta-learning.

After freely exploring art in early childhood, this stage introduces techniques that allow children to express their ideas and mental images with precision. At MA, we have a multidisciplinary team that supports artistic expression with sensitivity and skill.

At MA, we treat the garden as another classroom. Each group takes care of a section of the garden. Educators and children build an intimate relationship with the plants and trees that live there. We awaken our senses and become sensitive to the nuances and needs of nature in each season. Enjoy it’s beauty and magic.

In primary, we believe it’s essential to connect learning to real-life contexts. From a spark of interest, global learning emerges. The classroom is the starting point, but we also live the garden, the neighborhood, the city, and the surrounding area.

For children aged 6 to 12, these experiential approaches help deeply and meaningfully integrate knowledge. We prioritize quality to ensure engagement, joy in learning, and intrinsic motivation.
“In primary, the limits should not be the classroom walls, but rather the moral boundaries agreed upon and/or determined by society. The basic moral principle requires the individual’s commitment to the group.”

Montessori, M. From Childhood to Adolescence

Music is a language that runs through daily life at MA. To make this possible, we have developed our own music program with SONA, with whom we’ve shared a deep admiration since our beginnings.

We offer after-school activities Monday to Thursday from 4.30pm to 5.30pm for children who wish to participate. Each activity has a recommended age. It’s important that children are physically, emotionally, and mentally ready to enjoy this extra time at school.