My daughter goes to ESF kindie and she is happy there. It is a very free environment. They have a about 45mins "Discover Time" in which they are allowed to choose which activity table they go to. It does really build up her self-confidence and she is learning her alphabet and numbers effortlessly. The ESF classroom is very noisy or expressive. It seems like the IB program encourages kids to talk, they dont need to raise their hands to talk. Anyone can express themselves whenever a teacher asks a question. On the other hand when I went to visit some Montessori schools, kids were very quiet, not much expression, they seemed to be very focused on whatever they were doing. My experience of a couple of Montessort playgroups so far, was that teachers were not that caring. Also, the Montessori programs seems a bit boring to me. Kids in the ESF kindie look like they are having a blast! A international school principal, who is Montessorri trained told me that Montessori works well for 3-6 yr olds.
Although, I too was very dazzled by the whole concept and idealogy of Montessori, I think it has become somewhat institutionalised. If it was practised as it should have been, then it seems great, but I am not sure, given the pressure from HK parents, that the original idealogy has been adhered too.
I was told by a primary teacher that Montesorri schools are a worldwide franchise and seems to care on profits. Before you enrol in Montessori, I think you should take a close look at the program itself. Ask lots of questions about the curriculum, and look at how the children are in class. From my own observation, the Montessori curriculum can be quite limited. My biggest gripe is there is no room for imagination, which is a skill required for out-of-the-box thinking in adult life. Also, there is no emphasis on social skills.
I went for an open day at the IMS Montessori Kindie in South Hong Kong. I took my 1 yr old daughter at the time and she grabbed a flask that was sitting in a basket (as a curious 1yr old would). Then a montessori student came running over, grabbed it from her and said, "hey, leave it alone, this is ours!", i was a but aghast, that she didnt have any manners!
Although I like the ESF kindie, I have a friend's daughter who did not survive it. She is very shy and I dont think she could handle the rowdiness of the open plan type of environment. All kids mix together during Discover Time, including the "difficult" kids and bullies, with less than adequate supervision, so you can expect some bullying that goes unseen. It will depend on the personality of your child.
I was told by an ex-IB primary teacher that the IB program at Primary involves team work and the kids are constantly asked to provide their own answers to questions. They do a lot of interviewing, so there is a more verbal than worksheets activity. I dont think their teaching relies much on textbook as the traditional teaching does. This technique is supposed to encourage students to inquire more and think more.
I think this would suit a child that can handle this kind of environment. Some kids are better being instructed all the way and find it hard to think/do for themselves.
Here's my 2 cents worth
