One of the most distinctive features of a Montessori education is the way learning extends beyond the classroom.
For students in the 6–9 and 9–12 environments, ‘Going Out’ is an important and purposeful part of the Montessori experience. It is not simply an excursion or a change of scenery. Rather, it is an opportunity for children to connect their classroom learning with the wider world – to explore, observe, contribute and understand their place within their community.
Maria Montessori recognised that children in the Second Plane of Development have a profound need to look beyond the immediate environment. As their reasoning, imagination and social awareness develop, they begin asking not only how things work, but why. They need opportunities to investigate the world around them and to understand how society functions.
As Montessori wrote:
“To go out of the classroom, to enter the outside world, which includes everything, is obviously to open an immense door to instruction.”
Learning through real-world experience
Going Out provides children with experiences that simply cannot be replicated within the classroom.
Students might leave the school to gather information connected to their studies, collect materials or supplies for a project, or participate in an activity that contributes to the wider community. These experiences arise from the children’s interests and their work in the classroom, rather than being predetermined simply because it is time for an excursion.
This distinction is important.
Going Out is initiated by the child, supported by the teacher and grounded in meaningful work. Students are involved in planning, decision-making and problem-solving, while learning to navigate the expectations and responsibilities that come with being part of a wider community.
Freedom and responsibility
In Montessori education, freedom is inseparable from responsibility.
As children move through the Second Plane, they are ready for increasing independence. Going Out provides a genuine context in which they can practise that independence.
They learn to plan, communicate, make decisions and consider the consequences of those decisions. They learn how to interact respectfully with people beyond their familiar school environment and how to adapt to different social settings.
These are not skills that can be fully developed through worksheets or simulations. They are developed through experience.
Going Out also gives children the opportunity to observe the many different ways in which people contribute to society. They begin to appreciate that every form of meaningful work has value—that the person working in a shop, the tradesperson, the scientist, the doctor or the pilot all contribute to the functioning of our community.
As Montessori reminds us:
“Knowledge and social experience must be acquired at one and the same time.”
Preparing children for their place in the world
The purpose of Montessori education extends beyond academic knowledge. We want children to become capable, confident and responsible members of society.
Going Out supports this development by giving children opportunities to interact with the real world, develop compassion and awareness, and recognise their responsibilities to themselves and others.
It also connects strongly with the Montessori concept of human tendencies, particularly exploration, orientation and communication.
Through these experiences, children begin to understand that their choices have consequences and that they are part of something larger than themselves.
What does Going Out look like?
While every Going Out experience is different, they generally fall into three broad categories:
- Research and exploration: following up on a classroom presentation or question by going into the community to gather information.
- Practical Going Out: sourcing materials, supplies or resources needed for meaningful classroom work.
- Community service: engaging with the wider community in ways that allow students to contribute and be of service.
Importantly, this means that Going Outs are not necessarily scheduled for every child at the same time. They arise naturally from the work and needs of the students and the classroom.
Authentic Montessori in action
At Northside Montessori, we see Going Out as an essential part of providing an authentic Montessori education.
Our staff take great care to ensure these experiences are meaningful, purposeful and appropriately supported, while giving students the opportunity to develop genuine independence and responsibility.
For us, Going Out is about much more than leaving the school grounds. It is about opening the door to the world.
It is about giving children the opportunity to see how society works, to meet people, to solve real problems, to contribute, to make decisions and to discover their own place within the wider community.
And ultimately, it is about preparing children not simply to succeed at school, but to participate confidently, responsibly and meaningfully in the world around them.
As Maria Montessori wrote:
“For the valorisation of the child’s personality, there must be a very definite basis in social experience.”
Adam Scotney, Principal
