Montessori glossary · The classroom
Work cycle
A long, uninterrupted block — ideally two to three hours — in which children choose and pursue their own work.
In plain English
What it actually means
The morning work cycle is the heart of a Montessori day and the first thing a rushed school gives up. Children typically drift at the start, settle, and then work hard; a school that interrupts at the forty-minute mark harvests only the drifting. Teachers give individual and small-group presentations inside the cycle rather than stopping it.
Why it matters to you
On a tour
Ask any school you visit what time the work cycle runs and what interrupts it. The answer tells you most of what you need to know.
More terms
Other words you will hear
Hear these words used properly
Tours run mid-morning, during the work cycle, year-round.