I Love MontessoriUnderstanding Practical Life Series: Part 4 The DirectressJuly 12, 2008 by Miss Norma | No comments
As a Montesorrian your role as a teacher must be fully comprehended and respected to give the child the greatest learning experience. Two quotes that bring into focus the epitome of the Directress: “The teacher thus becomes a director of the children’s own spontaneous work. She is silent and passive (Montessori, 1985, 319) and “This is the first duty of an educator; stir up life, but leave it free to develop” (Montessori, 1985, 111).
These quotes are excellent words to ponder when reinforcement and motivation are needed for the Directress. This approach coincides with the Practical Life exercises natural allowance for controlled error. To begin the Directress presents the activity. Following the Directress’ presentation the child is allowed, unhindered, to utilize the activity as much or little as they deem appropriate. This all occurs without the intervention of adults. The spontaneous free will of learning is the goal during these periods. Fear and failure are eliminated because accomplishments during these times can be achieved through self perfection. Didactic materials that have self-correcting properties are the preferred learning tool. The child will improve and correct him or herself without any uneasy feeling of interference from the Directress.
This very personal growth touches upon the spiritual aspect of the learning process. The child is becoming self aware and this awareness is one of positivity. Accomplishment on one’s own terms and pace feeds the soul; the child is the benefactor. The unwavering understanding that children are beings capable of self-directed learning is paramount. The delicate balance that needs to be achieved by the teacher is crucial. She must be a great reader of the child’s need and capabilities.
Whether or not the child is ready for a particular action is to be judged by the educator. Next the teacher will bring the child to fulfilling work that will encourage the ultimate self confidence. The combined abilities to analyze readiness followed by the skill to guide the child to the tasks properly in order to highlight the child’s personal strength are key attributes of a Montessorian Directress.
The child will grow through independent work utilizing the Practical Life materials. That growth will be aided by the cross-learning that naturally occurs through communication the child experiences with peers. The verbal interaction with the fellow learners surrounding the child is a tool in itself that enhances verbal prowess. These active principles are the reason the Montessori Method is instrumental in the development of students with ultra keen social cognition skills.
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Understanding Practical Life Series: Part 3 Sensitive PeriodJune 30, 2008 by Miss Norma | 2 comments
The sensitive period in development are periods of special sensitivity related to certain elements in the environment. Sensitive periods are transitory- after the child has acquired certain functions or determined characteristics, that particular sensitive period gives way to another and different one. Sensitivities appears as an irresistible impulse and urges the child to select only certain elements in his environment for definite and limited time. The sensitive period for language is the longest because we never quit learning it. It starts at about the age of four months with the baby intently watching the month, at six months or so he begins to make real sounds. The small child is very interested in learning more and more word.
The sensitive period for order begins at about the first year and is manifest in the third year. Related to the sensitive period of order is the interest for small things and details which begins at about two years old. The sensitive period for social graces is from two and a half to six years. The Sensitive Periods are meet in Practical Life.
The interest for small objects and details is met when children work with different materials in this Practical Life environment; such as using tweezers to pick up small object and transfer them. Order is met when the child works with scrubbing a table or any of the frames because they have to follow certain step to get to his final product. For example he needs to button the first button before he buttons the second. During Snack time children get to practice social graces and language. Snack time is one of the times were the child gets an opportunity to talk to a friend and say please and thank you. Scrubbing a Table, Sea Shell Scrubbing and Sweeping are some activities that help the child meet his need for movement.
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Understanding Practical Life Series: Part 2June 18, 2008 by Miss Norma | No comments
The overall organization of the Practical Life area is crucial. The materials and manner in which they are placed is pivotal. The key is to create an ease of usage and access. Creating an inviting and engulfing environment will become the determining factor in whether or not the area is a place where the child will want to be. Colors that captivate attention and induce the child to stay, explore, and re-explore are to be used when designing the Practical Life area. A quote by Maria Montessori that captures the essence of this design concept goes as such: “Sometimes I use a word easily misunderstood; the teacher must be seductive, she must entice the children” (Montessori, 1967, 278). This quote epitomizes the importance of the teacher’s preparation and well thought out planning when the area is created. Creativity with respect to enticement can not be underestimated.
The materials selected to be the tools in the Practical Life environment should be just that: not toys. This is crucial and emphasizes the need for the active materials in the area to be tools that facilitate learning and logical thinking within order. The simple layout of these learning instruments from left to right is a key factor. A particular learning tool that I have admired and witnessed the children using with exceptional dexterity have been tweezers. On the surface those unfamiliar with the Montessori Method would most likely be perplexed with the use of tweezers by young children. But upon further review one can see the assurance and skilled nature in which the child performs with this traditionally adult utensil. They are especially proud of themselves while picking up objects with utter preciseness, obviously refining the developing motor functions.
The tweezers activity consists of: a container with small objects (ex. Beads, beans, etc.), tweezers, and a soap saver with several small suction cups. It is an extension of the tongs. The order in which this work would be presented is:
1. Begin activity in accepted manner.
2. Place the tray so the container is on the left.
3. Grasp the tweezers and hold them in a vertical position with dominant forefinger and thumb.
4. Using the tweezers reach for the container and pick up one bead.
5. Place this bead on the top left most suction cup of the soap saver.
6. Continue in this manner until all the suction cups are filled. Make sure to place beads left to right and top to bottom.
7. Return beads in the same manner (one at a time, left to right and top to bottom). If the child’s hands are too tired he can return the bead with his fingers.
8. Return materials to the shelf in the accepted manner.
While it cannot be doubted that the Practical Life area gives birth to the young child’s stereognistic sense the social development quality of the area should be respected as well. The vocal and even visual lesson and interactions that take place in the Practical Life area are prime cultivators of social order. The rules of interaction and cooperation through open communication are being learned, also refined. The children exploit the benefits of mimicking. They observe efficient methods of task completion and also witness those that are not successful. Both visual cues contribute equally to development in this phase.
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Understanding Practical Life Series: Part 1June 6, 2008 by Miss Norma | No comments
The Practical Life component of the Montessori Method is an important basis from which all the other subsequent stages of the method grow out of. Practical Life exercises and activities are essential to the child’s tactile experience and functional understanding of how the world works with his or hers presence taken into account. That is a very important aspect of Practical Learning to take into account: the respect for the child’s presence and interaction in the daily chores that comprise our modern day society. Practical Life will set the stage for further growth and higher learning.
A child understanding the intricacies of spatial relationships, weight, movement, real world cause and affect is pivotal in the initial stages of overall development. The process in which these principles are applied to real every day situations is practiced through Practical Life lessons. The Practical Life area is a specific learning area stocked with all the tools required to enhance the child’s introduction to scholarship.
The Practical Life area is responsible for sharpening the fine and gross motor skills of the child. Kinetic movement is encouraged and a prime component of the physicality of the Practical Life area. The sheer physical development that Practical Life enables is profound. The child is now self-secure with an empowered sense of control over the body and capabilities such an epiphany opens up. This emotional strength spurs a greater capacity and desire for learning. This new found inner sense of security further expands itself into a tooled curiosity to explore the environment. Through concise control and disciplined concentration the child becomes enlightened to the fact that the Practical Life materials can be successfully manipulated. The utilization of this newly refined skill set through natural repetition leads to the development of the basic pillars such as: left to right order, the enhancement of the attention span, a sense of precise order, coordination, self control, and independence. With these skills in hand the child is better equipped to succeed at the rigors of academic learning. The child has the natural tools because of Practical Life learning.
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