“Man himself must become the centre of education and we must never forget that man does not develop at the university but begins his mental growth at birth”
Absorbent Mind
The Montessori Method of Education stands up amongst many theories on child development. The Montessori Method of Education was discovered in late 19th and early 20th Century by Dr. Maria Montessori, the first Italian female physician, who was born in the town of
About Maria Montessori, the creator of the Montessori Method of Education
Maria Montessori can be interpreted as a strong, self-confident woman who had great interest in change. She strived to be a perfectionist in everything she did and in many ways; she was ahead of her time. At an era women had little liberty for higher education Maria Montessori challenged her society’s traditions. With great difficulty she enrolled to the
Dr. Montessori’s first appointment was at the psychiatric clinic in the
In 1907 Dr. Montessori gave up her medical practice to start work with sixty normal young children, whose parents were at work for long hours. Likewise she opened her first “Casa dei Bambini”, means “Children’s House”, in Lorenzo, a slum district in
The need for a New Education focusing on the Child
As a person who lived through the World War I (from 1914 to 1918) and World War II (from 1939 to 1945) Maria Montessori saw an urgent need for reforming of the current educational system. At that time the society often focused on the development of the adult. But Dr. Montessori believed through educating the young child, a new generation of ‘fulfilled and well balanced’ adults would arise to lead the world towards peace and harmony. Because the Child works towards creating and developing the Adult.
“If we are to obtain our objectives by natural means, we must have at our disposal numerous precise observations on human conduct and especially that of children, upon whom we must base the foundations of education and culture.”
The Discovery of the Child, Chapter I, pg 2
A person enters the university as an adult. At this age he has passed his childhood, adolescent and teenage life. The discoveries at Casa dei Bambini led Dr. Montessori to understand the differences between the adult and the child.
A child views the world through new fresh eye and mind. The child uses the environment he lives in to perfect himself. Whereas the adult always put his efforts to perfect the environment he lives in. The child has not seen many things; his life is about exploring the world around him. Children love to work than play; his interest lies in the process of his work rather than the end result, which the adult is interested in. The child delivers his maximum effort on his work which helps him for self-construction. The adult on the other hand works to finish the activity with only required effort.
Maria Montessori believed the most important time of a man’s life is his childhood. Even though a child does not demonstrate the physical potentialities to the extent of an adult Dr. Montessori considered that man has potentialities from birth. For example a child is not born with a pre-determined language, but he has the potential to learn any language. She called these potentialities as “Nebulae”. The nebulae direct the construction of the physical and psychic life of the child after birth. She argued that the psychic embryo; the mind and the physical embryo; the body; should be fused in a "single whole," with man's mind guiding his actions and his actions serving the orders of his mind
Dr. Montessori noticed unlike in other young animals, a child is not born with instincts. It has been replaced with something higher to the intelligence and will of man. She describes it as the ‘Spiritual Embryo’;
“…although no definite forms of behaviour are pre-established in the child (as they are in the animals), he must nevertheless possess the power to create a behaviour.”
The Absorbent Mind, Chapter VII, pg 70
The Spiritual Embryo is the pre-determined pattern of psychic unfolding, the child posses to construct himself which is not visible at birth. Dr. Montessori said for the psychic pattern to reveal itself it needs two internal and two external factors. If these conditions are absent the psychic life of the child will not reach his full potential and his personality will be underdeveloped.
The two internal factors aiding the development of psychic life are the ‘Sensitive Periods’ and the ‘Absorbent Mind’.
Dr. Montessori considered nothing is more important for the man than his Absorbent form of Mind, which shapes the adult and adapts him to any kind of social order, climate or country. This is the era that a child absorbs knowledge from his environment. Till about age of 3, the child unconsciously absorbs knowledge from his environment and form impressions in his mind. This prepares him for the conscious mind which appears from about age of 3. The conscious mind of the child absorbs knowledge from the environment consciously which he sorts, classify and put into folders in his mind.
Children pass through phases in which they have the ability to acquire new skills at a peak. During these phases a function can be more perfectly established. Montessori called these blocks of time as “Sensitive Periods” in a child. She observed several sensitive periods in the young child’s life: a need for order in the environment, use of his five senses to learn such as the hand to work and the tongue to speak. Furthermore the child has sensitive periods to co-ordination of his movement, development of language, a fascination for minute details of objects, and a time of social interest. These sensitive periods are very important because if the child was not assisted at the required time his opportunity for natural conquest is lost forever, for sensitive periods can be seen only in a child.
The role of the Man in aiding Child’s development
In order for proper development of the psychic life, Maria Montessori considered two most essential external factors, the environment the child lives in and the freedom given to the child.
Maria Montessori emphasized of an environment that the child is able to satisfy his inner needs and aid in his self-construction.
“…realising the peculiarly absorbent nature of the child’s mind, she has prepared for him a special environment; and then placing the child within it, has given him the freedom to live in it, absorbing what he finds there."
Standing E.M – Maria Montessori- Her Life and Work, Chapter XVI, pg. 265
She believed in a carefully “prepared environment” and considered it as secondary to life. The participation of a knowledgeable and sensitive adult is required to build a nourishing and a loving prepared environment where children are free to respond to their natural tendency to work. It is difficult to provide a proper prepared environment at home, therefore the Montessori Classroom offers the basic elements within the prepared environment; beauty with child-sized furnishings, carefully structured and ordered activities to gain independence and prepare the child for future learning. The Montessori materials serve a definite purpose, it challenges the child but offers auto education, which stimulate his thinking abilities be more independent.
Montessori teacher is the link between the children and the prepared environment. She should be responsible, encouraging, respectful, curios and creative. Most importantly she should understand the child has potential for life. Her primary role is not to merely transmit information from a prepared curriculum, but rather to help children to act and think for themselves, creating an atmosphere of calm, order and joy in the classroom to develop self-confidence and inner discipline. The teacher is an observer and a guide whose ultimate goal is to intervene less and less as the child develops.
In order aid child’s psychic development the teacher must observe the child constructively without intervene. Therefore the child should be given the opportunity to work in a free environment. Because with “Freedom” the child is able to reveal himself.
The most important single result of Education
“Normalization is the most important single result of our whole work.”
The Absorbent Mind, Chapter XIX, pg. 204
“Normalization” is the unique process of psychic integration, which Dr. Maria Montessori discovered in children at Casa dei Bambini, who achieved it by integrating their self through their work. The child who accomplishes normalization moves into complete harmony with his entire environment. When children are normalized it is possible to give them the perfect freedom in a class and yet have the perfect discipline from them. Montessori referred to this group as the “society of cohesion”.
A growing child has his physical energy and the mental energy to stay balanced in his psychic life. The mind and the body; should work in unison; mind guiding actions and actions serving the orders of the mind. If this is not possible for the child, he is easily deviated. “Deviations” can commonly observe in a child, for many of them are fostered by adults. Deviation occurs, when the child has the will to act but his movements are restricted, even though he has got the interest when his needs are not assisted and he is not satisfied. The lack of freedom to move around and to explore the environment and the acts of adults trying to bestow their personalities on the child has impacts on a child to be deviated. Maria Montessori distinguished three main classes of deviated children; naughty children, weak children and bright children. But with the right type of direction and purposeful work in a prepared environment helps the deviated child to be back in the path of normalization.
Normalization appears when children follow the cycle of work. Firstly the child should prepare for an activity, which involves gathering the material necessary to do the activity. The movement and the thought involved in the preparation serves to call the attention of the mind and begin to focus on the activity. Secondly the activity which holds the attention of the child helps him to reach a deep level of concentration. Lastly it is the feeling of satisfaction and well-being when the activity is completed. Even the materials kept back in its right place or perhaps talking with friend’s exhibits the aura of satisfaction with himself and the world.
Within the cycle of work, characteristics of a “Normalized Child” are clearly visible. Child’s “love for order” can be observed in the last stage of the work cycle when he places materials back in its place. For him it is important to have a place for everything and everything in its place. He would even extend down to the minute particulars and express itself in an intense “love of the environment”. The deviated child lacks care of self and the environment, he is clumsy in his environment. They fall in to the category of naughty children.
One of the most important features in normalized child is the “love for work”. Work involves child’s whole personality, includes repetition, concentration, and the ability to choose work freely and to find calmness and joy in work. The joy is the crowning characteristic of normalized children. Their manner suggests an inner peace and fulfilment from their experiences. It is the joy of acting in obedience with the laws of one’s nature. Whereas a week child is inactive, lazy and fearful to explore. They are filled with sadness and depression.
“The first essential basis for the child’s development is concentration.”
Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXII, pg. 222
“Concentration” of a normalized child appears when he works individually on a freely chosen activity. The Child at his deepest concentration often isolate himself from the environment, nothing will distract him. So that he is able to focus on purposeful work. I’ve witnessed to the concentration that my 4 year old niece had for folding her little brothers’ nappies. The pile of nappies was two times bigger than her, I thought, she would be bored and leave, but for my amazement even after 45 minutes I could see that she has folded all nappies very neatly and have kept one on top of another and was ready to be placed in the drawers. As a result of concentration the normalized child achieves the “Love of silence”. This can be seen within a society of cohesion, when the aim of the work is more conscious and external. However bright deviated children shows distract and restless behaviour. Even though they are strong in one area they do not concentrate on their work.
Another attribute of the normalization is “Spontaneous Self Discipline”. This refers to persevering and completing cycles of activity that are freely begun. Also the normalized children have gained remarkable obedience. When he undergoes various stages in the development of will he gains self concept, self discipline and obedience. In a society of cohesion even in absence of an adult, the perfect discipline and obedience can be expected from children. Self Discipline is the most important outcome to obtain independence. But a deviated child easily gets hurt if she is treated with contempt. In time they developed low self-esteem and poor self confidence.
“Sociability” is another characteristic of a normalized child. He works in groups in peace and harmony, respecting the works of others and helping each other physically and mentally. In a Montessori prepared environment the child develops patience and respect towards his peers.
“There is only one specimen of each object, and if a piece is in use when another child wants it, the latter – if he is normalized – will wait for it to be released……..The child comes to see that he must respect the work of others…”
Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXII, pg. 223
These are the characteristics observed in children at a society of cohesion. However deviated children have tantrums, they do not respect or help their environment and peers. They try to solve problems with violence and they defy adults.
Due to lack of stimuli a child becomes demanding and develops possessiveness. But with necessary love and care these their energy can be directed towards purposeful work which is the path for normalization. Normalized child’s possessive instinct has disappeared and instead they have developed intense love towards nature.
The mind constructs itself through contact with reality, not with projections of make-believe. In the normalization process child lays the foundation by first learning through their senses; such as working and manipulating real objects later by reasoning and imagination; which benefits the child to generate practical applications. However the deviated child always fantasizes, he entangles in aimless and uncontrolled wonderings, which could not produce tangible results. The deviated child tends to lie; they are able to create extraordinary stories to shock or interest the adult. Also in order to please the adult or even when they are afraid to speak their own mind these children are most likely to lie. Sometimes a person gets entangled in deviations rather than living in the true nature this makes his tell spiritual lies, which can also appear in adulthood.
In conclusion it can be stated that it is important and essential to focus more on the psychic development of the child, which allows them to build a strong personality while their true nature to emerge. Not only the education of the intellect but also education through senses, practical life and social responsibilities has to be a component of the child’s education. The adult has to play a major role in preparing an environment, offering purposeful activity and much freedom that stimulates and aids the self-construction of the child, which leads him towards perfect harmony with his environment.
Author
Nirmani Dabare
