Chapter 7

Maria Montessori Her Life and Work by E. Mortimer Standing
Chapter 7

Maria Montessori (1870-1952) defined 'school' as 'a prepared environment' where children could experience freedom to develop with a minimum of interference from adults, so that, in whatever stage of development they were in, they could get what they needed. Her 'law of sensitive periods in development' is the most original and vital part of her method. The concept came from a biologist studying animals. [Once again, the medical/science side of Montessori influenced her concept of children and education.] In the same way that newborn caterpillars who need the tenderest leaves are born with temporary sensitivity to light to help locate those tender leaves, children have certain sensitivities at specific stages in their development to make the most of each critical stage. It's whytoddlers are obsessed with stacking toys, and preschoolers love repitition. These drives compel them to work at the task with an obsessed passion. If teachers match tasks to the child's stage, the child will want to work.

Language is an example of a sensitive period. Children are driven to learn language as toddlers, but it's hard to learn a new language in adulthood. For a child in that stage of development, it comes naturally and without deliberately working at it.

The sensitive period for developing a sense of order is around the ages of 2 or 3. Children in this stage are disturbed by changes in their routine or things out of their normal place. Maria believed that many toddler tantrums were caused by children's distress over a disruption of order that the adult wasn't picking up on. The example given was a mother whose toddler was upset and she didn't know why. It turned out that it had been a warm day and she had taken off her coat, and her child was upset because he knew that coats were for wearing, not for carrying. Even pictures of horses with their riders not on top of the horse, or pictures of hats that aren't on heads can be distressing.

Adults may feel uncomfortable without order, but children absolutely can't tolerate it because they are 'constructing themselves out of the elements of the environment.' A child with little experience or memory needs the world to be like he expects it. That's why they enjoy hide-and-seek, even though they don't "get" the concept of hiding--they love 'finding' something where they expect it to be. How can we help children in this stage? We can take them for walks on the same route every day and let them take time to enjoy the familiar landmarks, so that impressions are made in the 'soft wax of the child's soul.'

Small children are delighted by tiny things, such as ants.

Small children love shapes, colors, sounds, textures, at the same age as their senses are developing. Increased sensory experience at this sensitive period can refine the keenness of their senses. That's why Montessori schools use colored boards, shapes, bells to refine their hearing, etc.

Preschool is the sensitive period for learning manners and ceremonial rituals. It's the best time to teach children how to eat properly, walk quietly, handle sharp instruments, light a candle and carry it carefully. This is the age when they try hardest to do it right.

If school is timed to teach lessons that correspond to children's sensitive periods, then education will be a breeze because children will be internally driven to do the work. For example, they have intellectual periods where they feel driven to spend hours on math. Letting nature set a timetable is more effective than forcing children to learn on our timetables. [Maybe a case for child-led unschooling?] These sensitive periods are windows of opportunity that we need to take advantage of before they're gone. If a sensitive period is missed, it can affect the child's entire development. If children don't do precise movements at their peak creative period (preschool), then they'll be less contented and less confident adults because that period was missed, leaving a small gap in their development that can't be filled in later. If they memorize things at elementary age, it will stay with them for life, unlike when adults try to memorize. Children are most interested in learning to write (or, more accurately, recreating letter shapes) at ages 3 to 4. Later, at age 7-9, children go through a second sensitive language period, when they should learn grammar. The metric system is best learned before children can count, but when they can enjoy the shapes and lengths of sensory blocks.

Read the next part of this series, or start at the beginning.
CM's Letter to the Editor regarding Montessori
About the Pictures in the Book