Blog - Page 3 of 4 - Montessori Action

2 April 20193 December 2020

First day at a Montessori Elementary Training Course

premier-jour-cours-elementaire-montessori

You can’t assume how a Montessori Course is going to be just by listening to another people’s experience. You have to live it and judge on your own. That was the first conclusion I reached after the first week of our Montessori Foundation Course in Hyderabad, India.

Let me start by saying that I had the best roommates ever, who welcomed me with joy and love. And after a few days of wondering around the city with them, looking for accommodation and figuring out India’s lifestyle, we got to our first day of the course. All of us were excited and looking forward to our first class.

Discovering a great Montessori environment

My first reaction when I entered Pebble Creek School was

“Oh my God! This is what a Montessori Environment should look like!”

There was a big, green, field, where children played football, beautiful trees and flowers surrounding everything and the classrooms were spacious and simple but filled with all the Montessori materials.

We were led to our assigned classroom and asked to take a seat. I remember that I sat down, opened my notebook and with my hand (and soul) shaking,

I wrote on the upper right corner the date, just like I used to do it when I was a student in school.

Beginning of our Montessori training course

The course started with a beautiful ceremony: the amazing people who organized everything lit up some candles and did a little prayer for everybody there.

It was touching and inspiring and gave us a sort of confidence that everything will run smoothly.

Uma Ramini was our foundation course trainer and since day 1 she filled the room with peace, love and gratitude towards tiny humans and their amazing potential.

When she started talking about Montessori being a way of life and how we have to become Montessori ourselves, before even trying to guide the children, I knew I was in the right place. I was convinced that I was about to start a great journey in the Montessori world and that this method was going to change my life.

And it did!

I can barely remember how time passed that day, because I was absorbed by every word Uma said but I know that at a certain point I stopped, took a look around me and saw something even more amazing.

I wasn’t the only one starting a journey. There were 90 of us and we were all excited. Even though leaving Romania and my loved ones was pretty difficult for me, as I was gazing across the classroom, I realized I wasn’t alone after all.

I was about to enter a new family, a family filled with laughter, craziness, hard-work and will, a family capable of doing everything in its power to help you when in need.

As Greg MacDonald, our director of training, would say: I have many more stories to tell you about the beginning of the course, about our adventures in Hyderabad and about what Montessori Training is all about, but those are stories for another day!

26 March 201913 August 2019

Educating twins while respecting their autonomy

For this post, I will deviate a little from Montessori pedagogy as such, but still in the field of education. With a subject that is dear to me, that of twins and their autonomy, since I myself have a twin sister.

True or false twins, what’s the difference?

Identical (monozygotic) twins are from the same egg and have grown together in utero, inside the same nest. They are therefore genetically identical. The fetuses of identical twins develop within the same placenta and are of the same sex.

They look the same as two drops of water but do not have the same measurements: one of them is often bigger than the other.

The fraternal twins (dizygotes) come from two different eggs.

They are genetically different because they are the result of two different fertilizations. They are not necessarily of the same sex and may not look alike.

The complicity of the twins

Twin fetuses have always shared everything, the nest and all the vibrations that come to them from the outside. They also hear the beating of their mutual hearts.

For them, life has always been double and during early and early childhood, many twins are surprised not to be the “normality”, because for them all children are raised in pairs.

Why are their ties so strong?

Mothers of two twins cannot fulfill their two children at the same time. The gaps they create when they are not there or when they are busy with another child, the twins fill them mutually.

They are a presence, “the double” protector. As twins we never really feel alone, at least during early childhood… And the habit is quickly taken of systematically counting towards each other.

Are they “identical”?

Twins may look the same physically, but they have two distinct personalities that should normally assert themselves over the years.

A pair of twins is a true duo in which each is complementary to the other. It is therefore not uncommon to see one or the other twin exercising a certain dominance over his brother or sister: the one who was born first, the one who is the strongest, the tallest or the one who was the tallest at birth…

Twins, identical or false, of the same or different sexes, therefore have their own identity, which must be respected.

Encourage them to assert themselves individually!

About clothing: Should I dress them in the same clothes? My answer would be: NO, don’t dress them the same way. Especially when it comes to identical twins. Obviously for you as a mother, it is easier for you to buy several identical T-Shirts, pants, dresses etc… at the same time… in this case, vary the colors, shapes…..

You don’t have to ask them for their opinion before they are mature, because it’s a responsibility that doesn’t necessarily help them. They will make choices later, when they are more confident of their own tastes!

It is true that many mothers, starting with my own mother, were to enhance us by dressing in the same way, always walking next to each other, etc… and to “play” with our similarity.

Of course, in our early childhood we found it worth it. As children, we were fascinated by each other by our similarity, we sometimes made each other look like each other. In the end, we were a kind of mirror from which it was difficult to turn away!

I understand that you may find it “appealing to see twins dressed like that”, but the problem of identical clothing choice reinforces the impression that twins are one and are one. This may delay the acquisition of their independence and their own personality.

(I would like to reassure you, today at the age of 49, with my sister we are indeed independent and each have our own personality)

This is why it is necessary from the beginning, to try to “separate” your twins little by little, by simple and daily habits…

Do twins suffer from being “separated”?

Of course, as twins we love and demand the presence of our brother or sister! So it is not a question of not frustrating them or making them suffer!

Very often, parents who are afraid to “separate” them and hurry to reunite them at the slightest cry are mistaken. They project their own desire to have a constant double.

I hope that these reflections from my experience will be useful to you.

20 March 201913 August 2019

Sensitives Periods in Montessori Pedagogy

periodes-sensibiles-pedagogie-montessori

The sensitive periods are the result of Maria Montessori’s observation, which draws a parallel with the work of De Vries, who had discovered sensitive periods in insects.

According to Maria Montessori, every child is unique. It has its own personality, rhythm of life, qualities and possible difficulties. But all children, without exception, go through their own “sensitive periods”.

What are sensitive periods in Montessori pedagogy?

Sensitive periods are times when the child’s inner sensitivities are expressed in relation to a characteristic of the environment that causes the child to transform. They awaken in the child a particular attraction around an aspect of the environment. For example, we know that young children hear all the sounds of the environment and all languages from birth, but they will retain in particular the sounds they hear in their environment to build their mother tongue.

Sensitive periods are temporary and are limited to the acquisition of a given character.

These are special sensitivities, moments in the child’s life when the whole child is “absorbed” by a particular sensitivity to a specific element of his or her environment (the home, the classroom). These are transitional periods, they are limited to the acquisition of a specific character; once the character has been developed, the “sensitivity” ceases. It is therefore essential that the environment offers the child the means to develop at the right time by using these sensitive periods.

Maria Montessori makes sensitive periods of development laws and has defined their activity in human beings between birth and 6 or even 7 years of age, they can overlap.

Maria Montessori has defined 6 sensitive periods:

The sensitive period of the order, approximately from birth to 6 years of age.
The sensitive period of language, more or less between 2 months and 6 years.
The sensitive period of movement coordination, about 18 months to 4 years.
The sensitive period of the refinement of the senses, about 18 months to 5 years.
The sensitive period of social behaviour, about 2.5 to 6 years.
The sensitive period of small objects, during the 2nd year over a very short period of time.

What is their importance in child development?

It is his sensitive periods that guide the child in his construction, pushed by his inner master and his vital force that “bring about” the potentialities of movement and language.

The child feeds on his environment. The latter must therefore meet its needs and take into account sensitive periods to help these traits develop as well as possible. The environment must therefore be/incarnate order, allow movement that has a defined purpose, allow language, allow right sensory experiences, allow social relationship.

The role of the parent or educator is to prepare this environment. He will observe the child and, depending on the needs identified, will link him to this environment. He must know the inner sensitivities and their duration in order to be able to recognize them in action and respond to them by building the environment.

Maria Montessori considered education as an aid to life and it is of great importance that adults rely on the sensitive periods of the child so that the child can build himself on the physical, psychological and social levels.

According to Maria Montessori, “if the child could not obey the directives of his sensitive period, the opportunity for a natural conquest is lost, lost forever”. During these sensitive periods, the child can easily and effortlessly assimilate this or that acquisition. If the child is helped at this precise moment, the learning is done in depth. But if the child does not find the elements (in the atmosphere and equipment) that meet his or her needs at the time, the sensitivity will gradually fade.

Maria Montessori was convinced that the forces of development are included in the living being and that the work of education consists in preserving their spontaneity, and in removing anything that could weaken them and prevent them from flourishing (obstacles).
The child must build his own personality and develop his motor and intellectual faculties. Therefore, the adult must have full confidence in the child’s strengths, respect his or her freedom of action and prepare the necessary and supportive environment for his or her development. The adult must be able to observe the child’s different rhythms, he must know his child well by showing attention and respect.

Observation and respect, trust in the child are key words in Montessori pedagogy. We will have the opportunity to come back to this soon.

19 March 201913 August 2019

Letting-go in Montessori Pedagogy

Today I would like to come back to a more practical point, with which all mothers are confronted, and which is crucial in Montessori pedagogy: it is the famous “let go”.

What is letting go in Montessori pedagogy?

Contrary to some preconceived ideas and outdated methods today, educating a child does not mean formatting his mind, but helping him to train himself alone, to develop his autonomy. The “letting go” does not mean in any way that any parental or other authority (teachers) must be renounced.

The child, for his good development, needs rules and limits. It is simply a question of being vigilant without being confronted with a frontal struggle and without surrendering.

The basis of “letting go” when raising a child is TRUST. Confidence in oneself, in certain values that one wishes to transmit, but also and above all TRUST in one’s CHILD. This will give him the vital energy to grow well.

Be in a virtuous circle of respect, while making it safe, respect the child’s freedom as much as possible. You will see that very soon your child will give it back to you.

There is no model child

To do this, however, an essential behaviour is to try to abandon the idea of a model child. In general, we do not know everything about them and very often parents tend to idealize their child. Asking your child to do like such a person (sister, older brother, cousin, boyfriend, etc.) who is wise, will have no effect.

Copying our friends’ methods on their children is futile, focusing our attention on their models, and only on them, is neglecting the identity of one’s own child, one’s own needs, rhythm and development, which are ultimately the essential ones.

Being parents can be learned. Our children’s education is made up of ERRORS as well as SUCCESS.

There is no perfect parent

My little advice is to start by accepting that the perfect parent doesn’t exist, to undramatize and stop making yourself sick with each slip-up. This builds confidence and creates a safe and reassuring atmosphere for your child, which is the most important thing he or she needs above all.

Stop doing things reluctantly with your children under the pretext that “good parents do it”. Doing something with your child by force is counterproductive, you risk making yourself impatient and unpleasant and the experience will not be rewarding for you or your child who will feel it. The child perceives all our emotions.

So let’s stop feeling guilty, let’s think about all the things we do or will do with pleasure in the company of our child.

Cooking with him, taking him to an exhibition, spending time with him and sharing common interests … let’s not sacrifice ourselves, it’s useless.

The child will certainly feel that you are happy to be with him/her, that you really enjoy sharing these common activities. This will strengthen your bonds and enhance your child’s confidence.

Important principle of education.

* Education is first and foremost about TRUSTING to the child.

* There are no perfect parents, everyone experiments.

* Verbalize, explain everything to your child, you will be surprised at the effect you get.

Explain rather than impose

With young children, it is useless to fight or impose things.

He doesn’t want to put on his pants? Okay, distract him for a few moments, for example, show him through the window the big truck passing by, and resume the dressing session a minute later when the pressure is off.

When you disagree with your child, there is only one watchword: explain it to him/her.

For example, if he takes his classmate’s or brother’s toy, explain why it should be returned to him: it is his toy, would you not like it if someone took your toy from you? Rather than tearing it out of his hands and returning the toy to the boyfriend without a ticket.

Another example for the older ones:

Explain how important it is to work well in school, to make this or that assignment. Not “because it is necessary”, which would be an obligation, but for his own good, for his own future. Your child is obviously worthy of understanding these explanations and will feel valued, full of confidence, his esteem will be felt and he will be appeased.

So much for today, I hope that this reading has served you well.

Have a great day.

19 March 201912 August 2019

The limits of associative management in a Montessori school

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I continue my reflections on Montessori schools and the limits of associative management.

This is an important subject because many schools open every year, and this subject of the legal form is often problematic for the creators of the school.

A school is an economic entity

The first subject, which has constantly challenged me for years: a school is an economic entity, which distributes salaries each month to its employees, and sometimes manages substantial budgets of several hundred thousand euros per year.

So yes, of course, the director (there is still an overwhelming majority of women in this role) is present every day, and ensures the daily functioning.

But what about the management structure when it is an association?

Do not make the director take responsibility for everything

As we have seen, legally, the director cannot totally be in charge, he/she can only act by delegation.

When I was president of the Maria Montessori Les Aiglons middle school (we were created in the form of an association before switching to a cooperative company), I had thus formalized a delegation of signature to be able to incur expenses up to 1000€ for the director, which allowed her to operate for most of the daily expenses without having to refer to me each time, while keeping an eye for all the important expenses.

But we must keep in mind, on the one hand, that it is a delegation, so you are still responsible, and on the other hand, that this delegation cannot be total.

On the other hand, I know a number of schools where the treasurer spends every day signing cheques, or comes once a week and waits for no expenses except in emergencies (which can be reimbursed on an expense account for example). It must be admitted that this is not the greatest flexibility, and from my point of view, it is only a reflection of the fact that the associative form is not the best in this case.

It goes for the daily management.

General meetings of shareholders

At the annual general meeting, there is also a strange number: it is obviously the director who presents the report on the past year’s activities, which is generally well listened to … but what about the “moral report” presented by the president? What is its role?

We can try to build something on the themes of relationships with parents, the life of the association as such, as if we could really separate it from the school (not at all if it is an unopened “association”), but frankly it is a little artificial.

And I am not talking about these meetings of the board of directors or the bureau of the association, where it is of course the director, and that is normal, who although simply invited without voting rights, proposes and encourages the various decisions.

This is another strange way of running the school.

What about the educational team in all this?

A final issue is the link with the staff, the educational team in the first place but also the rest of the staff that is often forgotten: cooking, cleaning, etc. They are not at all involved in this associative governance, except at the annual general meeting. Which is a little limited please have some frustrations.

You get it, after all these years, I am not a big fan of this associative governance for Montessori schools, even if it may correspond to a local context.

That being said, in relation to the various limitations I have identified, original solutions exist: I would like to talk to you in a future post about the collective intelligence process deployed at the Montessori school in Lyon over the past few years.

18 March 20196 August 2019

The role of adults in Montessori pedagogy

When I entered these specialized classes, I met children who not only had an intellectual disability, but also great physical difficulties of the hemiplegia, paraplegia, visual impairment, epilepsy seizures types.

Montessori is revolutionary!

As a result, these children were always accompanied or assisted and very often things were done for them. And I come in and say, “Well, we’re going to stop all this! “I triggered a wave of panic! And suddenly, Montessori became dangerous! I knew we were on the eve of a great revolution! And then I realized that the greatest work to be done is not with children, but with adults. You know, it’s the adults that need to be changed, not the children!

It is true that we currently have a culture of control and fear. The more we want to protect the child, the more we control him.

And yet, we want the child, where he is now and with what he can do, to develop his confidence.

But how can we promote the child’s autonomous development if we constantly short-circuit his or her development, even in safe situations? How can the child not doubt himself when we constantly intervene to “correct” what we too commonly call “error”? And how can we open up learning spaces for the child in a culture where we have become accustomed to “talking” when we could simply “show”.

Trust is not a feeling, it is about observation

In our culture we think a lot but we observe little. However, careful observation of a situation can allow us to make an appropriate decision.

However, we ended up blending trust with a feeling. In everyday language we often use this “feeling” when we say, for example, “I feel that I can trust you”. However, the challenge is not to “feel” which would leave a lot of room for risk and uncertainty, but to observe the availability of a capacity in relation to a given situation. Thus observation makes it possible to assess the reliability of an ability to deploy in a situation that can mobilize it.

Example: little girl and the tray.

The child realized 2 things:

That dropping the object was not a big deal! She could pick up and then start again. At first she was waiting for us to come. She observed thinking she was going to be scolded, but no, we encouraged her to pick as much as she could.
That she could carry the basket alone from one point to another without spilling.

I couldn’t describe his joy with words!

Why was this child’s joy made possible?

Because there was minimal or no intervention at all

Whatever the child’s difficulties, whether to acquire useful knowledge or to develop a skill, children all have their own rhythm and this rhythm must be respected.

Similar to a plant, their growth can be accompanied by a few favourable gestures. But the push will ultimately come on its own. If you want to provoke it, the harvest will only be compromised.

The teacher followed the same path as the child

We had to stop his momentum to rescue the child more than once!

And then one day, they understood that the child proceeds by trial and error in order to carry out an activity. By repeating multiple times the sum of gestures that can lead to a result, he acquires the awareness of the time required to actualize a realization and the patience to bring it to completion.

Thanks to the observation of the children, the fear has disappeared and especially the false belief that to be a good teacher you have to help the children at all times.

The atmosphere of both classes has completely changed.

The place of the adult in Montessori pedagogy: what to remember

Trust is not a feeling, it is about observation
No or few interventions unless there is a “real” danger

My gift to you

“Unleash the child’s potential and you will transform the world with him” Maria Montessori

12 March 201912 August 2019

The role of parents in a Montessori school

I am taking a break from the story of my years at the Montessori school in Lyon, to try to share with you some of my thoughts on associative governance for schools, and the impact on the role of parents.

In the fifteen years since I have been working in the Montessori community in France, and since I have had the opportunity to interact with many educators and school principals, I have seen an evolution in school governance.

Montessori schools in associative management

Fifteen years ago, the vast majority of schools were set up in the form of associations: simplicity of creation, no need for special financial support, and honestly we don’t need to be very large, a small group of people is enough.

Finally, the associative form also corresponded well to the “alternative” aspect of these schools, which did not wish to embody a “commercial” or “institutional” aspect. There were indeed a few schools set up as commercial companies, but this was ultra-minority, as was the total number of schools: at the time, in 2005-2006, less than fifty schools throughout France.

What role for parents in an associative Montessori school?

So obviously the “problem” in the governance of associative schools is of course the parents. This is very paradoxical when we consider that Montessori schools are very keen to welcome families, even to co-educate children with them, and therefore to leave their doors open to parents.

But what are we talking about? What role should parents play? Let them organize parties and other extracurricular activities? On that, no problem of course, everyone is happy. Even more so when organized activities can bring a little (or even a lot) of money to the school.

Risks of parental management

But when we start talking about school management, that is, the “nuclear core” to use an industrial metaphor, then that is something else. Because indeed the risk is very high that they will find themselves judge and party. This is not said in this way, of course (we are talking about education, so it is not very appropriate), but in a school, parents are the beneficiaries of the service provided: in other words, they are the clients.

And where did we see that it is the customers who decide on the production of the service? The mix of genres is never far away, not to mention the zeal of certain individuals who are always well-intentioned, who imagine they know better than teachers what is good for their child, and secondarily for those of others.

Come on, come on! Besides, it’s not really a profession, since you can go to school at home! (I would like to point out that all this is ironic, in case some people didn’t get it).

And so in associative governance, since the law says employees (including the director) cannot be judge and party, they, and therefore members of the Board of the association, and well it is necessary to find other people: parents are the most “obvious” people in this case, since they attend school and will therefore in theory be sensitive to its future.

Parents closing schools!

Unfortunately, I have seen too many schools close, because of malicious or well-meaning parents who have come into conflict with the principal or even the rest of the team, or playing one part of the team against the other… It usually ends very badly, and the principal does not have the hand to fix the situation. What a waste when you think of all the energy put into keeping a school going!

Since I am not the only one to have made this observation, many schools legally “bias” their governance, and operate “associations” that have no association other than the name, because they are totally locked: either they place trusted outsiders, who will have no interest in the school (but it is a bit like a lottery and not necessarily sustainable), or even relatives.

Some associations are thus run by husbands, brothers or sisters, parents or children.

Keep the spirit of the association alive

For my part, I think it is a way of bypassing the spirit of association to make it an entity in which we do not associate. Either we play the association game, possibly by putting in safeguards but being well aware that there is no such thing as zero risk, or we change the structure. Because other legal forms exist when you have other projects.

9 March 201916 August 2019

Montessori: the power of repetition during learning difficulties

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In learning, the importance of repetition is no longer to be demonstrated. The latest discoveries in neuroscience prove it.

Example: the more I play the piano, the more I become a virtuoso. My knowledge becomes more stable, more solid because repetition traces and digs real furrows in my brain.

On the other hand, if you have stopped playing the piano for 10 years, you feel that when you get back to it you can’t start again exactly where you stopped it. The neural connections are still there, but they are very thin.

How can we make sure that the brain keeps the information as long as possible?

Well, we’ll have to go against a preconceived idea already! The brain doesn’t just store. It sorts the information and those that it doesn’t think are important, it doesn’t keep.

Know that without your knowledge, since you’ve been watching this video, your brain has been sorting through what I say, sometimes it keeps, sometimes it doesn’t. This is why many people take notes or highlight important passages in a book.

It is true that our brain is so busy during the day that it sorts out: that I keep, that I don’t keep.

But when the brain sees information pass twice a day, it wonders and says to itself: “yours! Maybe I should keep it! »

Repetition in children with learning difficulties and Montessori

So let’s get back to our Dylan. He uses a cylinder block that includes 10 cylinders. When he looks at the presentation, he will see 10 times the same series of gestures:

Open all 3 fingers
Grasp the button above the cylinder
Lift slowly
Gently place the cylinder on the table

His brain sees this group of gestures 10 times, he understands that it is necessary to retain it.

Sometimes for some children we did the presentation twice.

But for his brain to remember this, the child will have to practice and not just once in a while.

So, his muscle memory will start working! Dylan has done a total of 20 times these groups of gestures. For his brain, the message is clear!

But note that for these children it is important the next day, I mean the next day to perhaps resume the presentation to launch the information to the brain, It is important!

Then let him practice 1, 2, 3 or even 10 times all the work. And this time the brain understands: “I keep it in long-term memory.”

It should be noted that if the child does not see anything in 24 hours, then he only keeps 25% of what he has learned. After a week, 7 to 8%. After 1 month 2 or 3%.

But for a child with learning difficulties, it’s even worse.

What to remember

The brain not only stores, it sorts and eliminates what it doesn’t think is important.
Repetition is essential to learning.
The brain understands by repeating that information should not be eliminated.
Montessori equipment allows and encourages repetition.

My gift to you

“The child, both young and old, feels a need to do exercises over and over again and to follow his own path of development by his own means.” Maria Montessori

7 March 20196 August 2019

Child development from 0 to 6 years of age

As I promised you, I am now focusing on the first development plan, i.e. on the characteristics and needs of children from 0 to 6 years old.

Characteristics of the child from 0 to 6 years old

Moebelkind

Maria Montessori named the child in the foreground “Moebelkind” or “the child – furniture”: for her the starting point of her discoveries is the adaptation of the furniture to the size and strength of the child to free her movement. A child needs to have both feet on the ground to access concentration, to be able to reveal his true nature.

A vulnerable being

The child in the foreground is a vulnerable, sensitive being who must be welcomed in humanity.

He needs order and attention.

A being of communication and language

A baby is a great communicator, he needs to be caught up in a language relationship to develop. Language and gestures are part of the child’s psychic food.

An observer

The child is a passionate explorer. He needs to exercise his movement to explore.

He’s a sensory explorer. Everything he apprehends from the world around him goes through his senses. The first organ of discovery is the mouth. From the moment he can sit down, he detaches himself from the ground, the hand is released and takes over to explore by manipulating. Through the senses he builds his inner world.

He also needs to repeat his experiences to build his psychological and physical life.

Responding to needs through appropriate environments

To meet these needs, the specific approach of Montessori pedagogy, as we have seen, is to provide adapted environments, known as “prepared environments”. There are 4 environments for the first development plan:

– The home (and yes! it is too often forgotten): from birth to 5-6 months

– The Nido: from 3 months until the guaranteed walk. The assured walk also corresponds to the acquisition of the clamp with the opposite thumb and the first intentional words. It is a real development stage.

– The children’s community: from walking to 2.5 to 3 years old

– The children’s house: from 2 and a half years old / 3 to 6 years old

These environments have common characteristics:

Order. Every object, every being has its place and order. The child withdraws his security from order and orientation
Motives for activities = psychic food. These reasons constitute the possibility of work.
Sensory stimulation tailored to the child’s needs.

They also have differences, which I will come back to later.

Adults are also part of the “environment”

The adult attitude (it is one of my favourite subjects, and I will often come back to it on this blog), must also be adapted, and different at each step:

At the Nido

Observation. From birth to safe walking, the adult must observe the child with particular attention. This look helps to support the child’s activity. Observation is part of a search for the child’s new faculties.
Attention. He needs to share, to be nourished by the relationship, which allows him to be more and more autonomous by keeping the good memory of the relationship.
Intent. The gestures and the way of speaking to a child are very important because children are very sensitive and certainly perceive intention before meaning.

To the Children’s Community

Observation
Attention = COLLABORATION. Adults should never do anything without a child. The child is encouraged to participate in all tasks in the community and at home. Autonomy develops through scaffolding. Any object offered to the child is presented, because the culture is TRANSMITTED. This transmission is formal or informal (the child observes).
Maximum effort. The little child is a hard worker. The adult must provide him with opportunities for maximum effort: carrying furniture and other heavy things builds trust in the child, and shows that with effort, the world belongs to him.

At the Children’s House

Observation
Providing an environment that allows sensory experiences, activities with a defined purpose, access to writing and reading in different languages (mathematics, language, music)

So much for the general attitude … but when and how to intervene with the child? This is a big question if we do not want to hinder its development, as Maria Montessori says.

That’s why in the next post, I’ll talk to you about sensitive periods.

2 March 201913 August 2019

The 4 Stages of Development of Human Babies

Before going into the concrete aspects of accompanying young children, I would like to recall some of the founding elements of Montessori pedagogy. Some people think that Montessori is above all equipment, activities adapted to children.

But for me, the most important thing beyond the equipment is the way we look at the child. Before proposing things to a child, you must observe him, look at him to better understand what his real needs are. And in this observation, Maria Montessori helps us a lot.

A child’s development takes place in successive jumps

Maria Montessori’s vision of education, which I share, is above all education as an “aid to life”, an education that takes into account the fundamental needs of the child at different stages of his or her development. For Montessori (and others!), life is not linear.

It is experiences that make it possible to grow, to evolve and not the passing of time. The child develops in successive jumps. It goes through periods during which characters will develop, mature and then give birth to a different personality. She talks about birth and rebirth.

The 4 child development stages

To better understand her reasoning, Maria Montessori developed a complete vision of these steps, which she named the 4 development stages. These 4 stages can be found in other authors: Piaget, Freud.

The 4 development stages is a psychological approach to child development, for the educator or even for the parents a guide for the children, since it is from the knowledge of these periods that we will prepare an environment adapted to the child.

Some of you may already know them, but I think it would be useful to remind you of them.

1st development stage, from birth to 6 years of age: early childhood
2nd development stage, from 6 to 12 years old: childhood
3rd development stage, from 12 to 18 years old: adolescence
4th development stage, from 18 to 24 years old: maturity

In each stage there are 2 phases:

A creative, progressive phase
A phase of maturation, character confirmation, refinement

Indeed, the child needs time off to integrate, digest, metabolize what he has observed, absorbed. It cannot always be active. Excessive stimulation causes overexcitement, frustration, uneasiness.

Understanding child development

Maria Montessori has developed a dynamic diagram of these development stages, which makes it possible to better understand, beyond their succession, the specificities of each stage and how they relate to each other. It is the famous schema of the “bulb”, which presents the importance of the 1st development stage (the one that is the subject of this blog), in particular because it also formalizes prenatal life.

On this diagram we have 3 colors. Black is unconscious construction, black metaphorically evokes the fact that development is very hidden, invisible to the naked eye. Red is the visible construction, intense period. Green represents a more peaceful development.

The X is the unknown, to symbolize that there will always be a part of the unknown in humanity.

The bottom graph represents traditional education, and shows that it does not take into account the characteristics of children at different periods of their lives, since they begin at 6 years of age, and that the older they grow, the more they have to learn.

Maria Montessori started the connections with the educational system on the Bulb at the nursery school. She indicates the names of the great educators associated with each structure, since the adult’s role is to build this favourable environment.

The environment must adapt to the child at each period, so that the child who has become an adult is able to adapt and act on his environment when he has become mature. Indeed, even if the child has in him from birth a certain equipment, an inner strength that will allow him to build himself, it is not enough, he needs a favourable environment that will allow him to develop this strength, an environment in which a child can make experiences that will nourish him.

In the next post, I will come back to the first development stage in more detail. See you soon!