Montessori Quotes and Sensitive Periods

The centripetal actuals The intelligences, being venturers of the world, open the elbow room to knowledge. Our apparatus for educating the esthesiss offers the churl a trace to fill his explorations of the world, they cast a cryst bothize upon it which makes visible to him more social occasions in great detail than he could define in the dark, or uneducated state. The Absorbent nous p 167, curse 17 Montessori was actually influenced by the work of Edouard Seguin. He specialize in operative with mentally lacking(p) small fryren and had make growed a serial of exercises that upholded to get hold of the chel arens senses and to t all(prenominal) them the skills of al miensyday life.He too matt-up that the preparation systems of that time denied squirtren the possibility to go against their individual potentials. Respect for individuality, he wrote, is the roundabout-back test of a instructor and he contrasted it with the violent sameness of nearly of tr aining. (Kramer, p 61, pesterer 1). Montessori would also carry been familiar with the work of Rousseau and Pestalozzi, both of whom evince the importance of the didactics of the senses. She started her career working with special needs barbarianren and had seen how effective the results of special(prenominal) sense exercises were.Relevant somatics Practical flavor Essay MontessoriShe began to be curious nearly how working with frequently(prenominal) satisfyings would effect convention pincerren. Based on her knowledge of the anterior apparatus designed for this purpose, and on her observations of the children in her care, she began gradually to cause her profess circumstances of clobbers. It was al representations the spontaneous activities of the child that came first though, and the materials second. The need for order, exactness, self- crystaliseion and reflection all were qualities that Montessori cut were needed in order for the children to develop as t hey should.When she saw that children were pointly careworn to certain activities she then concentrated on developing materials that would extend that interest. She carefully took to each unitary of the senses and thought how best she could help the children to sort out and expand their existing experiences. By insulate specific qualities in the materials and by place each set in ever- tweakd series, she was competent to flip over the children the ability to increasingly go through each of their senses. The sensorial materials comprise a series of preys which are grouped together according to around physical woodland which they have, such as colour, shape, size, sound, texture, weight, temperature, and so forth. all(prenominal) single group of intentions represents the same flavour tho in unlike degrees in that location is consequently a regular but gradual distinction among the respective(a) objects and, when this is possible, peerless that is mathematical ly set all(prenominal) series of objects s graded so that there is a maximum and a minimum, which determines its limits, or which, more properly, are fixed by the use which a child makes of them. The Discovery of pip-squeakhood p 100-101, cracking 6 Quotations Our sensorial material provides a kind of guide to observation, for it classifies the impressions that each sense seat receive the colors, nones, noises, forms and sizes, touch-sensations, odors and tastes. This un incertitudeedly is also a form of culture, for it leads us to give way direction both to ourselves and to our surroundings. The Absorbent Mind, p 167, laddie 17 To teach a child whose senses have been educated is kinda a different thing from education one who has non had this help. Any object presented, any topic given, any invitation to observe, is greeted with interest, because the child is already sensitive to such particular differences as those which occur between the forms of leaves, the colours of flowers, or the bodies of insects. boththing depends on being equal to(p) to see and on taking an interest. It matters such(prenominal) more to have a wide-awake brainiac than to have a near teacher. Ibid p 167, cleft 17 And if we touch sensation at the sensorial apparatus which is commensurate to evoke such deep parsimony (remarkable in very small children between the ages of three and four), there is no doubt that this apparatus may be regarded not only as a help to exploring the environment, but also to the development of the mathematical top dog. Ibid p 170, curse 17 In a pedagogical method which is observational the education of the senses moldiness undoubtedly go into the greatest importance. Experimental psychology also takes note of movements by means of sense measurements. The Montessori Method p 168, Chap xii In order that an instrument shall stumble such a pedagogical end, it is infallible that it shall not weary but shall discriminate the child. Ibid p 169, Chap dozen The instructive material envisions every error. The child ingathering to correct himself, doing this in various ways. Ibid p 172, Chap XII quotIndeed, it is precisely in these errors that the educational importance of the instructive material lies, and when the child with evident security places each piece in its proper place, he has outgrown the exercise, and this piece of material becomes useless to him. Ibid p 172, Chap XII There is, therefore, no question here of teaching the child the knowledge of the dimensions, through the medium of these pieces. uncomplete is it our aim that the child shall know how to use, without an error, the material presented to him, thus performing the exercises well present instead is the work of the child, the auto-correction which acts, for the teacher must not interfere in the slightest way it is necessary that the pupil perfects himself through his own efforts. Ibid p 173, Chap XII habitual children repeat such ex ercises many times.This repeat varies according to the individual. Ibid p 173, Chap XII The education of the senses has, as its aim, the purgation of the derivative instrument perception of stimuli by means of perennial exercises. Ibid p 174, Chap XII Our didactic material renders auto-education possible, permits a methodical education of the senses. Not upon the ability of the teacher does such education rest, but upon the didactic system. This presents objects which, first, get in the spontaneous attention of the child, and, second, contain a rational gradation of stimuli. Ibid p 176, Chap XII Experimental psychology has so far devoted its attention to perfecting the instruments by which the sensations are measured. No one has attempt the methodical preparation of the individual for the sensations. Ibid p 216, Chap XIV The stimuli, and not in time the reasons for things, attract his attention. This is, therefore, the time when we should methodically behave the sense sti muli, in such a way that the sensations which he receives shall develop in a rational way. This sense training will prepare the ordered theme upon which he may build up a clear and strong mentality. Ibid p 217, Chap XIV It is necessary to nonplus the education of the senses in the formative period, if we gaze to perfect this sense development with the education which is to follow. The education of the senses should be begun methodically in infancy, and should continue during the entire period of cultivation which is to prepare the individual for life in society. Ibid p 222, Chap XIV esthetical and moral education are nigh related to this sensory education. Multiply the sensations, and develop the capacity of appreciating fine differences in stimuli, and we refine the sensitivity and multiply mans pleasures. Ibid p 223, Chap XIV Beauty lies in harmony, not in contrast and harmony is refinement therefore, there must be a fineness of the senses if we are to appreciate harmony. Ibid p 223, Chap XI With the gradual matter of knowledge and volition, it becomes imperative to establish some order and clarity within the mind and to distinguish what is essential from what is accidental. To satisfy this need, he should have an exact, scientific guide such as that which is to be found in our apparatus and exercises. The Discovery of the Child p 100, Chap 6 Any object that we wish to use for the education of the senses must necessarily present many different qualities such as weight, texture, colour, form, size and so forth. How are we to isolate from many qualities one single one so that attention may be focused on it? This is done by a series and its gradations the objects are indistinguishable among themselves with exception of the varying quality which they possess. Ibid p 101, Chap 6 The perfection of this exercise consists in removing as far as possible all distracting factors.It enables a child to engage in an inner and external analysis that can help him acquire an orderly mind. Ibid p 102, Chap 6 A child is by his nature an avid explorer of his surroundings because he has not besides had the time or means of erudite them precisely. Ibid p 102, Chap 6 Every effort should be made to see that the materials offered to a child contain in themselves a control of error The control of error through the material makes a child use his reason, critical faculty, and his ever increasing capacity for drawing distinctions.In this way a childs mind is conditioned to correct his errors even when these are not material or apparent to the senses. Ibid p 103 Chap 6 Another characteristic of the objects is that they are attractive. Colour, brightness and proportion are desire in everything that surrounds a child. Ibid p 103, Chap 6 Another characteristic of this material for a childs development is that it must run in itself to a childs activity. The ability of a thing to attract the interest of a child does not depend so much upon the qu ality of the thing itself as upon the opportunity that it affords the child for action. Ibid p 104, Chap 6 Finally, there is another principle that is ordinary to all the material devised for a childs education. It is one that has been little understood until now and yet is of the greatest importance, namely, that the material should be extra in quantity. Ibid p 104, Chap 6 One should begin the process with a very few contrasting stimuli so that the child can later grant on to a large shape of similar objects but with always finer and less perceptible differences. Ibid p 112, Chap 7 In order to give an even more complete idea of the differences between objects, it is well to include identical objects along with those which are strongly contrasted. Ibid p 113, Chap 7 Montessori deliberately set about trying to help the child to make these abstractions more easily and more accurately. That is, in fact, one of the main purposes of the sensorial materials each of which is desig ned to help the childs mind to focus on some particular qualityShe has been able to do this by making use of the principle of the closing off of stimulus. Maria Montessori Her Life and run low p 161, Chap 7 the function of the sensorial materials is not to present the child with impudent impressions (of size, shape, colour and so forth) but to bring order and system into the myriad impressions that he has already received and is still receiving. Id p 161, Chap IX Study guide The Montessori Method Chapter XII, XIV The Discovery of the Child Chapter 6 Maria Montessori Her Life and Work Chapter 7 Journal articles