How is the childs exploration and orientation in his physical environment complimented
by the Montessori materials and presentation?
Dr. Maria Montessori, the revolutionary explorer in early childhood education in the 20th
century discovered a world within the child. Her observations of the child, at Casa dei
Bambini – the first Montessori Classroom – led her to discover the secrets of childhood.
And the framework of Montessori Philosophy is based on three important discoveries;
Tendencies, Absorbent Mind and Sensitive Periods.
As Dr. Montessori said, the child has his own potential for life to develop. It is important
for the adult to understand and allow the child build himself by his own experiences
without the adult trying to fill their knowledge onto the child. Every child posses a
pre-determined pattern of psychic unfold, which is not visible at birth but it is revealed
when the child is exposed to the environment with freedom. When these two factors are
provided, childs psychic life will reach its potential and build his personality for his
survival in the society.
From birth and throughout the childhood, a childs Absorbent Mind allows him to absorb
impressions from his surrounding environment and directly store it into his psychic life. As
an infant these impressions are absorbed unconsciously but gradually when the child has a
conscious mind, he absorb impressions consciously and make language connections.
There are blocks of time in early years of childs life which he absorbs certain
characteristics of his environment to the exclusion of all others. This is called Sensitive
Periods. A child possess sensitive periods for order, to experience the world using his five
senses, sensitivity for small minute objects, co-ordination of movements, for language and
to be in groups. During these Sensitive Periods if the child was not exposed and not
satisfied, the opportunity for a natural conquest is lost forever and the child will carry this
lack with him throughout his entire life.
Based Dr. Maria Montessoris observations, she was convinced that all humans possess
certain tendencies or behaviour patterns, that are universal. These behaviour patterns are
seen from birth to maturity. They are natural impulses that arise from the sub-conscious
which direct humans without a reason or conscious thought to perform certain actions. The
practical application of the Montessori Method is based on these human tendencies. They
are to explore, move, share with others, to be independent and make decisions, create
order, develop self-control, abstract ideas from experience, use the creative imagination,
work hard, repeat, concentrate, and perfect ones efforts.
Humans love to be in groups which make them much comfortable and communication
keeps them together. The best example to witness these human tendencies is the world
consisting diverse cultures and communities. The human tendency for imagination and
curiosity has brought the man into an advanced era. The “curiosity”€ builds the intellectual
desire to experiment more and abstraction is the imagination which witnessed before
reality. These imaginations to take the form of concrete the man require technology and
manipulation of objects. It is the tendency for calculation and work. The work is made
competent by the help of three more tendencies of man; repetition, concentration and
self-control. For the continuity of man, perfection and creativity comes in place to make
adjustments and modification to the environment we lives in accordance to our
understanding. To make these modifications to the environment, man has to explore the
environment. These successful cultural adaptations to survive in this world were called
independence.
“Human tendency to explore puts him in contact with his environment”€
– MMI, DMT 108: pg. 1
Childs tendency to explore the environment is visible from the moment of his birth. Every
human explores and experiences the world with their five senses. A child enters the
Montessori Classroom when he is in the age of 2 to 6. The human tendencies can be
readily witnessed in a child at this age. Maria Montessori believes that when the child
enters the Montessori classroom he should be given opportunities to act upon his
tendencies. She identified that childs needs for proper development of the psychic life,
needs to be satisfied through purposeful work.
“”€¦realising the peculiarly absorbent nature of the childs 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
Dr. Montessori to consider the environment as secondary to life. It is the most important
work of the facilitator to create the environment of the classroom with much thought. She
should be creative, sensitive, organized and well knowledgeable. The prepared
environment of the Montessori Classroom should be attractive to explore, child friendly,
orderly and should provide purposeful work, which are self-correcting, so the children feel
free to respond to their natural tendencies and construct their psychic and physical lives.
Childs exploration for the environment within the world is greatly satisfied by materials
presented in cultural subjects.
“Culture and education have no bounds or limits; now man is in a phase in which he must
decide for himself how far he can proceed in the culture that belongs to the whole of
humanity.”
– Four Planes of Education: AMI, 1971 (Edinburgh and London lectures): p. 11
With all the experience the child has gained from activities in practical life, sensorial and
language the child has already been prepared to absorb the enrichment provided in the
Cultural Area. Practical Life activities have helped the child develop a respect for objects
