Montessori Method and Child

The sequence of exercises by pith of which the sister is break ind to group operations with grand bead. If education is invariably to be conceived a foresightful the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is lifetime to be hoped from it in the bettering of bits future (Maria Montessori The discovery of the minor) Dr. Montessori recognized that kidskinren atomic snatch 18 born with a particular kind of instinct, one that is natur everyy inclined towards order.This special chief is what conducts humans the ability to make judgments and to calculate it is how we have progressed in field such as engineering and architecture. Dr. Montessori called this the mathematical intellectual a circumstance borrowed from the French physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal. Montessori felt that, if we argon to support development, then we must passport maths at an early eon since this is the kind of support that is coun tenance for the kind of mind th at we have. She observed Great creations come from the mathematical mind, so we must always consider all that is mathematical as a means of mental development. It is certain that math organizes the rescind path of the mind, so we must offer it at an early age, in a construct and very accessible manner, as a stimulus to the chela whose mind is yet to be organized. (Maria Montessori The discovery of the child) Dr.Montessori believed that children pass through sensitive periods when they take in a unique and amazing aptitude for encyclopedism to take reinforcement of these sensitive periods, we must discipline environment to simulate their particular interests and kick them to exercise their innate ability to withdraw. I began to understand to that the shelf-works ar really the practical life and sensational exercises that atomic number 18 as necessary as the materials insolated qualities physically and sterilize the children before they begin the math learning.From t he course manual(a) and the several(a) reading materials, I began to discover some important elements that entrust lead the children to progress mathematics learning from concrete to abstract using Montessori methods in enlightening. These elements are1) The Montessori sensational materials and Exercises 2) The applicatory life materials and Exercises 3) The unique Montessori mathematics curriculum and materials When we quashk of Montessori Mathematics, we cannot just consider math materials just because stunning training is of great importance in teaming the basics of mathematics.The entire sensorial materials for dimension (knobbed piston chambers, pink tower, broad stairs and long retinal rods) are in sets of ten. When the child works with the sensorial materials, he is indirectly learning the units of measurement, the tenness in the materials. For example, when the child has mastered the arrangement of the long rods, he has a sensorial basis for counting tens. The long rods are identical top the bend rods the child already has an impression and is familiar with the long rods which make learning concepts of 1-10 easier when the child is being introduced to number rods.The long rods act as an indirect preparation for a more advanced activity. Dr. Montessori stated that the long rods domiciliate an absolute and a relative concept of numbers. As the children handled and compared would avail them to various combinations and contracts. (The Discovery of the Child, Pg. 264) The sensorial exercises are based on a perspicuous learning sequence. It goes from the concrete to the abstract an example of geometry In the conventional system, when we introduce triangle, we would show children a plane figure enclosed by 3 on- attain lines but is quite an intellectual concept and children are being told then discover.However, Montessori Method introduces the triangle in the ricochet of solid wooden insets which can be taken out and fitted into equival ent wooden sockets. When the child tough and see, he forms a optic image of the object and make it easier to remember. Secondly, the child is given the triangle printed on cards wholly filled in. thirdly, the triangle is not filled in now, but drawn with thick outlines. Fourthly, the triangle is sh induce by a thin outline only and lastly it arrives at the Euclidean Definition of a triangle, i. e. a plane figure enclosed by 3 straight lines.In this example, the child has gone through five stages before reaching the abstract concept. (The Course Manual, Pg. 73) The materials similarly contain a control of error, e. g. in the cylinder blocks, directress will not tell a child if he makes a mistake in placing the cylinder back, the child will make his own judgment when he discovers on his own if the cylinder will not fit in a hole that is too small, this guides him to accurate observance and in any case builds up the childs perseverance skills, that teachers him not to give up so e asily.The sensorial materials basically protagonist the child to learn through their senses. According to Dr. Maria Montessori, there is a purpose for sensory education It is exactly in the repeat of the exercises that the education of the sense consists the aims of the exercises are not that the child shall know colours, form and the different qualities of objects, but that he refines his sense through an exercise of anxiety, of comparison of judgment. Maria Montessori The sensorial materials exit the child with plenty of opportunities to advance his attention span as the child is allowed to work with the material as long as the childs interest may hold. The sensorial didactic materials such as the cylinder blocks, the Colour tablets, the geometric cabinet and many other exercises provide the child the skills to make comparison and judgment that are so essential to cause the child to the next level of learning.When the children work with the sensorial materials, they are being introduced to the idealization of things and isolation of qualities. It fosters concentration and thinking skills, which develop the mathematical mind. The Practical life exercises in everyday living skills help the child to improve his fine motor skills, eye-hand co-coordination and concentration. The activities are familiar tasks to their home settings, such as effusive, transferring, sweeping or even cleaning the shoes. For example, the child begins with undecomposable pouring exercise like pouring water into a bottle with a funnel.These simple exercises prepare the child indirectly for mathematical concepts such as volume and capacity. The practical life materials are mostly practical and creatively made or assembled by the teachers. The various exercises often begin from simple to more complexes in design and usage. Each material has a definite purpose and intendful to the child. The directress will similarly observe different childrens capabilities and arrange the shelves with activities helping to progress in their learning paths. These purposeful activities help to assist children in their development physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally.They increase the childrens attention span, help them to understand achieving objectives through set sequence and gain a sense of I can do it independence. These Practical life exercises finally help the children with three basic mathematical skills exactness, calculations and repetition. Obviously, the Practical Life and Sensorial activities and materials have indirectly preparing them for learning the mathematical concepts and building a beardown(prenominal) platform of foundation even before the child begins mathematical learning. Dr.Montessori as well as knew that the child aged sestet and under learns through his senses and through movement, that is, through active, manipulation. She concluded that she needed to provide mathematical concepts in a concrete form, which would be accessible to t he childrens senses. A prime example is the material utilise to introduce the concept of quantity the Number Rods. These wooden rods are create in sections of red and blue so that each section re fall ins the attachment of a unit. The rod for two is therefore twice as long and twice as heavy as the rod of one that the rod for ten is ten clocks larger than that for one is strikingly apparent.In traditional education, on the other hand, mathematics is taught in a less hands-on manner. The child is given the abstract symbol as a beginning point. Beads on a thread may be employ to practice counting to ten, but it is more often done loudly or in the form of songs. Recognizing the symbol and counting up to ten does not imply an discretion of what these numbers mean they are only when symbols and words to be said in sequence. Furthermore, counting individual objects such as beads requires the child to make the additional mental flavor of grouping objects together in order to come up with the quantity.Far clearer is the Montessori start out of presenting the idea of the quantities as a whole using the Number Rods. As Dr. Montessori wrote, When, on the other hand, in ordinary schools, to make the calculation easier, they present the child with different objects to count, such as beans, marble etc. , and when, he takes a group of eight marbles and adds two more marbles to it, the natural impression in his mind is not that he has added 8 to 2, but that he has added 1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1 to 1+1.The result is not so clear, and the child is required to make the effort of holding in his mind the idea of a group of eight objects as one join whole, corresponding to a single number, 8. This effort often puts the child back, and delays his mind of number by months or even years (Maria Montessori The discovery of the child) The Montessori mathematics curriculum is organized into six groups.It begins with assemblage one introducing units of quantity from 1 10 using vario us concrete materials like the number rods, number cards, emery paper numerals, spindle rap, cars and counters and number games to learn the names of the numbers and repetition learning in counting from 1 10. The materials are designed to prepare the child indirectly for further learning. For example, the sandpaper numerals are used to teach children the name of the numbers from 1 10. By tracing the numerals with his fingers he builds a muscular memory of the numerals and therefore prepare him to write numbers.The number zipper is being introduced through the spindle box when the child learns that zero means nothing and he does not put any spindles into the spindle box compartment that shows the numeral 0. Each topic is presented to the child individually. The teacher also uses the three period lesson to teach the concept of the numbers 1 10. For workout by using the sandpaper numerals. First period The teacher places the sandpaper numeral 1 in front of the child and says, Th is is one. She also clues 1 using two fingers. She continues with numeral 2 and numeral 3.Second period To tally if the name of the numerals is associated in the childs mind. The teacher places both the numerals 1 and 2 in front of the child and asks, Show me the numeral 2 and asks child to trace 2, followed by Show me the numeral 1 and trace 1. The teacher moves on to the next stage should the child succeed in the association. Third Period The teacher points to the numeral 1 and asks, What numeral is this? If the child is able to name the numerals, she replaces it with the other numerals and asks the same question.Once the child has mastered the total knowledge of the units, then he will be introduced to the whole ten-fold system, learning the names of the power of ten using the bead materials which is meeting two. The children are given concrete experiences with the units, tens, hundreds and gigabytes and these learning are made likely and easy because of the golden bea ds and colorful bead stair. Montessori golden beads are golden beads of the same size, which are used to help children understand unit, quantities of tens, hundreds and thousands.A single bead comprises one unit. Ten beads string on a wire indicate ten. One hundred is indicated by ten bars side by side, which makes a square, and one thousand is ten one hundreds staked on top of each other, fashioning a cube. It uses sensorial sexual climax as the different bead materials can be differentiated in depth, weight and quantity. (www. montessori. com/goldenbeads) The children will explore the quantities and place determine as they count though the units, tens hundreds and thousands using the materials.As the children can see visually, reservation it easier for them to associate the name of the numerals with the quantities. With the use of the materials like the large number cards, children also begin to link written symbol with quantities. All these exercises help to prepare the child ren as they progress towards abstract learning later on. Next, in Group three, the child first learn with the beads and the beads are pose vertically to help the child to associate his learning later when he is being introduced to use sequin board A to learn 11 19 and sequin board B to learn 10,20,30,. 0. Correspondingly, the child is also using the sequin board B and the golden beads to reinforce concepts of learning numerals 11 -99. The correct number of ten bars and go around bead stair provide control of error and give the child the muscular impression of the quantities. In Group four, the children are being introduced to not just addition and subtraction but also to multiplication and division. It is not yet written in the book but as a sensorial level with an interesting set-up of a banker and two players.The children will mother the beads, large numeral cards, small numeral cards on trays, making it fun like a trading game, but most importantly, the children are learning. All the directress has to do is to guide the children, observe their learning capacities and enjoy acting in the game as well. When the children have enough learning and understanding with the operation of decimal system, the children progress on to the next level. This is Group five. lastly in Group six, the children will begin to transit to abstraction as they move on to internalize the function of arithmetic.At this point, the children would have a right-hand(a) foundation practicing the individual sums with golden beads. Conclusion Indeed, the Montessori mathematics materials and methods have proven its efficiency that is necessary for laying the foundation of counting and arithmetical operations. These key elements of sensorial learning, practical life exercises and mathematics materials are important accomplish for children to learn from concrete to abstract in mathematical learning. The child is impoverished to explore the material for mathematics material at his own pac e, without pressure.The materials are designed with their own control of error so the child is always able to assess his own progress. He is introduced to the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in group activities where he is given an actual concrete experience of the meaning of these functions. For example, he experiences addition as the putting together of two quantities that results in the production of a larger quantity and multiplication as a special addition in that it is the putting together of quantities that are all the same.The working in groups appeals to his need to interact socially at this age in sharp contrast to the solitary approach of the traditional worksheet. The Montessori approach results in the concepts being fully understood at a time when it is easy for the child to understand as long as the ideas are presented to him through the manipulation of concrete materials. By the time the children are six years old they have a solid knowl edge of mathematics that will stand them in good stead not only for further study, but also for many other aspects of everyday life