More about montessori

In the Montessori environment, specifically designed materials or equipment is introduced to the child to assist him or her in developing an understanding of the world around him or her. Through the principle known as isolation of stimulus, the child is able to focus on one quality of the materials using their visual and muscular senses. They become aware of differences in shape, size and form; that objects of the same height can vary in diameter as well as in weight.

The child learns to discriminate, not only visually but through the stereognostic, or muscle memory, while handling the objects. Several senses become engaged, further developed, ordered and refined through the variety of activities and equipment they work with.

Besides the five senses we are commonly aware of; visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory and tactile (seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling), there are also the chromatic (awareness of colours – their shades and hues), baric (sense of weight), thermic (sense of temperature) and stereognostic (muscle memory) senses. The Montessori system of education always focuses on all these senses, developing the whole child.

Sensorial development and refinement is a critical area for it is here that the child becomes fine-tuned, discovers their strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes and where they begin refining the person they are to become. Through the senses the child comes in touch with the environment.

Every piece of material has a control of error built into it which allows for the auto-education of the child, allowing them to identify and correct any mistakes on their own. Once work has been presented to the child they are left to work with it for as long as they like – experimenting, exploring, further developing and refining their senses as well as promoting logical thinking.

Through deep concentration, repetition and completion of the tasks, the child’s inner discipline is further developed and their reward is the satisfaction in having completed the activity.

All this is achieved through the child’s senses.

Compiled by Felicity Ingram.

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