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To let the child do as he likes when he has not yet developed any powers of control, is to betray the idea of freedom. —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 205. Previously, we discussed how to add variety to the Montessori three-period lesson to help children learn to generalize, or transfer information. Behavior interventions will also play a role in developing good judgment and impulse control. Helping Children with Executive Function Challenges in the Montessori Environment The Montessori environment is set up to allow freedom of choice. Yet, as the opening quote warns us, giving the child freedom when he is not ready for it will backfire. A child who has not developed self-control will not be able to make good choices in work or behavior. Cognitive behavioral interventions are used to help children think about their behavior and how it affects them and those around them. When I started teaching, I would tell my high-school students to “make me proud” when we went on trips. When...

Along with controlled error and freedom to choose your own work, nothing is quite as Montessori as the three-period lesson. The three-period lesson is a focused and precise way of presenting new vocabulary and concepts to children in a consistent manner, allowing them a sense of comfort and security. They know what to expect every time something new is presented and can focus their entire attention on the concept rather than on the structure of the lesson. The structure of the three-period lesson is simple. It is made up of three phases: 1 This is… (Naming Phase) 2 Show me… (Recognition, Association Phase) 3 What is…? (Recall, Confirmation of Knowledge Phase) The Three-Period Lesson and Generalization: Helping Cognitive Processing in the Montessori Environment If we look at Bloom’s taxonomy, the three-period lesson aligns with the first three levels of the pyramid: (Cornwell, 2011) from http://juliaec.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/blooms_taxonomy.jpg While the process of the three-period...

A while back, we presented a blog called What is Executive Function? Montessori Perspectives . In that article, we discussed that executive function involves working memory, inhibitory control, and mental flexibility. Executive function is important for cognitive, social, emotional, and moral development. It helps us understand, internalize, and fulfill the steps required to solve a problem: Recognize a problem. Make a plan to solve the problem. Execute the plan. Evaluate effectiveness. Executive Function and Childhood Development Executive functions are controlled by the frontal cortex, one of the last regions of the brain to mature. We reach developmental milestones related to executive function by the time we are 1 year old, during early childhood, and during puberty. Some development in the brain continues well into the 20s and even 30s when myelination occurs, which is the process of forming electrical sheathes around the axons of the neurons. With all this continuous, long-range ...

The transition from one state to the other always follows a piece of work done by the hands with real things, work accompanied by mental concentration. —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 204. The Absorbent Mind, Chapter 19: The Child’s Contribution to Society — Normalization In chapter 18, Montessori discussed two categories of character traits; those observed in children with strong wills and those observed in children with weak wills. In chapter 19, Montessori goes on to say that society groups children into three categories: those whose character or behavior needs to be corrected; those who are models of good, albeit passive, behavior; and those who are thought to be superior to others – these are often noisy, “exuberant” children whose parents think they are brilliant, even though others may not find them agreeable to be around. Montessori says that all of these characteristics/behaviors, good or bad, disappear “as soon as the children become absorbed in a piece of work that ...

It was the children themselves who showed that they preferred one another’s company to dolls, and the small ‘real life’ utensils to toys. —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 169. Observing Sensitive Periods in Young Children Recently, a friend of mine and her two-year-old daughter came over for coffee. Because I was moving soon, I had already packed up my few remaining infant toys. I was worried that I didn’t have anything interesting to share with my young guest until I remembered Dr. Montessori’s observation that children prefer real objects to toys. Having never visited my house before, young Ellie needed to explore her new environment. She wandered around the living room, checking out the furniture and knick-knacks on the end and coffee tables. Ellie was intrigued by the glass topped coffee table: How did it work? What held up the glass and how did objects not fall through it? And then she saw my large blue art-deco glass vase. Fascinated, she asked to see what was inside. Whe...

There are two main types of shelf work in the Montessori environment. The first is the Montessori materials themselves. The second consists of a series of cards known as command or task cards that provide follow-up work to lessons and activities. Students work with command cards to practice what they have learned. As the name implies, command cards invite the child to do something with what they have learned, showing that they have command of the concept. Command Cards for Montessori Elementary Students An example of command cards common in upper elementary programs appears in the nomenclature work. In the Montessori classroom Nomenclature Cards, also known as three-part cards, are used to learn the names or parts of objects. The material is made up of three parts: a picture card, a label card, and a control card. For elementary students, a fourth card is added that relates to the definition of the object or part. This is a picture of a typical three-part Nomenclature Card that is used...

It follows that the child’s character develops in accordance with the obstacles he has encountered or the freedom favoring his development that he has enjoyed. —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 195. The Absorbent Mind, Chapter 18: Character and Its Defects in Childhood In today’s era of political correctness, to use the term ‘defect’ with children seems harsh and out of place. We think of things being defective, not people. Etymologically speaking, the term defect means a failure or falling away (desertion) rather than in reference to something being broken. When looked at in that respect, we can read Chapter 18 less defensively. In this case, the defects in character do not stem not from the child but from the behavior of the adults in the child’s life. Montessori grouped character defects in children into two categories: characteristics shown by children with strong wills “who resist and overcome the obstacles they meet,” (Montessori, p. 197) and characteristics shown by child...