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The fifth installment in a
multi-part series about the history, philosophy and teaching of
Montessori education.
Montessori Learning
Materials, Part 1
“The objects that surround
children should be attractive and concrete for the child. The
children’s house [preschool classroom] should be pleasant and well
cared for in all respects. It’s almost possible to say that there
is a mathematical relationship between the beauty of what surrounds a
child and the child’s activity; They can make many more of their
own discoveries in an environment that is attractive than would be
possible in one that is ugly and unpleasant” – Maria Montessori
All the Montessori learning materials
in each area of the classroom are arranged on open shelves at the
children’s height. Children have access to all the materials. They
can chose what they want to do during classroom work time, which
usually lasts for three hours, and they can work with each material
for as long as it holds their interest. When the child is done
working with a material, he returns it to its place on the shelf.
The Montessori materials and method of
working invite children to move freely about the classroom, an aspect
of development that Maria Montessori considered essential. Many
materials are designed from geometric shapes, puzzles with knobs so
that each piece can be removed, and blocks of varying shapes and
sizes.
In a Montessori classroom, each
learning material isolates one aspect of learning. In this way, the
underlying concept is highlighted as it is discovered by the child.
For example, the material known as the pink tower is composed of
different size pink blocks. The child builds the tower starting with
the largest block on the bottom, sequentially adding blocks of
decreasing size, finishing with the smallest block on top. This
material isolates the concept of size, because all the blocks are the
same color and texture, the only difference is their size. Other
materials isolate different concepts such as the color tablets for
learning about colors, or geometric materials for learning about
shapes.
 The Pink Tower
 Color Tablets
The
Brown Staircase
;)
Most importantly, Montessori
materials are self-correcting. When a piece is left over or doesn’t
fit, the child can easily realize she has made an error. There is no
need for an adult to correct her. The child is capable of resolving
the problem by herself, building independence, developing analytical
thought, and achieving the satisfaction of completing the task
correctly on her own.
As the child continues to develop and
explore in the classroom, the materials relate to each other and can
be used in combination. For example, different combinations between
the pink tower and the brown staircase can be used to explore
measurement of precise dimensions or units. Later on, in the
Montessori Primary School curriculum, aspects of the same materials
re-emerge. A child can, for instance, return to the pink tower and
discover that the blocks increase incrementally in size by
centimeters squared. This way, children’s learning progressively
builds on the concepts inherent in each Montessori material.
Stay tuned for the next
installment about Montessori Materials—“Practical Life: Everyday
Life Skills.”
To see a Montessori preschool in
operation, come visit Otoch Paal Community Center in Akumal Pueblo.
Otoch Paal welcomes visitors who are interested in seeing how a
Montessori center operates. Classes are in session from 8 a.m. to 1
p.m., Monday through Friday. Visitors are asked to come between 9 and
10:30 a.m.
How you can help. As a
non-profit community-based learning center, Otoch Paal does not
generate sufficient funds to pay for all necessary school
improvements. Monetary donations and donations in kind are always
welcome. Donations can be made directly at the school.
Or more information can be found at:
http://montessoriaroundtheworld.org/otoch.html
Are you associated with a Montessori
school that could donate used learning materials for the preschool
classroom? Contact Eleonor Bermudez Ferrer, of Otoch Paal, at:
leocancun@hotmail.com
or Ellie Zucker, parent, at: elzucker@aol.com
Are you part of a Rotary Club that
wants to get involved? Contact Ron Rockvam of the Foothills Rotary
Club at: dvantage@msn.com
Directions to Otoch Paal: The
school is located near the back of Akumal Pueblo, on the Northern
edge of the town. It can be reached by following the Pueblo’s main
street (avenida) to the fourth block on the right hand side of
the street. After passing the secondary and kindergarten schools
(which are on the main street), turn right at the corner where the
kindergarten is located and continue to the next corner. Otoch Paal
is next to the kindergarten and the entrance is at the far corner,
near the town’s edge.
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