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|Briefly outline the stages of growth (planes of development) (10) |
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|Define the term sensitive periods and give full details of the six main periods, together with examples to show your understanding. (6 x 5) - ie 30 marks in|
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|Explain why it is important to support and facilitate these periods during the child’s first stage of development (birth – 6). (5) |
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|Outline any adverse consequences of not recognising and supporting the child’s sensitivities. (5). |
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|Give details of how the adult might support these sensitive periods to facilitate the child’s optimum development. (25) |
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Children are the central factor in Montessori education, for it is through the child that we can understand man and society. This means that from the moment of birth a child must be observed and paid special attention to in all his stages of growth, physical and mental.
Montessori believed that there were three stages of growth i.e. birth to six, six to twelve and twelve to eighteen years. The first stage is regarded as the absorbent mind and ‘formative period’ (Montessori, 2007a). It is divided into two sub phases i.e. birth to three (child’s mind cannot be influenced by adults), three to six (mentally the child is the same but can now be influenced by adults and the environment). In the second stage (six to twelve) child appears to be emotionally and physically calm, happy and stable but is also very curious of the surroundings. The third stage is characterised by instability, rebellion etc and is divided into two sub phases i.e. twelve to fifteen (puberty) and fifteen to eighteen (adolescence). At puberty the child grows rapidly with the occurrence of emotional outbursts, mood swings etc. Adolescence is characterised by a need for independence and maturity. It can be deduced that each stage of growth identified by Montessori is important however, “the most important period of life...is the period from birth to the age of six...it is the time when mans intelligence is formed... (Montessori, 2007a, Ch3, p21).
It is in this stage that the infant is seen as a ‘spiritual embryo’ (Montessori, 2007a). Just like an embryo first takes shape physically with the protection and nurturing from inside its mother’s womb, the human soul in the newborn also appears in an embryonic form that needs protection and nourishment (spiritually). This is known as the spiritual embryonic stage and represents the intellectual development of the child. The child’s personality unfolds and a unique human being emerges. This child unconsciously acquires his/her basic abilities i.e. gain control of hands, walk, talk etc and tries to be independent. Around three the child moves onto the next stage i.e. social embryonic. Here the child learns consciously becoming aware of the people around hence he/she becomes socialised. The child is able to exist independently, develops an identity/personality and becomes sensitive to people around him/her. The social aspects of life such as culture, friendships etc are highlighted. The child begins to understand that he/she belongs to a unit be it family or friends at school.
After being bombarded with his/her environment the child is enthusiastic and driven by impulses during this adjustment. According to Montessori, adjustment doesn’t occur unaided, there seems to be a perfect time frame for optimal adjustment to occur. She says “A child learns to adjust himself and make acquisitions in his sensitive periods” (Montessori, 2007b, Ch7, p40). A sensitive period relates to the child’s mental growth. This period lasts for a short time which is long enough for the child to gain a particular trait/skill. It seems that the child is predisposed for acquiring various aspects of his mental life during this period. There appears to be six sensitive periods i.e. sensitivity to movement, order, small objects, language, refinement of senses and social aspects of life.
Even when a child is still an embryo he/she is active in the womb thus showing sensitivity to movement. Once born the baby is able to demonstrate a range of movement (grasping, crawling, rolling, sitting, walking etc). Movement links with the tendency to explore the unknown. Montessori realised that humans had tendencies toward certain behaviours to help them fulfil their needs. To explore new, distant environments, the child eventually masters walking hence we see how sensitivity to movement develops the skill of walking. This is learnt gradually and has to be repeated until it is perfect. This also links with tendencies of repetition, manipulation (of their bodies, toes, feet etc) and precision/perfection. In the spiritual embryonic stage the child’s movements are driven by eagerness toward independent movement that becomes second nature. In the social embryonic stage the child matures and does things in willingly. Crucial skills are learnt during this sensitive period, example during playtime children learn to throw and catch balls involving movement of the hands and fingers. This later develops the fingers and upper body muscles. If movement is not facilitated during this sensitive period it may have negative consequences in the next stage (like the child unable to use his hands effectively or have a fear of moving around etc).
Sensitivity to order shows itself in the first month of life where the child’s development is linked to order. As the child begins to explore the environment, he/she is bombarded with new information and searches for a way to make sense of it. For the child to make sense of the environment, he/she is compelled by the tendency to explore. The child displays a sensitivity to order. This order is important and makes the child feel safe and secure. In the spiritual embryonic stage sensitivity to order is facilitated by routines and organisation of the environment. In the social embryonic stage, it is visible when the child shows that he/she understands and follows rules that have been learnt. An example of order may be that children understand that before they have a snack they need to first wash and dry their hands before touching food. This can be a snack time routine and part of ground rules. Similarly children will follow other rules and routines to stabilise this order in their environments.
Once the child becomes increasingly aware of his/her new environment, sensitivity to small objects becomes evident. This happens around six months when the child is more mobile and drawn to small objects e.g. grass, stones, ants etc. They suddenly have the urge to pay attention to detail to understand their worlds better. Cognitive skills are developed in this period as the child begins to think of himself/herself in relation to the environment where they appear larger than the smaller objects around them. This can be linked to the tendency of manipulation as well as movement.
On exploring his new environment, becoming sensitive to small objects, establishing order or categories, he/she wishes to share the discoveries which give rise to sensitivity to language. This period begins in the womb when babies are sensitive to the sounds of their mothers talking, familiar voices, etc. This sensitivity to language is present from birth to five when most children learn basic sentences with almost no direct teaching. In this period the child may display the tendency of repetition, communication, order etc. The child is equipped with cognitive skills, develops organs of speech etc. During the spiritual embryonic stage, the child is able to start expressing his/her needs, observations etc. In the social embryonic stage, the child’s socialisation becomes more effective with the emergence of language.
In exploring his/her new world the child is curious and begins to see, hear, smell and taste things. This marks the beginning of sensitivity to the refinement of the senses which occurs around the age of three till eight. Sensory experiences contribute to the building of mental structures which eventually form logical thinking. During the spiritual embryonic stage the child has many sensory experiences which are stored in the child’s memory that can be made sense of at latter stages. In the social embryonic stage the child goes further and organises the sensory impressions by sorting, classifying etc.
Environments, physical and social consist of other people, exposing the child to an array of social interactions especially around the age of three. He/she becomes aware of belonging to some sort of social unit, and the sensitivity to social aspects of life begins. The tendency of gregariousness and to communicate are emphasised here. This is when the child is transformed as a social being in the social embryonic stage. An example would be the way children interact with each other when accessing equipment or having a snack together, being guided by certain social guidelines or norms.
At birth to six whilst the child is passing through stages of development he/she is also growing mentally through sensitive periods. These are extremely important according to Montessori because “It is a transient disposition and limited to the acquisition of a particular trait. Once this trait has been acquired...the special sensibility disappears” (Montessori, Ch 7, p38). If these periods are not facilitated by teachers the child may become helpless example if a child’s sensitive period to language is not fully exploited by ensuring the child is surrounded by people who speak a certain language, the child will not be able to learn this language once the period has passed.
If teachers do not facilitate and support the sensitivities of children, they will be damaged by suffering limitations to their intellectual growth. With sensitivity to movement, if the child isn’t able to move freely in an environment his/her muscles may weaken. In refinement of senses, if the child is not in a sensory stimulating environment he/she will not be able to discriminate etc. Another adverse consequence is that the child may manifest with deviations. These may occur if a child’s natural development has been interrupted by something in the environment. The child may also throw tantrums due to an unsatisfied need in a stage of development.
Given the importance of a child’s sensitive periods and unfolding development, it is crucial for teachers to understand them. Teachers need to be passive and watch the children engage with their environment as Montessori states “It is imperative that a teacher understand and appreciate his position as an observer” (Montessori, 1966, Ch 3, p51). It is through this observation that favourable environments can be created. Teachers should understand that the best way to help the development of a child is to facilitate natural learning. Teachers should also guide a child to independence. In the sensitive period of order for example the teacher needs to realise it's about order that helps the child feel safe and secure. Routines should be developed that initially should be guided by the teacher. Children then notice an order that seems to exist in the environment e.g. if they see a shelf that is dirty they will attempt to clean it, thus the environment should have cloths kept in the same place so that a child has access to and knows where to put it back. The physical organisation of the environment also assists hence the teacher must ensure the environment is always perfect. In the sensitive period for movement, education in movement should be fully incorporated. Teachers must provide children with a stimulating environment that allows freedom of movement example, use of Montessori designed furniture i.e. light tables and chairs which children can move around into positions they’re comfortable to work in. A heavy desk for example, renders a child immobile and affects natural exploration and learning. If a child isn’t constantly on the move during this sensitive period it may result in muscle degeneration. In relation to the sensitive period to small objects, teachers should be perceptive and sensitive to the child’s need to explore various objects. Should a child stop and stare at the same object repeatedly, the teacher must not interfere. What seems like a silly action is actually the child making sense of the environment and facilitating the development of cognitive skills that are related to actions and speaking. The sensitive period to language is extremely important. Teachers need to ensure an environment where children need to hear all types of conversations daily to help build their vocabulary and other language aspects. Ways in which this may be facilitated include the provision of interesting materials that assist in helping children speak example games that require them to speak to each other, read books etc. The period of refinement of senses is important for children to learn to discriminate between their senses. For this sensory discrimination to be optimised teachers need to provide a stimulating environment that appeals to all senses of a child i.e. sight (have colourful objects for the child to observe and discriminate), sound, smell, touch and taste. Finally the period of sensitivity to social aspects is crucial for a child to become socialised. The teacher has to ensure the environment promotes manners, social skills etc. This can be facilitated by grouping of children of different age groups that are interacting with each other in the same environment.
It is crucial that the stages of growth, sensitive periods and environment of the child be supported and facilitated by adults and teachers for holistic development of a child.

Bibliography

Lillard, P.P. (1996) Montessori Today New York: Schocken Books.

Montessori Centre International (2010) Module 1 Philosophy London: MCI.

Montessori, M. (1966) The Secret of Childhood New York: Ballantine.

Montessori, M. (2007a) The Absorbent Mind Amsterdam: Montessori-Pierson.

Montessori, M. (2007b) The Discovery of the Child Amsterdam: Montessori-Pierson.

Stephenson, M. E. (2000) The Human Tendencies NAMTA Journal, (Vol. 25 No 3) pp 5 – 22.