Benefits of the Prepared Environment

How does YOUR environment achieve these outcomes? Or do you see where you can improve?

What other outcomes do you see from a child in a properly prepared environment?

(from Primary Montessori Theory album)

Results of the Prepared Environment

The results of the prepared environment are many and varied and are not limited to the following:

• functional independence
• acquisition of skills
• community and social cohesion
• care of the environment
• confidence
• competency-based self-esteem

-      not the 'I am special, You are special' false outer self-esteem

• respect

-      for other children

-      materials

-      other life

• peacefulness
• concentration[1]
• keen sense of developed order –

-      carries over into other areas of life

• feeling of security
• sense of belonging –

                to something outside themselves

• refined, graceful movements
• love for learning
• strong academic foundation

-      language, math

-      how the world operates (through sensorial)

• strong connection to reality
• able to follow-through – complete task
• responsible
• keen observers
• appropriate risk takers –

-      not afraid to make mistakes

-      secure and safe environment

• appreciation for nature
• appreciation of other cultures

-      and for other types of differences

• refined senses
• joy
• adaptability to new situations later

---

[1]  (“all learning depends on the ability to attend”)

What do we provide our children?

From the beginning, Dr. Montessori found one principle that holds true across all other teachings. When considering these young children, elementary children, adolescents - all in the process of developing themselves, taking in the environment around them to construct themselves:

The greatest for the least.




The best of ourselves. The best of the materials. The best of the culture. The best and richest language.

Good quality colored pencils.

High vocabulary.

Loving examples of relationships.

Order.

Simplicity.

The essentials.

It's just not working!

"it" - what IS "it"? That is your first question. Is "it" a subject area, certain materials, the environment, etc.

Your next question (and where you will find your solution) is "what foundational piece is missing for "it"?"

NO PROGRESS can truly be made, in any sort of joyful or even efficient manner, if the
FOUNDATION is MISSING. hint-hint ;)

If the problem is adult preparedness - you are the only who can fix that ;)

If the problem is the environment - consider what obstacles are in the environment that hinder the child's natural and proper development? This page has some ideas on that.


Let's look at the different subject areas regarding the foundation:

Mathematics: 
"it": the children are just not enjoying mathematics, they are not really working with it, they are either playing with it or ignoring it.
PRIMARY: Go back to the numerals 1-9 and 0. Play the basic change game with them. These are the foundational pieces for EVERYTHING in mathematics in our society. They don't even NEED the teens and tens (this is just vocabulary, not directly "math" - it is language).
ELEMENTARY: Well, same thing. Go back to make sure they understand place value. But one more thing: do you have cosmic education going? Did you tell the Story of Numbers? Do you have other stories in your environment that utilize mathematics? For younger children, Sir Cumference is great; Life of Fred for several ages; stories on early mathematicians; more.....


Geometry: 
"it": the children are not learning the names of the shapes, not exploring with the geometric cabinet and solids, or the volume work and geometric sticks.
PRIMARY: Go back to the early geometric cabinet presentations and begin again. Make it a GAME. Assure that you have albums with exercises for the 5 and 6 year olds as well. This will help keep you on track giving those early presentations early ;)
ELEMENTARY: Go back to the early presentations, and add in MORE nomenclature (roots words, language connections). But also - again - Cosmic Education - did you tell the story about the Ancient Egyptians? Do you tell stories of the early geometers? Do you have the children exploring shapes in the environment?


History: 
ELEMENTARY: COSMIC EDUCATION. Get those Great Lessons going; repeat them as needed and at least once a year!
Do you have and USE the History Question Charts?
Do you have timeline paper in various formats available, with resources on hand to entice interest?
Are you making trips to the library, to museums, to other outings, for further experiences?



Language: 
"it": the language area just isn't working. The children aren't really writing and/or they aren't really reading. There are children about to go elementary who just can't or refuse to read. There are elementary children who can't read, don't want to read.
PRIMARY: Go back to the beginning of the language album. Lay that strong foundation. Sound games - environment games - vocabulary building - experiences to talk about and eventually write about.
5 year olds should be reading. Period. There are VERY FEW children who cannot read at age 5, with ease and joy, when given the right tools at the right time. Those remaining children will read around age 8. Not to lay a guilt-trip! Just look at the tools provided, start at the beginning and work your way through. At this point, each step does not have the 100% perfect to move on because frankly, a 5 year old still working on the sandpaper letters is not having his/her developmental needs of the moment met (but still needs those foundational pieces to get to the point of access to materials that DO meet current developmental needs).

ELEMENTARY: Use the "remediation" sections in the language album. COSMIC EDUCATION: Story of Communication in Signs in particular - but ALL the Great Lessons. Give them books to read they WANT to read (but not junk books either - show them you value them by giving them real literature).
Remove the audio books if elementary children are not reading. Or listen to the first chapter and invite them to read the rest themselves. Or take turns reading a page or a paragraph.
Get them started on the grammar boxes - most of the words are basic enough, and the phrases start small and slowly build.
DO NOT MAKE THEM READ ALOUD. Provide written commands or other reading material that requires some action such that you can assess comprehension. And have some reading material that is just for enjoyment, so they're not feeling "tested" all the time.
PS Dr. Seuss books are great for reluctant readers!


BUT THE ENVIRONMENT IS NOT CARED FOR! 
Go back to the beginning of the year. Check into Grace and Courtesy.
Do the children know where the cleaning supplies are located?  How to use them? Who is responsible for the room? (hint: the children are!)
Control of movement (walking on the line, silence game) - is it being done? Daily? Really, truly daily???
How are you the adult behaving within the environment? Graceful movements? Two hands to carry one object? Completing your work cycle? If you said "yes", are you absolutely sure?



The point in all of this - if "it" isn't working, and you desire true success, don't just finish the album and mourn, stop where you are, go back and re-build that foundation. Likely a bit faster this time, but make sure all those pieces are there!

Album Pages are Incomplete

   At all ages provide appropriate activities according to the ideas presented in the environment as the children’s interests are piqued. 

Plant those seeds of interest and they will sprout when properly fertilized. 

As much as possible follow the children’s interests in developing follow-up activities (without becoming "cheap" - provide high quality experiences - and invite the children to utilize basic supplies to create their own follow-ups). 

No album page or lesson plan or curriculum can plan for every interest! 


(and no album page or lesson plan or curriculum SHOULD!)

Spiritual Preparation of the Adult: Ownership of the Environment

This Montessori Nugget applies to all environments - not just Montessori ones.

Who owns the environment?

Adults? Children? Parents? Teachers? Do any of us? Do any of us truly own the environment?

The adult prepares the environment, but does so while considering the needs and characteristics of the children who will be present. The adult also looks at the bigger situation: is this is a school environment, a part-time co-op, a homeschool, an after-school, an impoverished area, an affluent area. All of these considerations and so many more dictate that the adult is not going to come in and set something up in a vacuum.

The children utilize the environment, take into themselves and construct themselves through their experiences.

This whole concept is a tough one for us adults, and there will be many more Montessori Nuggets on the subject.

For our Montessori environments:

Trust the materials described in the albums - go deep with them. There is a LOT that can be culled from just the basic materials. Then, if a child has found a true deep interest that even the depths of the material can't provide, then look at your situation, clarify the needs and fulfill them with appropriate further basic material. 


Anything beyond basic: let the child create - it's his interest, let him own it. 


You the adult provide the keys; you provide the environment; you provide a structure within which the child knows and can fulfill the requirements. Fully formed people at every plane are able to take responsibility for themselves through having access to the right tools. Provide those tools and disengage your own emotions, except to be proud of the wonderful creation in front of you :) 

Environment Not Working

Always keep in mind the psychological characteristics of the children and teach to them. 


Anytime there are bored or frustrated children in a Montessori environment, the adult must ask, 

“Where are the needs of their psychological characteristics not being met? What should be done differently within the environment to change their attitudes?” 

It is the adult’s role to find those solutions.

Spiritual Preparation of the Adult: Who Owns the Learning?

Who owns the learning that takes place in the environment?

We want the children to be responsible, to want to be responsible, for something which we put our heart into for their sakes - the environment and the learning that takes place within it.

It can be so hard to avoid turning into a dictator, even a loving, well-meaning one. When we see our children delve into an interest, most of us want to immediately own that interest, direct that interest, provide requirements for that interest. "Oh, my son, I see your passion for Ancient Egypt! I have this book I want you to read through, it has all sorts of Egyptian activities we can do together! We'll do these particular ones here and we'll have so much fun!"

That can turn out great - but it also takes away ownership of the interest from the child. What if the child really just wanted to study a particular area of the culture and create a timeline; but just wasn't yet interested in the art projects and activities? What if he would have gotten to it later in his journey of exploration and been thoroughly fascinated then?

There are times we provide requirements, and give new presentations regardless of interest (this is how a child discovers new interests), but if the passion is already there, we can strew materials, drop hints, provide ideas, and even minimal requirements, but the child should truly own this passion.

It is a tough balance. And there will be more Montessori Nuggets on this subject.

In the example above, we can make a discovery of the said book, "Look what I have found! I thought this might be of interest to you. I'd love to do some of the activities in it together if you'd like. Just let me know!" And let it go.

If it comes down an education requirement, then it should be discussed ahead of time as part of a work-plan, or just done as a group separate from the child's actual exploration and research.


It is the child's passion - let him own it. 

Embellishment - or Doodling?

When most of us went to school, if we drew on our mathematics or language or social studies work, we were punished for doodling.

But in Montessori, we encourage children to make their work in any subject a personalized work of art. When they have done real work that they care about, they want to take their paper representation of that work and embellish it.

Embellish as a Montessori term: encouraged doodling ;)

So your stamp game paper for primary?
There are 7 rows. Enough space for 2 problems (if doing using just 2 terms within a problem), and a row in between. The division paper is longer and turned horizontally, so there are 3 rows - enough for two problems written straight across with a doodle-row in between.
That extra row: is designed for embellishment ;)

Short and large bead frame paper? Embellish around the edges and in between problems to keep them separate.

The graph paper used in elementary for so many subjects? Yep! Embellish with borders and separators.

Think of all the art and geometry a child is getting just embellishing all those squares, let alone the unlined paper he also uses. Repeating shapes; something new in each square; alternating designs; varying the colors.

Children in Montessori classrooms leave behind veritable works of art when they leave a classroom, because they do SO much of it.

Art is an external expression of the inner soul. Let's encourage it, entice it, and build on those skills NOW at primary and elementary, so that the child has plenty of strong outlets in the hormonal and emotional adolescent years, when they CRAVE artistic expression of their very souls.

Freedom and Responsibility

Montessori is NOT anarchy. The children do not get to make every choice for themselves.

Sometimes we describe the freedom of Montessori as being "the adult sets the environment (making the ultimate choices), and the child chooses within this safety." This is accurate, but not the entire picture.


Montessori has been critiqued for being too free (the child has complete choice; child-led only; no adult guidance); and it has also been critiqued as being too restrictive (the child cannot use a material in any other way except the way presented - which isn't actually TRUE but could be done inappropriately in Montessori-in-name-only environments).
We know that neither of these extremes are true, but that is not the point to this Nugget :)


The point is the balance we provide. 



Let's look at some Montessori principles that are, indeed, universal principles:

Daniel Schwabauer (author and teacher of Once a Year Adventure Novel)

A principle of creativity that applies in every field: Boundaries actually inspire creativity, they don't hinder it.

Some people think creativity means a lack of boundaries.

He then quotes GK Chesterton:

G.K. CHesterton said, "Art consists of limitation. The most beautiful part of every picture is the frame."

This thoroughly applies throughout life.

It is healthy to set boundaries for our children. We also want them to explore. We work with them to create the right balance.

The Adult and Presentations - 4

As the child practices on his own, the adult should assure that the psychological environment is prepared in such a way that all mistakes are seen as opportunities. 


The child has freedom to make mistakes, learn from them, repeat them as does happen, and try again. 


Freedom after the presentations is the key that leads to independence, but the child needs the knowledge that he has freedom and what this freedom means.


The child should be aware that he is free to choose any presented activity, when and where to do it, for how long and as many repetitions as he needs, the freedom to ask for a presentation or even a repeated one, and to have a substitute similar or dissimilar one made available to him if the desired one is not available, either because another child is using it, or because the child is not yet prepared for the work.

             
The adult is also responsible for observation of the child, the environment, and the child’s interactions with other people as well as the environment. 


The adult should fade away in stages during a presentation, based on the child’s needs, sometimes physically staying with the child the entire duration but sitting back as often as possible to allow for independent work on the part of the child. 


The adult should observe the child’s reactions and his work during and after a presentation, taking notes after pulling back, recording for future planning of presentations all of the following: 

• the manner in which the child works (i.e. with concentration, carefully, with interest), 
• number of repetitions, 
• the child’s preferences (choose later presentations accordingly), 
• the child’s mistakes and difficulties (guiding the adult in clarifying further presentations, but not requiring or even needing an immediate re-presentation unless the difficulty is in using the material appropriately), and 
• what does the child use or not and why. 

The adult should come to know the child so well as to anticipate and be prepared for the next step of the child’s work before the child gets there himself.

The Adult and Presentations - 3 - Giving the Presentation

The child or children should have the adult’s full attention and all the children should know from the beginning of their time in the casa that there can be no interruptions during presentations, so that this time is respected. 

The adult should maintain frequent eye contact, choosing words carefully, counting words as needed since actions speak louder anyway. 


The most important characteristic in the exercises of practical life presentations are in the analysis of movement, of which the adult should utilize very carefully and specifically. 

“Every complex action comprises a series of distinct movements; one act follows the other. The analysis of movements consists in trying to recognize and to carry out exactly these separate and distinct acts.”[3] 

There should be all the needed movements for the activity, shown clearly, with no superfluous movement, so that the child can distinctly see what needs to be seen and later practice these movements himself. 

“An analysis and economy of movement are bound together; to carry out no superfluous movements in the attainment of a goal is, in brief, the highest degree of perfection. This is the source of aesthetic movements and artistic attitudes.”[4] 

Rather than using slow motion, a brief pause between key moments generally suffices to provide a distinction between one step and another, allowing the child to clearly see and, at least partially, absorb each step, noting that each movement has many smaller steps. 


The child then identifies the movements, seeing their succession and how each movement is performed. 


The emphasis on the individual movements and brief pauses with eye contact also serves to highlight the points of interest/consciousness such that the child is given the opportunity to see them, attracting his attention and serving as a control of error in his striving for perfection.

[3] Maria Montessori. The Discovery of the Child. Fides/Ballantine. 1967. 86.

[4] Ibid. 87.

The Adult and Presentations - 2

A presentation given to a child is more of an offering than a lesson, as it is a present, a gift, given to the child and an invitation to further work. 


A presentation ultimately opens the door to the child’s activity; after the presentation, the child is free to work with the materials whenever he likes. 


Success of presentations depends on timeliness based on the child’s readiness, the perfection with which the adult presents it in knowing it so well that the adult can focus on the child and his reaction, and with the adult’s own interest in the work being presented.

• If the adult has no to little interest or is too clumsy that day, the presentation should be held off to another day, as the key messages will not be transmitted to the child.

            
There are two types of presentations: 

• intentional (direct)
• unintentional (indirect). 

The choice of the three types of intentional presentations, collective, group, or individual, will depend on the needs of the children and the nature of the activity; some presentations can only be done with individuals or small groups, while some are more conducive for a collective presentation; however anything that can be presented collectively can also be presented individually. 


The unintentional and more powerful presentations are in every movement, the voice tone and choice of words of the adult; the adult’s actions are reflected back by the children, therefore presentations should be done with love.


Children also provide direct and indirect presentations for one another, through directly showing another child how to use the material, or through observation of another child’s work.

            

Exercises of Practical Life - Areas

Areas of Practical Life

The preliminary movements or exercises 

• aid orientation to the environment, providing immediate functional independence
• provide introductions to the aiding of smooth efficient functioning
• first begun during phasing-in and are continued as long as needed for the child to acclimate to the environment and remind him of the proper procedures in the room
• not complete activities in and of themselves, but are basic aids to more complex activities. 
• Examples include such things as rolling a mat, folding napkins, putting down a chair, how to walk in the casa, and how to carry and set down various items.

            

Care of self 

• help the child toward functional independence not only in caring for himself, but later in caring for the environment and other persons in it. 
• build self-respect, confidence and true self-esteem
• two levels of activity in care of self: the first level fulfills the inner need of the child and the second level responds to needs in the environment. There is great repetition at the first level and greater external action in the second level. 
• The child at first must be quite egocentric in order to build himself up and will spend a great amount of time with repetitive individual work in washing his own hands, polishing shoes, using the dressing frames, and others, regardless of the any actual need for these tasks to be completed (i.e. the shoes are already polished but he polishes them anyway). As the child constructs himself and becomes competent at these skills, he will move on to fulfilling perceived needs of himself and others, new activities and eventually show others how to do these tasks  (i.e. washing his hands when dirty or showing another child with dirty hands how to wash).

            

Care of the environment 

• build respect for the environment 
• allow the child to participate in caring for the collective community since the establishment and maintenance of beauty and order are collective tasks: each child is responsible for the care of the environment. 
• Again, the child functions at two levels in the care of the environment: first doing a task to satisfy the inner tendencies, later fulfilling external needs of self and the environment.

            

Lessons in grace and courtesy 

• begin on the first day and continue throughout the child’s years in the casa. 
• specifically focused on developing social skills and how to act harmoniously with others.
• The children are given skills to show respect for others, provided words to communicate in specific situations and they learn to control their behavior in specific and general situations, leading to a strong sense of self-dignity. Lessons are given in meeting a new person, introducing friends, blowing one’s nose or sneezing, and how to walk around a mat, as some examples.

            

Control of movement 

• walking on the line and the silence activity. 
• Walking on the line begins very early and should be done several times a week to aid in the process of normalization. 
• The silence activity is done later as it requires a certain level of normalization (any few children not yet ready can go for a nature walk with an assistant during this time). 
• Walking on the line is a point of departure towards normalization, while the silence activity is a point of arrival.

      

Visual art skills

• focuses on providing keys to visual through exposure to basic art skills exploring the elements of art. 
• Activities provided could include cutting with scissors, basic sewing skills, color and media exploration, and others.

The Adult and Presentations - 1

            

The trained and prepared adult is the link between the environment and the child. 

• The adult is responsible for the preparation of the environment and the materials, accounting for aesthetics, order, cleanliness, intactness and the physical construction and design of the room.
• In preparing the physical environment as well as the self, the adult is able to meet the needs of the child and be the connection between the physical outer world and the child in such a way that once an introduction is made, and later introductions to slightly new concepts, the child can complete his great task of constructing his own self, utilizing the prepared environment as his tool. 
• The adult should prepare a set-up for the exercises of practical life and all areas of the environment that will be conducive to the child’s work with the materials. 
• The adult should also know and practice the work with the materials so well that presentations to the children come naturally and smoothly.

           

Education in historical context

          Why haven’t others recognized what Dr. Montessori observed in children? Why hadn’t anyone before 1907 observed what she had in children? 

Others had indeed reached similar conclusions: Aristotle said, 

“Education should be based scientifically on the observation of human nature.” 

Quintilian (a Roman rhetorician) said, 

“Children have a natural capacity to contribute to their own development if they have reasonably good guides and a healthy home environment.” 

Some ideas regarding assistance of children’s development in the ways that Dr. Montessori put forth had been around for many centuries, but had also been lost sight of. One sees this loss in particular as the result of the industrial revolution which introduced compulsory mass education. One concern: what age to begin formal schooling had a solution which varied from country to country based on when that particular culture considered the child ready to begin schooling; it could begin at 5, 6, or 7, depending on where they lived. Their determination for readiness? When they could sit still and listen. Mass education developed the concept of age division to be “fair to everyone” – one-room schoolhouses in rural areas were the exception to this. To take matters a step further, it was determined that certain amounts of information should be given at one time – doses of each subject at specific times of the day, developing into the concept of blocks of subjects. This negated attention spans and developing interests as well as connections between subjects (this has been argued, but not well enough!). The schedule, rather than the needs of the child, determined the day. 

At-home tutors, for centuries, have been doing what Dr. Montessori “discovered” only in the 20^th century: building those connections, allowing for Goings Out, hands-on exploration, instruction suited to the individual needs of the child.

          Something else was introduced into the schools: rewards and punishments, used to entice/coerce children to sit still and pay attention. Originally, recess was not as a break from the school day, but as a technique to tire out the bodies so children could sit and listen again in the afternoon, supposedly to take in more information. In neither case was physical movement associated with learning in combination (as in our Montessori settings). 

The child was lost sight of with each new development of compulsory education, setting up a conflict between what the adult set in place to run the day efficiently and the needs of the child. (Check out children on the playground - community building, own interests, etc). The adult set out the schedule and criteria for success, dosing out the information and the child is expected to passively receive it.

          Dr. Montessori was (and many of us have been), a product of that form of education. But she thought that something different had to be possible and when she had the opportunity to set up the first casa dei bambini, she set it up in a very different way. 

Human Needs and Tendencies 4 - Montessori Method

            Human behavior is not only instinctual but humans have potentialities which are only activated by truly living, by interacting with the environment, the people and things, around him. Adults can support this activation or be obstacles to its development. 

Education itself can be transformed only when it utilizes the natural order of the human tendencies, recognizing and respecting them. The Montessori Method is based on tendencies which have always existed; there is nothing new in these tendencies, though the listing and emphasis of them is innovative in the realm of education and of living life. These tendencies come from the spiritual part of the human life. 

“The small child is spiritual. He is the perpetrator of all that is spiritual. He is the link in the long chain of history that ensures human evolution (towards perfection).”[1]

---

[1] Mario Montessori. (the pamphlet). 32. 

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Human Needs and Tendencies - 3: Role of the Adult and the Environment

Role of the Adult and the Environment

• The child depends on the adult to provide the environment and the opportunity to use these tendencies to their fullest in order to fulfill their needs. The adult should provide for each tendency as listed above, with the understanding that while each one is important throughout life, there are sensitive periods for each one in which needs and other tendencies are most fully strengthened and matured.

• The physical environment should be simple, beautiful and orderly, with plenty of room to move around, as well as an arrangement which requires both gross and fine motor movement; minimal changes only as needed and with the participation of all affected persons.

• A regular routine should be established with the children, again with the children participating in any necessary changes, i.e. with forewarning or other preparation. The child thrives on hearing real language, enunciated clearly, not baby talk or watered down sentences; he needs guidance and advice for specific social situations as they present themselves.

• The child needs to see excellent role models, who perhaps make mistakes but are quick to recognize them, ask forgiveness and improve themselves.

• The child needs opportunities for rest and reflection after moment of intense work, therefore simpler activities should always be present in the environment to which the child can return at any time.

• The adult should allow the child to participate in the world around him, opening and closing doors and drawers, helping to prepare or clean up for various family and social activities.

• The adult should move at the child’s pace; there should be substantial enough time to allow for plenty of repetition without unnecessary interruption; materials and activities which require exactness, including glass and other fragile items which require exactness of movement; materials at the child’s level to promote usage.

• Mistakes should be expected and almost encouraged, with materials, activities and words set up in a manner which allows for auto-correction.

---

[1] Mario Montessori. (the pamphlet). 32. 

Montessori Tripod

Montessori requires three areas of preparation:

• The Prepared Environment
• The Prepared Adult
• The Prepared Child

All three are required for an optimum experience.