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.

            

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.