Montessori the Human Tendencies Essays

Montessori the Human Tendencies Essays Montessori the Human Tendencies Paper Montessori the Human Tendencies Paper The Human Tendencies â€Å"The love of activity, the yearning for freedom, the urge for obedience, the impulse to confirm to laws which are at the heart of all creation – these qualities make man the unparalleled work of Nature† (Montessori, M. , From Childhood To Adolescence, 1973) Discuss the eight human tendencies as developed by Dr. Montessori and her followers. Show how children show these tendencies during the three main stages of development. Discuss how you think knowledge of human tendencies helps us when educating children. Give examples to support your answer ******************************** One of the greatest discoveries made by Dr. Montessori was that all humans love certain tendencies of behaviour patterns. No matter where we live, no matter what our culture or ethnicity, we all follow the same natural laws that lead us to act or react in specific ways. We are all driven to communicate, socialise, initiate, explore, move, be exact, concentrate, repeat, discover order, achieve independence, personalise perfection, control ourselves and our work. Human tendencies are present at all ages of our lives but some are stronger than others during different development periods. The tendencies also vary in the way and strength in which they appear in different people but they all exist. And it is these tendencies which guide our development; which direct us to take or not to take a given action. What does Dr. Montessori mean by the word â€Å"Tendency†? A dictionary definition of the word is â€Å"A predisposition to think, act, behave or proceed in a particular way† (Oxford English Dictionary). Dr. Montessori noted that it was important that the correct environment was provided for each stage in order to allow the tendencies to be fulfilled. Human tendencies are creative impulses that guide human beings in the development of broad potentialities. Dr. Montessori believed that children are born with incredible learning potential and a desire to explore, discover and learn about their world. She believed that all children are born with potentialities, the ability to crawl, to walk, to talk etc. It is the human tendencies that guide them to these potentials. What are the â€Å"Human Tendencies†? Dr. Montessori identified eight areas: Exploration: This is the human tendency to explore and find out about our world and universe. [pic] Children are naturally curious and love to use their senses to learn more about the world around them. Our life around us is filled with sounds, scents, textures, tastes and colours. In the first stage children explore their immediate environment. As a baby the first few months you can explore by hearing sounds and seeing colours. As you grow exploration comes by tasting different foods, feeling different textures. A child likes to explore with his hands more than anything. – 12 years old the child explores by going out or by researching. This age of child loves exploring nature, going to the woods or going to the sea. As they grow they find more interest in searching the internet to increase their knowledge and they start to have a greater interest in personal and sexual relationships.. They explore society to try to find their own role in life. â€Å"There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all the life to be f ound around them, in a real forest†. Maria Montessori  (1870 1952) Source: From Childhood to Adolescence (page 19) Orientation: This is the human tendency to want to know where we are in space, in time and in the structures of nature and of society. [pic] When a young child enters a new environment they often want to explore, look at and touch all around them. But they still look for familiar people like their Mom or Dad. As they grow they enjoy knowing where they live (their address, country and continent on a map). They also like to know where they stand with regards to social roles. They demand very clear guidelines and rules. Order: This is the human tendency to create orderly surroundings which is apparent in nature and which we have brought more thoroughly into our homes, business and everyday life. [pic] Children under 6 years of age have a very strong sense of order. They like to be neat or have things in order. It does not matter if it his toys, clothes, shoes, everything should be in the right place according to his mind. As they grow they lose some of the order but they still shine through with order in their homework. Eg. Mathematics, Chemistry etc. People prefer order to chaos and confusion. Order brings predictability and security. Order is essential to proper orientation. Work/Activity: This is a human tendency, to be active and seek satisfaction form work. People generally like to stay busy. For children, movement can be enjoyed for its own sake, rather than always having a goal or end product in mind. Even children who have very little to play with will find ways to be active through games, songs, dance, and pretend play. Humans feel worthwhile through their work. Work leads to a feeling of accomplishment and self-respect. [pic] Maria Montessori believed that it was through work that a child constructed his true self, free of defect or misbehavior. Repetition: This occurs when a child repeats a task over and over again, until they become familiar with it. Like an infant trying to lift his head over and over again until he gets it, and learns how to control his muscles. They then see the environment from a totally different view. [pic] Often it is with the intent to master the task, but even after mastery occurs, a child may continue to repeat the activity for the sheer pleasure of doing so. Older children can do the same with a ball. They repeat and repeat the same task until they improve their ball handling skills. Exactitude/Precision: Exactitude allows children to know how to know when perfection is achieved. [pic] This is the human mathematical mind that leads us into exciting scientific discoveries based on precise detailed observation. Have you ever seen a child get upset because something was put back in the wrong place? They are quite precise in the way they pick things up, in the way they describe things and in the way they notice details. Older kids may put precision into their school work by doing science work or chemistry projects. Instinctively humans seek to precise in their work, doing something exactly right brings enormous satisfaction. Communication: Humans delight in conveying thoughts, feelings, and information to each other. [pic] New born babies can not talk but they still communicate with us. They cry when something is wrong eg. a dirty nappy. They smile when they are happy eg. when you play with them. As times passes they learn to communicate with their hands and with an absorbent mind they learn to pick up the language in 1. 5 to 2 years. School kids aged 6 – 12 communicate through play dates with friends, telling us all that happened at school and through social outlets and team sports. Older kids like to learn something different. Their communication forms are different; it is more linked to phones, texting, computers and other forms of social media eg. facebook. Various types of communication include the written and spoken word, touch, facial expressions, gestures, art, music, dance and media. Communication is an essential human need; it is the link of understanding between people, both face-to-face and from generation to generation. Imagination: This is truly the characteristic that sets us apart from animals. We are able to visualize events that have not yet occurred; we are able to feel and xpress emotions that are not tangible. We can imagine something that exists only in our minds, and then take the steps to make it happen. e. g A child in the first stage can imagine playing as a doctor and having his toys as his patients. [pic] As they grow they can imagine that they grow up to be a doctor. The fire of imagination drives the child to seek knowledge with a huge thirst. It is an important part of the Mont essori Method, both for the 6 – 12 years old and the older teenager, to present the imagination with exciting facts. We often forget that imagination is a force for the discovery of truth. The mind is not a passive thing, but a devouring flame, never in repose, always in action†. Maria Montessori  (1870 1952) Source: The Absorbent Mind, Chapter, Through Culture and the Imagination, 1988) Once we are aware of the underlying that compels human development we will recognise them everywhere. The tendencies of humans are what compel babies to put everything they find into their mouths. They are the reasons that a young child wants to know how things are made and why children are filled with wonder when they enter a forest. They are the reason for our appreciation of a beautiful painting or a finely crafted piece of furniture; we recognise the repetition that went into the mastery and finally the reflection of a difficult skill. The prepared environment is built around these tendencies. Because of this, Montessori teachers do not need to force the student to work, the children are naturally drawn to the materials. For example the environment is safe and secure, filled only with the items that can be touched and manipulated by the child. When these basic human needs, these basic tendencies of human behavior are understood and respected, children become what Dr. Montessori called â€Å"normalized. † They have a sense of internal peace, joy, tranquility, happiness. They can concentrate. They can choose something to work on and complete the work they set out do. They have self-discipline/self-control, are independent, and are secure within themselves. They have a positive, balanced self-image, have healthy self-esteem, and are aware and considerate of others. They are the person we would all like to be. â€Å"In order to understand the child so as to be able to educate him, we must know life in its entirety† (Montessori, M. , unpublished lecture, London 1937) Bibliography Clare Healy Walls- At The Heart of Montessori 1 – Core Principles Original Writing Ltd, Dublin 2008, ISBN 978-1-906018-64-1 Clare Healy Walls At The Heart of Montessori 2 – Core Principles In Action Original Writing Ltd, Dublin 2008, ISBN 978-1-906018-65-8 Clare Healy Walls At The Heart of Montessori 4 – The Pre School Child (3 – 6 yrs) Original Writing Ltd, Dublin 2008, ISBN 978-1-906018-67-2 Clare Healy Walls Montessori in a Nutshell Hello Montessori Ireland, 2007, ISBN 978-09557168-0-5 The internet was also used as an aid in completing this essay.