Scientific Absolutes

Second-year student, EK, has enjoyed many lessons in science over the years. One day, during our daily class discussion on weather, he asked me, "Why does it rain?". I explained to him that the clouds fill up with water droplets. The droplets get too heavy and fall from the clouds. I reminded him of a science experiment we did last year. We used an eyedropper to add drops of water to a cotton ball (cloud). The children watched it fill up until the cloud started to "rain". EK thought for a moment and said, "So I guess the rain always falls, like the Earth always spins". Absolutely.

Fantastic MM Quote

The secret of good teaching is to regard the child's intellegence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination.

Maria Montessori

False Fatigue

False fatigue is a Montessori phenomenon that takes place in every Montessori school around the globe. Montessori observed that, when left in freedom, children worked in a distinct cycle that was so predictable, it could even be graphed. This cycle, with two peaks and one valley, lasted approximately three hours. False fatigue typically occurs mid-morning, between 10:00-10:30am. The children seem to lose interest in work, behavior becomes disorderly, and the noise level rises. It may appear that the children are tired. At this time, many inexperienced Montessori teachers will ring a bell or flick the lights to call the children to whole group for songs or for outside time. Experienced teachers realize that this phenomenon is "false fatigue". They realize that the children will return to work on their own, and their work will be at an even higher level than before. The highest levels of focus and concentration take place during this second peak in the work cycle.

Although many Montessori teachers like to scurry observers out the door before false fatigue sets in, it would be beneficial for parents to observe this phenomenon. Parents might start to feel uneasy about the change in energy and noise level, but the children's true work begins during this peak after false fatigue.

"Montessori Time-Out"

We really don't give "time-outs" in Montessori, but we do encourage children to take some time alone throughout the day to enjoy silence. This activity is great for alone time- it's called the Individual Silence Game. The children are first introduced to the word "Silence". I will walk around the room with the "Silence sign" from time to time so the children can pause for a silent moment. After I put the sign away, they quietly return to their work. This is not used as a classroom management technique, it's merely an opportunity for the children to listen to silence as a group. Once the children are familiar with the concept of silence, I introduce the Individual Silence Game.

The child rolls out a yoga mat and sets up a sand time and the Silence sign. The child then lays down on the mat in a comfortable position and places a lavender pillow over his eyes. It is the child's goal to lay still in silence until all of the sand falls to the bottom of the timer. Some children can only last a few seconds, while others relax for several minutes. In our busy, hectic lives our children rarely get a chance to enjoy stillness. The Silence sign reminds others that this is not a work that can be observed or disturbed.

To Experiment or Not Experiment

That is the question among many Montessori teachers. Do we allow the children to use the materials in a way that does not reflect the direct purpose of the activity? Some Montessori groups insist that children can only use the materials for their intended purpose. Others, like mine, encourage the children to use the materials properly until the activity is mastered. Then, the child can feel free to experiment creatively with the work under two conditions:

1. The child's exploration is not disruptive to the class.
2. The child is not being destructive to the materials.

Gauge what your reaction would be to the following situations. Would you allow the exploration to continue, or would you ask the child to put the work away?

1. A child is using one of the red rods as a sword.

2. Two children are mixing up the pieces to the frog puzzle and the bird puzzle to make the exercise more difficult for themselves.

3. A child is making quiet animal noises while using the farm.

4. A child has set up the brown stair, and is now standing on them and using them as steps.

5. Two children roll the sphere from the geometric solids as fast as it will go across the entire classroom.

Well? What do you think? Of course, every situation is different and oftentimes I gauge my response by the reaction from the other children. Typically, here is how I would respond:

1. I would ask the child with the "swords" to please put them away, that game might be fun for a playdate after school.

2. I would certainly allow this exercise to continue. What a great extension to the work.

3. As long as the animal noises are not disruptive to the class, I would enjoy observing the child with the farm.

4. I would ask the child to come down from the brown stair because that is destructive to the work. I would further his interests by comparing and contrasting the brown stair to the stairs in our classroom.

5. Rolling the sphere is lots of fun and a great excercise in teaching the principals of that solid. However, I would be sure the children use it on the mat only. Their choice would have been both destructive to the sphere and disruptive to the class.

I observed one of these activity experiments today with GG and the farm. He had received a lesson on male/female/offspring with the farm and was told he could now creatively work with the farm on his own. I became mildly concerned when I noticed the grammar symbols being placed on the farm, simply because this child has not yet been introduced to that lesson. The children are aware that they are not to get out work without a lesson because they could potentially hurt the work or hurt themselves (we do use glass and other breakable objects). I was about to put a halt to the use of grammar symbols when I heard him speaking quietly to himself, "Look, horses, you have now entered Egypt! Look at those beautiful pyramids!" Now how could I put a stop to that!?!

Community Life

One of my favorite aspects of the Montessori classroom is the multi-age grouping. Traditionally, Montessori classrooms are grouped according to age:

• Primary- 3-6 year olds
  
• Lower Elementary- 6-9
  
• Upper Elementary- 9-12
  
• Middle School (Erdkinder), or the traditional Montessori Farm School- 12-15
  
• High School- 15-18

Montessori's goal of implementing a multi-age classroom was to aid in the development of community life. Typically, Montessori teachers try to regulate enrollment so that the class is made up of 1/3 3-year-olds, 1/3 4-year-olds and 1/3 5-year-olds. At the end of the year, the 5-year-olds are to move up to the 6-9 class or move on to another school. A new group of three-year-olds are then ushered in to fill the vacant spots. Therefore, the average Montessori student will spend three years in one classroom with the same teacher(s).

Our goal is for the older children to help the younger ones and to learn patience and sympathy along the way. The younger children naturally look up to these leaders and gain respect for their knowledge and maturity. This is why many Montessori schools are hesitant to enroll five-year-olds who are new to Montessori. These older children set the bar for all of the younger kids, and enrolling just one rambunctious five-year-old can throw off the tone for the entire year. I made a gutsy decision to enroll a "new to Montessori" five-year-old this year, and it paid off. My decision was made when I found out he came from a large family, where he has already learned the patience and care needed for younger siblings.

Montessori believed that older children can be more responsive to the needs of the younger child:

There is a communication and harmony between the two that one seldom finds between the adult and the small child...It is hard to believe how deep this atmosphere of protection and admiration becomes in practice. They do not help each other as we do...They respect one another's efforts, and give help only when necessary. This is very illuminating because it means they respect intuitively the essential need of childhood which is not to be helped unnecessarily.

In the past, some parents have expressed concern about their kindergarten child spending much of their time giving lessons to the little ones of the class. Montessori must have experienced the same parent apprehension when she stated:

People sometimes fear that if a child of five gives lessons, this will hold him back in his own progress. But, in the first place, he does not teach all the time and his freedom is respected. Secondly, teaching helps him to understand what he knows even better than before. He has to analyze and rearrange his little store of knowledge before he can pass it on. So his sacrifice does not go unrewarded.

I've witnessed some beautiful lessons given by older children, presented in a most magical way, which I could only attempt to replicate.

Third-Year Student Presenting Hand Washing Work

Third-Year Student Teaching the Parts of the Butterfly

Our Listening Walk

Today, we spoke about nature and the place in our classroom where we collect nature. The children were encouraged to find nature at home and bring it into the school to share. The nature is then placed in our large "nature bowl" for observation.

To expand on the concept of nature and enjoying nature, we read the book The Listening Walk.

I just adore this book, probably more than the children! This little girl goes for a walk with her father in the city and in a park. Her daddy's shoes go "clip, clop, clip, clop" and her sneakers are silent! The author goes through and describes all of the sounds that they here. The children love to hear me imitating a pigeon in the city and a duck at the park!

After we read the story, we went out into the community for a "listening walk". The children walked silently as they listened to the world. Afterwards, we sat outside and wrote down a list of the sounds we heard. Here are a few noises that were noticed:

• the wind in a tree
• GC's rain jacket
• a UPS truck
• a cricket
• my flip flops
• a hawk
• a garage door

I know the activity made an impact on some of the children because they made comments throughout the day about the fish tank noise or the sound of someone sweeping up after snack. It's important for children to become aware of their surroundings and to refine their senses. That is, after all, one of the goals of primary Montessori education!