Montessori 101 - Freedom and the Environment

True to Montessori form, two fundamental principles of Montessori education follow an overarching idea from the concrete to the abstract: the first is freedom and the second is the environment. How are these principles defined in relation to my personal belief system is the purpose of this essay. My reason for choosing to follow the Montessori path is that it follows natural laws that are in tune with who I am. It gives me great joy to work alongside the boundless energy of children, and to wrap myself in the meaningful endeavor of service to humanity. I am a natural, kinesthetic and visual learner. Montessori philosophy and methods endorse a natural environment, integrate freedom of motion, and harness sensorial means, including visual, into purposeful learning. I respect the free will of all people. I value creativity, self-discovery, and guide toward collaborative and independent, critical thinking. When paired with an open, respectful and socially responsible environment that recognizes and supports where students are developmentally, I see self-confidence grow, inner discipline flourish, and proud choices being made in preparing them to enter the world.

FREEDOM

There is no more powerful, intrinsic, motivating force than the fulfillment of one’s free will. A Montessori classroom provides the opportunity to unfold the child’s true self, by enabling their freedom of choice. Activity may be sustained for minutes, days or even a week at a time, as the child learns through repetition and self-motivated interest.

“The children in the Montessori class are given the freedom that is the liberty of the human being, and this freedom allows the children to grow in social grace, inner discipline, and joy.”¹

A result of this freedom is serious concentration that leaves an imprint of satisfaction, accomplishment and peace. After all that effort and hard work a child may feel remarkably rested.  I wonder, is inner-discipline simply an awareness to follow free will?  All people are free to regulate their behavior and to choose conscious control over their lifestyle. This is an empowering and liberating idea!

Promoting brain development, freedom of movement is intimately connected with learning. Montessori forewarns, “Man who does not move is injured in his very being and is an outcast from life.” ²
How can we participate with others if we fail to interact and move?  I enjoy seeing freedom of kinesthetic motion routinely integrated into Montessori practice. Golden beads, red rods, and sand paper letters are a few such examples. Effective teaching welcomes the child’s free will a uses all of our senses.

ENVIRONMENT

A Montessori classroom environment holds several key concepts for creative young minds to flourish. These include freedom, order, reality, beauty, materials and community. Freedom of choice provides the opportunity to lift a child’s independence. It is the child’s free will to choose which material to work with and for how long. It is not the adult’s role to interfere and perform acts that the child may learn to do for himself. A Montessori teacher protects the child’s choice and creates an environment for constructive work to surface. Montessori children are not forced to join group activities or compete with other students if they are not developmentally ready to show interest for that particular task. As a result,
this non-competitive environment gives rise to a natural human desire to help others.

                  Sequentially ordered across all content areas from easiest to most challenging, a Montessori environment is arranged from top to bottom and left to right. While appearing quite linear at first, this structure is extremely fluid as children move their bodies in and out, repeating the same works until fulfilled. Consequently, the child learns to trust the environment and interact positively with the materials. Importantly, the child is an integral part of this classroom structure. Students work diligently to maintain order when completing a cycle of activity by returning a work to its’ proper location.

                  Understanding the limits of reality and nature help students assign meaning to their new world and to separate the illusions and imaginative fantasy of role-play. Through contact with nature, inside and outside the classroom, children grow to appreciate order, harmony and beauty. Activities that are rich in natural content help the child to feel secure, maintain a sense of place, and feel free to observe life with exceptional detail. The benefit, according to Lillard is that children become an “acute and appreciative observer of life.” In addition, caring for living plants or animals helps children to coexist and live in awe of the natural world.

                  Beautiful Montessori environments typically include ample light, warm colors, glass walls, open space, and an inviting, relaxing atmosphere exhibiting high quality materials. Quality, in fact, permeates many aspects of this space. Well-designed activities of wood, metal, and natural elements encourage the child to treat the environment with care and to recognize that learning can be a sacred experience. Harmoniously arranged in ordered shelves, these activities invite participation.

                  Because many tasks in a Montessori environment are independent, the materials are designed to capture attention, promote self-construction and concentration. Through observation, a teacher may realize the child’s level of intensity and interest. Is this work meaningful? Is it at an appropriate level? Is it consistent with the child’s internal needs?

Lillard explains further (1972), “The teacher watches for a quality of concentration in the child and for a spontaneous repetition of his actions with a material. These responses will indicate the meaningfulness of the material to him at that particular moment in his growth and whether the intensity of the stimulus which that material represents for him is also matched to his internal needs.”³ (p. 60).

                  Clearly, when there is a quality of concentration, learning is most meaningful. Learning is suited to a particular stage of mental growth and matched to internal needs. Moreover, the child feels pleased with his/her accomplishment, peaceful and rested. In addition, the teacher should be flexible to alter the sequence or omit activities that the child shows no need for. At times, it is possible for a child to learn simply by observing another child, and to leapfrog activities.

A Montessori environment is a true community. Modeling respectful social behavior, people come to care for each other, solve problems together and consider the greater good of the group. Sitting beside a student and not only listening, but also hearing what they have to say, is a vital life skill for individuals. In this community, children learn to make choices that everyone can agree with.