Education Following The Child’s Lead
Maria Montessori watched the child. It was the child’s development and learning that dictated her choice of materials. She tested her materials, keeping only those that held the child’s attention and provided learning experiences. She prepared and re-prepared the classroom environment until she developed the basic materials used in Montessori schools today.
Of particular interest are her math materials. The logic, concreteness, and absolute simplicity of these materials reveal Maria Montessori’s genius. (And indeed, she was discovered as a child to be a math genius). These are the principles followed throughout the Montessori curriculum. Starting in practical life, precision is emphasized – recognized as a math readiness skill. The child is measuring as he pours water, and is estimating distance with sweeping exercises. Then, in the early sensorial materials, he uses TEN cubes to show size, TEN long rods for length, TEN cylinders for depth, and so on. The child’s mind is being prepared for the decimal system through his eyes and movement. When the child reaches actual counting, he is already familiar with TEN-ness. He then learns the four basic mathematical operations through the use of concrete materials.