For many, the first experience of a Montessori is when they go for a job interview. If you are looking for an online Montessori training institute chances are you might not have the physical experience of visiting a classroom specially during the age of this pandemic. However, when you will be visiting a classroom you will be surprised to see that most of the time there will be a young child who is diligently sweeping the floor and the child would be no more than 4 to 5 years old. It might look like a punishment but the fact is Montessori education gives utmost importance to physical activities.
Just like a teacher who helps the child on one end of the classroom with the classwork and another teacher will be sitting on the opposite side observing the child, in both these activities one will be about educational and the other will be more on the practical approach of life. You might also see a child scrubbing a table or a boy polishing the leather shoes. It is not a fuss but a kind of a task which they will do quite happily. As you go through the Montessori training program, you will understand that the pedagogy highlights as important as it is to learn the serious subjects like math and literature, it is equally important to understand the practical life activities and how it can help you grow into a better human being. Practical life gives the child all the opportunities that he needs to grow the skills in order to flourish not only at school but also in life this will include the right coordination of intelligence, movement as well as will power.
As adults, we are typically free to move our bodies as we go about our everyday lives. We can stroll to the supermarket without bumping into anyone and cut an onion without hurting our fingers. Even if we weren't aware of it, we developed our physical abilities by practicing our motions throughout time. That is why Montessori classrooms provide lots of physical tasks in the form of Practical Life for the child to learn movement control. Physical chores in the classroom, such as watering plants or washing windows, help a kid grow more spatially aware and elegant in his motions.
Intelligence is defined as the capacity to absorb information and apply it to the real world. Both are possible in everyday life. When a youngster is learning how to wash his hands in the school, he learns by seeing the instructor and trying it himself that he must wet his hands first before adding soap, otherwise he will not obtain a soapy lather to wash with. Every time he washes his hands, he absorbs this knowledge and implements it. Not only that, but when he first tries to wash a table, he immediately understands that the surface must be moist before adding the soap, for the same reason as previously: to generate a soapy lather.
He's just three years old, yet he's already applying what he's learned in one area to another! And, just as when we adults attempt anything new for the first time, it gets easier with practice, the kid finds it easier and easier to focus on the job at hand – which is critical for thinking.
This has a lot to do with the fact that Montessori classrooms provide students a lot of options. A kid can utilize a piece of Practical Life whenever he wishes after the instructor has presented it to him. A kid will have been exposed to at least 10 distinct activities during the first few weeks of school. As a result, he uses his willpower while deciding what activity to engage in. What about the benefits of exercise? Strength! His willpower grows to the point that the youngster becomes accustomed to starting an activity, such as sweeping, and seeing it through to completion, even if he loses interest.
• Movement
As adults, we are typically free to move our bodies as we go about our everyday lives. We can stroll to the supermarket without bumping into anyone and cut an onion without hurting our fingers. Even if we weren't aware of it, we developed our physical abilities by practicing our motions throughout time. That is why Montessori classrooms provide lots of physical tasks in the form of Practical Life for the child to learn movement control. Physical chores in the classroom, such as watering plants or washing windows, help a kid grow more spatially aware and elegant in his motions.
• Intelligence
Intelligence is defined as the capacity to absorb information and apply it to the real world. Both are possible in everyday life. When a youngster is learning how to wash his hands in the school, he learns by seeing the instructor and trying it himself that he must wet his hands first before adding soap, otherwise he will not obtain a soapy lather to wash with. Every time he washes his hands, he absorbs this knowledge and implements it. Not only that, but when he first tries to wash a table, he immediately understands that the surface must be moist before adding the soap, for the same reason as previously: to generate a soapy lather.
He's just three years old, yet he's already applying what he's learned in one area to another! And, just as when we adults attempt anything new for the first time, it gets easier with practice, the kid finds it easier and easier to focus on the job at hand – which is critical for thinking.
• Will power
This has a lot to do with the fact that Montessori classrooms provide students a lot of options. A kid can utilize a piece of Practical Life whenever he wishes after the instructor has presented it to him. A kid will have been exposed to at least 10 distinct activities during the first few weeks of school. As a result, he uses his willpower while deciding what activity to engage in. What about the benefits of exercise? Strength! His willpower grows to the point that the youngster becomes accustomed to starting an activity, such as sweeping, and seeing it through to completion, even if he loses interest.
A common meal preparation exercise involves slicing a banana, placing the slices in a dish, and then eating them as a snack. Consider how much willpower it takes a four-year-old to finish the final step before tucking in — putting away his apron. The youngster develops character strength by purposefully postponing his delight. No one is born with the talent, but with enough effort, any youngster can accomplish it.
We have great expectations for our children as Montessori parents and educators: they will develop into knowledgeable, self-sufficient people who will lead successful lives. How can we assist them in acquiring the essential skills? We may plan activities based on their preferences.
Maria Montessori saw in young toddlers a strong desire to utilize and comprehend items they had encountered at home during their first two years of life.
All of the items that their parents and grandparents used on a regular basis were mysterious to the kid while also being quite familiar. That inherent curiosity may still be seen in youngsters today. For twenty minutes, a child will sit and play with a puzzle, but for forty minutes, he will wash tables. He may get tired of a soft toy after a few weeks or months, but he will want to make a meaningful difference in his environment for the rest of his life.
