4Real Forums: right way to use materials

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Nurturing the Years of Wonder ( Forum Locked)
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Topic: right way to use materials

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LLMom
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Posted: Jan 29 2007 at 5:34pm \| IP Logged

I was reading in some Montessori book that the teacher is suppose to show the child how to use the materials and if they children don't use them the "right way" then the teacher must move in and show them again. Now, they meant "right way" meaning the correct answer not using them to hit or throw. To me this seems odd and goes against the point of hands on. Children can be very creative if left to manipulate materials themselves. ANyone else come across this? The unschooler in me says "let them play and discover the way they want."

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Lisa
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hylabrook1
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Posted: Jan 29 2007 at 7:00pm \| IP Logged

The Montessori method is actually very structured. The "right way" respects developmental tasks that must be accomplished and practiced in a particular sequence. I don't know for sure whether non-Montessorian developmental specialists would totally agree with the particulars of the order and "right" uses of the materials, but if you want to be true to the method you should follow the structured uses of all of the materials. When you see young children who have been Montessori educated doing all sorts of things that seem unusual, even amazing, for a child their age, it is the result of being taught the task in a very strictly ordered sequence. For example, an exercise in pouring juice is done with a glass pitcher and a glass drinking cup. One of the steps in the exercise is "wiping up spills". Of course most mothers would not encourage a 3 or 4 year old to pour using glass vessels. In a Montessori classroom, the fact that things might break is considered an aspect of the instruction; it is called "control of error", and every set of materials includes this feature. In other words, if you don't do it right, a problem will automatically make itself evident.

I don't know whether this makes sense in light of what you have seen or read. Maybe someone else can explain about this more clearly.

Peace,
Nancy

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