Montessori Dictionary

Absorbent Mind

A mind able to absorb knowledge quickly and effortlessly. Montessori said  the child from birth to six years has an “absorbent mind.”

Adaptation

Related to the idea of an absorbent mind (Haines, 1993) is a special power of  the young child that can be called the power of adaptation. This power is a process whereby  the young child absorbs the culture of her time and place, taking in all the spirit, the  customs, the ambitions and attitudes of a society simply by living in that society.

Analysis of movement

A technique used by Montessori teachers. The adult, when showing  a complex action to a child, breaks it down into its parts and shows one step at a time,  executing each movement slowly and exactly. The action thus becomes a sequence of simple  movements and the child has a greater chance of success when “given the liberty to make use  of them” (Montessori, 1966, p. 108).

Children’s House

The English name for Montessori’s Casa dei Bambini (Italian). A place for  children from 3-6 years to live and grow. Everything necessary for optimal human  development is included in a safe and secure environment. 

Classification

Sorting. Allocating or distributing according to common characteristics. The  young child engages in classification activities because the process is essential for the  construction of the intellect. The Montessori classroom offers many opportunities for  classification. 

Concentration

The act of concentrating. The young child focuses his attention on aspects  of the environment essential for development. From a Montessori perspective, concentration  is “a consistent activity concentrated on a single work—an exercise on some external object,  where the movements of the hands are guided by the mind” (1983, p. 149). Deep  engagement.

Concrete to Abstract

A progression both logical and developmentally appropriate. The child  is introduced first to a concrete material that embodies an abstract idea such as size or color.  Given hands-on experience, the child’s mind grasps the idea inherent in the material and  forms an abstraction. Only as the child develops, is she gradually able to comprehend the  same idea in symbolic form.

Control of Error

A way of providing instant feedback. Every Montessori activity provides the  child with some way of assessing his own progress. This puts the control in the hands of the  learner and protects the young child’s self-esteem and self-motivation. Control of error is an  essential aspect of auto-education.

Coordination of Movement

One of the major accomplishments of early childhood. Through  the child’s own activity, she refines her muscular coordination and consequently acquires  increasingly higher levels of independent functioning. Because of this developmental need, children are drawn to activities that involve movement and especially to pastimes, which  demand a certain level of exactitude and precision.

Creativity/Imagination

Imagination involves the forming of a mental construct of what is  not actually present to the senses. Creativity is a product of the imagination and results from  the mental recombining of imagined ideas in new and inventive ways. Both are dependent on  mental imagery formed through sensorial experience. 

Cycle of Activity

Little children, when engaged in an activity which interests them, will  repeat it many times and for no apparent reason, stopping suddenly only when the inner need  which compelled the child to activity has been satisfied. To allow for the possibility of long  and concentrated work cycles, Montessori advocates a 3-hour uninterrupted work period. 

Development of the Will

The ability to will, or choose, to do something with conscious  intent develops gradually during the first phase of life and is strengthened through practice.  The Montessori environment offers many opportunities for the child to choose. Willpower, or  self-control, results from the many little choices of daily life in a Montessori school. 

Deviations

Behavior commonly seen in children that is the result of some obstacle to normal  development. Such behavior may be commonly understood as negative (a timid child, a  destructive child, etc.) or positive (a passive, quiet child). Both positive and negative  deviations disappear once the child begins to concentrate on a piece of work freely chosen. 

Discipline from Within

Self-discipline. The discipline in a well-run Montessori classroom is  not a result of the teacher’s control or of rewards or punishments. Its source comes from  within each individual child, who can control his own actions and make positive choices  regarding personal behavior. Self-discipline is directly related to development of the will.

Exercises of Practical Life

One of the four areas of the Montessori prepared environment.  The exercises of Practical Life resemble the simple work of life in the home: sweeping,  dusting, washing dishes, etc. These purposeful activities help the child adapt to his new  community, learn self-control and begin to see himself as a contributing part of the social  unit. 

False Fatigue

A phenomenon observed in Children’s Houses around the world—often at  approximately 10 am. The children seem to lose interest in work, their behavior becomes  disorderly and the noise level rises. It may appear as if the children are tired. However, if  the directress understands this is simply false fatigue, they will return to work on their own  and their work will be at an even higher level than before.

Grace and Courtesy

An aspect of Practical Life. Little lessons which demonstrate positive  social behavior help the young child adapt to life in a group and arm her with knowledge of  socially acceptable behavior: practical information, useful both in and out of school. 

Help from Periphery

The periphery is that part of the child that comes into contact with  external reality. The child takes in impressions through the senses and through movement.  Help from the periphery means presenting objects and activities in such a way so as to evoke 

Human Tendencies

A central tenet of Montessori philosophy is that human beings exhibit a  predisposition towards exploration, orientation, order, abstraction, work, self-perfection,  communication and a spiritual life. These tendencies are universal, spanning age, cultural  and racial barriers; they have existed since the dawn of the species and are probably  evolutionary in origin. “Montessori stresses the need to serve those special traits that have  proved to be tendencies of Man throughout history.” (Mario Montessori, 1966, p.21) 

Independence

Not depending on another—“with various shades of meaning” (OED, p. 836).  Normal developmental milestones such as weaning, walking, talking, etc. can be seen as a  series of events which enable the child to achieve increased individuation, autonomy and self regulation. Throughout the four planes of development, the child and young adult  continuously seek to become more independent. It’s as if the child says, Help me to help  myself. 

Isolation of a difficulty

Indirect Preparation

The way nature has of preparing the intelligence. In every action,  there is a conscious interest. Through this interest, the mind is being prepared for something  in the future. For example, a young child will enjoy the putting together various triangular  shapes, totally unaware that because of this work his mind will later be more accepting of  geometry. Also called remote preparation, the deeper educational purpose of many  Montessori activities is remote in time. 

Language Appreciation

From the very first days in the Montessori classroom, children are  given the opportunity to listen to true stories about known subjects, told with great  expression. Songs, poems and rhymes are a part of the daily life of the class. The teacher  models the art of conversation and respectfully listens to her young students. Looking at  beautiful books with lovely, realistic pictures are also a part of language appreciation. 

Learning Explosions

Human development is often not slow and steady; acquisitions seem to  arrive suddenly, almost overnight, and with explosive impact. Such learning explosions are  the sudden outward manifestation of a long process if internal growth. For example, the  explosion of spoken language around two years of age is the result of many months of inner  preparation and mental development. 

Mathematical Mind

All babies are born with mathematical minds, that is, they have a  propensity to learn things which enhance their ability to be exact and orderly, to observe,  compare, and classify. Humans naturally tend to calculate, measure, reason, abstract,  imagine and create. But this vital part of intelligence must be given help and direction for it 

Maximum Effort

Children seem to enjoy difficult work, which tests their abilities and  provides a sense of their growing power. They exult in giving their maximum effort. For  example, a tiny child will struggle to carry a tray with juice glasses or push a heavy  wheelbarrow whereas school-age children, if allowed to make up their own problems will  prefer to sink their teeth into a challenging equation (1+2+3+40+10)/2 rather than drill on  3+5=8 and 6+2=8. 

Memory Games

During the 3-6 period, children are building their memory. Sensorial Games  provide children an opportunity to strengthen their mental muscles. A typical game goes like  this: A child picks up a geometric shape from a drawer, lightly traces the shape with her  fingers and then sets it back on the table. She then must carry that shape in her mind as she  walks across a room full of distractions and finds its match amongst a set of cards at the  opposite end of the room. Games like this build visual memory, a key component of reading.  Similar games can be played in other sensory modes: auditory, tactile, etc. 

Mixed Ages

One of the hallmarks of the Montessori method is that children of mixed ages  work together in the same class. Age-groupings are based on developmental planes. Children  from 3-6 years of age are together in the Children’s House; 6-9 year-olds share the lower  elementary and the upper elementary is made up of 9-12 year-olds. Because the work is  individual, children progress at their own pace; there is cooperation rather than competition  between the ages. 

Normalization

If young children are repeatedly able to experience periods of spontaneous  concentration on a piece of work freely chosen, they will begin to display the characteristics  of normal development: a love of work, an attachment to reality, and a love of silence and  working alone. Normalized children are happier children: enthusiastic, generous, and helpful  to others. They make constructive work choices and their work reflects their level of  development. 

Obedience

Obedience is an act of will and develops gradually, showing itself “unexpectedly  at the end of a long process of maturation.” (Montessori, 1967, p. 257). While this inner  development is going on, little children may obey occasionally, but be completely unable to  obey consistently. As their will develops through the exercise of free choice, children begin  to have the self-discipline or self-control necessary for obedience. 

Points of Interest

Montessori realized that if children spent too long a time on a complex  task or failed to master the necessary details, the exercise would cease to interest them.  Therefore she suggested that points of interest be interspersed throughout each activity.  These points guide the child toward his goal and stimulate repetition and interest by offering  immediate feedback, or what Montessori called “control of error.” The child’s performance  becomes refined through trial and error, the points of interest acting as sign posts along the  path to success. 

Prepared Environment

The Montessori classroom is an environment prepared by the adult  for children. It contains all the essentials for optimal development but nothing superfluous.  Attributes of a prepared environment include order and reality, beauty and simplicity.  Everything is child-sized to enhance the children’s independent functioning. A trained adult  and a large enough group of children of mixed ages make a vital part of the prepared  environment. 

Presentation

The adult in a Montessori environment does not teach in the traditional sense.  Rather she shows the child how to use the various objects and then leaves them free to  explore and experiment. This act of showing is called a presentation. To be effective, it  must be done slowly and exactly, step by step, and with a minimum of words.

Psychic Embryo

The first three years of life is a period of mental creation, just as the 9  months in utero is a period of physical creation. The brain awaits experience in the  environment to flesh out the genetic blueprint. Since so much mental development occurs  after birth, Montessori called the human infant a psychic embryo.

Repetition

 The young child’s work is very different from the adult’s. When an adult works,  he sets out to accomplish some goal and stops working when the object has been achieved. A  child, however, does not work to accomplish an external goal but rather an internal one.  Consequently, they will repeat an activity until the inner goal is accomplished. The  unconscious urge to repeat helps the child to coordinate a movement or acquire some ability.

Sensitive Periods

Young children experience transient periods of sensibility, and are  intrinsically motivated or urged to activity by specific sensitivities. A child in a sensitive  period is believed to exhibit spontaneous concentration when engaged in an activity that  matches a particular sensitivity. For example, children in a sensitive period for order will be  drawn to activities that involve ordering. They will be observed choosing such activities and  becoming deeply concentrated, sometimes repeating the activity over and over, without  external reward or encouragement. Young children are naturally drawn towards those  specific aspects of the environment which meet their developmental needs.

Sensorial Materials

The sensorial materials were created to help young children in the  process of creating and organizing their intelligence. Each scientifically designed material.

Simple to Complex

A principle used in the sequence of presentations in a Montessori  classroom. Children are first introduced to a concept or idea in its simplest form. As they  progress and become capable of making more complex connections, they are eventually able  to handle information that is less isolated.

Socialization

“The process by which the individual acquires the knowledge and dispositions  that enables him to participate as an effective member of a social group and a given social  order” (Osterkorn, 1980, p. 12). “Optimal social learning takes place when the children are  at different ages” (Hellbrugge, 1979, p. 14).

Sound Games

 Many children know the alphabet but have not analyzed the sounds in words  nor are they aware that words are made up of separate sounds (phonemic awareness). From  the age of two (or as soon as the child is speaking fluently), sound games can make them  aware of the sounds in words. In England, they use the nursery game “I Spy.” The sound of  the letter and not the letter name is pronounced.

Three Hour Work Cycle

Through years of observation around the world, Montessori came to  understand that children, when left in freedom, displayed a distinct work cycle which was so  predictable it could even be graphed. This cycle, with two peaks and one valley, lasted  approximately three hours. In Montessori schools children have three hours of open,  uninterrupted time to choose independent work, become deeply engaged, and repeat to their  own satisfaction. 

Three Period Lesson

“The famous three period lesson of Sequin” (Standing, 1957, p. 307) is  actually quite simple. The first period is NAMING: “This is thick. This is thin.” The second  period is RECOGNITION: “ Give me the thick. Give me the thin.” The third period consists of  THE PRONUNCIATION OF THE WORD: “ What is this?” In three simple steps, the entire  learning process is brought into plan. The three period lesson is used for giving language.

Vocabulary Enrichment

The young child’s vocabulary increases exponentially in the years  from 3-6. To feed this natural hunger for words, vocabulary is given: the names of biology,  geometry, geography, and so forth, can be learned as well as the names of qualities found in  the Sensorial Material. The child’s absorbent mind takes in all these new words “rapidly and  brilliantly” (Montessori, 1946, p. 10). 

Work

 From an evolutionary perspective, the long period of childhood exists so children can  learn and experiment in a relatively pressure-free environment that most social scientists  refer to as play (e.g., see Groos, 1901), although Montessori preferred to call this activity the  “work” of childhood. Children certainly are serious when engaged in the kind of play that  meets developmental needs and, given freedom and time, will choose purposeful activities  over frivolous make believe ones.

Writing to Reading

In a Montessori environment, children usually begin writing before they  can read. They are keen to create words with a box of loose letters (the moveable alphabet)  or write their words with chalk or pencil. About six months later, they begin to understand  what reading means, and they do so only through associating it with writing (Montessori,  1936/1983, p. 142). Source: Annette Haines, January 2001