- Knowledge must precede choice. E. M Standing, in "The Montessori Method: A Revolution in Education," lists "Twelve Points of the Montessori Method." One of these points is as follows: "The child works from his own free choice. This choice is preceded by knowledge and thus is a real choice." There is a difference between curiosity and true choice. A child who points to the City of Jerusalem and says, "I want to work with the castle!" has been attracted and is curious but does not have the knowledge to truly choose this work. If the title of the work is provided and the child says, "That's in the Land of Israel and is marked by a cross because it's where Jesus died and rose" it is far more likely that this child has much of the knowledge necessary to be shown this material. The presentation of the City of Jerusalem is rather lengthy, however, and thus the child must also have the ability to focus for the time needed to present it. Once the child has received a presentation on the City of Jerusalem he truly has the knowledge to choose to return to the material and repeat this work in order to internalize the details regarding the places Jesus went during Holy Week as He lived out in a very visible way the laying down of His life in order to take it up again, transformed. Impulsive choices are very different from true choices. Knowledge precedes true choice.
- The materials must be used correctly. There are two opposite misconceptions about Montessori education which have spread perhaps from the beginning of its implementation. The first misunderstanding is that in a Montessori environment the children may do whatever they want. The second misinterpretation is that the children must work in only one way, the exact way in which a material was shown to them. In the Atrium each material is intended to lead to prayer, to provide a way in which each individual child can listen and speak with God. Each material also has a very particular purpose and is intended to highlight or clarify or expose the child to a passage from Scripture, a moment from the Liturgy, or a truth of the faith as interpreted by the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit. While there is not one way to be led into prayer or only one way in which God and the child can speak, if the purpose of a particular material is not being honored in the way it is being used then the material is not being used correctly and redirection may be needed. However, as mentioned in an earlier post, it is prudent to follow specific steps by which we, as the adult, assess whether or not prayer is being entered into by the child through the way that the material is being used. If the sheep are being stacked in a tower and the child is attempting to see how many sheep he can stack before they fall, the work must be stopped as this is destructive to the material. If a child is bringing the chalice and paten from the model altar to another child to "give Jesus" this is to be redirected. The model altar is a place of learning the names of items, their arrangement in that space, and enjoying the beauty of the Lord's table. A child who takes out both the Annunciation and the Visitation materials and begins to recall the action of each in proper order is using the material in an appropriate way and is showing signs of synthesis work which might indicate that he moving from being a Level 1 child to entering the elementary plane.
While there are many more things which can be said regarding true freedom as it is experienced in the Atrium, there are two additional limits which I would like to offer as aides to our work.
Comments are closed.
|
Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|