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MONTESSORI EDUCATION FOR AGE 6-12+ :
Introduction
Cooperation and peace
Reprinted from:
Child of the World, Essential Montessori for Age three to Twelve
ISBN: 1-879264-11-0
COOPERATION & PEACE
The acts
of courtesy which he has been taught with a view to his making contacts
with others must now be brought to a new level. The question of aid to the
weak, to the aged, to the sick, for example, now arises. If, up to the present,
it was important not to bump someone in passing, it is now considered more
important not to offend that person.
While the younger child seeks
comforts, the older child is now eager to encounter challenges. But these
challenges must have an aim.
The passage to the second level
of education (age 6-12) is the passage from the sensorial, material level
to the abstract. A turning toward the intellectual and moral sides of
life occurs at the age of seven. —Maria
Montessori, MD
What good is knowledge if not combined with consideration
for others. Peace is not studied as in independent subject, but is part
of the daily functioning of the classroom, and the natural outcome of
a method of education where children experience long periods of individual
concentration and contemplation and thus are able to process and recover
from all the input of our modern world. They learn that peace is not just
the absence of war, but the way we treat each other in our daily lives,
the way we communicate, and the way we solve problems. Peace begins inside
us, at home, at school.
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© Copyright Michael Olaf, 2004
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INTRODUCTION
At six, there is a great transformation
in the child, like a new birth. The child wants to explore society and
the world, to learn what is right and wrong, and to explore meaningful
roles in society. The child of this age wants to know how everything came
to be, the history of the universe, the world, humans and why they behave
the way they do. He asks the BIG questions and wants answers. A fully
trained Montessori elementary teacher has spent many months learning to
give individual lessons in all academic areas, and to guide the child
in direction and methods of their own research. Though planning groups
form occasionally, with the teacher or among the children, the main work
is still done by the individual. Just as in the 3-6 class, it is the protected
period of concentration and focus, interrupted by scheduled required groups,
that is the hallmark of Montessori education. This is what heals and fulfills
the child, and reveals the true human who naturally exhibits the desire
to help others and to make a difference in the world.
Teachers who have taught full 6-12 age span see the definite benefit of
this method, rather than breaking children up into groups of children
closer in age. There are six years worth of wonderful possibilities to
which each child is exposed, and this is vital because it is not just
what the child does that results in learning, but what is casually taken
in from the work around him. A 6-12 span helps the teacher avoid group
lessons, and so helps the children reach a much higher level of independence.
It necessitates children teaching children, a vital element in Montessori
education. When group lessons are kept at a minimum, periods of concentration
protected, and children exposed to the amazing amount of work in the 6-12
class, not only are the state curriculum requirements easily met, but
children work at a level one would not have though possible. As I heard
many times during my elementary teacher training The teacher is in charge
of the minimum, the child the maximum.
The state curriculum is hung on the wall for each child to see what she
must accomplish at each grade level, 1st grade through 6th. The teacher
meets with the individual student periodically, depending on the needs
of the child, to plan how this should be done. One child will want to
do the required work on Mondays, another for the first hour or so each
morning. Together they make a list for the week, or the month, and the
child is in charge. This teaches time management skills, and leaves the
child free from interruption. If a child is having trouble getting down
to work it might be suggested that for a short period of time, she keep
a time journal, marking the clock time throughout a few days to see just
how her time is spent. As soon as she discovers the problem and gets down
to work, such a record ceases as it would be in impediment to the creative
flow that is so evident in the Montessori elementary class.
The Montessori curriculum is built around the five great lessons given
at the beginning of each year: creation of earth, coming of plants and
animals, the arrival of humans, language, math and invention. Each year
the new students gather for these five group lessons. The older children
come if they like, or hear them from afar, experiencing them differently
each time dependent upon their own growth in understanding. The teacher
designs each lesson using stories, music, impressionistic charts, experiments,
and games. The idea is always to inspire, not to require.
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TEXT - To return to
the Child of the World main page of the philosophy and practice text,
go to: michaelolaf.net/
/1CWhome.html
PRODUCTS - For "Age
6-12+ Introduction" products, go to: www.michaelolaf.com/1CW612intro.html
The products selected by the Michael Olaf Montessori
staff are very different from those commonly available for children. They
are made of natural materials whenever possible; they are beautiful; they
meet an important developmental need; and they have proven themselves
over the years, or have been well-tested to meet the highest standards.
Products which support this section of Child of the World, Essential Montessori
for Age Three to Twelve, include: inspiring books, cooperative games,
and a book on the Forgotten Arts and Crafts, in which children at this
age are very interested.
If you would like to order a copy of Child of the
World to read at your leisure, and to share with non-internet friends
and associates, please see http://www.michaelolaf.net/ordering.html
Return to the Michael Olaf home pages:
http://www.michaelolaf.net (free
information on Montessori philosophy and practice)
http://www.michaelolaf.com (products)
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