The child’s development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. — Maria Montessori
Four Distinct Stages
A cornerstone of Montessori philosophy is the understanding that humans progress through four distinct phases or stages of development. The child at each stage is unique and has specific characteristics and needs that guide his development.
The child from birth to six is developing language, is acquiring the first level of physical independence, loves to move and appreciates the opportunity to refine and perfect those movements.
From six to twelve, the child is striving towards a new level of independence — to think and act for himself. Guided by a limitless imagination, the child seeks knowledge of the entire universe and everything that might exist within that universe. The Montessori elementary curriculum, referred to as “cosmic education,” is a rich curriculum that takes full advantage of this inquisitive age and reflects the breadth of the child’s desire for knowledge of the entire cosmos.
Adolescence brings a new set of interests and challenges to the developing person. Now, a thirst for knowledge of how to fit into society and how to become a part of the larger world is what occupies the interest, time and passion of the 12 to 18 year old. Finding avenues to explore one’s full humanity inspires the young person to ask deep philosophical questions and search for meaning in the process.
The final stage is the entry into adulthood from age 18 to 24. By bringing together all of the aspects of the earlier three stages the young adults are prepared to go out into the world and take their place in their time, place and culture and to become contributing members of their society.
The Universal Human Tendencies
Every human, regardless of culture, place or time of birth, exhibits several tendencies or urges to perfection. Guided by these tendencies at each stage of development, the child/young person seeks out the experiences in their environment that will best serve his development.
Because we are human, we strive to create order, to find meaning, to explore our environments, to communicate with those around us, to pursue activities that are meaningful, to become precise in our movements and in our thinking, and to work towards self-perfection.
By bringing together an understanding of the stages of development and the human tendencies, the Montessori classroom maximizes the opportunities that each stage presents for the child.
Cosmic Education
The title of the elementary curriculum, cosmic education, suggests the depth of subject matter that is presented to the child. The elementary child is in the second plane of development. Because of his intense intellectual curiosity and rich imagination, he is immersed in a very broad and integrated curriculum.
In the elementary classroom we give a child the universe, to unlock its doors thus allowing the child to pursue that which interests him. We are there to inspire, to ignite the imagination, to rustle up some enthusiasm. We present the child with the big picture and then allow him to see which details he would like to investigate more fully. We appeal to his imagination and his reason. We do this because the characteristics of the child of the second plane — particularly his reasoning mind, imagination and his desire to work in groups — are so important in defining his personality and needs. We don’t want to bore him; we want to continually offer just a bit more challenge to help him develop his intellect and yet not overwhelm him with information so that he feels there is nothing left to discover. We want him to go out into the world to discover for himself how society works, how people cooperate, how diverse the world is, how civil society is held together, and find his unique place in it.
Six great themes form the foundation for all human knowledge. The entire elementary curriculum, including all academic subject areas — math, history, geography, science, language, geometry and the arts, derive from the six great lessons. To appeal to the ever powerful and articulate imagination of the elementary child, we present these fables or great lessons through an impressive and dramatic spoken story during the first few months of each year. The first is the story of the formation of the universe. At this age the child not only has a greater power of imagination, but a greater power to reason and to search for connections in order to make sense of his world. The great lessons serve as both a humble starting point for all further learning, as well as a means of placing a grand picture in the mind’s eye of the child, one in which he can place humanity and ultimately himself as a powerful and essential agent of change.
