The Material Groups of the Montessori Learning Experience

Maria Montessori observed that a child goes through phases of heightened capacity to learn; she called these the „receptive phases“. She meant with that an increased capability to learn. During these times the child learns with ease, pleasure and motivation. If one ignores those phases and lets them pass by unused, such capabilities have to be learnt later with much more effort. Maria Montessori divided her teaching material into different areas:

"Special Competences”

1) Sensorial Material:

The child uses materials that stimulate the sense activity (listening, watching, smelling, tasting, feeling) and that deal with the qualities of the world in a concrete way, such as size, weight, etc.

 

2) Mathematical Material:

The child learns basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division as well as decimal numeration with materials in a very concrete manner.

 

3) Language Material:

The child enriches his/her vocabulary, reads and writes English and German as a mother tongue or foreign language. The other material groups are important preparation for writing and reading as the child expands already his/her vocabulary in combination with concrete actions.

 

4) 'Cosmic' Material:

The child learns all about the environment (earth, animals, plants, geography, solar system) and about interdependencies between parts of nature and human beings.

 

Self and Social Competences:

1) Practical Life Exercise Material:

The child learns and improves the coordination and refinement of its movements. The child learns daily motoric skills and activities (such as opening and closing, wiping, filling up) primarily through observation and repetition.

 

2) Social Life Material:

The child learns and improves good manners (saying thank you, asking for something, opening doors, greeting, taking care of material and environment, accepting NO and respecting limits).

 

While dealing with the Montessori learning materials all of the child’s senses are stimulated. Sensual, active experiences foster the child’s understanding: “Touch it and you will understand it”. The clear order of the learning materials (each material has its own place) supports the child in finding its way around the kindergarten, to fetch the desired material and to bring it back afterwards.

Reading for parents:

• Montessori, Maria; "The Absorbent Mind" and "The Discovery of the Child", Freiburg, Herder
• Hainstock, Elisabeth; Havis, Lee: "Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Pre-School Years", New York, Plume by Penguin Group, 1997

For more information, visit AMS Association Montessori Switzerland (www.montessori-ams.ch) and AMI Association Montessori International (www.montessori-ami.org)