Teaching Awareness
Experiences are Valuable
Babies don’t come with manuals and just when we think we have “it all figured out”, those sweet little babies become toddlers and young children with ALLL the questions. People often wonder HOW do we answer their questions? What information do we provide? What is helpful? There’s also a debate about nature vs. nurture, but what if, it’s both!? You see, there is so much value in leading by example, however, environment matters, too and while children come into the world as they are, they are not born with biases and they don’t understand sarcasm! What offerings exist in a Montessori classroom and how do the materials and experiences support a child’s development in regards to awareness and acceptance?
Classroom Overview
I am aware that not everyone is familiar with Montessori as an educational approach and theory for teaching and learning. Therefore, I want to be sure to discuss some of the components of a typical and traditional Montessori classroom. Primary Montessori classrooms typically serve children ages 3-6, sometimes as young as 2 1/2. The core curriculum is comprised of a wide variety of subjects that are presented through lessons that focus on specific concepts, skills, and topics and are presented as developmentally appropriate. Materials are available from the following areas: practical life, sensorial, language including writing and reading, math, science, geography, art, and music. Throughout the curriculum the concepts presented build upon one another. For example, in the sciences, children learning about the characteristics of Living vs. Non-Living, then about “simple” classifications such as Plants vs. Animals, Mammals vs. Non-mammals, sorting activities based upon characteristics such as Fur, Feathers or Scales, Extinct vs. Non-extinct, Herbivore vs. Carnivore vs. Omnivore, etc. Though hands on and visual experiences, children only use “the facts”, so, for “things” that are living four questions are explored: Does it breathe? Does it eat food? Drink water? Does it sleep or need rest? To be living, you need all of these components. For children it’s CLEAR, if you need these four components or display these actions, then you are living and there is no judgment beyond this point. The sciences in a Montessori classroom are one of the core areas of the classroom and provide for an in-depth learning experience.
3 Ways to Teach Awareness
Reinforce respectfulness
Opportunities for a variety of experiences
Building acceptance through awareness
Teaching Awareness
1.Reinforce Respectfulness
Grace and courtesy: Many of the activities available and are supported by the child’s developing ability to interact with others, their peers and adults, teachers or parents or even classroom visitors. When you think of grace and courtesy, you may think of big actions, but really, I am referring to the small interactions. Some examples may include: Saying excuse me, bless you, catching a cough or sneeze in your elbow, or even waiting for a turn, keeping your hands to yourself or showing another child that you’re able to be gentle. You see grace and courtesy and often times practical life activities go hand in hand; each come in many forms, care of self, care of others, and care of the environment. As children develop their own skill sets, they may recognize the successes and challenges of others. THIS is where their awareness begins. It’s important to discuss and or brainstorm why these differences exist in an effort to honor them.
Care of self: Activities that support a child’s ability to take care of themselves and their body.
Example activities: How to use a tissue to blow ones’ nose, how to brush their hair, steps and efforts related to using the bathroom, how to wash their hands, how to select clothes, how to dress and undress, how to brush ones’ teeth (and so much more!)
Care of others: These interactions may be small actions to show care, empathy, helpfulness, share responsibility, or even providing guidance by serving as an example.
Examples of specific language: encouraged by the use of “kinds words” and may include, but is not limited to language such as: Yes, please.; No, thank you.; You’re welcome.
These types of interactions between students/children are also well-encouraged and are other forms of caring for others:
Appropriate ways to greet others, such as waves, handshakes, or even high-fives or hugs
Gentle hands
Careful body
How to ask for a turn and how to wait for a turn
Care of environment: These opportunities for interacting with the environment provide activities for children to take responsibility for their belongings; which helps them to feel empowered and involved.
Example activities: Placing dirty clothes into a basket, having a set place for belongings such as coats and shoes, and returning toys and or books to a shelf or basket.
3 Things to Think About: What can you do at home?
What items can you easily and safely make available?
What areas of challenge can you identify as areas that need focus?
What language and behavior could be modeled and reinforced?
2.Opportunities for a Variety of Experiences
One of the main goals of the Montessori curriculum is to be able to meet the child where they are developmentally and to provide opportunities to learn and grow as the child is interested and readily able. Montessori environments present preliminary lessons that lay the foundation for future learning by distilling learning concepts to the very basics. Therefore, lessons and concepts are presented in a manner and materials are made available in a way that can be easily mastered; even by a very young child, as young as approximately 1 year, in some cases, but mainly 2 1/2 years old. Hands on learning that provides for a tactile experience; while not all children are hands-on learners, young children tend to learn best through these types of opportunities. Hands on experiences provide a physical-visual connection and builds familiarity with new objects. These experiences also provide for conversations, as children develop their language skills. In the classroom there are materials that supports lessons and activities with visual learning experiences that are based upon introductory science and or geography-based classification of basic characteristics (without judgement).
Here are some examples of introductory science-based classification units:
Biology- Living vs. non-living, plant vs. animal, human body, General parts of the body, systems of the body
Zoology - Mammals vs. non-mammal, reptiles, fish, underwater creatures (crustaceans), amphibians, birds, insects, spiders, fur/feathers/scale, land/air/water creatures, reptiles vs amphibians
Here are some examples of additional science units:
Botany- Types of trees, plants, leaves, fruits, vegetables, life cycle of a seed, of an apple, and of a pumpkin, parts of trees, leaves, and flowers
Physical Sciences: Study of air, land, and water, land and water forms, seasons, weather, passing of time, planets, rocks, layers of the earth, components of the earth, water cycle
Activities and interactions that support healthy physical, social, and emotional experiences:
Social Sciences: Geography, people, religions, and holiday
History: social similarities, differences, and historical facts
3.Building Acceptance Through Awareness
As children begin to develop a sense about “their world”, they may begin to realize there’s “more world out there” and it is helpful to provide them with opportunities to see and understand how big the world is through an introduction to basic geography concepts. In the Montessori classroom, we first present the idea of the globe, a spherical shape that displays land and water, then a globe that highlights the continents by identifying each one by using a different color. Children can also begin to learn about land forms and bodies of water. Through these initial lessons, children start to learn about the different continents and in time a more in depth study of specific countries, the people native to the land, animals that are common in different areas around the world; in addition to plants (and or crops) that grow in specific regions. Conversations and presentations may also exist regarding the study of traditions, holidays, and symbols that are common amongst specific groups of people, as geographically indicated or determined. Each of these efforts create pathways towards awareness through education, facts, and practical and or relatable examples. In our home, we can learn about holidays and recognize celebrations, even if our family does not follow a particular religion or holiday. Through creating awareness, we learn more about each other, our heritages, our history, and how we can live alongside one another without bias or hatred. We can recognize our similarities, respect our differences, and live alongside one another in peace and harmony.
4 Things to Consider Doing at Home
As discussed previously, science can offer children some basic information, but the learning must continue through...
opportunities for questions
learning experiences
open conversations
variety of books
In Montessori classrooms, conflict resolution is taught and supported by collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving. Conversations amongst students with and eventually without teachers allow children to better understand their environment and how to interact with the other people within the environment. Many classrooms offer a designated space, known as a peace table, for these conversations to occur. Other spaces offer a Peace Rose or similar object that represents peace and provides for an opportunity for the item to be passed from person to person, to visually identify turn taking, as students work through the problem solving process. Other environments offer a small space for yoga, quiet meditation, stretching or even calming and relaxation. The idea to provide children with a safe space to learn and grow; one that honors them as an individual and allows them time to be with others and time to be in their own; if needed or desired. We must help our children understand the power of communication and how the use of words should be by way of respectful messages. The respect we share is not only through the messages we share, but also our response to messages from others by displaying respect. Acceptance can also be cultivated through reinforcement and development awareness. Awareness within oneself and that of the outside world can be created in many ways, however the ideas shared in this article are JUST THE BEGINNING!
Interested in creating a space in your home or classroom that supports learning Science and Geography-based lessons and activities? Contact Stacey for a consultation: info@homedayhero.com