Maria Montessori on the natural formation of character in …

 

 

Far Western Philosophy of Education

Honolulu, Ohua

January 17, 2003.

Maria Montessori

on the natural formation of character in young children

Madonna Murphy, Ph.D.

University of St. Francis

Joliet, Illinois 60435

mmurphy@stfrancis.edu

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Our schools have become violent and unsafe in this past decade. Young children

shooting other children is not a phenomena only found only in the United States, but also

round the world, i.e. France, Afghanistan and Japan. Cheating, plagiarism, and other

unethical behaviors are found in Argentina, China, England and the United States. What

is the root of this problem one might ask? Have children always been this way? Are they

born with some inherited tendency towards evil? or are we raising our children today in a

way that is dramatically different from the past? In this paper, I will examine this issue of

character formation from the perspective of Maria Montessori. Her method has much to

offer in developing more peaceful classrooms and helping to develop compassionate and

caring citizens. However, for it to work we may have to change what has become the

status quo – young children raising themselves before television, computer and video.

Maria Montessori developed a complete philosophy of education based on her

discovery that the child has a mind able to absorb on its own. This discovery

revolutionized early childhood education because she found that this special psychic

force which helped the little child to develop- not only language, but also their whole

personality – was common in all children no matter what their culture, nation, society,

and religion1. Maria first developed her method in Italy where she worked first with

retarded children in the Orthophrenic School in Rome and then with poor street urchins,

ages two to six in the Casa del Bambini. Using special teaching materials, Maria

observed how these sullen, withdrawn and rebellious children became interested in

working with the materials and soon became active, happy, and productive. Education,

she proposed, is not something that the teacher does but it is a natural process which

develops spontaneously in the human being.2

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In Montessori’s opinion the first two years of life are the most important, for in it the

child has laid down the foundation of his personality as a human being. “All that we

ourselves are has been made by the child we were in the first two years of our life,” she

says.3 Montessori proposed the idea of sensitive periods, special time in human

development in which there is a burning intellectual love between the child and the

environment.4 There are sensitive periods for language, order, sense refinement, and

grammar. The sensitive period towards external order appears in the child’s first year

and continues through the second. The child has a joy and enthusiasm to see things in

their proper places. According to Montessori, order is one of the needs of life which

when it is satisfied produces a real happiness. Her three and four year olds put the

things they have used back in place. Order consists in remembering where each thing

should be. Later the child also develops an inner order.5

Montessori referred to the period from birth to age six as the “stage of the

absorbent mind,” a time when the child appears to almost absorb his environment.

When he is given the freedom to explore, examine, experiment and interact with the

multitude of objects and situations in his environment, the child is stimulated and

energized, and gains a sense of power in a period of literal self-creation. Montessori

noted that a child would concentrate extremely hard, persistently repeat actions, and

exhibit self-discipline as he worked diligently toward mastering a particular activity. It

was Montessori’s conviction that if children are to progress successfully through these

sensitive periods of development they must be free to act on objects or tasks in their

environment when their interest arises. The power of a child’s internal motivation is so

intense that the need to reward or punish as a means of directing or motivating a child’s

educational efforts is not necessary. Montessori saw this first sensitive period as the

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most important for it is the period in human development in which the child’s character if

formed and developed naturally.6

Montessori defines the school as “a prepared environment in which the child, set

free from undue adult intervention, can live its life according to the law of

development7.” The Montessori method emphasizes that practical sensory, practical life

and formal skills be included in the prepared learning environment of an effective

classroom. Preplanned didactic materials are provided for the children to manipulate in

a self-directed manner, so the child can attain mastery through individualized activity.

The materials address, in a holistic nature, the child’s physical, mental, and moral

aspects. Certain materials promote competence in practical life skills that liberate the

child by enabling him/her to independently handle ordinary tasks such as getting

dressed and undressed, serving a meal, washing dishes, and displaying proper

manners. Montessori presents a nobler conception of work as something essential to

the dignity of every human being; work gives joy to children and that is why they enjoy

the Montessori school so much8. The child naturally develops virtues related to working

hard: diligence, perseverance, cooperation, responsibility, etc. The child achieves

sensory development and muscular coordination through repetition of exercises. The

child then proceeds at a rapid pace, almost like an explosion, into the development of

the formalized skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic.

During her life-time, Maria taught teachers who then opened schools in Germany,

Switzerland, Ireland, Australia, Africa, England, the Unites States, the Philippines,

Panama, and Canada as well as in Holland, France, Spain, Austria, Latin America, India

and Pakistan.9 Later going to visit many of these countries, Maria could attest to the

global relevance of her discovery of the child. “We see these phenomena repeated

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unfailingly in all our schools with children belonging to different social classes, races

and civilizations.”10 . For her in promoting the special dignity of the child, she was

nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize; and went to speak at the UNESCO conference in

1950.

all men.11

Her studies led her to visualize the development of character as a natural sequence

of events resulting from the child’s own individual efforts, which, in her words, have no

reference to any extraneous factors but depend on his vital creative energy and on

obstacles he meets in daily life. For rooted in the unconscious mind, she taught, natural

laws undoubtedly exist which determine psychological development and are common to

The first sensitive period is one of creativeness in which the roots of character lie,

even though at birth the child has no character. From 0 to 6 is the most important part of

life, and this applies to character development also. “Before six the child develops

character and its qualities spontaneously. “All know,” Montessori said, “that the infant in

arms cannot be influenced either by example or external pressure, so it must be nature

herself who lays the foundation so character. The small child has no sense of right and

wrong; he lives out side our notions of morality.”12 She felt that every defect of character

was due to some wrong treatment sustained by the child during his early years. And if

owing to negligence or wrong treatment, the defects cause between 0 & 3 are not

corrected, not only do they remain but they get worse. Thus at six one may have a child

with deviations produced before three years and others acquired since.13

According to Montessori, children construct their own characters, building up in

themselves the qualities generally admired. This does not spring up from adult example

or admonishments, but results from a long and slow sequence of activities carried out

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by the child himself. At this time no one can “teach” the qualities of which character is

comprised but one is to allow the child to work effectively without being disturbed or

impeded.14 The concentration shown by the little ones doing their work brings about the

formation of character. They will concentrate on their work. By repetition the child

develops the ability to carry through what he has begun and this will lead to

perseverance – another trait of character and another stage in human character

formation.15

Maria presented an entirely new concept of the teacher’s role. The directress was

not to “teach”; she was to present and observe and allow the children to teach

themselves as they worked with the materials that made up the properly prepared

environment for their spontaneous activity16. Montessori believed that the essential

instrument of effective teaching was observation; it was the tool that enabled teachers

to determine the needs and interests of their students. The authority role of the

instructor is replaced by that of facilitator whose major responsibility is to create a

learning environment that, through careful observation, of student movement and

behavior, meets the needs and interests of the students and allows them to develop and

achieve satisfaction. The directress helps the child’s character to develop naturally as

they are guided in their learning.

Discipline thus springs up spontaneously in children. The answer lay in obtaining

discipline by giving freedom. When children are placed in surroundings that permit

them to evolve an orderly activity they come to have this aspect. Some have a mistaken

notion of freedom according to Maria. Real freedom is a consequence of development,

the development of latent guides aided by education.17

Maria relates an incident that illustrates the real freedom found in her schools. A

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lady said to a child in one of her schools, ” So this is the school where you do what you

like?” “No ma’am” said the child, “It is not that we do as we like, but we like what we

do.”18

It is in the second period, from 6 to 12 that the child begins to become conscious of

right and wrong, not only in regards to his own actions, but also the actions of others.

Problems of right and wrong are characteristic of this age; moral consciousness is being

formed and this leads later to the social sense. During this period that the conscience

begins to function in the child. Third Stage from twelve years to eighteen years is a period

of transformation, first puberty, and then adolescence. In this period the love of country

is born, the feeling of belonging to a national group and of concern for the honor of that

group.19 According to Montessori, the child is almost a different being at different stages

of life and so there must be different educational methods for each stage20. However, the

character qualities formed in one period carry over to the next as the child is exposed to

more complex relationships with his/her environment and with others.

What advice did Maria give to mothers? She told them that if the child was placed

upon a path in which he can organize his conduct and construct his mental life, all will be

well and his troubles will disappear. Montessori did not see it as a problem of moral

education, but of character formation. Lack of character, or defects of character disappear

of themselves if the child is allowed to work for that is to follow their inner guide and busy

themselves with something which gives them serenity and joy21.

What advice would Maria give us today? She considered herself a citizen of the

world with a message for all humanity. I think she would tell us that we do not allow our

children to do meaningful work. Too much time is spent in front of the television, the

video games and on the computer. Children pass their time but they do not engage in

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real work or creative play. The do not develop their own character, instead they are

bombarded with examples of poor characters. Is it any surprise that children become

violent, withdrawn and listless? Children at each period should be allowed to work in

meaningful way and make a contribution to society. Children should yearn to serve

others and to make life more pleasant for others through their work. In this way we will

find our classrooms purposeful and peaceful and we will develop compassionate and

caring citizens.

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