Absorbent Mind.
Absorbent Mind
A child has a special mind and Dr. M. Montessori called it “Absorbent Mind”. She thought that there is nothing more important for the man than his absorbent mind, which creates the adult and adapts him to any kind of climate, country or culture. Without the absorbent mind “…, man could never adapt himself to such different places and habits, nor evolve in his social manners, nor take up such different forms of work.” (M. Montessori 2009, “The Formation of Man” Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company, part 2, chapter 3: The “Nebulae” – “The Function of The Child”, p. 57).
A new born baby has to make a great adaptation to his new environment. The new-born came from this little, warm, dark and quiet place: mother’s womb, to the new world where everything is so big, bright and so noisy. In order to survive he has to get familiar with this new environment by himself and in his own way. The new born child will adapt to the place and will incarnate in himself the culture of that society where he is born. He will grow together with environment and he will take in everything what is in there by creating himself. This environment will be a part of what he will be as a person.
“The mechanism of basic adaptation is simple and plain; the child incarnates in himself the environment which he finds around him, and constructs a man adapted to live in those surroundings. In order to realize this function the child lives through an initial period of psycho-embryonic construction which is found only in human beings.” (M. Montessori 2009, “The Formation of Man” Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company, part 2, chapter 3: The “Nebulae” – “Adaptation”, p. 66).
When a baby is born he almost has nothing and when he is 6 years old already he comes across as a very strong personality. During these first 6 years of his life the child learns so much and changes in such a great way and this opportunity is provided by absorbent mind.
The child absorbs everything from the
A child has a special mind and Dr. M. Montessori called it “Absorbent Mind”. She thought that there is nothing more important for the man than his absorbent mind, which creates the adult and adapts him to any kind of climate, country or culture. Without the absorbent mind “…, man could never adapt himself to such different places and habits, nor evolve in his social manners, nor take up such different forms of work.” (M. Montessori 2009, “The Formation of Man” Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company, part 2, chapter 3: The “Nebulae” – “The Function of The Child”, p. 57).
A new born baby has to make a great adaptation to his new environment. The new-born came from this little, warm, dark and quiet place: mother’s womb, to the new world where everything is so big, bright and so noisy. In order to survive he has to get familiar with this new environment by himself and in his own way. The new born child will adapt to the place and will incarnate in himself the culture of that society where he is born. He will grow together with environment and he will take in everything what is in there by creating himself. This environment will be a part of what he will be as a person.
“The mechanism of basic adaptation is simple and plain; the child incarnates in himself the environment which he finds around him, and constructs a man adapted to live in those surroundings. In order to realize this function the child lives through an initial period of psycho-embryonic construction which is found only in human beings.” (M. Montessori 2009, “The Formation of Man” Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company, part 2, chapter 3: The “Nebulae” – “Adaptation”, p. 66).
When a baby is born he almost has nothing and when he is 6 years old already he comes across as a very strong personality. During these first 6 years of his life the child learns so much and changes in such a great way and this opportunity is provided by absorbent mind.
The child absorbs everything from the
Bibliography: 1. Montessori, Maria (2010), “The Absorbent Mind”, Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company. Chapter 7: Spiritual Embryo. Chapter 8: The Child’s Conquest of Independence. 2. Montessori, Maria (2009), “The Formation of Man”, Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company. Part II, Chapter 3: Conclusions. Part III, World Illiteracy. 3. Lecture “The Mind of the Child”, 13/10/2011.