Montessori Wrote About “the Secret of Childhood”. Describe What She Meant by This.
Montessori wrote about “The Secret of Childhood”. Describe what she meant by this.
In one of Dr. Maria Montessori’s book, “The Secret of Childhood” where she continued and further elaborated her work on child development, one of her important findings in her research was “Sensitivity Period” in the child. These are important periods of childhood development. A sensitive period is a period of time when a child passes through special times in his life and spends much of his time to focus on one certain skill or activity. She felt that this was importantly true during the first few years of the physic life, from birth or even before the birth until the brain of the child had completely developed. In her observation, she noticed that the child is particularly sensitive to certain types of interaction during certain overlapping periods. The child is able to acquire certain abilities and to learn certain skill quicker and more effectively.This special time in his life enables him to incorporate a particular skill into his schema easily if the child allowed utilising his ability and practicing it exhaustively during this sensitive period.This is a basic instinct reflecting the child personal need for that acquisition in order to live in this new world. However, once the sensitive period for a particular ability is over, the child is still capable of learning it but with more efforts putting it and will be more of challenge at a subsequent time. It is important for the adults to observe their child and take advantage of the sensitive period; it is often that adults do not realize this special times in their child, perhaps merely because they do not remember them in themselves when they are too busy to earn for a living. If the adults pay more attention to the child’s sensitive period, it will help to foster the independence and brings the sense of satisfaction to the child. At the opposite site, if the adults forego this opportunity, a thwarted sensitive period will
In one of Dr. Maria Montessori’s book, “The Secret of Childhood” where she continued and further elaborated her work on child development, one of her important findings in her research was “Sensitivity Period” in the child. These are important periods of childhood development. A sensitive period is a period of time when a child passes through special times in his life and spends much of his time to focus on one certain skill or activity. She felt that this was importantly true during the first few years of the physic life, from birth or even before the birth until the brain of the child had completely developed. In her observation, she noticed that the child is particularly sensitive to certain types of interaction during certain overlapping periods. The child is able to acquire certain abilities and to learn certain skill quicker and more effectively.This special time in his life enables him to incorporate a particular skill into his schema easily if the child allowed utilising his ability and practicing it exhaustively during this sensitive period.This is a basic instinct reflecting the child personal need for that acquisition in order to live in this new world. However, once the sensitive period for a particular ability is over, the child is still capable of learning it but with more efforts putting it and will be more of challenge at a subsequent time. It is important for the adults to observe their child and take advantage of the sensitive period; it is often that adults do not realize this special times in their child, perhaps merely because they do not remember them in themselves when they are too busy to earn for a living. If the adults pay more attention to the child’s sensitive period, it will help to foster the independence and brings the sense of satisfaction to the child. At the opposite site, if the adults forego this opportunity, a thwarted sensitive period will
Bibliography: Paula Pork Lillard, Montessori: A Modern Approach, Schocken Books New York, 1972 Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood, Ballatine Books, 1982 Maria Montessori, Absorbent Mind, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1995