Movement in the Montessori Classroom
Movement - the Child’s Muse
Maria Montessori foresaw many developments in the study of movement and how it pertains to children and their education. It is necessary to consider how and why movement was such an integral part of her philosophy and how evidence from modern day research confirms the importance of movement in education. Both Montessori and educational specialists draw a link between movement and brain development (Hannaford 1995). This paper will examine how other educational theories have embraced a similar approach and focus on movement to develop intellectual thinking.
Maria Montessori and contemporary researchers shared a similar concern about society’s disconnect with the way we view education and its disregard for the role that body movement plays in acquiring knowledge. In her works she discusses how our movements allow us to interact with our outside world bringing alive our intellectual thoughts and the crucial role it plays in creating relationships. She states that, ‘Movement is therefore an essential part of life and education cannot be seen as moderating or inhibiting it’ (1967:80). Her theory is confirmed by Frank Wilson in his book The Hand, where he states, `The most effective techniques for cultivating intelligence aim at uniting (not divorcing) mind and body’(1998:289). Carla Hannaford also discusses this idea in Smart Moves, stating that ‘learning, thought, creativity, and intelligence are not processes of the brain alone, but of the whole body’ (1995:11). Montessori had intuitively come to the same conclusion that the researchers of today have found; that we rely on the body’s movement to receive vital information from our environment that gives shape to our brain’s development. Montessori saw the central nervous system as the essential area for this growth.
It is important to understand how Montessori saw the brain and its relationship to movement. To do this we must look at the systems that she thought were a crucial part of
Maria Montessori foresaw many developments in the study of movement and how it pertains to children and their education. It is necessary to consider how and why movement was such an integral part of her philosophy and how evidence from modern day research confirms the importance of movement in education. Both Montessori and educational specialists draw a link between movement and brain development (Hannaford 1995). This paper will examine how other educational theories have embraced a similar approach and focus on movement to develop intellectual thinking.
Maria Montessori and contemporary researchers shared a similar concern about society’s disconnect with the way we view education and its disregard for the role that body movement plays in acquiring knowledge. In her works she discusses how our movements allow us to interact with our outside world bringing alive our intellectual thoughts and the crucial role it plays in creating relationships. She states that, ‘Movement is therefore an essential part of life and education cannot be seen as moderating or inhibiting it’ (1967:80). Her theory is confirmed by Frank Wilson in his book The Hand, where he states, `The most effective techniques for cultivating intelligence aim at uniting (not divorcing) mind and body’(1998:289). Carla Hannaford also discusses this idea in Smart Moves, stating that ‘learning, thought, creativity, and intelligence are not processes of the brain alone, but of the whole body’ (1995:11). Montessori had intuitively come to the same conclusion that the researchers of today have found; that we rely on the body’s movement to receive vital information from our environment that gives shape to our brain’s development. Montessori saw the central nervous system as the essential area for this growth.
It is important to understand how Montessori saw the brain and its relationship to movement. To do this we must look at the systems that she thought were a crucial part of