Other // Lamplighters Yeshivah Parent Handbook
ers believe that children learn from their mistakes. If
nothing ever breaks, children have no reason to learn
carefulness. Children treasure their learning materials
and enjoy learning to take care of them “all by myself.”
Montessori teachers make a point to handle Montes-
sori materials slowly, respectfully, and carefully, as if
they were made of gold. The children naturally sense
something magical about these beautiful learning ob-
jects.
As children carry their learning materials carefully
with two hands and do their very special “work” with
them, they may feel like they are simply playing games
with their friends—but they are actually learning in a
brilliantly designed curriculum that takes them, 1 step
at a time, and according to a predetermined sequence,
through concepts of increasing complexity.
quite right.
Materials contain multiple levels of challenge and can
be used repeatedly at different developmental levels. A
special set of ten blocks of graduated sizes called “the
pink tower” may be used just for stacking; combined
with “the brown stair” for comparison; or used with
construction paper to trace, cut, and make a paper de-
sign. The pink tower, and many other Montessori ma-
terials, can also be used by older children to study per-
spective and measurement.
Ingenious
Each learning material
teaches just one skill or
concept at a time. For ex-
ample, we know that young
children need to learn how
to button buttons and tie
bows. Dr. Montessori de-
signed “dressing frames”
for children to practice on. Montessori materials use real objects and actions to
translate abstract ideas into concrete form. For exam-
ple, the decimal system is basic to understanding math.
Montessori materials represent the decimal system
through enticing, pearl-sized golden beads.
The frame removes all dis-
tractions and simplifies the
child’s task. The child sees a simple wooden frame with
two flaps of fabric—one with five buttonholes and one
with five large buttons. His task is obvious. If he makes
an error, his error is obvious. Loose golden beads represent ones. Little wire rods
hold sets of ten golden beads—the 10-bar. Sets of ten-
rods are wired together to make flats of 100 golden
beads—the hundred square. Sets of ten flats are wired
together to make cubes of 1,000 golden beads—the
thousand cube.
Built-in “control of error” in many of the Montessori
materials allows the child to determine if he has done
the exercise correctly. A teacher never has to correct
his work. He can try again, ask another child for help, or
go to a teacher for suggestions if the work doesn’t look Children have many activities exploring the workings
of these quantities. They build a solid inner physical
understanding of the decimal system that will stay with
them throughout school and life.
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