Spontaneous Activity in Education

Maria Montessori

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• Publié par: onfu
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 55
• Langue: English

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Project Gutenberg's Spontaneous Activity in Education, by Maria Montessori This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: Spontaneous Activity in Education Author: Maria Montessori Release Date: March 2, 2008 [EBook #24727] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPONTANEOUS ACTIVITY IN EDUCATION *** Produced by Alicia Williams, David T. Jones and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.) THE ADVANCED MONTESSORI METHOD * SPONTANEOUS ACTIVITY IN EDUCATION BY MARIA MONTESSORI AUTHOR OF "THE MONTESSORI METHOD," "PEDAGOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY," ETC. TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN BY FLORENCE SIMMONDS NEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHERS Copyright, 1917, by FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages . Printed in the U.S.A. CONTENTS CHAPTER I A SURVEY OF THE CHILD'S LIFE Laws of the child's psychical life paralleled by those of its physical. Current objections to a system of education based upon "liberty" Hygiene has freed the infant from straps and swaddling clothes and left it free to develop Education must leave the soul free to develop Principle of liberty in education not a principle of abandonment The liberty accorded the child of to-day is purely physical. Civil rights of the child in the twentieth century. Removal of perils of disease a step toward physical liberation Supplying the child's physical needs is not sufficient PAGE 1 2 5 9 10 11 Child's social rights overlooked in the administration of orphan asylums Poor child's health and property confiscated in the custom of wet nursing We recognize justice only for those who can defend themselves How we receive the infants that come into the world. Home has no furnishings adapted to their small size Society prepares a mockery for their reception in the shape of useless toys Child not allowed to act for himself Constant interruption of his activities prevents psychical growth Bodily health suffers from spiritual neglect With man the life of the body depends on the life of the spirit. Reflex action of the emotions on the body functions Child's body requires joy as much as food and air CHAPTER II A SURVEY OF MODERN EDUCATION 12 13 16 17 18 20 21 23 24 26 The precepts which govern moral education and instruction. Child expected to acquire virtues by imitation, instead of development Domination of the child's will the basis of education It is the teacher who forms the child's mind. How he teaches. Teacher's path beset with difficulties under the present system Advanced experts prepare the schemata of instruction Some outlines of "model lessons" used in the schools Comparison of a "model lesson" for sense development with the Montessori method Experimental psychology, not speculative psychology, the basis of Montessori teaching False conceptions of the "art of the teacher" illustrated by model lessons Positive science makes its appearance in the schools Discoveries of medicine: distortions and diseases Science has not fulfilled its mission in its dealings with children. Diseases of school children treated, causes left undisturbed Discoveries of experimental psychology: overwork; nervous exhaustion Science is confronted by a mass of unsolved problems. Laws governing fatigue still unknown Toxines produced by fatigue and their antitoxins 28 29 30 33 33 42 44 46 50 50 52 57 60 62 Joy in work the only preventative of fatigue Real experimental science, which shall liberate the child, not yet born CHAPTER III MY CONTRIBUTION TO EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE 62 64 The organization of the psychical life begins with the characteristic phenomenon of attention. Incident which led Dr. Montessori to define her method Psychical development is organized by the aid of external stimuli, which may be determined experimentally. Tendency to develop his latent powers exists in the child's nature Environment should contain the means of auto-education External stimuli may be determined in quality and quantity. Educative material used should contain in itself the control of error Quantity of material determined by the advent of abstraction in pupil Relation of stimuli to the age of the pupil Material of development is necessary only as a starting point. Corresponds to the terra firma from which the aeroplane takes flight and to which it returns to rest Establishing of internal order, or "discipline" Psychical growth requires constantly new and more complex material Difference between materials of auto-education and the didactic material of the schools Psychical truths. "Discipline" the first external sign of a psychical reaction to the material Initial disorder in Montessori schools Psychical progress not systematic but "explosive in nature" Birth of individuality Intellectual crises are accompanied by emotion Older child beginning in system, chooses materials in inverse order Course of psychical phenomena explained by diagrams Tests of Binet and Simon arbitrary and superficial Problems of psychical measurement Observing the child's moral nature Transformation of a "violent" child and of a "spying" child in a Montessori school Polarization of the internal personality Guide to psychological observation. 87 88 89 91 93 96 97 110 110 114 115 121 81 82 83 85 74 77 79 69 72 67 Work Conduct Obedience CHAPTER IV THE PREPARATION OF THE TEACHER 122 123 123 The school is the laboratory of experimental psychology Qualities the new type of teacher must possess CHAPTER V ENVIRONMENT 125 128 Physical hygiene in the school The requirements of psychical hygiene Free movement. Misconceptions of physical freedom Action without an aim fatigues Work of "preservation" rather than "production" suitable to children CHAPTER VI ATTENTION 142 143 148 149 150 Awakens in answer to an impulse of "spiritual hunger" Attention cannot be artificially maintained by teacher Liberty the experimental condition necessary for studying phenomena of attention Child's perception of an internal development makes the exercise pleasant and induces him to prolong it External stimuli powerless without an answering internal force A natural internal force directs psychical formation New pedagogy provides nourishment for internal needs Organization of knowledge in the child's mind Teacher directs, but does not interrupt phenomena of attention Material offered should correspond to psychical needs CHAPTER VII WILL 153 155 157 158 158 161 161 162 165 166 Its relation to attention Manifested in action and inhibition Opposite activities of the will must combine to form the personality Powers of the will established by exercise, not by subjection 170 170 173 174 Persistence in effort the true foundation of will Decision the highest function of the will Development of will depends on order and clarity of ideas Power of choice, which precedes decision, should be strengthened Need of exercise for the will paralleled with need of muscular exercise Fallacy of educating the child's will by "breaking it" "Character" the result of established will, not of emulation CHAPTER VIII INTELLIGENCE 178 180 185 185 187 189 190 Liberating the child means leaving him to "his own intelligence" How the intelligence of the child differs from the instincts of animals Intelligence the actual means of formation of the inner life Hygiene of intelligence Intelligence awakens and sets in motion the central nervous mechanisms In an age of speed, man has not accelerated himself Swift reactions an external manifestation of intelligence Ability to distinguish and arrange the characteristic sign of intelligence Montessori "sensory exercises" make it possible for the child to distinguish and classify The Montessori child is sensitive to the objects of his environment Educational methods in use do not help the child to distinguish Power of association depends on ability to distinguish dominant characteristics Individuality revealed in association by similarity By means of attention and internal will the intelligence accomplishes the work of association Judgment and reasoning depend on ability to distinguish Activities of association and selection lead to individual habits of thought Importance of acquiring ability to reason for oneself Genius the possession of maximum powers of association by similarity Genius of errors in association and reasoning which have impeded science The consciousness can only accept truths for which it is "expectant" The intelligence has its peculiar perils, from which it should be guarded CHAPTER IX IMAGINATION 195 196 197 198 200 201 202 202 203 207 207 209 211 212 213 214 214 222 227 233 239 The creative imagination of science is based upon truth. Imagination based on reality differs from that based on speculation Speculative imagination akin to original sin Education should direct imagination into creative channels Truth is also the basis of artistic imagination. 241 243 244 All imagination based on sense impressions Non-seasonal impressions—spiritual truths Education in sense perception strengthens imagination Perfection in art dependent on approximation to truth Exercise of the intelligence aids imagination Imagination in children. Immature and therefore concerned with unrealities Should be helped to overcome immaturity of thought False methods develop credulity, akin to insanity Period of credulity in the child prolonged for the amusement of the adult "Living among real possessions" the cure for illusions Fable and religion. Religion not the product of fantasy Fable in schools does not prepare for religious teaching The education of the imagination in schools for