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Define the term sensitive periods, and explain how the teacher's knowledge and understanding of these periods

determines his/her preparation and custodianship of the prepared environment "A sensitive period refers to a special sensibility which a creature acquires in its infantile state" (Montessori, 1966, p.38). Such sensitive periods were first discovered in animals by the Dutch scientist Hugo de Vries, but according to Montessori, are also found in children and are very important to consider in teaching. Each sensitive period is a "transient disposition and is limited to the acquisition of a particular trait" (Montessori, 1966, p.38). Once such a trait or characteristic has been achieved, the sensibility disappears due to the fact that the development of the brain has progressed past the point at which specific information is absorbed. According to Lillard (1972), these transient periods only occur in childhood up to approximately the age of 6. Sensitive periods are spans of time in a child's life when they are absorbed with one particular characteristic of their environment (Lillard,1972). According to Montessori, during a sensitive period it is very easy for the child to acquire certain abilities, such as language, discrimination of sensory stimuli and mental modelling of the environment (Montessori, 1966). Montessori observed 6 sensitive periods in a child's life. These sensitive periods are not consecutive; some overlap and some are continuous. Order is the first sensitive period to appear and may be noticed even in the first few months of life (Montessori, 1966, p.49). During this sensitive period, there is a need for a precise and determined environment (Lillard, 1972) and a positive manifestation of it may be seen in the joy which children show at seeing things in their proper places (Montessori, 1966). The presence of this sensitive period however, is even more evident when the order is somehow interfered with. For example, Montessori describes the agitation of a 6 month old when an umbrella was placed unusually on a table. It was only with the removal of the object that child became calm. In the words of Montessori the "object out of place had violently upset the little girls pattern of memory as to how objects should be arranged" (Montessori, 1966, p.50). The need for order is also displayed by the great lengths young children will go to to put things back in their correct place'. A second sensitive period is that for sensitive refinement. This appears as a curiosity to explore the environment with tongue and hands. Usually coinciding with crawling, the child is seen to regularly pick up objects and put them in their mouth. Montessori believed that the tongue and the hands are more intimately connected with intelligence than any other parts of the body (Lillard, 1972). Children should therefore be given access to objects and activities in their environment which they can explore freely to allow this sensitive period to occur. A third sensitive period is that of language. Language plays an important role in intellectual and cognitive growth. Right from when a child is born the baby is tuned in' to language, and begins to make babbling noises as opposed to the noises of the doorbell and the hoover! It is clear that "the child must naturally hear the sounds in use among his own people before he can repeat them" (Montessori, 1988, p.106). A fourth sensitive period is the sensitivity to walking and movement. Montessori observed that during this period, children love to go on long walks (a fact not always recognised by their parents who may place them in buggies when the child would probably much prefer to be on its feet!). At this stage, unlike an adult who walks for a purpose, the child walks for the sake of it, to perfect the skill. Montessori cites examples of children who spent over an hour

"descending and ascending steep stairs with very narrow steps" (Montessori, 1966, p.78) and you often find, open stairs in public places will be full of children scrambling up and down perfecting their movements. A fifth sensitive period is a sensitivity to small objects. At this stage the child may become engrossed in extremely tiny objects, for instance tiny insects barely visible to the human eye (Lillard, 1972). It is often common for children who are now mobile to be fixated with small objects such as ants, pebbles and grass, and they will often stop to examine such small objects when out walking. The sixth and final sensitive period is a sensitivity to the social aspects of life. Now that the child has become relatively stable in their physical and emotional environment they begin to attend to the social environment. They become aware that they are part of a community (for instance their nursery or playgroup) and he or she "attempts to learn manners and serve others as well as himself" (Lillard, 1972, p.36). Such social interest is shown initially as observation, but later develops into a need for more active contact with peers. According to Montessori, it is vitally important to support and facilitate these periods during the child's first stage of development. If the child is prevented from following the innate desire of any give sensitive period, a disturbing effect could result on both psychic development and maturity. According to Lillard, 1972, p. 33, "therefore, the opportunity for development in his sensitive periods must not be left to chance". The child must be assisted through the sensitive periods. The adult must assist the child by providing a suitable environment for the psychic embryo. Montessori believed 2 conditions were necessary for a child's psychic growth to occur. Firstly "the child is dependent upon an integral relationship with his environment, both the things and the people within it" (Lillard, 1972, p. 30). Secondly, the child needs freedom. Without these conditions being met, the psychic life of a child will not reach its potential and the child's personality will be stunted. In the words of Montessori, for the children who have "met with severe obstacles during this period, deviations of personality may ensue" (Montessori, 1988, p.178). Adverse consequences of not recognising and supporting the child's sensitivities may therefore result. A severe example is Itard's account of the wild boy' of Aveyron. Isolated in the forests of France as a baby, he was later found as a teenager. His movements and behaviour were similar to those of an animal. Although Itard was able to help this boy develop somewhat normal human behaviours, the boy did not develop language, even though there were no problems with his hearing. This illustrates the importance of a child being exposed to language during this particular sensitive period. Once the sensitive period has passed, the special sensitivity is lost and language cannot be developed. Of course this is an extreme case but it does highlight how these sensitive periods must be nurtured to allow normal development to occur. The role of a Montessori teacher is therefore to ensure that the materials in the prepared environment meet the needs of the sensitive periods (www.montessorisv.com). The classroom must provide freedom while maintaining an environment that encourages a sense of order and self discipline (www.objectivistcenter.org). In a Montessori classroom the children are able to work individually at their own pace, repeating activities if want to. In the words of Montessori "when a child works, he does not do so to attain some further goal. His objective is the work itself, and when he has repeated an exercise and brought his own activities to an end, this end is independent of external factors" (Montessori, 1966) As well as this, they are not forced to be constantly engaged in an activity if they do not choose to be.

The materials are very hands on and involve movement which stems from Montessori's belief that knowledge proceeds from hand to brain (www.jjhill.spss.org/montessori). The practical life materials especially meet the children's need for movement, while at the same time helping the child to focus their mind on what his body is doing (www.montessorisv.com). Activities such as pouring, polishing and the use of fastening frames' all serve to develop fine motor skills and coordinate body parts, together with teaching the children important life skills. As well as this, freedom for movement is permitted with the children being free to work on the floor is they so choose. Sensorial materials should also be readily available to meet the child's need for sensory stimulation and refinement. Such materials for example the pink tower, colour tablets and sound boxes isolate particular qualities such as shape, colour, texture, flavour and weight and help develop the child's power of judgement with regard to visual discrimination, tactile discrimination and olfactory discrimination. Such materials give the children more opportunities to explore their environment while they engage in the hands on activities. As well as this, order should be given a high priority. Classrooms should be calm and highly organised so that the children know the correct place for each object. This is not to keep the room tidy, but to help the children organise their mental and physical development (Montessori Centre International Philosophy Module 1, undated). The teacher must ensure (with the children's help!) that every piece of material, from the position of materials in the cupboards, to the position of the soap in the soap dish is always in the correct place. Such an organised environment allows children to go about their activities independently without having to bother the teacher for the correct resources. It also means that the children feel completely comfortable, allowing them to achieve to their full potential. Language should be given great importance in the classroom also. Children use the sand paper letters to not only learn the name of the sound but to also feel the shape of the sound as they say it. As well as this, much conversation and vocabulary building precedes work done on letters of the alphabet (www.montessori sv.com). As with all the Montessori materials, children progress at their own pace, in accordance with their needs, abilities and interests. "It has always been recognised that a teacher must be calm" (Montessori, 1966, p. 137) and the teacher's task is not to talk but to prepare the environment for the children. Montessori refers to the teacher as the "Directress" or "Director" and it is their job (as the name implies) to direct the children. It is the teachers job to focus the child's attention, demonstrate the materials and then allow the children to work alone to develop and discover. The teacher serves to protect the order of the environment so that each child is free to learn and can develop to their full potential. This allows each sensitive period to be nurtured and develop as much as possible. Bibliography Lillard, P. P., (1972), Montessori A Modern Approach, Schochen Books, New York Montessori Centre International, (undated) Philosophy Module 1, MCI, London Montessori, M., (1966), The Secret of Childhood, Ballantine Books, New York Montessori, M., (1988), The Absorbent Mind, ABC Clio, Oxford www.montessorisv.com www.objectivistcenter.org www.jjhill.spps.org/montessori

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