Montessori was a scientist and a keen observer. Much of the theory that drove her creation of curriculum and materials for her the Montessori Method was based on observations that are continuously proven true in modern neuroscience!
The Four Planes of Development
The Montessori Method is guided by the natural manifestations of the children during the different stages of development
- Each stage has different needs & manifestations like a metamorphosis or rebirth.
- They last for only a certain period of time.
- There are two phases of creation and two of consolidation or crystallization.
- The infant is creating the child; the adolescent is creating the adult.
“I have found that in his development, the child passes through certain phases, each of which has its own particular needs. The characteristics of each are so different that the passages from one phase to another have been described as ‘rebirths.” -Maria Montessori (The Four Planes of Education, page 1)
| First Plane (Birth to age 6) “What is that?” “There is in the child a special kind of sensitivity which leads him to absorb everything about him and it is this work of observing and absorbing that alone enables him to adapt himself to life. He does it in virtue of an unconscious power that exists in childhood…the first period of the child’s life is adaptation.” -Maria Montessori (The Absorbent Mind, p 57) Characteristics: Period of physical and ‘spiritual’ construction Need to feel loved and protected Development of ability to formally communicate Development of coordinated movement Spontaneous physical movement Use of sensory organs to absorb information from the environment Work alone or in parallel Need for purposeful work | Second Plane (Ages 6-12) “Why or how is it?” “Since it has been seen to be necessary to give so much to the child, let us give him a vision of the whole universe. The universe is an imposing reality, an answer to all questions. We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.”-Maria Montessori (To Educate the Human Potential, p5) Characteristics: Greatest potential for intellectual development Relatively calm and stable Change in body shape, loose teeth, less sickly Ready to move from concrete to abstract learning Use imagination Need more internal than external order Adventuresome Strong sense of justice Learning social skills, “herd instinct” Big work“ Hero” worship | Third Plane (Ages 12-18) “Who am I?” “The adolescent must never be treated as a child, for that is a stage of life that he has surpassed. It is better to treat an adolescent as if he had greater value than he actually shows than as if he had less and let him feel his merits and self-respect are disregarded.”-Maria Montessori (From Childhood to Adolescence, p 72) Characteristics: Idealism Need to discover intended vocations Time of great change and instability Puberty Rapid physical and emotional changes Emotional and sensitive Need a nurturing environment Need respect Decrease in intellectual capacity Abstract learning | Fourth Plane (Ages 18-24) “What will I do?” “Culture and education have no bounds or limits; now man is in a phase in which he must decide for himself how far he can proceed in the culture that belongs to the whole of humanity.”-Maria Montessori (Four Planes of Education, p14) Characteristics: Spiritual, emotional, and moral independence Focus on place and contributions to society Develop personal interests and passions Evaluate social policy Personal responsibility |