Montessori said: "The environment is like a person's head, which affects the all-round development of children." The above two facts, which we have described in the previous chapter 7, are based on the same understanding. Basically, Montessori teaching method contains four elements-environment, teaching AIDS, teachers and children. In fact, on the whole, they should be an environment for the overall education of "children"
Hardware equipment (and nearby environment) Teaching aid teacher (tutor) In a perfect environment, children not only have hardware equipment convenient for children-carefully selected teaching materials and teaching AIDS (static), but also have a gentle and loving "tutor" who plays the role of designing teaching materials, inducing children's willingness to learn and playing the role of communication and traction between them; Of course, there is also the protagonist-"dynamic child".
On how to design an environment to help children develop well, Montessori said the most specifically: "Children's Home". Here is a brief introduction to the mothers in China now.
1, it must be like home.
Montessori said: "The so-called' Children's Home' refers to an environment that can provide opportunities for children to develop (note: don't misunderstand it as an orphanage). This kind of school has no certain specifications and can be decided according to the economic situation and objective environment. "
"But it must be like home." In other words, it is not just one or two classrooms of the same size. There must be several rooms with yards, with shelter from the wind and rain ... Children can go outdoors and let them put some flowers, grass, animals and knickknacks that they like and can take care of themselves.
The main room of "home" is the "studio" of intellectual activities. In addition, there are also smaller bathrooms, restaurants, reception rooms, gyms, lounges and other spaces for children's activities and life.
Of course, in Taipei, where land is scarce and living space is narrow, not every parent has such a quadrangle, so as long as you can give your child a warm family atmosphere, arrange a "studio" for him to display some educational toys you have carefully selected (preferably not electric toys on the market) and his "work" achievements; The other room is a private bedroom and living room. And often take him to field trips to make up for the shortage of the yard, which is a good Montessori education environment.
2. Child-centered
The main feature of the equipment in Home is that everything is child-oriented. Not only should the content of teaching AIDS be suitable for the stage of children's intellectual development, but all hardware devices should be based on the height of children, because in Children's Home, children do everything by themselves.
3, from the simplest:
Food: table, chair, spoon, rag, towel, etc. For food should be suitable for children's size. You just need to imagine: what procedures will children go through from eating to eating? And what items are needed in the process? And their size, weight, etc. , must be suitable for children.
Clothes: Have you arranged a wardrobe with a moderate height for him to open easily, put his clothes in and hang them up? ...
Accommodation: If there is a baby of six or seven months at home, can you arrange a big space for him to climb (or transform the living room or bedroom)? As for the baby, the living room and bedroom should be specially designed and prepared to change with the child's growth.
Good: Besides arranging all kinds of suitable shoes for him, is there room outside the door for him to put his shoes in order? Why design the environment with children as the center? Because our arrangement is not only to see the goal at close range (suitable for his activities), but to cultivate his "independent" character that can be independent of others. I want to say you're welcome. Now most mothers tend to underestimate their children, thinking that her two-and-a-half-year-old "baby" can do nothing. In fact, he can not only wipe his nose, fold clothes, take off his shoes, but also clean the environment!
The key is whether you boldly and patiently give him the opportunity to "do it yourself" and successfully guide him to "do it" and "how to do it".
4. The layout should be safe, beautiful and orderly.
As for all hardware arrangements, we must pay attention to safety. For example, you should avoid using sandwich chairs for children, because children can't control their weight and will be easily caught if they are not careful. It is best to use a fixed chair. Whether the shelf of the display is stable,
Whether the door is nailed down and so on. Are the key points that adults must carefully consider.
In order to attract children's attention and cultivate their neat habits, the beauty of equipment layout is also one of the key points. It should be simple and clear, not "the most expensive is the best". Too luxurious and dazzling or complicated and clever is not good for children, but only distracts them. "Orderliness" doesn't just mean that everything is in order. But it further refers to the order of placement, which has been considered by adults in terms of children's acceptance, needs, uses and whether it is convenient to return. Because order is of great significance to children, in an orderly environment, children will easily find things outside themselves and the relationship between themselves and them through "their own observation", thus promoting the absorption of their minds. At the same time, neat and orderly habits are also cultivated through beautiful environment.
In short, the preparation environment should also be a place with cultural literacy.
it can
1. Give full play to children's vitality.
2. Protect the child and give him a sense of security.
3. Provide a place for children to move freely.
4. Let the children feel kind and have a certain sense of beauty.
5. There are restrictions-the main purpose is to let the child adapt, not to attract him because of curiosity.
6. Orderly and gradually change with the needs of children's growth. Therefore, to give children intellectual inspiration, the design and preparation of the environment is the first step of your efforts. Because the Montessori education law is "child-centered", it is different from the traditional teacher-centered preschool education. Therefore, the teacher is no longer an authoritative role standing in front of the blackboard shouting out numbers. He will not "instill" knowledge into children for the purpose of education, but will live in the objective position of "helping children grow up in life" and design and guide children to learn independently.
Through inspiration and induction, children will be willing to think freely and automatically, and their intelligence and physical fitness will continue to grow. Therefore, Montessori's "teacher" is called "mentor" in Experimental Children's Home (called "instructor" or "guide" in Japanese). Because this book is written for mothers, the tutors mentioned in this chapter are all replaced by mothers at home.
1, he must understand Montessori's educational principles and teaching methods.
We say Montessori is a practitioner because she will turn idealism into methods and put them into practice. We also say that she is an educator and a scientist because she discovered the secret of her childhood through observation. This is the representative work of Montessori's theory, which finds the basis for children's education.
It is precisely because the "teaching aid" of Montessori's Practical Ideals and Methods is designed according to "children's discovery" (meaning Montessori's discovery of children, which is also a masterpiece), if the tutor does not understand this truth, he will invariably and mechanically guide children, ignore their internal needs, and cause unreasonable and ineffective intervention behavior and even hurt children because of their growth laws and individual differences.
Besides, she should be familiar with Montessori's educational methods. For example, a housewife wants to cut a piece of pork. If she can carefully observe the texture of its natural tissue and know how to use the appropriate knife method, she can cut strips of pork smoothly and beautifully; On the contrary, if you pick up the knife and cut it for a while, the result will not be smooth and delicious!
Teachers who know the principles and methods will know the changes between the purpose, procedure, initiation and guidance of "it" when guiding children's "work" in learning; She will understand the inner consciousness of children, as well as the limitations of learning ability and nature; And what age, mentality and correct guidance should be given to him, which will effectively help their physical and mental development and improve their intellectual potential.
2. Know how to operate teaching AIDS.
Children gain intellectual and physical development with the aid of teaching AIDS, and the introduction of teaching AIDS must be properly prompted by the tutor, so the tutor is a very important media figure.
She can not only demonstrate the use of "teaching AIDS" for children simply, concisely and objectively; It is also necessary to know the child's reaction to this teaching aid at any time to decide whether to motivate him to continue operating or induce him to stop temporarily.
She should also carefully observe the inner needs and limitations (especially mental and physical) of this "this" child. At the same time, I can really understand what "child-centered" is! For example, there is no need to force him to do this or that; Will squat down and talk to children, not taking a condescending attitude; During the presentation, you can whisper, move slowly and neatly, and so on; Teachers must also pay attention to these subtle places, so that children can clearly accept and "work" (study) happily.
3. The comprehensive characteristics of the tutor.
She should observe children patiently and care about their needs. She is a careful observer. She can design an environment suitable for children's growth according to her own observation, and is a responsible "preparer" of teaching materials, teaching AIDS and good atmosphere; How the child contacts with the environment, he can coordinate and guide in the middle; It is also an "enlightener" for a child to learn inspiration and an "inducer" to change his mind. He should be able to ensure this environment, maintain the integrity of the environment, and let every contact of children be a complete study. These characteristics are the qualities that preschool teachers should have. In addition, there is the most important point-the instructor himself must always maintain a modest attitude of stepping down. Many adults tend to have some old-fashioned attitudes, such as self-righteousness. This is a considerable "obstacle" in Montessori class, because it blurs the tutor's understanding of children and easily leads to arbitrary and forced method errors. Therefore, in Montessori education, "adult" is also a part of education-the so-called never too old to learn. Teachers should have a humble and kind mind, and they should be able to change the bad old concept of "being the only one" or children's ignorance; Re-recognizing children as "future talents" has unlimited potential and great potential; And if we want to be a successful new kindergarten teacher, we must treat our children as teachers.
4. Have successful inspiration skills.
The slogan of "heuristic teaching" can be seen in almost every kindergarten enrollment brochure. However, mothers should be careful. Adult-centered inspiration is still based on adults' opinions, "imparting some knowledge to children so that they can passively understand, remember or imitate", which is completely different from Montessori education's "letting children open their own windows to absorb knowledge and use their own thinking, which is new and new". Let's understand this difference from a question (of course, it depends on the child's development level): ▲ Traditional style: Xiao Ming, what do you think is the difference between these two balls? Which is the big one? Which is smaller?
▲ Montessori: Come! Xiao Ming, touch these two balls. What did you find? The former question is very limited, and it has long been stipulated what questions children must answer. The latter is very flexible. He not only wants children to feel and feel, but also wants to maximize the limits of the problem. Children can use their brains flexibly and discover the differences and mysteries of things. Again, the previous question is a limited answer to the teacher's "expectation"; The latter question is to let the children "discover" various answers themselves. What a big difference between views and positions!
How to inspire children is a very difficult job, which requires considerable thinking and skills. The accumulation of experience and professional training are essential exercises. But if you are a novice and can't master the tricks, you should write down a score in your mind: "Take the child as the center and let him use his head", chew carefully before you speak, and you can always figure out a way after a long time!
5. Be caring and patient.
Although children have innate "intrinsic motivation" instinctively, they will be driven to automatically contact and love the environment, as well as various teaching AIDS; However, if teachers don't pay attention to and inspire them with their love, children's interest in learning will be difficult to last, which makes the "work" advocated by Montessori for children's growth (referring to children's long-term work by touching the environment and actually operating teaching AIDS) become the so-called "game" in the eyes of ordinary adults; The meaning and effect have completely deteriorated. Therefore, a caring, patient and highly educated tutor can make children's intellectual and physical qualities develop in an orderly and hierarchical way. ▲ Xiao Ming squatted on the ground with a box of building blocks and piled them up one by one. They are colorful and beautiful. After building a castle, he threw the building blocks on the ground and left without looking back!
▲ Xiaohua took a carpet and spread it on the floor. Then she took ten pink towers from the shelf and put them on the carpet one by one. He sat down, found the biggest one and put it on the first floor, then found the second biggest one and put it on top of the biggest one. So, again, he always finishes the smallest one and checks whether it is neat by hand. When he finished, he put it back on the shelf piece by piece and the carpet was put away.
Have you noticed? What's the difference between these two activities? Why do we call Xiaoming's toy? Little flowers play, which we call "teaching AIDS"?
1, the difference between teaching AIDS and toys
"Teaching aid" has the function of "education", so it has serious significance and cannot be placed in the kitchen or living room at will; There must also be an exclusive "activity room" with specific rules of use in order to respect its function. Third, because teaching AIDS have specific teaching functions; For example, the pink tower, in order to let children distinguish the size through touch and vision, is designed to be single in color, so that they can concentrate and not be disturbed by other factors. However, after children are fully familiar with this basic function, they can be allowed to use it differently from other teaching AIDS.
Teaching AIDS have the educational characteristics of educating children to know the size, weight, height, even the largest, the second largest … to the smallest, so that children have a sense of order and order. This feature is not only manifested in the teaching aid itself, but also in all external movements. Therefore, users must take off the teaching AIDS in an orderly manner, return to their positions in an orderly manner, respect the teaching AIDS and maintain their literacy. The children trained in this way will respect social ethics and social order such as "suitable for all ages" and "first come, first served" when they grow up.
As for toys, that's different! Although some toys are also instructive, they are not obvious. Most of their purposes are just to make use of children's curiosity and earn money from their mothers' pockets. In order to let the child get rid of the entanglement temporarily, or the father wants to meet the requirements of the child and his wife at the same time, he spends money to buy it home. But after playing for a long time, the child wants to know why the car has neither a driver nor a toy box. Turn your head automatically, as if there are eyes on the wheel? More capable than dad! What's the point? I want to know, but I often embarrass my mother; Mom gave dad a push, and the child couldn't wait, so he had to open it himself. In less than two days, "toys" became waste; Still can't satisfy the child's curiosity, and it will also cause a series of sequelae. For example, a child despises his parents' incompetence, can't give him a satisfactory answer, can't repair toys for him, and just pesters him to cry and wants to buy something more "fun". It doesn't matter whether the mother buys it or not, and the child's crying and entanglement are even more annoying ... so, this is the reason why the toy can't satisfy the child. Without profound educational significance, it can't bring children growth!
Maria Montessori
Dr. maria montessori, an Italian educator, was born in Chinavari, ancona, Italy, on August 3rd/30th, 870. Father Alexandra Montessori is a conservative aristocratic descendant, and mother Ryder Stony is famous, beautiful and cheerful. Montessori is the only daughter in the family, but her mother doesn't spoil her, so Montessori can care about others and cultivate a stubborn character from an early age. At the age of 26, Montessori became the first female doctor of medicine in Italy with excellent results, which shocked the whole country and made father and daughter live in harmony again. Although she was a female doctor of medicine, she still could not change the stereotype of women in society at that time. She can only work as an assistant doctor in the psychiatric clinic affiliated to the University of Rome. At this time, she began to contact silly children, felt sympathy for them, and began to help them solve their life problems, so she became interested in education. She began to study the treatment and education of mentally retarded children, and also began to study the French doctor Liu Yitong. The works of Segan and Italian anthropologist Sage. After two years in the psychiatric clinic, she laid the basic idea that developing intelligence requires two-handed operation. Montessori is the first and only nominee in the world who won the Nobel Prize in Literature Prize for Preschool Education. Montessori died in 1952. Montessori Education Law has brought revolutionary changes to education in the world and won the respect and high praise of educational peers in various countries.
Maria montessori is a world-famous preschool educator in the 20th century. The unique early childhood education law she created swept the whole western world and profoundly affected the education level and social development of all countries in the world, especially the advanced countries in Europe and America. The characteristic of Montessori's education law is that she attaches great importance to early childhood education. She has been engaged in educational experiments and research for more than half a century. Her teaching methods range from intellectual training, sensory training to sports training, from respecting freedom to building will, from civilian education to aristocratic education, which has provided several generations of excellent talent base for the sustainable development of western industrialized society. The history of western education claims that she is the greatest educator of scientific progress who won the recognition of Europe and the world in the 20th century. In recognition of Montessori's special contribution to early childhood education and world peace. 1950, she was nominated as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. Giammito Lisboa, Director-General of UNESCO, once declared enthusiastically that maria montessori has become a great symbol of longing for education and world peace.
Montessori was born in Chiaravalle, ancona. She is the first woman to study medicine and the first woman doctor of medicine in Italian history. 1907, Montessori established the "Children's Home" in the slums of Rome. Recruiting 3-6-year-old children for education, she used her own original method to teach, and the results showed amazing results: a few years later, those ordinary and poor children had great changes in their minds and were cultivated into smart, confident, educated and vivid young talents. Montessori's brand-new teaching method with educational charm has caused a sensation throughout Europe, and reports about these wonderful children spread like wildfire. Many "Children's Home" are modeled after Montessori. 1999, Montessori wrote the book "Scientific Methods Applied to Children's Home", which was published in the United States in 19 12, and was quickly translated into more than 20 languages and spread all over the world. More than 100 countries have introduced the Montessori method. The Montessori movement appeared in Europe and America, and1913-1915 Montessori schools spread all over the world. By the 1940s, there were more than 1000 in America alone. Montessori has caused a revolution in early childhood education all over the world.
Brief introduction of Montessori education law
Montessori is a world-famous expert in early childhood education. For a hundred years, her educational ideas and methods have always had a positive impact on preschool education in the world. Montessori's education method is an excellent educational model to carry out quality education and develop children's potential.
I. Ten characteristics of Montessori education:
1, child-centered. Children are regarded as independent individuals different from adults, and the adult teaching concept is opposed.
2. "There is no class in teaching". Montessori opposes teacher-centered cramming teaching, and advocates starting with daily life training, with a good learning environment and rich educational content, allowing children to learn spontaneously and actively and construct their perfect personality.
3. Grasp the sensitive period of children. Children aged 0- 6 will have a certain preference tendency in a certain period. If you study along the sensitive period, you can get the maximum learning effect of this feature.
The teacher plays the role of tutor. Generally speaking, Mr. Montessori is called a mentor. He must have a deep understanding of the child's spiritual world and know the child's development like the back of his hand in order to provide timely and appropriate help and guidance to the child.
5. Cultivation of complete personality. The ultimate goal of Montessori education is to help children normalize. Through the design of environment and the operation of teaching AIDS, children can establish a perfect personality step by step.
6. Respect the growth rhythm of children. Montessori education requires teachers to teach students in accordance with their aptitude according to the development process of children, and not to engage in one-size-fits-all education according to different characteristics.
7. Mixed age education. Let children of different ages be together, so that younger children can have imitators of different ages, while older children can enhance their knowledge and ability by helping younger children.
8. Rich teaching materials and teaching AIDS. Montessori's teaching AIDS are very rich, but they are not tools for teachers to teach, but materials for children to work with. Through these tasks, children can establish a perfect personality from self-repeated operation exercises.
9. Eliminate the single reward and punishment system. Montessori teaching respects children and cultivates their budding sense of dignity.
10, explosive teaching achievement. Montessori education respects children's inner needs and allows them to grow up in a timely and appropriate manner. It is not easy to perceive the results in the short term, but it will show the child's inner mental development level in the form of an explosion at some time.
Second, freedom-the foundation of Montessori education law.
Freedom is the basic principle of Montessori's educational method. Montessori called her education method "education method based on freedom", also known as "education of free research". Therefore, grasping the connotation of "freedom" is the premise of understanding the essence of Montessori education law.
(1), about freedom. Montessori believes that freedom means that children can do what they like and accept any top-down orders or coercion and repression without being bound by anyone. A child whose spontaneity of vitality is suppressed will never show his original nature, just like a butterfly specimen whose wings are pinned by a pin, losing the essence of life. So the teacher can't observe the actual situation of the child. Therefore, we must study children in a scientific way. First of all, we should give children freedom and promote their spontaneous expression, and then observe and study.
The so-called freedom for children here is different from indulgence or unlimited freedom. Montessori said: "Let children learn to distinguish right from wrong and know what not to do. Such as willfulness, irrationality, violence, disturbing order, obstructing group activities, etc., will be strictly prohibited and gradually eradicated. They must be patiently tutored, which is the basic principle of maintaining discipline. " In fact, indulging children will never be truly free.
(2), about discipline. Montessori believes that discipline is a positive state and is based on freedom. A person who is as quiet as a mute and as motionless as a paralyzed person cannot be regarded as a disciplined person. Positive discipline contains a noble educational principle, which is completely different from the "immobility" caused by coercion.
She said: the cultivation of discipline can not rely on propaganda and preaching, nor on blaming mistakes, but on natural activities. It is important to let children know discipline in activities, accept and abide by collective rules from understanding, and distinguish right from wrong. Therefore, true freedom also includes the ability to think and understand. A disciplined person should take the initiative to control himself when it is necessary to obey the rules, instead of giving in to others. In the activity room of Montessori Early Education Home, children can move freely, talk, change places, and even move desks and chairs at will. Children in the classroom have purposeful and voluntary activities, and everyone is busy with their work, walking around quietly, taking things away and putting them away without causing confusion. Because they know that it is necessary to be quiet and orderly, and they also know that some activities are forbidden. When children grow up in this environment, they will naturally pay attention to their behavior. In this way, you will form a good habit of obeying discipline.
Third, children's environmental education.
Montessori early education home attaches great importance to the environment. "In our school, the environment educates children." It is considered that the environment is an important conservation content, and many aspects of conservation methods are also determined by the environment. Children need a suitable environment to develop normally and perfect their personality. Generally speaking, however, most children live in unsuitable environments. Children are naturally close to nature, but with the development of civilization, nature is getting farther and farther away from children. They live in an adult world, and everything around them is not completely suitable for them in terms of specifications, weight and shape, so it is difficult to operate at will. The purpose of "preparing the environment" is to enable children in embryonic state to grow up smoothly and prepare the environment for spiritual food such as order and wisdom. For children before the age of six, the environment in which adults and children live is very different in size and rhythm. Therefore, children must always rely on the help of adults in their activities. Children have always relied on the assistance of adults, unable to complete their due growth, unable to control their own lives, unable to educate themselves and unable to exercise themselves. If there is no ideal environment, children can't realize their abilities, so they can never be independent from adults. Therefore, Montessori Early Education Home creates a child-oriented environment for children to live by themselves according to their sensitive period and mental absorption before the age of six. This environment is a "prepared environment". Its significance is not only the environment, but also the way for children to face the future world and all cultures in the near future. Therefore, it must meet the following conditions:
(1), give full play to children's rhythm and pace. There are great differences between children and adults in psychology and physiology. Adults' cognition and feelings in an hour are completely different from those experienced by children. Children perceive the world with their own unique pace and get many things that adults can't imagine. Children's unique rhythm has become a part of their personality. Adults living in a complex and changeable cultural environment must protect the environment needed by children's unique "rhythm or pace".
(2) Give children a sense of security. Human children mature later than other animals, so they need shelter more. When the child's body feels dangerous, caring for the child with gentle and encouraging eyes can make them move freely and freely.
(3) Places and appliances that can move freely. Children must rely on sports to express their personality. Especially their minds, must be combined with sports in order to fully develop. Therefore, children should be exposed to things-tools and places that can move freely, such as collecting, decomposing, moving, rotating and changing positions.
(4) beauty. Beauty is very attractive to children, and children's initial desire for activities is caused by beauty. Therefore, the objects around children, regardless of color, luster and shape, must have a good feeling.
(5) Necessary restrictions. Don't have too many teaching materials or activities around children. Too many things confuse children's spirit, and they don't know what kind of textbooks to choose and what kind of activities to engage in. So you can't concentrate on the object. In order to prevent children from doing unnecessary activities and causing mental fatigue and relaxation, teaching materials and activities must be limited to some extent.
(6), order. Children's sense of order reached its peak at the age of two, and in the following years, children's sense of order was extremely special. The relationship between the sense of order and children in this period is like fish and water, houses and foundations. In fact, children will focus on the sense of order, use wisdom to distinguish and analogy, and internalize things around them. If there is no order, everything will be chaotic and children will lose their sense of direction. Therefore, order must exist in every part of a prepared environment.
(7) Coherence with the whole culture. The so-called "order exists in every part of a prepared environment" is to incorporate order into teaching materials and expand children's wisdom. This kind of order can make children work hard for real and correct "work", that is, children can really and seriously carry out "real life". Children who can concentrate on their own activities independently can really be active in the next stage of the adult world. And order should be shown in a "prepared environment" consistent with the cultural world of adults.
Four, the five educational contents of Montessori education
Daily life education: including basic action training, taking care of yourself, taking care of the environment, taking care of others and social behavior. Cultivate children's independence, autonomy, concentration, hand-eye coordination and self-confidence.
Sensory education: through the training of vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch, cultivate children's observation, classification and attention. It is helpful for the recovery of children's sensory integration disorder.
Mathematics education: cultivate children's preliminary quantitative concepts, logical thinking ability, understanding ability and judgment ability.
Language education: cultivate children's listening, speaking, recognizing, reading and writing abilities through listening, speaking, seeing, phoning, writing and reading exercises.
Science and culture education: including nature, geography, history, science, music and fine arts. By letting children learn national culture, they can cultivate their love for science and national pride, and stimulate their curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
Fifth, seize the sensitive period of children in time.
Sensitive period is the life support that nature gives children. If the sensitive period cannot develop when the internal demand is blocked, the best period of learning will be lost. If you want to learn this thing again in the future, although it will take more effort and time, the results are not significant. How to use this motivation to help children grow up more perfectly is the responsibility of adults. The following suggestions can help parents grasp the sensitive period of their children in time:
1. Respect children as capable individuals. Children are naturally capable learners. They will find the natural law of growth and constantly let themselves grow into "more capable" individuals. This is the first thing that parents should change.
2, carefully observe the emergence of sensitive period. Every child's sensitive period is not exactly the same. Therefore, adults must observe children's internal needs and individual characteristics with an objective attitude.
3. Arrange a rich learning environment. When observing the emergence of a child's sensitive period, adults should try their best to prepare an environment to meet his growth needs.
4. Encourage children to explore freely. When children gain respect and trust, they will freely explore and try in the environment.
5, timely assistance without intervention. When children are keen on something they are interested in, adults should "let the children do it themselves" and avoid interference. However, it is not necessary to leave the child completely, but to provide timely help and guidance.