“Supposing I said there was a planet without
schools or teachers, study was unknown, and yet the inhabitants—doing nothing
but living and walking about—came to know all things, to carry in their minds
the whole of learning: would you not think I was romancing? Well, just this,
which seems so fanciful as to be nothing but the invention of a fertile
imagination, is a reality. It is the child’s way of learning. This is the path
he follows. He learns everything without knowing he is learning it, and in
doing so passes little by little from the unconscious to the conscious,
treading always in the paths of joy and love.” Maria Montessori
So now, we discuss the sensitive periods which lead the child to learn in
the most natural way by following her inborn tendency to explore. We are born
with sensitivities to explore specific paths from birth. We are born with the
ability to hear, immediately becoming aware in some way of sounds all around
us, the voices (soft spoken, gentle), the rustling of clothing, perhaps gentle
music, and the very soft ticking of a clock. The senses connect the inner life
with the physical environment outside of ourselves. We are able to experience
enrichment by using our senses.
“…it
is in this period of development (of the senses) that the basic ideas and
habits of the intelligence are formed.” (MM in “The Discovery of the
Child”)
The infant is right away drawn to the sounds of voices murmuring words.
Since before birth, there has been this sound that now has become more audible
— not muffled so much. The words are absorbed into the infant’s not yet
conscious mind to remain always. Within a very short period of time, the infant
can begin to relate and even respond to certain words, the tone in which they
are spoken and the person who is speaking them.
In yet another short period of time, the infant begins to mouth as she
sees others speaking, their mouths forming words. The unconscious effort to
speak has begun. This effort, or drive will continue throughout life as this
person grows, continuing to learn speech, perhaps several languages, always
honing her skill.
But, never again will the acquisition be so effortless, natural, and
automatic. During this sensitive period when language is acquired through
unconscious effort, this person can acquire multiple languages as her native
tongue when hearing them spoken in their native voice. It is most important for
this infant to hear each language spoken by one born to that language.
There are sensitive periods for learning regarding all the senses. We want
to expose the child to materials developed for the senses of tactile or touch,
smell, sight, sound, and taste. These materials are only “keys” to unlock the
potential and awareness of a child’s sensitive periods for each area. Lessons
are offered with beautifully designed wood, fabrics, jars, color (natural or
only primary red, yellow, and blue) bottles, and spoons. Does this not entice
you to see a child enjoying his work with such lovely objects, learning without
knowing he is doing so? He is only following his inner guide, exploring because
he is driven to do so simply by virtue of the fact these items are placed and
carefully, diligently, knowingly in such ways as to draw him to them. He cannot
resist.
In the first three years, the child indiscriminately takes in all that is
in her environment, classifying everything. There is a wealth of information
absorbed in this period. By unconsciously relying on the strong sense of order,
the child classifies her impressions with essential qualities of each object
including essences of coldness, heat, softness, size, color, sound, etc. These
innumerable impressions are brought into order or classification so she can
make sense out of chaos.
The child, through ardent exploration, needs a road that is limited and
direct, leading him to his objective while protecting him from wearying
derivations. Compare this to the thought of a large library with no cataloging
of the books. There are innumerable books available, but no way to determine
where any specific information is located.
Bold, loud, brightly colored, very visual qualities may lessen the
essence of fine, delicate aesthetics the world presents all around us. The
delicate differences may not be distinguishable if one is drawn by sharp
sensations to arouse interest and joy. In fact, strong, bold stimulation does
not make awareness stronger, but rather tends to weaken the senses, thus
demanding even stronger stimulation.
As the child’s world of exploration expands, she is introduced to lessons
developed for her individual sensitive periods for learning through movement,
language, music, math, reading, history, geography, and science. These periods
present in varying order for each child. To some degree, there is a pattern and
the environment is arranged accordingly.
— By Judith Kemper
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