#sensitive period

[millennialmontessorian]

Direct and Indirect Aims

Just about every activity in a Montessori classroom has two purposes: one direct and the other indirect. While the direct goal aims at providing the child with a skill he can use in the present, the indirect goal focuses on abilities he will put to good use later in life. This is one of the geniuses of the Montessori method: Use the child’s current interests to help him develop future abilities in a way that respects his psychological needs and physiological abilities.

For Example:

The direct aims of the Knobbed Cylinders would be: concentration, coordination, independence and order

The indirect aims would be preparation for the mathematical mind as well as the development of the pincer grasp which eventually prepares the child for writing.

[themontessoriacademyofarlington]

Early Childhood-Sensitive for Language

As Montessori teachers, we see daily evidence of the importance of language in early childhood development. We also observe how easily and avidly young children acquire language and build vocabulary. This inclination for language occurs because children are experiencing the sensitive period for language development from birth until about age six. 

While a young child is learning his native or primary language, he also has a great aptitude for learning to speak and understand a second or even third language at the same time. This may surprise many adults who consider learning a second language to be difficult. However, as Dr. Montessori said, the reason adults have difficulty learning a second language is because they are no longer in that sensitive period for language acquisition. What is difficult for adults can be quite simple for young children, who quickly acquire fluency and can develop nearly native pronunciation and intonation. 

 Enjoy the children singing a little song in Portuguese! 

[susanhorak]

The week of your period, you may be a bloated, crampy, hangry mess (we feel you). But any mental missteps that happen have nothing to do with your flow.

Swiss researchers followed 68 womens’ menstrual cycles for two months, looking to see if fluctuating levels of the hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone had any impact on cognitive function. Throughout their cycles, study participants were put through a battery of psychological tests to measure three things: memory, cognitive bias (our tendencies to think a certain way, even if it isn’t rational), and the ability to pay attention to two things at once.