Components of a Montessori Classroom | Structure & Order
/“[T]he little child’s need for order is one of the most powerful incentives to dominate his early life. ”
This post is part of a series originally introduced here.
Children Crave Structure...Order...Routine...Consistency
We’ve all seen it. A tantrum if a child doesn’t receive his specific dish. Bedtime meltdowns if the stuffies aren’t all lined up just so. Outrage if an unknown errand or event interrupts the regular schedule. Tears if the favorite jacket is in the wash and unavailable.
Probably reading even one of these could have had a multitude of your own version flash through your mind.
One of the greatest reminders, shared and quoted widely: children don’t give us a hard time, they have a hard time.
Young children aren’t intentionally putting you in a bad mood or ruining the day. Children crave structure and order. This is why it is a necessity especially in a Montessori classroom.
When a child doesn’t know what to expect from their schedule, environment, or adult, he gets confused. He desires to know what’s coming so he can be a part of the process. He wants to exert his independence over his environment.
Without structure, a child doesn’t know what is expected of him. He has to test limits and push buttons to see what works.
The Classroom Reflects Society and the World
A Montessori education is designed to prepare students for life. It acknowledges the blink-of-an-eye that is childhood and respectfully guides them on the early path of what is the rest of their life.
This means a lot of intentional character learning. It means explicitly teaching young children how to interact appropriately within a larger group. It means showing them that their community depends on them, and how they act and interact can define the community at large.
A Montessori classroom sets up its expectations in a way that is meant to reflect society.
The teacher guides the students in setting up parameters for behavior that allows students the freedom to make their own decisions, while not disrupting the rights and decisions of other members of the classroom.
From this, students internalize the idea that they are respected, and everyone else deserves respect too.
Materials are Arranged Orderly
In order to interact independently within the classroom, a Montessori student needs access to materials and tools. He needs to know where things are. He needs to know that materials will be ready for him to work uninhibited.
Did you know the tremendous amount of work a Montessori teacher puts into arranging a classroom?
She thoughtfully arranges sections of the classroom to represent different subject areas. Within each subject’s section, she orders materials on the shelves according to their sequence and difficulty.
This method of material arrangement allows students to visualize their progress and the choices available to them.
Additionally, the teacher must constantly be observing students and how they interact with materials. This allows her to refine, change, and rearrange materials and shelves as necessary.
If a material seems to be ignored, a teacher might take it away completely or move it to a more prominent spot in the classroom. Continually introducing small novelties allows the structure in the classroom to remain the same. But it continually invites students to follow their curiosities.
A Structured Environment Helps Build a Structured Brain
Young, absorbent minds seek to absorb information and then categorize it. A well-thought out environment helps students visualize what they’re learning. It helps them internalize it in a way that makes it easier to categorize in their brain.
These methods will stick with them as they continue to build on that knowledge. It is a concrete way to help them make sense of vast amounts of information.
Structure and Order
It’s important to remember that a Montessori approach, while dependent on structure, also provides ample opportunities for independence and freedom. But one can’t happen successfully without the other.
Previously we discussed how a child cannot be completely left to himself. The flip side of that is that he also can’t be completely dictated and controlled. He cannot have a step-by-step prescription for his educational career, constantly being micro-managed by an arbitrary curriculum based on cookie-cutter standards.
A teacher sets parameters for the child and guides him as he works within these limits.
The teacher is in charge of keeping the big picture of education and growth in mind (structure & order). The child has the freedom to direct the day-to-day progress toward these larger goals.