The Construction of Human Beings and Human Tendencies

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Construction of the Human Being

Montessori says, “The greatness of human personality begins at the hour of birth.” She believes that it is during the early period in life that education must be understood as helping to unfold the child’s “inborn psychic powers”. The Montessori system of education aims, not just to give the child information about the world, but to allow the child’s inner powers to develop to their fullest potential. The interchange between the child and the environment optimizes their potential as human beings. Montessori believed that man builds himself through work, and that normalization is achieved through work. In other words, the construction of social, moral, cognitive and emotional intelligence occurs when the child is given the opportunity to actively participate in a number of work cycles, fulfilling his innate desire to repeat, perfect, refine, explore, construct order, work towards abstraction and orient himself in his surroundings. As the child progresses through the planes of development into adulthood, he grows more and more confident, self-aware, compassionate and knowledgeable of his position in society and need to actively participate as a productive member of that society.


Human Tendencies

Humans posses the unique gifts of reason, love, intelligence, will, instincts and movement. We are able to change an environment based on our needs and adapt to particular environmental conditions. Our three basic needs are food, shelter and clothing, however, Maria Montessori found that there are certain tendencies that exist in all humans. These tendencies help individuals to survive and adapt within their environment. In the Montessori classroom, the fundamental needs and tendencies of humans are explored to help children orient themselves in history and civilization, helping them understand the interdependence among people and gratitude for those who lived before us. Different cultures have tendencies that are more highly valued and may manifest in different ways. Each person experiences these tendencies with a unique blend of strengths. Montessori described these tendencies as “life forces” or “natural guides” which drive man towards activities for survival and fulfillment. Montessori developed a program that seeks to fulfill man’s need to explore and reflect, his need for love, protection, security and freedom. Montessori ensures that each child has the opportunity to grow intellectually as well as spiritually.

Maria Montessori identified ten human tendencies. They are:

Exploration

Adaptation is what drives a child’s exploration of their environment. Exploration enables a child to understand their world. Within the first six years of a child’s life, exploration is most powerful. Much of which is conducted visually to understand the happenings amongst them: What are people doing? How are they moving around? What are they talking about? What is important to them? Once a child approaches the ages of six or seven, the “what” questions change to “why”. This is to enhance discovery in efforts to search for something new. In a Montessori classroom, exploration occurs continuously and is the way in which children are taught to view the world. More specifically, they are taught to experience the world through their five senses so as to create a much more powerful experience both inside and outside the classroom.

Orientation

Children need to understand their position in space. They need to orient themselves in their environment so that they can negotiate the space socially and physically. Children need the space to explore the prepared environment and the world around them so that they may anchor themselves within that space.

Order

Clarity is achieved through order as the human mind strives for a logical processing of information. In the younger stages of development, order is an outward expression of precision. Within the second plane, children from ages six to nine develop a sense of internal order. At this age, the child has internalized outward order and has moved on into a more intellectual process. Here, much more within his mind, he classifies, logically observes, and reviews information. This mental organization is essential to proper orientation (proper state or condition and a regular disposition or methodical arrangement). Order is a tendency that allows people to make a pattern and to sequence. For young children, the urge to maintain physical order is very strong. They desire routine and consistency in order for the child to make sense of their world and to make predictions about what will follow. Older children have such tendencies towards order as well, though not necessarily physically. Instead, their ability to mentally organization in the form of reason and logic in conversation is craved.

Ability to abstract ideas

Abstraction is knowing the essence of something. Abstraction builds on the concrete aspects of something while mentally isolating the qualities or attributes of it. Abstraction in the classroom may occur when a child correlates an idea from one activity with an activity from another area. Abstraction is linked to the imagination and it allows children to carry information from one situation to the next.

Work

The purpose within an activity is what encourages children to work. This excursion of energy in the form of work represents a vital instinct within the child since he cannot organize his personality without working. Elementary children desire “great work”. This is work that generally involves the manipulation of something, thus, involving their hands and minds (image manipulation). Involvement of the hands and mind requires movement, therefore, work requires the operation of the mind and body cooperating together enabling self construction and normalization.

Self-control/self-discipline

Self-control is reflected in the child’s ability to recognize and understand a future goal and make immediate sacrifices to achieve this goal. The freedom to choose and understand consequences within the Montessori environment allows the child to develop their self-control. A child may have to wait to use a certain material, or use precise and controlled movements to perform a task or activity, both of which help to establish self-control. In social situations, the child who has developed a degree of self-discipline, is awarded the ability to act with grace and courtesy. This physical and emotional self-control contributes to the discipline and order of the community as a whole.

Repetition

Repetition or persistent practice is an important tendency for learning. For elementary children, this act is typically an elaboration of what they previously did. Repetition occurs with variety since the elementary child finds many ways to accomplish the same result and because he is very interested in finding new ways to do things. With repetition comes mastery. This drive results in a gain of control over the task as well as the production of the child’s ability for powerful concentration.

Perfection

Perfection is a human tendency which we can see in the child’s desire to repeat an activity through to mastery. Children who are given the freedom to perfect and refine their movements and activities achieve a state of joy and satisfaction which propels them on to the next (and usually more difficult) activity.

Exactness

The difference between perfection and exactness is that perfection means without blemish or defect, flawless, while the later refers to correction, preciseness. Therefore, exactitude indicates to the child when perfection is achieved. Through the tendency of exactness, children are able to determine whether or not they have reached perfection during their physical exploration. This is apparent when a child is seen performing the same task repeatedly until they complete it in the exact way they want. Exactness with repetition leads to perfection. Controls of error enable a child to recognize flaw in order for correction, thereby, facilitating a child to reach perfection.

Communication

Communication is the innate human desire to make meaningful expressions by way of speaking, writing, reading, making music, poetry, discussions, dance, art, symbols and more. People communicate information, ideas, intelligence, tradition, emotions and knowledge, making it possible for us to live in a society where we understand each other and where we are understood. People express needs, and the reaction of others is made possible by communication. Effective communication and expression of needs allows the mind to fully explore their surroundings both intellectually and socially.