Someone in a preschool forum asked about parents that demand certain results. I gave the following reply. Let me know what you think:
__________________________
I have been thinking a lot about this the past few days and came up with
something that may help. Let me know whether you agree or disagree with
this, since it comes from a Montessori perspective.
In Montessori, we have several activities. The activities involve what we
call a "direct aim" and an "indirect aim." I heard recently that the
definitions are the exact opposite of each other for AMS and AMI for some odd reason. AMS and AMI are the two main Montessori groups. So if a Montessori person pops in and says, "That's actually the opposite," they're probably AMI and I'm AMS. Either way, here's the definitions as I understand them:
Indirect Aim: This is the actual goal of the activity based on an
outcome-based level. If the activity is table scrubbing, the goal is to have
a clean table. If the activity is a 0-9 counting work, an indirect aim (the
goal) is to accurately count out 0-9. This is what parents understand. This
is what adults naturally understand. It's a concrete thing and we look at it
and say, "Ok. That can be done. Move on to the next thing." The problem
with this line of thinking is what we see in the direct aim.
Direct Aim: This is an inner aim to be achieved by doing that activity.
There's no real way to know for sure how well the child is progressing in the
direct aim other than through observation and coming to some conclusion that way. Or through realizing when the child is completely finished with the
work and has lost interest in it. Direct Aims, especially in the younger
age, tend to include:
--Developing Concentration
--Developing coordination
--Small Muscle development
--Preparation for _______ (writing, abstract math concepts, etc.)
With adult work, we are focused almost entirely on the indirect aims of our work:
--Why do we wash the table? Because it needs to be cleaned.
--Why do we do math? Because our bank account would be a mess if we didn't.
--Why do we wash dishes? So they're ready for the next time we need them.
Our adult goals are set up with an outcome-based reasoning.
If we really think about what a child needs and why a child does things, it's
for the inner needs, or the direct aim. Children seek naturally to perfect
their work. It's not a perfection in terms of outcome based, like an adult
is. It's a perfection in terms of the inner growth and development. Why do
we teach children to polish silver? Not because polishing silver is a common
thing these days and not so you can save money on a maid or butler service.
It's because the child is developing such a strong level of concentration and
small muscle control.
I remember years ago when I was in a Montessori 3-6 classroom, I would spend a long time shining stuff (it might have been a half hour, but hard to say now since I didn't really keep track of, nor have a full concept of, time).
I was 4 years old. I knew how to shine these things. I knew how to do it
and how to get it done. That wasn't the reason I was practicing it. I was
practicing it because (this is my best guess looking back, knowing what I
know now):
--I was developing concentration. I do remember one polishing activities I
did where I would study the face on the penny, the way the date is imprinted,
etc. Imagine my level of concentration when I started getting into math and
reading works.
--I felt a sense of calm. After finishing a long work that took a while, it
is important to let my mind relax a little. This is still true today.
That's why I am seen around the internet a lot. After I finish reading a few
chapters in a book or writing a report, the internet helps me relax quite a bit.
--It was a ritualistic activity. This is something we truly forget to do at
an early age. I have taught for the past year in a non-Montessori school and
a bad school. That's not to say non-Montessori = bad. It is to say that
this particular school in Taiwan was terrible. We're talking screaming
teachers, hitting kids for not understanding English, etc. etc. Needless to
say, many of my classes were more than a little chaotic. I finally decided
to do one thing every day = start the class off with either the "Good
morning" song or "Hello" song. It's a simple song with simple lyrics so all
the kids could understand it. I did it every day and my classroom completely
changed on most days into something fantastic. There were days where I would walk in, have a few things to set up, and the kids would start singing it
even before I was ready. That ritual gave them something to expect in this
chaotic environment. It gave them something to really know that, no matter
what, this was going to happen at the start of class. The more ritualistic
the day is, the more children know what to expect. The more children know
what to expect from something, the easier it is to do. I did polishing
because I took it as a ritual.
What we fail to do as teachers is often to educate parents on what these
indirect aims are and why they are important. We forget to educate parents
that there is a difference between how an adult sees work (product based and measurable) and how a child sees work (to aid in the growth of inner
development). If we can educate parents on that point, it will be a lot
easier to explain the reasons why things are how they are and why some
children might not be able to read while others can. It has nothing to do
with intellect. It has nothing to do with what the results will be on a
reading test. It has to do with providing the child exactly what he or she
needs to be successful later. If we ignore building up concentration, fine
motor development, and a chance for the child to perfect their work and
observe what they are doing, we rob the child of a LIFETIME of learning
opportunities. This is the age those skills need to be built because this is
the only time they can be built naturally. If we miss this age, we are
playing catch up.
If a child leaves us and knows how to read, that's wonderful. But it's
terrible if the price we paid for that was denying the child to develop these
necessary skills that will last them a life time.
Matt
__________________________
I have been thinking a lot about this the past few days and came up with
something that may help. Let me know whether you agree or disagree with
this, since it comes from a Montessori perspective.
In Montessori, we have several activities. The activities involve what we
call a "direct aim" and an "indirect aim." I heard recently that the
definitions are the exact opposite of each other for AMS and AMI for some odd reason. AMS and AMI are the two main Montessori groups. So if a Montessori person pops in and says, "That's actually the opposite," they're probably AMI and I'm AMS. Either way, here's the definitions as I understand them:
Indirect Aim: This is the actual goal of the activity based on an
outcome-based level. If the activity is table scrubbing, the goal is to have
a clean table. If the activity is a 0-9 counting work, an indirect aim (the
goal) is to accurately count out 0-9. This is what parents understand. This
is what adults naturally understand. It's a concrete thing and we look at it
and say, "Ok. That can be done. Move on to the next thing." The problem
with this line of thinking is what we see in the direct aim.
Direct Aim: This is an inner aim to be achieved by doing that activity.
There's no real way to know for sure how well the child is progressing in the
direct aim other than through observation and coming to some conclusion that way. Or through realizing when the child is completely finished with the
work and has lost interest in it. Direct Aims, especially in the younger
age, tend to include:
--Developing Concentration
--Developing coordination
--Small Muscle development
--Preparation for _______ (writing, abstract math concepts, etc.)
With adult work, we are focused almost entirely on the indirect aims of our work:
--Why do we wash the table? Because it needs to be cleaned.
--Why do we do math? Because our bank account would be a mess if we didn't.
--Why do we wash dishes? So they're ready for the next time we need them.
Our adult goals are set up with an outcome-based reasoning.
If we really think about what a child needs and why a child does things, it's
for the inner needs, or the direct aim. Children seek naturally to perfect
their work. It's not a perfection in terms of outcome based, like an adult
is. It's a perfection in terms of the inner growth and development. Why do
we teach children to polish silver? Not because polishing silver is a common
thing these days and not so you can save money on a maid or butler service.
It's because the child is developing such a strong level of concentration and
small muscle control.
I remember years ago when I was in a Montessori 3-6 classroom, I would spend a long time shining stuff (it might have been a half hour, but hard to say now since I didn't really keep track of, nor have a full concept of, time).
I was 4 years old. I knew how to shine these things. I knew how to do it
and how to get it done. That wasn't the reason I was practicing it. I was
practicing it because (this is my best guess looking back, knowing what I
know now):
--I was developing concentration. I do remember one polishing activities I
did where I would study the face on the penny, the way the date is imprinted,
etc. Imagine my level of concentration when I started getting into math and
reading works.
--I felt a sense of calm. After finishing a long work that took a while, it
is important to let my mind relax a little. This is still true today.
That's why I am seen around the internet a lot. After I finish reading a few
chapters in a book or writing a report, the internet helps me relax quite a bit.
--It was a ritualistic activity. This is something we truly forget to do at
an early age. I have taught for the past year in a non-Montessori school and
a bad school. That's not to say non-Montessori = bad. It is to say that
this particular school in Taiwan was terrible. We're talking screaming
teachers, hitting kids for not understanding English, etc. etc. Needless to
say, many of my classes were more than a little chaotic. I finally decided
to do one thing every day = start the class off with either the "Good
morning" song or "Hello" song. It's a simple song with simple lyrics so all
the kids could understand it. I did it every day and my classroom completely
changed on most days into something fantastic. There were days where I would walk in, have a few things to set up, and the kids would start singing it
even before I was ready. That ritual gave them something to expect in this
chaotic environment. It gave them something to really know that, no matter
what, this was going to happen at the start of class. The more ritualistic
the day is, the more children know what to expect. The more children know
what to expect from something, the easier it is to do. I did polishing
because I took it as a ritual.
What we fail to do as teachers is often to educate parents on what these
indirect aims are and why they are important. We forget to educate parents
that there is a difference between how an adult sees work (product based and measurable) and how a child sees work (to aid in the growth of inner
development). If we can educate parents on that point, it will be a lot
easier to explain the reasons why things are how they are and why some
children might not be able to read while others can. It has nothing to do
with intellect. It has nothing to do with what the results will be on a
reading test. It has to do with providing the child exactly what he or she
needs to be successful later. If we ignore building up concentration, fine
motor development, and a chance for the child to perfect their work and
observe what they are doing, we rob the child of a LIFETIME of learning
opportunities. This is the age those skills need to be built because this is
the only time they can be built naturally. If we miss this age, we are
playing catch up.
If a child leaves us and knows how to read, that's wonderful. But it's
terrible if the price we paid for that was denying the child to develop these
necessary skills that will last them a life time.
Matt
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