At Risk Child: How the Montessori Classroom Enhances Learning: PART 1, The

Montessori Life, Winter 2004 by Pickering, Joyce S

The child who is At Risk for learnng disabilities (Brutten, Richardson, & Mangel, 1973; Critchley, 1964; Shedd, 1967) has deficits in attention, order and organization, gross- and finemotor skills, and perceptual confusions causing faulty concept formation. The child also may evidence weaknesses in oral language development, have difficulty learning the written symbols and patterns of language, and exhibit problems with the abstractions of math. The Montessori approach provides a program which allows diagnostic teaching in all of these areas and a hierarchy of skills with which the teacher may assist each child to match work to his/her developmental level. It also provides a model in which the teacher can present materials to the At Risk child one-to-one, which Montessori frequently mentioned as crucial with this population.

Examining the areas of attention, organization, perception, motor development, language, and math for the typical child and contrasting differences of the At Risk child can enhance understanding of the unique components the Montessori method offers to the educator or parent of the At Risk child.

Attention

In typical development, inhibition grows so that by 3 years of age the child has the ability to filter out extraneous sights and sounds. Attention, focus, and concentration are functional for learning.

In the At Risk child, this development does not proceed normally and the child must be taught to attend. The teacher must help the child reach a level of attention that is within the learning range and use techniques during presentations to help maintain it. The adult has to help the child learn to make choices or he/she may wander and do little meaningful work. The techniques for focusing attention are found in Montessori's classroom structure, presentation procedures, and Silence Game.

To create the classroom structure, the teacher prepares a beautiful and well ordered environment for the class to explore with her guidance. Each activity is setup on a separate tray (or other appropriate container). Each tray is placed on a shelf. Each group of shelves defines an area of curriculum.

All language activities are grouped in an order of difficulty on shelves in one area of the room. Within this area there may be the structured language activities, a reading corner, a listening center, a record or tape player with earphones, and possibly activities with a typewriter and a computer. In the math area, the activities are arranged in a hierarchy of difficulty, so the child is assisted in finding the materials on his level. The independent usage of each of these activities has been presented carefully; then the child is encouraged to bring his/her unique creative talents to the work.

The teacher is a calm, supportive person who waits for the child to understand or finish the activity. She requires that he wait when it is her turn to present, and she does not interrupt him when it is his turn. She requires that he learn to inhibithis actions as appropriate for living in a group. He must at times wait for her while she works with others. The room is a relatively quiet place with a hum that reflects involved activity. Children are supported in being aware of sound levels and in helping to tone things down if the sound becomes too distracting. The teacher usually talks in a clear, quiet voice close to the child she is speaking to and on his level so he can see her mouth. She usually does not talk across the room and asks that the children come to her or to each other to converse rather than yell across a distance.

Young children seem to feel secure in this environment of ordered calm and are usually very cooperative in modeling their behavior on the teachers'. The environment is far from barren, but it is orderly and limited in distractions, and helps the child focus attention on each work task.

The procedures in presenting materials provide the child with the security of a clear structure or way to proceed in learning. Attention is focused as the child watches a presentation for its steps in the process and the conclusion.

When the child requests a certain presentation or when the teacher determines a child is ready for it, she invites the child (or more than one child) to join her either at a small table or at a mat placed in an area on the floor. Every presentation involves four basic parts:

1. setting up the work area,

2. selecting the activity,

3. using the material (basic/extensions), and

4. returning the material to the shelf.

In preparing the work area, a mat is used to delineate the child's "territory." No one may disturb her work or join her unless she gives permission. The children are shown how to walk around these mats on the floor, how to respect others' work, and how to ask if they may join another in his/her work. The child is shown how to take materials from the shelf. Some activities are all on one tray and can be moved easily from shelf to mat. Others have numerous pieces and require repeated trips to and from the shelf. These trips carrying materials of various size and weight aid the development of body control and improve inhibition/initiation of motor movements. To accomplish the tasks of setting up the work area and obtaining the materials, attention is focused and refocused on the work area and the material.