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In a Montessori
classroom, math is presented in a fun and interesting way by using
hands-on materials that help children develop the mental connection
from concrete knowledge to abstract thinking. Mathematics
instruction is a crowning and identifying Montessori teaching
methodology that requires the integration of the previously learned
activities of the
Practical Life
and Sensorial
curricula as well as teacher attentiveness to the
Sensitive Periods.
Although activities such as red rods, the pink tower, the brown
stair, geometric solids, binomial cube and trinomial cube are
considered
Sensorial
exercises which begin to be introduced around the age of three, they
are the concrete basis for and act as “hard-wired” connections to
the central nervous system in order to lay the groundwork for
mathematical understandings such as sequencing, recognizing
gradations, quantifying, matching and differentiating. Also, in
prior Practical Life activities the young child, beginning at the
age of two-and-a-half, develops a sense of order, concentration,
coordination and independence which are important precedents in the
training of a mathematical mind to perform abstract operations.
Remember also that in math, as is true in other Montessori
curricula, children have free choice to satisfy the sensitive period
stimulated by their own inner needs. Through this free choice as
well as repetition, children are able to acquire mathematical
knowledge step by step depending on their own maturational pace; not
on the needs of the teacher, parent or a preordained curriculum.
When children build their knowledge by themselves there is no
pressure to hurry and no fear of failure.
The Math
activities in a Montessori classroom begin with materials that teach
numeration from one to ten. These materials include Number Rods,
Sandpaper Numbers, Printed Numerals, Spindle Box, Cards and
Counters, Colored Bead Bars and the Memory Game. Through these
materials children build the basic concept of one to ten in their
memory and learn the natural order of numbers. They also learn to
recognize quantity.
After
mastering the basic concept of one to ten, children need to
understand place value. The Decimal System introduces Montessori
children to place value up to thousandths long before it is introduced
in traditional schools. Through working with the Golden Beads, the
Formation of Complex Numbers, Teen Boards, and Ten Boards, children
develop mathematical concepts beyond the quantity of ten.
When
children recognize the written numerical symbols and know their
meaning, they perform exercises to remember more complex numbers
which is made possible through the use of the following materials:
Sequence Board, Addition Strip Board, Subtraction, Multiplication
Bead Board and Division Bead Board. In addition, the Bank Game
helps pre-school children learn the concepts of addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division.
Dr.
Montessori’s math materials are ingeniously interesting and
thoughtfully designed and they allow children to perform math steps
sequentially and individually in order to build knowledge. The
teacher’s responsibility is to prepare the environment with these
logical materials, introduce the child to their appropriate use, and
observe the child carefully. Keen teacher observation is meant to
remove obstacles and guide learners to the next step according to
their own needs and desires.
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