COSMIC EDUCATION: The Montessori Approach for the Elementary Years

Maria Montessori discovered successive phases of growth, each with characteristic sensitivities which guide the child's physical and psychological development. From birth to six years of age, the child seeks to exercise himself on a plane essentially sensorial and concrete; from age six through twelve, on the basis of the development already achieved, new needs evolve in the child, needs which guide the child to a far wider and more abstract plane of activity. Having established a physical familiarity with his environment, the child grows curious about its structure. Dr. Montessori found that she could satisfy the child's intellectual curiosity by introducing him to scientific and cultural subjects which were normally reserved for the secondary school: physics, chemistry, biology, geography, history, literature and music.

Observing the unity of the child's interests, Dr. Montessori understood that the subjects must not be taught separately and that the teacher himself must be aware of the interrelationships between the subjects.

Thus, the Montessori course for elementary school consists of the study of psychological changes in the children from 6 - 12 years of age, and the study of the attitudes and procedures through which the teacher may assist the child in the second period of his development.