LANGUAGE DEVELOPEMENT IS NOT ABOUT READING AND WRITING..ITS MORE MORE THAN THAT
In a typical Montessori classroom, through every conversation, every book read aloud, every new word that is taught, the Montessori student is learning language. In the Montessori Preschool environment, emphasis is placed on the process of acquiring language. Knowledge is constructed by mental and physical activity rather than on passive learning.
As Montessori educators, we help the child to focus her attention to the sound of her own speech, making fine distinctions between sounds. From our attention in oral language development emerges the child’s need to write. Written symbols are introduced and from there, the child bursts spontaneously into reading.
As soon the child is ready after doing many I SPY GAMES (children were shown few objects with their names and all they need is to guess the "Beginning Sound" of the word)....He is given the Sand Paper letters to trace with hands and then on "Sand Tray", so that the "hand" must know the "Curves and Lines of the Letter" before even holding a pencil.
In a typical Montessori classroom, through every conversation, every book read aloud, every new word that is taught, the Montessori student is learning language. In the Montessori Preschool environment, emphasis is placed on the process of acquiring language. Knowledge is constructed by mental and physical activity rather than on passive learning.
As Montessori educators, we help the child to focus her attention to the sound of her own speech, making fine distinctions between sounds. From our attention in oral language development emerges the child’s need to write. Written symbols are introduced and from there, the child bursts spontaneously into reading.
The moment, when a 2 and a half - 3 year old enters our class, The developement of Language already started with the simple converations with the Directress and classmates.
This child is playing with toy animals and in the process he has learned the names of all of these ,and has used the names(the very first day) in his conversation as recorded by his teacher.
Children have the inborn tendency to work independently and orderly, there is no need to teach each and every bit.
To draw freely, scribling , and making lines are the things totally acceptable in a Montessori environment.These are the foundations of formal writing.
The next stage , the child is given Black board or white board, so that he can use "Extentions"(markers and chalk) to draw the letter on them. As his brains captures the Curves while he traces with his finger, its easy now to Retrieve it.
Next the child can reproduce it without looking at the Letter itself.
Now the "Sound Boxes or Pouches" are there to learn the verbal language sensorially.
The child is given these boxes with 1 - 3 wooden letters and some objects ,whose names starts from those letters.
So with practice he realises the connection between the objects and their "Names" and start sorting on his own.
Look at the silent thought process going on to decide about the correct sound/letter.
The satisfaction can be seen here....
Then comes the "MOVEABLE ALPHABETS" the child in a Montessori class not only learns the phonics but actually can "Sense" them through our special Sensorial stuff. The Directress will show him an object, name it and then talk about it relating it to the real life. Then she ask him to guess the begining sound of the word, he then repeat the word and guess the "Beginning Sound" followed by the "Ending" and "Middle".
After few words or practice sessions ,the child can make his own words, and thats the AH - HA Moment for him to Discover that he is creating a word for the first time in his life.The directress will record these amazing moments in her camera ,and then get hold of the attention of the neighbouring children to announce that this child has craeted a word and then the child read it loudly and write it in a booklet to take it home and share it with his family.
Gradually the child shifted to the paper work which is infact the last thing to do , The sensorial learning of leters, phoenics , and words are essential at this "EARLY CHILDHOOD STAGE". Papers are the last thing to do. Here the child is a perfect emergent writer.
The story time and Puppet shows are providing excellent
opportunities for a child to develope his language skills .
And yes ,when children are given opportinity to make and tell a "story" of their own, they uses all the recently learned vocabulary, excellent !
Here the children are given Feeling Cards and then they were discussing many things what comes to their mind after looking at the picture. They talked, discussed and laughed, so the Language is there to sprout ,,,,
Language developes spontaneously when children are free to work ,and free to make choices and free to talk and discuss things in their own way not guided or manipulated by adults.
And while they discover something ,their language just sprouts in a way as never seen before. Its all about environment that can give a child "Rich-Language" skills to develope naturally .
And last but not the least our Cultural and National events provide opportunities for our children to get inspired by their own culture, get the traditionally used vocabulary and learn all about their Heritage and Religious terminologies.
So Language is a life time learning journey , its not about reading and writing alone , it takes a whole life to learn the basics and it can only be acquired naturally and not by some outside pressure as taught by traditional teachers in Traditional classrooms.
Please add more about learning language in your replies.
Thanx ,Erum
Montessori Directress
Riyadh, KSA.
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