Linguistic development originates from the cultural representation of language within the child’s environment. The child’s first sounds, words, and responses to oral communication is introduced by the nuclear family from infancy until the age of two years. The early emergence of meaningful forms of language through symbols, words, music, and print encourages the child to interact innately while progressing through the first plane of development. The literacy experiences children are exposed to throughout their early primary education is a direct correlation to the child’s ability to successfully meet language benchmarks.
In the State of Michigan, 52% of students in the first thru third grades have reading deficiencies. (Chamber, 2022) In most traditional settings, school pacing schedules dictate the learning day to be math and reading focused, and the instruction being aimed to master test taking strategies. Some scholars call traditional education “back to the basics,” which includes learning the core content subjects, with rigorous instructor led lessons to stretch and mentally challenge students. In contrast, they believe the Montessori philosophy to be a progressive approach to learning.
Affording the students, the freedom to choose independently what they would like to work on, but also guiding the child’s learning using materials explicitly designed to teach a specific skill. However, Montessori is both progressive and “back to basic,” in theory. (Lillard, 2008)
The Montessori 3yr- 6yr classroom ensure the readiness of the child to enter into the school setting with the social-emotional, cognitive, and physical skills needed to confidently excel. Maria Montessori created didactic learning tools specific for teaching and learning the Montessori way, but there are few Montessori learning tools she developed in the area of language. In the Montessori classroom, language is taught comprehensively within each learning domain. The Sensorial Materials such as the sound cylinders, and musical bells, sharpens the hearing and listening skills, which assists the child in language development. The introduction of vocabulary development such as naming of colors, thick and thin, long and short, or rough and smooth, also helps the child emphasize on description and accurate word usage. Children learn the parts of a plant, countries of the world, geometric shapes, and so on before the end of their third year. Language development takes place all day as the children learn to listen while playing the Silent game, sing songs, and how to participate in discussion during circle time. In the Montessori classroom, children are encouraged to collaborate with their peers, and talking is permissible during the learning period. Like most classrooms, the Montessori class also includes a book corner for students to read and author books to read to other students. Reading readiness generally takes place between the ages of 5yrs. and 7yrs. of age.
Montessori’s language materials are unusual and less calculated in design, than mathematics or sensorial, but is well thought out. The children’s phonemic awareness of sounds in language is heightened through reading and writing presentations. The sandpaper letters, moveable letters, and metal insets are the original language materials Maria Montessori created. As previously mentioned, how the teacher guides and demonstrates the order of work to children considers the initial reading and writing process.
As students get their selection of work, the activity is generally ordered from left to right because this is how one reads and writes properly. As a Montessori and a traditionally trained teacher, I teach the same language skills in my preschool Montessori classroom as I did in my traditional kindergarten class, but there is a major difference. The children in the Montessori setting own the conceptual understanding of the lesson through self-discovery, and repetition.
Being able to interact with engaging materials, to help identify rhyming words, beginning consonant sounds, middle vowel sounds, classifying, sequence, building of words, sentence building, and parts of speech, helps students retain and commit the knowledge to memory. Writing activities, from metal insets to scribing a story for my students aids in the building of a child’s language development and expressive confidence as well.
The Montessori philosophy does not solely confine teaching language to being technical, grammatical, or contextual correct, but it’s wholistic pedagogical approach to children embracing language is present and modeled in every way.
