Unit 9

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Unit 09 Literacy in an Early Years Montessori Learning Environment

Literacy in an Early Years Montessori Learning Environment

Be able to apply Montessori approaches to developing children’s literacy

Understand the Montessori approach to developing children’s literacy.

Understand the principles of the Montessori approach to developing literacy.

Learning outcomes

• Sensitive period for language: before birth to around six years old
• Key stages of language acquisition
• Montessori's view on speech development and comparison to recent research
• Importance of oral foundation for later literacy
• Relationship between fantasy/imagination and understanding reality
• Supporting children's development in oral language
• Montessori approach in communication, language, and literacy in early years curriculum

Language Development in Children

case study

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• Read Chapter 10, ‘Some Thoughts on Language’ in The Absorbent Mind (pp 98-104) by Maria Montessori.
• Take notes while reading, paying particular attention to Montessori's views on the sensitive period for language and the stages of language acquisition.
• Reflect on how Montessori's ideas about language development align with your own experiences or observations of children learning language.
• Identify one idea or concept from the reading that you found particularly interesting or valuable, and be prepared to share it with the group.

'Some Thoughts on Language' in The Absorbent Mind (pp. 98-104)

• The importance of the sensitive period for language: Montessori believed that the first six years of life are crucial for language development, during which children have a natural inclination and ability to learn a language.

• The role of the environment: Montessori emphasized the importance of the environment in supporting children's language development. She believed children learn language best in a rich environment that exposes them to various words and grammatical structures.

Montessori provides insights into her views on language development and how children acquire language.

'Some Thoughts on Language' in The Absorbent Mind (pp. 98-104)

• The use of the senses: Montessori believed that children learn through their senses and that language development is closely tied to sensory experiences. She advocated using sensory materials, such as sandpaper letters and the movable alphabet, to support language learning.
• The power of repetition: Montessori observed that young children often repeat words and phrases, and she believed that this repetition is a natural and necessary part of the language-learning process.
• The importance of active engagement: Montessori believed that children learn best when actively engaged in the learning process. She emphasized the importance of providing children with hands-on learning experiences and opportunities for social interaction to support their language development.

Montessori provides insights into her views on language development and how children acquire language.

In the open: a learning environment that supports children's natural curiosity and exploration, designed to be open and flexible, allowing children to learn at their own pace and in their own way

Lillard, A. S. (2005). Montessori: The science behind the genius. Oxford University Press.

Montessori's Views on Human Psyche and Learning

Unconscious mind: a vast reservoir of knowledge and understanding that can be accessed through sensory experiences and active engagement in learning

Deepest shadows: hidden aspects of the human psyche that can influence behavior and require understanding and support for healthy development

Work: meaningful and purposeful activities that support children's innate drive to learn and develop

Psychic mechanism: innate mechanisms in the human psyche that direct children towards certain activities during sensitive periods, including language development

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• Speaking is a natural process that occurs with exposure to language in early life.
• Enriching language exposure can enhance a child's vocabulary.
• Reading and writing require instruction and effort by the child

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Step 4: Reading - decode sounds/symbols to decipher words.

Step 3: Creating Words (Writing) - put sounds/symbols together to make words

Step 2:Phonemic Awareness - learn sounds within words and the sounds/symbols of the alphabet

Spoken Language : create an internal dictionary and practice using words

Children must go through four steps to learn to read and write:

Language Development

Sensitive Period for Language

Sensitive Period for Language:

• Montessori believes that there is a sensitive period for language development that lasts from birth until around age six.
• Children have a natural ability to learn language during this period.
• This is the time when language skills can be acquired effortlessly and with the greatest ease. of the unit

Stages of Language Acquisition:

Montessori identifies four key stages of language acquisition. Pre-linguistic stage: from birth to 6 months Babbling stage: from 6 to 12 months Holophrastic stage: from 12 to 18 months Two-word stage: from 18 to 24 months

The early stages of language production

Melodic Utterance

Babbling

Cooing and Laughing

Proto-Words

biological noises

The locutory phase is an essential stage of language development in children, where they begin to expand their vocabulary and use words in more complex ways. In this stage, children may use words in two ways: overextending or underextending their meanings. This presentation will explore the locutory phase of language development and the challenges children face.

The Locutory Phase

Crystal (1986, 71-75) terms the first way of using words as ‘overextending’, and the second as ‘underextending’

Overextending and Underextending

Underextending: limiting the meaning of a word to a narrower context than adult usage normally recognizes

Overextending: using the same word for a wider range of objects or situations than the one object to which it refers

Active vs Passive Vocabulary

• The passive vocabulary of an individual includes the words whose meanings he recognizes and understands in context.
• The active vocabulary is the words he can produce from his word store and use correctly.
• A person's passive vocabulary is always larger than their active vocabulary.

Difficulties in Understanding Words

Their difficulties in this area come from gradually hearing and focusing on progressively more and more words, often many at once.

Children use different contexts in which they may use words as a way of checking and consolidating their understanding of what the word means and how adults use it.

It is particularly challenging to know what children in the locutory phase of language development understand by a particular word.

The explosion into language

Montessori's Concept of Nebulae in Language Development

• Nebulae are concepts that are nebulous, or not clearly defined, in a child's mind.
• Children have a natural drive to explore and understand the world around them, and they do this through their senses and experiences.
• When children encounter something that doesn't fit neatly into their existing understanding, they experience a state of cognitive dissonance. This is the "nebula" state.
• During the nebula stage, children are actively seeking to resolve this cognitive dissonance and clarify their understanding of the concept.
• Language development is closely tied to nebulae because children use language to communicate and make sense of their experiences.
• Montessori believed that children have an innate ability to learn language, and that this ability is most active during the first six years of life.
• Therefore, the Montessori approach to language development involves providing a rich and varied environment full of experiences that will help children encounter nebulae and develop their understanding of language.

The delocutory phase

In the Delocutory Stage, from about 24 months on, often referred to as a “language explosion,” the child begins to employ different parts of speech. Many parents and early childhood educators recognize this as the “Why?” stage. Children at this stage of development ask “why?” very often as they rapidly acquire new experiences and are given the words to associate. criteria

• Children's language after age three still contains many "mistakes," which are indications of language acquisition processes at work.
• Adults often try to correct children's pronunciation mistakes, but children may not yet be able to reproduce the correct sounds accurately.
• Regarding verb tenses, children need to master adverbs of time and other time expressions, but they may not yet fully understand time until around age six.
• Crystal's chapter "The Early School Years" is essential reading as it highlights areas where children's language continues to develop throughout elementary and junior school.
• Even by adolescence, there is always more to learn regarding vocabulary, style, pronunciation, slang, and changing usage, so language learning is never over.

after three

How to support speaking in a Montessori classroom

• Montessori Children's House encourages children to ask questions and express their thoughts freely.
• Teachers in Montessori classrooms engage in a process called "sustained shared thinking," which involves having conversations with children that originate from their interests.
• The goal of sustained shared thinking is to subtly extend children's language and understanding.
• Teachers should be genuinely interested in what the children are saying and listen carefully to understand the context of their thinking.
• The teacher's remarks should be in tune with the children's thinking to push the boundaries of the conversation.

Activity

1. Find a nursery rhyme that you enjoy or that has special meaning to you.
2. Write or say the name of the nursery rhyme.
3. Explain why you chose this nursery rhyme and what it means to you.

learning session / 01

tThe appeal of nursery rhymes may not be in their meaning but in the rhythm and rhyme that they offer to a child's ear. Additionally, nursery rhymes are predominantly an oral tradition. Once parents begin reading them to their child, childhood memories are reignited, and the parent may find themselves reciting the rhymes from memory or through repetition.is dui in feugiat fames mattis sodales ridiculus sed metus

• Reading books to babies is important for their cognitive and language development.
• Books can stimulate their imagination, curiosity and concentration, while also building emotional bonds with caregivers.
• Even babies who can't yet speak can benefit from looking at colorful pictures and hearing the sound of their caregiver's voice while reading.
• Board books with sturdy pages and simple illustrations are ideal for babies to hold, touch and explore.
• Caregivers can make reading time fun and engaging by using different voices and making animal sounds while reading.

books

Reading with children

• Babies' first books are often rag books or card books
• These books should be treated with the same care as paper books
• Demonstrating how to handle and store books is important for practical life skills
• Board books are a good starting point for practice before moving on to paper books
• Encouraging children to turn the pages themselves can be a highlight of shared reading
• Establishing the importance of not leaving books on the floor is important
• Looking at magazines and newspapers together can be a fun activity
• Making a scrapbook of pictures can establish the importance of keeping information for future reference and provide opportunities for conversation and thinking skills development
• A book that a child has made themselves can be very precious to them
• Varying the size of books can be appealing to children

presentation

Children start building their understanding of the world from birth by using their senses to explore and learn. As they grow, they ask adults for information, and it is our responsibility to tell them the truth about reality. It is important to question whether we should expose children to imaginary worlds created by the media and present them as reality.

CHECK

• What is the role of imagination in a child's development according to Montessori?
• How does Montessori suggest that adults can support children's imaginative development?
• How does Montessori caution against the use of fantasy and make-believe in a child's life?
• What is the relationship between creative imagination and cultural expression in Montessori's philosophy?

Activity

Read The Absorbent Mind, Ch. 17, ‘Further Elaboration through Culture and Imagination’ pp.156-169, on creative imagination.

case study

Preparation for writing

• Freehand drawing and creative mark-making are enjoyable activities for children.
• These activities are essential for preparing children for writing.
• Children start by using their whole bodies and making large movements while drawing.
• They require enormous paper to accommodate their expansive motions.
• As they progress, their movements become more refined, tools become smaller, and coordination and control improve.
• An endless supply of crayons, pencils, paper, and paint is crucial for children's development.
• These materials help children acquire the necessary skills for writing in the future.

Preparation for writting

The exercises with the insets for design

Insets for design

Refining the pincer grip

FROM WRITING TO READING

The large movable alphabet box is introduced to the child by the teacher on a floor mat. Sandpaper letters, which the child is already familiar with, are used as a reference. The child is encouraged to find the corresponding large movable alphabet letter for each sandpaper letter, using the sound rather than the name of the letters. This activity helps the child practice handling the large movable alphabet letters and teaches them the importance of placing them correctly.

The Montessori large movable alphabet is a set of lower case cardboard letters, with different colors assigned to consonants and vowels. The letters are stored in a wooden box with compartments. They are not necessarily arranged in alphabetical order, although vowels may be placed in order. Newer versions may present the letters alphabetically, but this arrangement is not essential at this stage.

Sandpaper letters to the letters of the large movable alphabet

presentation

1. The first exercise involves the teacher and child sitting together, building words.
2. The teacher initiates the activity by choosing a word, such as "cat," and asks the child to identify the sound they hear in that word.
3. Based on previous experience with the I-spy game and sandpaper letters, the child responds with the sound "c."
4. The teacher and child locate the letter "c" in the movable alphabet and position it on the work mat, leaving space for the remaining letters.
5. The child listens for the other sounds in the word and may pick out the letter "t" next. The teacher assists in finding and placing the letter.
6. The teacher acknowledges the completed word, saying something like, "You've built 'cat,' c-a-t. Let's build 'big' next."
7. The process continues, building about six words or until the child has had enough practice.
8. The exercise can be repeated numerous times to help the child become proficient in finding letters, laying them out, and internalizing the sound-letter patterns of the chosen words.
9. Throughout the exercise, the sound of the letters corresponds to the sounds the child has learned through the sandpaper letters.

Word-building

1. Introduce pink boxes containing objects for word-building to give the child autonomy while controlling the words being built.
2. Use small color-coded boxes for Montessori word-building and early reading materials.
3. The pink boxes represent 3-letter phonic words, while light blue boxes include longer words with letters that can be sounded with the sandpaper letters.
4. Green boxes contain examples of digraphs, letter combinations that create different sounds when read together.
5. Demonstrate the word-building process by having the child choose an object from a pink box, ensuring they correctly identify the object's word.
6. Instruct the child to place the object at the left-hand edge of the work mat, emphasizing left-to-right and top-to-bottom writing habits.
7. Once the child can confidently build words independently, they can work with the pink word-building boxes at their own pace.
8. Since there is no built-in mechanism to check the child's work, the teacher acts as the control of error.
9. Observe the child's progress, offer additional presentations if needed, and maintain a detailed record of their achievements.
10. Note that at this stage, the child cannot read the words they've built themselves, so reading back what's been written serves as a control of error when done by someone else.

Montessori school curriculum

GRAMMAR

GRAMMAR

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