How Mindfulness and Repetition Generates Optimal Learning in a Montessori Classroom
A peaceful and calm classroom generates “flow” in learning.
Warmest greetings, Keepers of Tiny Treasures,
My co-teacher invited guests, a principal and her students who had arrived from Japan, to observe my grade 1 and 2 Montessori classroom. After explaining the concept of freedom and choice to her guests, the observers expected to see a classroom of rambunctious children chatting noisily and playfully toying the learning materials.
Instead, they walked into a peaceful classroom of children practising handwriting with calming instrumental music in the background. The children donned a smile on their faces, in complete concentration. It was so quiet, they could hear only the soft pitter-patter of the teacher’s footsteps.
One by one, the children gushed into a satisfied feeling of accomplishment upon completing their writing exercise, set the worksheet aside, and chose a material from the shelf. They continued to work in the same calm and quiet manner throughout the morning. Once in a while, the noise level rose into an excited murmur when a bunch of them gathered together to work on a challenging math material, but serenity reigned soon after.
The guests were so impressed with the students’ self-direction and expression of joy in their faces. They enjoyed sitting in the classroom, absorbing the peaceful and meditative atmosphere. The calm rested on their minds and body as well. A transformative ease overcame them, shedding off the stress of their travel and busy schedule.
After the observation, they were bursting with questions and praise. What was my secret, they asked. I had no secret to offer. It was simply the Montessori method of teaching.
When one is given the choice to work on any learning material in a peaceful environment, at their own pace, without pressure or rigid expectations, one inevitably falls into a state of mindfulness.
What does mindfulness mean?
It is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
According to Jon Kabat-Zinn:
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way;
On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
Mindfulness is not a new concept in a Montessori classroom. It is an essential Montessori practice. However, it was introduced to us with a less trendy term, called normalization.
The History Behind Montessori’s Silence Game
Dr. Montessori’s teaching method gained popularity, and attained the support of Benito Mussolini. Impressed with the success of learning outcomes, the prime minister promoted her teacher training courses and established Montessori schools throughout the country as the Honorary President of the Montessori Society of Italy. They developed a congenial relationship.
When Mussolini led the National Fascist Party, his ideology clashed with Maria Montessori’s campaign for global peace. Dr. Montessori defied Mussolini by refusing to ask her teachers to sign allegiance to the fascist loyalty oath. To avoid possible imprisonment, the educator fled to India.There, she traveled around the country, training teachers for the Montessori method of teaching. She took advantage of the vast learning opportunites from the people and culture of India.
After the war, she returned to Europe with a wonderful and new ritual, called the Silence Game. The children were asked to sit with their legs crossed, hands on their knees, and calm themselves. Most of the time, they were asked to close their eyes and focus on sounds around them or on their breathing.
Sounds familiar? Yes, she introduced meditation to the children, though she didn’t use this term.
Maria Montessori not only encouraged meditation during the Silence Game, but integrated a meditative approach while teaching. She incorporated her hands-on approach of working with the materials with graceful movements and serene concentration, infusing what we call today mindfulness.
Mindfulness in teacher training
Montessori teachers go through a training experiencing with what Maria Montessori calls a spiritual transformation. We are trained to demonstrate each material slowly, calmly… mindfully. We teach the children through modeling, by being the person we would like our children to be. Our movements have to be graceful, our voices low, and our manner calm.
As a Montessori teacher, I transformed from a rebellious hippie with a Carol King hairdo into a neat, soft-spoken, prim-n-proper lady. My high school classmates couldn’t believe their eyes!
One area of teaching is called Practical Life, where each child is asked to do the daily chores (sweeping the floor, tucking in the chair, wiping a table) mindfully as a way of transformation–spiritual transformation–instilling orderliness, concentration, and discipline. The Amish culture has a similar concept where daily chores are a way of prayer and peace.
Repetition is essential in Montessori learning.
Children naturally like to repeat their activities. It’s a way for them to master a skill, much like memorization. As they repeat a task, they grow more comfortable and confident. The repetition of these movements not only makes it easier for children to execute this learning skill, but also makes children master them to the point where they are no longer thinking of their movements, but internalizing the concepts.
Allow me to demonstrate this through the concept of dancing. The dancer practices his movements over and over again until he masters the choreography — the technical part of his dance. When he has reached his point of mastery, he is able to take off and become more expressive, releasing his artistic spirit and immersing into the character he is aiming to portray.
A similar experience occurs in a Montessori classroom. A child repeatedly works on a material until they reach a satisfaction level or until they feel they master it. Then, they take flight with their creativity. Freedom allows the children to work on a material until they feel ready to move on. The children are granted the freedom to soar off with their creativity.
In Montessori, work is our path to peace.
Mindfulness is a stress-reducer. It cures anxiety, depression, and other physical diseases, such as arthritis, back pain, and high blood pressure. That’s why it is so popular today.
Mindfulness is an essential part of survival in our society today. It is a pathway to our pursuit of happiness. The appreciation of the simple things in life. We can raise our children to be mindful and develop into tranquil souls through the Montessori methods of learning.
Today, great thinkers and writers work in the “flow”, a state of mind where a continuous stream of ideas or thoughts occur. Imagine your child in the same state, where learning comes naturally, peacefully, and satisfyingly. As a writer, the flow is the most productive state where ideas generate superfluously. A happy place to be. As a teacher, I’ve seen children in that same, meditative state. Three to five-year olds working in deep concentration with joy glowing in their faces.
This is the ultimate state of learning. A time of complete immersion. A time of total concentration. A time of satisfaction and content. Undisturbed. And this is why learning in a Montessori classroom is an effective method and so gratifying for children.
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