ERIC Number: EJ1144501
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1522-9734
EISSN: N/A
Identifying True Normality in the Elementary Child
Baker, Kay
NAMTA Journal, v42 n2 p99-119 Spr 2017
Kay Baker offers a look at the needs and manifestations (observed characteristics) of the developing human being, specifically of the second-plane child. She outlines key ideas in thinking about these needs and manifestations and discerns the pedagogy associated with each. She emphasizes that the pedagogy/practice must meet the needs of the child. She discusses the tools available to the adult in assessing their own practice: First, there is observation to inform; and second, the four planes of development and fundamental needs of the human being provide a framework. As it is the child's work to construct himself through activity, it is the adult's work to awaken the interest in the child that impels him to work: "What can hook the child and result in action?" What will inspire the feeling of interest and curiosity to fuel continued work? Her conclusion is beautifully simple yet deeply profound in that it is the goal toward which the practitioner constantly strives. [This talk was presented at the NAMTA conference titled "Finding the Hook: Montessori Strategies to Support Concentration," October 6-9, 2016, in Columbia, MD.]
Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Young Children, Child Development, Teaching Methods, Montessori Method, Developmentally Appropriate Practices, Interests, Expectation, Holistic Approach
North American Montessori Teachers' Association. 13693 Butternut Road, Burton, OH 44021. Tel: 440-834-4011; Fax: 440-834-4016; e-mail: staff@montessori-namta.org; Web site: http://www.montessori-namta.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A