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Math and the Teacher's Spirit

Math and the Teacher's Spirit

Math is a language of the spirit. Really. When Montessori acknowledged that the tendency toward the construction of the mathematical mind was universal among human development, I don't think she meant rote memorization of times tables or the order of operations. We are not driven to develop our stockpile of memorized equations. But we are driven to understand the universe, to identify and define that which is universal, to develop precision and accuracy and balance and beauty

Math and the Adolescent

Math and the Adolescent

Montessori adolescent environments are strikingly distinct from traditional Middle Schools. While traditional classrooms may be doubling down on homework, desks in rows and fifty-minute classrooms, Montessori Middle Schools recognize that the rapid and diverse physical development of learners at this age is inconsistent with desk and book-based learning. That is not to say that Middle Schoolers are incapable of big thoughts and intellectual engagement. Quite the opposite... M

Math and the Elementary Mind

Math and the Elementary Mind

If you think of the window of development between birth and age six as marked by the construction of labels for files in a cognitive file cabinet, the period between six and twelve is when children fill up those files. Children now are interested in learning to master the procedures of mathematical operations, to strengthen their understanding of the concepts on which those operations are based and to gain fluency and speed in recalling facts for use. Classrooms offer opportu

Math and Early Childhood

Math and Early Childhood

The Math materials are an essential part of the Early Childhood classroom, designed to respond to what we understand about development at this age. Each lesson offers a single concept for the child to explore, presented concretely and elegantly, with self-correcting elements that allow the child to determine independently if they've finished the work. You see supports for the development of the child's mathematical mind across the classroom, in the same way that the physical

Math and the Infant/Toddler

Math and the Infant/Toddler

You may have noticed the beautiful Math materials in Montessori early childhood and elementary classrooms. Enticing and elegant, a few minutes of exploration with these materials often help even experienced adults to better understand the relationships and principles of Mathematics. Montessori knew, though, that the appeal of mathematical thinking was evident in infancy and one of the core, universal tendencies of human development. So what does Math look like in a Montessori

The Number Rods

The Number Rods

Look familiar? They should. The Number Rods follow almost the same initial presentation as the Red Rods, a perennial favorite in the Montessori classroom. While the Red Rods demonstrate the concept of length, the Number Rods use that same structure to introduce the child to early concepts of quantity and numeral. For the first presentation, the child counts the length of each rod from 1-10, placing his hand on the colored panel that corresponds to each quantity. By placing hi

Montessori Monday: The Fraction Insets

Montessori Monday: The Fraction Insets

You've probably enjoyed any number of geometric drawings your child has brought home from his or her use of the Metal Insets. The Metal Insets offer children ten different inset puzzles, each set within sturdy metal frames and representing common geometric shapes. Children enjoy creating designs with the frames, while they are simultaneously building their fine motor control, aesthetic sense and handwriting skills. The Fraction Insets build on the familiar structure of the Me

Montessori Monday: The Abacus

Montessori Monday: The Abacus

As children develop through early childhood, they are increasingly able to understand abstract ideas. This seems simple to adults, but the development of the ability to think abstractly is actually quite complex. Young children need concrete experiences with materials they can touch and manipulate in order to understand concepts deeply. Older children, though, can begin to explore abstract concepts more comfortably, although they still benefit from having manipulative materia

Montessori Monday: The Multiplication Bead Boards

Montessori Monday: The Multiplication Bead Boards

Long after a child has mastered the golden beads, when the sandpaper numbers are far behind her and the Bank Game is old hat, she'll discover the Multiplication Bead Board. The lesson is simple and direct: lay out the quantity of the multiplicand as many times as the multiplier directs you to, then count up the total. In laying out the factors, however, the child is also introduced to geometric relationships. The rectangle created (and it is always a rectangle) will have t

Montessori Monday: The Fraction Skittles

Montessori Monday: The Fraction Skittles

The Montessori Math materials are distinct for their ability to make concrete otherwise abstract concepts and, by doing so, to allow children to master mathematical concepts and relationships earlier than you may remember having learned them in school. Take the fraction materials, for example. While children use fractions all the time ("Can I have just half the cookie?") most traditional math sequences don't introduce them until Elementary school. In Montessori classrooms, th

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