Spontaneous Activity in Education by Maria Montessori (best historical biographies txt) 📕

logo NEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHERS Copyright, 1917, by Frederick A. Stokes Company All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages.

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CONTENTS CHAPTER I a survey of the child's life     Laws of the child's psychical life paralleled by those of its physical. PAGE Current objections to a system of education based upon "liberty" 1 Hygiene has freed the infant from straps and swaddling clothes and left it free to develop 2 Education must leave the soul free to develop 5 Principle of liberty in education not a principle of abandonment 9     The liberty accorded the child of to-day is purely physical.
Civil rights of the child in the twentieth century.   Removal of perils of disease a step toward physical liberation 10 Supplying the child's physical needs is not sufficient 11 Child's social rights overlooked in the administration of orphan asylums 12 Poor child's health and property confiscated in the custom of wet nursing 13 We recognize justice only for those who can defend themselves 16     How we receive the infants that come into the world.   Home has no furnishings adapted to their small size 17 Society prepares a mockery for their reception in the shape of useless toys 18 Child not allowed to act for himself 20 Constant interruption of his activities prevents psychical growth 21 Bodily health suffers from spiritual neglect 23     With man the life of the body depends on the life of the spirit.   Reflex action of the emotions on the body functions 24 Child's body requires joy as much as food and air 26     CHAPTER II a survey of modern education     The precepts which govern moral education and instruction.   Child expected to acquire virtues by imitation, instead of development 28 Domination of the child's will the basis of education 29     It is the teacher who forms the child's mind. How he teaches.   Teacher's path beset with difficulties under the present system 30 Advanced experts prepare the schemata of instruction 33 Some outlines of "model lessons" used in the schools 33 Comparison of a "model lesson" for sense development with the Montessori method 42 Experimental psychology, not speculative psychology, the basis of Montessori teaching 44 False conceptions of the "art of the teacher" illustrated by model lessons 46     Positive science makes its appearance in the schools 50     Discoveries of medicine: distortions and diseases 50     Science has not fulfilled its mission in its dealings with children.   Diseases of school children treated, causes left undisturbed 52     Discoveries of experimental psychology: overwork; nervous exhaustion 57     Science is confronted by a mass of unsolved problems.   Laws governing fatigue still unknown 60 Toxines produced by fatigue and their antitoxins 62 Joy in work the only preventative of fatigue 62 Real experimental science, which shall liberate the child, not yet born 64     CHAPTER III my contribution to experimental science     The organization of the psychical life begins with the characteristic phenomenon of attention.   Incident which led Dr. Montessori to define her method 67     Psychical development is organized by the aid of external stimuli, which may be determined experimentally.   Tendency to develop his latent powers exists in the child's nature 69 Environment should contain the means of auto-education 72     External stimuli may be determined in quality and quantity.   Educative material used should contain in itself the control of error 74 Quantity of material determined by the advent of abstraction in pupil 77 Relation of stimuli to the age of the pupil 79     Material of development is necessary only as a starting point.   Corresponds to the terra firma from which the aeroplane takes flight and to which it returns to rest 81 Establishing of internal order, or "discipline" 82 Psychical growth requires constantly new and more complex material 83 Difference between materials of auto-education and the didactic material of the schools 85     Psychical truths.   "Discipline" the first external sign of a psychical reaction to the material 87 Initial disorder in Montessori schools 88 Psychical progress not systematic but "explosive in nature" 89 Birth of individuality 91 Intellectual crises are accompanied by emotion 93 Older child beginning in system, chooses materials in inverse order 96 Course of psychical phenomena explained by diagrams 97 Tests of Binet and Simon arbitrary and superficial 110 Problems of psychical measurement 110 Observing the child's moral nature 114 Transformation of a "violent" child and of a "spying" child in a Montessori school 115 Polarization of the internal personality 121     Guide to psychological observation.   Work 122 Conduct 123 Obedience 123     CHAPTER IV the preparation of the teacher     The school is the laboratory of experimental psychology 125 Qualities the new type of teacher must possess 128     CHAPTER V environment     Physical hygiene in the school 142 The requirements of psychical hygiene 143     Free movement.   Misconceptions of physical freedom 148 Action without an aim fatigues 149 Work of "preservation" rather than "production" suitable to children 150     CHAPTER VI attention     Awakens in answer to an impulse of "spiritual hunger" 153 Attention cannot be artificially maintained by teacher 155 Liberty the experimental condition necessary for studying phenomena of attention 157 Child's perception of an internal development makes the exercise pleasant and induces him to prolong it 158 External stimuli powerless without an answering internal force 158 A natural internal force directs psychical formation 161 New pedagogy provides nourishment for internal needs 161 Organization of knowledge in the child's mind 162 Teacher directs, but does not interrupt phenomena of attention 165 Material offered should correspond to psychical needs 166     CHAPTER VII will     Its relation to attention 170 Manifested in action and inhibition 170 Opposite activities of the will must combine to form the personality 173 Powers of the will established by exercise, not by subjection 174 Persistence in effort the true foundation of will 178 Decision the highest function of the will 180 Development of will depends on order and clarity of ideas 185 Power of choice, which precedes decision, should be strengthened 185 Need of exercise for the will paralleled with need of muscular exercise 187 Fallacy of educating the child's will by "breaking it" 189 "Character" the result of established will, not of emulation 190     CHAPTER VIII intelligence     Liberating the child means leaving him to "his own intelligence" 195 How the intelligence of the child differs from the instincts of animals 196 Intelligence the actual means of formation of the inner life 197 Hygiene of intelligence 198 Intelligence awakens and sets in motion the central nervous mechanisms 200 In an age of speed, man has not accelerated himself 201 Swift reactions an external manifestation of intelligence 202 Ability to distinguish and arrange the characteristic sign of intelligence 202 Montessori "sensory exercises" make it possible for the child to distinguish and classify 203 The Montessori child is sensitive to the objects of his environment 207 Educational methods in use do not help the child to distinguish 207 Power of association depends on ability to distinguish dominant characteristics 209 Individuality revealed in association by similarity 211 By means of attention and internal will the intelligence accomplishes the work of association 212 Judgment and reasoning depend on ability to distinguish 213 Activities of association and selection lead to individual habits of thought 214 Importance of acquiring ability to reason for oneself 214 Genius the possession of maximum powers of association by similarity 222 Genius of errors in association and reasoning which have impeded science 227 The consciousness can only accept truths for which it is "expectant" 233 The intelligence has its peculiar perils, from which it should be guarded 239     CHAPTER IX imagination     The creative imagination of science is based upon truth.   Imagination based on reality differs from that based on speculation 241 Speculative imagination akin to original sin 243 Education should direct imagination into creative channels 244     Truth is also the basis of artistic imagination.   All imagination based on sense impressions 245 Non-seasonal impressions—spiritual truths 246 Education in sense perception strengthens imagination 248 Perfection in art dependent on approximation to truth 252 Exercise of the intelligence aids imagination 254     Imagination in children.   Immature and therefore concerned with unrealities 255 Should be helped to overcome immaturity of thought 255 False methods develop credulity, akin to insanity 258 Period of credulity in the child prolonged for the amusement of the adult 263 "Living among real possessions" the cure for illusions 264     Fable and religion.   Religion not the product of fantasy 266 Fable in schools does not prepare for religious teaching 267     The education of the imagination in schools for older children.   Environment and method oppressive 269 "Composition" introduced to foster imagination 270 How composition is "taught" 271 Imagination cannot be forced 275     The moral question.   Contributions of positive science to