Tag: Observation

An Observation Challenge: Week 2

Kari E-K

Last week’s challenge was all about watching and noting the ways that children interact with the adults in their spaces. As I wrote, this is always a revelatory experience for me–and when I did the challenge myself, I found that this time was no different. It was a good reminder to try to make it clear to my child when I *am* available to chat (while I sit on the floor folding laundry, for instance) and when I am not (while I try to make an important phone call). It gave me a few ideas of practical changes to make to the house (the just-turned-toddler needs a taller footstool to reach the bathroom sink). It also inspired me again to make sure that I am allowing the children to see me focusing on my own work–modeling is important, and I feel like it is something I could do better.

How did it go for you last week? Did you find any helpful tidbits? Did your tallying make you more aware of the ways you interact with your child? Feel free always to reach out in the comments and share more about how your week went!

Challenge 2: Start writing things down.

We’re going to continue gradually building up our observation habit. This requires zero “formal” observation. Here is what I want you to do: get a notebook and start writing things down. In my Casa, I kept my notebook with my lesson plans, so my assistant or I could easily rush over and jot something down if inspiration struck us. At home, sometimes I keep a little notebook in my back pocket–a small moleskine or a picadilly, or even a memo pad can work for this purpose. I also keep a notebook on my side table nearest the seat in which I am most likely to sit while I watch my children.

Focus on jotting down:

-Things your child that seem important to them, that make you smile, that let you know you need to work on grace and courtesy.

-Errors you notice happening that you’d like to offer a reminder on at a later time.

-Brand new interests you see in the child that you might like to find ways to help them engage with.

That’s it! Try to get at least one thing down on paper each day. To remind you of why this is important, at the end of the week, read through your notes, and note down at least one thing that you will do with your child/in your environment that was informed by what you saw.

An Observation Challenge: Week 1

Kari E-K

This challenge comes as the final piece of a whole month of writing I did on observation! If you want to know more about who, why, how, what, when and where to observe, I hope you’ll go back and give that primer a read!

When I took my Montessori training, we spent the first two months head down learning theory. We watched perfectly honed presentations on pristine materials in exceptional prepared environments populated only by adults. We heard lectures from experienced and masterful trainers (Thanks Joen and Connie!). We read and wrote and studied, and read and wrote and studied some more. It was an exceptional amount of work. And then, just at the right time, we got sent out to observe in actual classrooms. A chance to be in the real Casa, with real children, watching real adults. A breath of fresh air. The pedagogy made live. Our trainers sent us out with specific tasks for our two weeks–to look at key pieces of the environment, the human tendencies, the sensitive periods, the pedagogy–and in doing so, begin the true scientific preparation of the guide. None of what I have written here could exist without those trainers, or that experience.

Similarly, here in this blog, I started 2019 off with some deep dive into theory, discussing the importance of observation. I’ve written about the conceptual and the practical–but thus far, it’s all been hypothetical. Today, I am going to challenge you to take what I’ve discussed into your home.

Challenge 1: Tally the adult interactions.

One of my colleagues suggested this challenge to me some years back, and while I had never considered it previously, once she told me about it and I tried it, it made PERFECT sense. This is a great challenge for when you are just starting to observe and are looking for easy and clear feedback. It is going to help you observe the ways your child is independent and ALSO provide input on what you can do to provide more independence. Want to know if your space is functional for your child? Curious as to what your child is interested in these days? This can provide insight!

Take a piece of paper, and divide it into 4 sections. You can make a pretty chart on Google Docs or you can draw a 2×2 table by hand like I did. At the top of each section, write what your children typically come to you for throughout the day. “Manual/Practical Assistance, Emotional Support, Conversations, and Social Assistance” are some categories that come quickly to my mind. If you have younger children or an only child, maybe social assistance isn’t something you need to record–you can fill in the box with something else. The KEY is to think of general categories for the ways you interact with your children.

As you observe, start tallying. For the purposes of my family, I will tally in the afternoon–this is when my oldest is home from school. Maybe throughout the course of the week you will want to observe one day in the morning (8-12), one day in the afternoon (12-4), and one day in the evening (4-8). Maybe you will want to observe at the same time every day. Both are valuable! It’s okay if you aren’t catching every instance–just do your best. You can even use the same sheet for several days–switch up the ink if you can.

Here’s an example (edited for my children’s privacy, but based on the real deal):

I like to tally and then make a small note about what they came for. Over the course of the week, you are going to start seeing trends. My eldest child needed easy access to scotch tape, I learned. And also some new snack options (the number of times they came to me telling me that “nothing in their little kitchen looked appealing” was astonishing). They needed assistance protecting work from their younger sibling, and maybe a grace and courtesy reminder on how to offer affection. Though I didn’t record times, I noticed that my child came to me for emotional support, conversations, and check-ins more often as we neared bedtime. Our conversations let me know that they are really interested in telling time. They think asteroids are UNBELIEVABLE. They think that their younger sibling is sort of a toddler and sort of a baby.

It’s not that you are trying to eliminate your child’s need to interact with you–that’s neither practical nor desirable. You want to eliminate obstacles to your child’s independence, and find the best way to ensure that the interactions you do have are quality. When a child can complete tasks independently, it is easier for them to concentrate; it lets them know that they ARE capable and that we know they are, too.

I hope you will take the time to try out this first challenge, and I can’t wait to hear what you find out! Come back next week for our 2nd observation task! -Kari

A Montessori Observation Primer — Part 4: Where and When to Observe

Kari E-K

This is part 4 of our series on observation! This week, we’ll take a quick look at the where and when to observe! If you’re just joining us for the first time–welcome! You may want to go back and give parts 1, 2, and 3 a read.

This should be a pretty short and easy post to write, because ultimately, as long as the children and the environment are safe, there is not really a wrong place or time to observe. This is the beauty of normalizing observation–for the children and the adult. When observation becomes part of the routine, a known quantity, it stops feeling like an inconvenience—so the possibilities for where and when to observe seem to crop up everywhere. I hope that maybe this post will inspire you to look for the little spaces you want (or need!) to do observation in your life.

Where should I observe?

EVERYWHERE! Seriously. As mentioned above, as long as everyone is safe, it is a fine place to step back from the situation and observe.

Observe in every space your child spends time in at home. Bathroom, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, living room. Observe the spaces they spend the most time in. Observe the ones they spend the least time in. Look at those observations next to one another. Does it help you understand what one space might offer that another lacks?

Observe your child at the playground and extracurricular activities. Think about what you can find out about your child by watching them in an environment that might be outside of their normal comfort zone. Do they participate in classes? How do they interact? Do they prefer one playground to another? Does watching carefully tell you more fully why they have this preference?

Observe your child while visiting family and friends. Probably these spaces aren’t perfectly prepared. How does your child adapt? Perhaps their spaces are prepared but in a different way. What does your child seem to like about it? Dislike about it? How does this change their engagement with their environment and the people in it?

If you are a parent who has a child that attends a Montessori school, ask about observation opportunities! Think of the parents who never have the opportunity to watch their child in action or to see what their next classroom experience will be like. Start in your child’s classroom. Make time to observe classrooms at the next level before your child’s transition — or just when you are trying to decide what is the best next step for your family. Or when you feel uncertain about the trajectory of the work your child is doing in primary. Or when you want to know: what does Montessori look like when a child is 6? 9? 12? 15? 18?

So we know that we can observe everywhere. But when?

Start literally whenever you have time at home. Steal 5 minutes to sip your coffee and jot down notes. A good time to start is when the child is independently engaged in work. Sometimes the best way to keep the child engaged is to make yourself unavailable, so look busy about your observation work and watch. This isn’t the only valuable time to observe, though. Take time to observe when your child is fatigued, wandering, or dysregulated. Obviously the safety rules apply here, but watching at tough times like these–which frequently occur during transitions, can give you keen insight on how to help ease the transitions and make them smoother.

We struggled with bedtime for a long time in our house. Observing my child in this transition let me know that they needed a looooong, slooooow transition, that started immediately after an early dinner. I had been trying to shorten the routine because it always seemed like they were dragging their feet, but observation told me that what looked like them not wanting to go into the transition was actually them trying to lengthen the time we spent quietly connecting with each other in the evenings. Now that we’ve changed our bedtime routine, the evening isn’t always perfect, but this simple observation, which in retrospect seems SO obvious, was a game changer for us.

The truth is, you often need to observe MOST when it feels like it is the hardest to observe. So try to step back in those moments and gather information about why they feel so challenging. Sit on your hands. Bite your lip. Let the mess happen. Gather information, insight, and clarity. Allow room for innovation and problem solving. Trust your child.

If your child attends a Montessori school, or simply if you are interested in knowing more about one, call the front office or ask about the best way to schedule an observation.

Typically schools allow some time for the children to settle into their routine at the beginning of the school year before they begin observations. I always found October to be a great time to observe! An observation is a more in-depth experience than a tour, and it should be okay to ask to observe as a part of the application process. The many schools I have observed at and worked in often offered morning observation slots, especially for Primary or Toddler, but if you have an older child or are observing at the elementary or adolescent levels, afternoon observations may be available, too.

These practical points wrap up our primer! I will finish our series on observation next week with some observation challenges–and I’ll share the results from my own observations, too. Until then: talk a little bit less, breathe a little bit more, and be watchful. –K

 

Interested in reading more about Montessori and observation? Here are a few of my favorite articles, blogs, and videos on the topic:

 

The Kavanaugh Report: Observation and the Prepared Adult

Montessori Guide: Observation

Montessori Northwest: “Suggestions and Remarks Upon Observing Children” by Dr. Maria Montessori

The Montessori Notebook: Some things to observe

Montessori Services: The Art of Observation

A Montessori Observation Primer — Part 3: What to Observe

Kari E-K

This week, we’ll take a dive into what to look for when you are observing! These suggestions apply whether you’re observing in the home or in the classroom. Today’s post marks the midpoint of our series on observation — You can find the previous posts here and here.

“Maaaama, what’s that?” my three and a half year old asks. They aren’t pointing, just looking in a direction. My eyes scan the shelf that they are looking at.

“What’s….what? Can you point to what you are talking about?” They gesture to the bottle of mouthwash. “Oh, are you asking what is in the bottle?” I ask.

“No! I know it is mouthwash. What is THAT?” they say, climbing the step stool and gesturing to the small seal of approval on the front.

“Oh, that’s a seal! It tells you that it is approved by doctors and dentists.”

My three-year-old sighs, annoyed. “NO, mama. WHAT IS THAAAAAAT? With the wings, and the spiral.” They gesture once again, this time to something within the seal. It is a teeny tiny caduceus. “CADUCEUS!” they chant triumphantly, after I tell them. Then they trot away.

When you’re trying to observe children, it can sometimes feel like this interaction with my three-year-old: They had an agenda, but I didn’t know what I was looking for. Shooting in the dark, I got there eventually, but MY GOODNESS it would have gone faster if I’d had a little more… direction. That’s what I’d like to lay out for you now: let me offer some direction for your observations by discussing what we are looking for when we observe. This will pair nicely with the challenges I hope to issue during week 5, so I hope it’ll stay fresh in your mind.

Kari, WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR WHEN I OBSERVE?!

I want to start by saying: this is not a conclusive list of all the things a person can observe. These are just the things I feel are most widely applicable and easily identifiable.

As a guest in the Casa or Primary prepared environment, your job is really to watch for the hallmarks of Montessori; that is, what makes this environment prepared? How do the children exist within this prepared environment?

–Look for independence. Take note of the many things children are able to do without adult intervention or aid. Look for situations where independence may lead to perseverance, or the overcoming of a difficult task. Watch how the children problem solve and mediate.

–Look for different levels of concentration: Children are still developing their ability to concentrate, so remember that true and sustained concentration is a point of arrival. How do you see concentration manifested in the environment? How is it protected — by the environment, the other children, and the guide? How long do you see children concentrating for? What kinds of work seem to foster concentration? It may be that they are concentrated on a challenging equation, or on solving a problem together, on a conversation they are having or simply on table scrubbing. All are valuable!

–Look at socialization, and the benefits of the multi-age classroom: See which activities seem to inspire and develop social behaviors. Notice the interactions of children with peers their age, and also those older and younger than them. Are there examples of leadership? How do children problem solve when adults are unavailable? How does the span of ages change the avenues children have to learn? And finally:

–Look at the different ways children are learning: You might see two children working together on Golden Beads; a child sitting on their own doing a puzzle map; children working on the chalkboard. You might see someone focused deeply on the up-and-down motion of a needle through burlap; the effort needed to push the apple slicer clean through the apple; the successful portage of a bucket filled with water. There may be varying degrees of focus, and various modes through which the children are using their hands to manipulate the materials. You may also see a child observing a lesson they’d like to have in the future–by watching, children absorb, and this is an important part of learning for the young child.

All of this work, practical, abstract, conversational, or meditative, is a part of the child’s process of self-development, and it’s often only when we stop to take the time out to observe the children that we recognize it as such.

If you are observing as the prepared adult (teacher or assistant, homeschool parent), there are some additional tasks you might undertake:

–Look for adult interventions: How often are you (or other adults) intervening in the child’s work? Take note of when, and why! Additionally, you can take note of how often the child is coming to an adult and why. How does this intervention (or lack of intervention) seem to aid or hinder concentration and independence? (Y’all, this one is easy to overlook but it is SO POWERFUL.)

-Look for order and disorder: How are order or disorder created in the environment, by the children or the adults? What seems to happen right before disorder? How is order restored? How do children respond to either state? Take note of the role of the adult in the maintenance of order or the restoration of order, and see whether it seems to affect the process.

-Look for how the child handles fatigue: What does the child do when they are experiencing mental or physical fatigue? How does it affect the flow of their activity? How does it affect the other children in the environment? It can be different for every child. Note how they cope with and overcome fatigue.

-Look at the way the child handles error: Is the child friendly with error? How do they react when they discover an error, on behalf of themselves or of others? How do they discover and correct error–is it independent, or does an adult need to point it out?

-Look at emotions, temper, and will: How does the child handle their emotions when they rise? How do they handle the emotions of others? How do they utilize their will, positively and negatively, to make things happen around them? If you have multiple children, how do their personalities ebb and flow in the environment in this regard?

-Look for the way a child shows engagement and interest : What does the child’s face look like when they are deeply engaged? How does their body language change? How does the child’s work or effort change when an activity is well-aligned with their sensitive periods or interests?

These questions are a springboard to help get you started. Observation is like a muscle–use it, and strengthen it, and each time it will get easier and your ability to use this feedback to distill helpful information about how to adjust yourself and your environment to better serve the child.

If you’ve practiced observing the things I’ve outlined above and you want to go deeper, research Work Curves.

Dr. Montessori describes Work Curves at length in Spontaneous Activity in Education (Side Note: This link goes to a full, FREE eBook of the text at Project Gutenberg. There is a paperback edition of this original version available for purchase here. The edition I use is titled: “The Advanced Montessori Method,” which can be purchased here).

Breaking down this idea would be a standalone blog post, but briefly: A work curve is a way to graph a child’s engagement with the materials and the environment, and the development of their concentration over time. It’s quantifiable data that can only be gathered through observation. Montessori lays out how to interpret the patterns in this data to gain insight about how a child’s psyche is developing — it’s pretty amazing stuff.

Ultimately, observation is a way to know the child more intimately. How special is that? To be able to look back at your own notes; things the child has said or done, and see there the small way they share each day part of the secret of the child with you. When you think about what you want to observe, think about how you’d like to more deeply understand and engage your child. That will guide you in the right direction. Maria Montessori describes the power of true observation like this::

“At first the teacher will say, ‘I have seen the child as he ought to be, and found him better than I could have ever supposed.’ This is what it means to understand infancy. It is not enough to know that this child is called John, that his father is a carpenter; the teacher must know and experience in her daily life the secret of childhood. Through this she arrives not only at a deeper knowledge but at a new kind of love which does not become attached to the individual person, but to that which lies in the hidden darkness of this secret. When the children show her their real natures, she understands perhaps for the first time, what love really is. And this revelation transforms her also. It is a thing that touches the heart, and little by little it changes people.”

(p. 282, The Absorbent Mind)

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A Montessori Observation Primer — Part 2: How to Observe

Kari E-K

In part 2 of our series, we will explore how to observe! In specific, we will discuss practical preparations for the adult and the characteristics of the observer, in the prepared environments of school and home. If you missed last week’s post, part 1 covered the specifics of who observes, and why it is so important to the Montessori pedagogy. Join us next week for part 3, a discussion on what to look for when you are observing.

If you come from the traditional early childhood environment, you probably envision the adult as the front or face of the classroom. That you might look into the classroom and be able to spy, at any given time, her busy body shuffling from one place to another, wiping noses with one hand while handing out coloring sheets with the other. I know before I found Montessori, I thought teaching young children was all about energy, about being able to command and hold attention.

What if I told you that the ideal Montessori environment could operate without the guide entirely? I am going to give you two quotes from Dr. M to ponder, and then I want to dive headlong into today’s discussion of Observation:

“And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words, but in virtue of the experiences in which the child acts on his environment. The teacher’s task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child.”

(p. 8, The Absorbent Mind)

“What is the greatest sign of success for a teacher thus transformed? It is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist.’”

(p. 283, The Absorbent Mind)

Kari, I understand that observation is a critical part of the Montessori pedagogy. How do I make it happen?

If you have a child in a Montessori environment, observations can be scheduled through the school. Usually they like to allow a short settling period at the beginning of the year before they begin to schedule observations. Expect to set aside anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour of your time. Be sure to arrive on time, turn your phone off, and bring a notebook along. Prepare to sit quietly back and follow the guidelines I will offer below. The Guide and Assistant will manage the environment–your only task is to watch. Often the school will provide a few suggestions of what you can look for, and I will share more in next week’s post.

If you are observing as the prepared adult in a school environment or at home:

I want to preface by saying that not all observation needs to be formal. Sometimes you are washing dishes and you look into your dining room and your child is delicately splashing water on the table. Before you rush in, take a breath, watch what is happening, and make a note of what you see. If you can, I would highly recommend even jotting these down on a post-it: “J, 10:30, tracing shapes into the water on the table with their left pointer finger extended.” Informal observations are valid and helpful. That said, they are of a different character than formal observations, so I really and truly want to encourage you to make time for those, too.

First, gather your materials. Whether at home or in a Montessori school environment, assess where you sit (or where you would sit, if you find you don’t frequently) while the children are engaged with work. Keep in that spot a pen, a notebook, and a water bottle. Either have a clock clearly visible from that spot or, even better, wear a watch.

I know, I know, who wears a watch around these days? But in order to observe properly, you need to be able to see and note the passage of time, and using your phone to do so is often a temptation to do anything BUT sit and actively observe. (I’m speaking from experience, here. If I pull that phone out of my pocket I am going to take photos or maybe send just a quick text and then I have lost my concentration and the thread of my observation.)

Discover a method for quickly transcribing your observations to paper. When observing my children at home, a quick initial and the time suffices. At school, I would note the initial of the child, sometimes (but not always) their age, the time, and the sequence of activities I was watching.

I also love the suggestions that Sally over at Montessori Assistant shares. Sometimes, you may have a lot to write–you observe something the first time, and you want to note specifics; a child displaying particular handedness, for instance, or a shift in the grip of a pencil that you want to note for later. When I have a longer note to write, I use abbreviations. It’s like creating your own shorthand! The only person who needs to be able to interpret it is you, so do whatever makes the most sense to you.

Dedicate yourself to being truly observant. Unless someone is in danger, let yourself watch without interruption/interrupting. In the school environment, children know that an adult sitting in the padded chair with a notebook and a pen is doing special work called “observation,” and that just as we respect the work of the children in our environment, we respect the work of the adult, too. You can let your child know at home, too: I’m writing right now. I’ll be available soon. It is valuable for them to see you finish your work.

For your first formal observations, maybe you only need to set yourself a 10 minute block; that’s okay. As a part of my training, we sat WHOLE DAYS in the observation chair doing nothing but watching. It was difficult in some ways, but it was also literally the greatest gift I could have asked for. It brought all of the studying of Montessori I had done to life without allowing me to exert my influence within the environment. It provided solid experiential training for my time in the classroom while also reminding me of the role of the adult.

Okay. Pen and notebook in hand… What does it mean to BE an observer? How do I do it?

If you want to read in more scientific terms than my own, I would encourage you to pick up one of Dr. Montessori’s books. In “The Advanced Montessori Method – I,” she lays out an entire chapter about her contributions to science through the pedagogy, entitled “Experimental Science.” In it, she says:

“It is necessary to adopt a scientific point of view in order to interpret the facts that reveal themselves in children when they are developed upon this system, and to divest oneself completely of the old scholastic conception according to which the progress of a child is assessed according to his proficiency in the various subjects of study. Here, almost like the naturalist, it is essential to observe the development of certain phenomena of life. It is true that we prepare special ‘external conditions’; but the psychical effects are directly bound up with the spontaneous development of the internal activity of the child.”

(P. 67, The Advanced Montessori Method – I)

The scientific observer must have certain characteristics. Here, in quick summary, are the some of the qualities Montessori described as necessary traits:

  • Objective: You are distancing yourself and recording what you see without judgment or preconceived notions. You cannot know what the child is thinking–only what you see or hear.
  • Unobtrusive: Pretend you are a fly on the wall. Keep yourself neutral and low-key. Try not to let your face give away what you might be feeling while you observe. Keep yourself still and quiet.
  • Engaged: Be interested and alert–quiet on the outside while you analyze on the inside.
  • Humble: Come from the perspective of understanding, rather than judgement. Know that there is more to every situation than is visible to the eye.
  • Patient: Growth takes time. Even when you feel like what you are observing is unimportant, persevere. That magical moment might happen when you least expect it.
  • Exact: Be accurate! Record what you see and know, without labeling or comparing.
  • Repetitive: Observation should be ongoing. Frequent observation, formal and informal, is what will allow you to see the patterns that develop within your environment and help you create strategies to optimize development.

Dr. Montessori said:

“The teacher requires a special preparation, because it is not logic that can solve the child’s problems. We have to know the child’s previous development, and rather to shed our preconceived ideas. Great tact and delicacy are needed for the care of the mind of a child between the ages of three and six; fortunately, the child takes from the environment rather than the teacher, who needs only to stand by, to serve when called.”

(p. 58, Education for a New World).

Steep requirements when laid out, right? If I were to boil it down to one thing, I would say: minimize. Minimize your presence in the space, your ego, your preconceived notions. Make it all about seeing the child when you are as removed as possible from the equation. It takes practice–like any new habit! But it is worth the effort. When you center the child and their action on the environment, and remove your presence as a temptation for distraction, you allow them deeper engagement, and give yourself the chance to see their own wonderful, independent development.

We’ve now covered the who, why and how of Observation! Join me next week as I offer some ideas on just WHAT to look for while you are observing. Until next time! -K

 

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A Montessori Observation Primer – Part 1: The Who and Why of Observation

Kari E-K

This post marks the start of a five-part series on Montessori and Observation. Part 1 focuses on the who and why of observation: who should be observing, why it is important in the classroom and at home, and why Montessori placed value on it in her pedagogy. Part 2 takes a look at how to observe, both in the classroom and in the home. Part 3 focuses on what to look for while observing. Part 4 will be all about where and when you can and should observe, and we’ll wrap up with a fun observation challenge. I hope you’ll join me on this journey as I share a primer on this key piece of a beautiful pedagogy.

WHO should be observing?

I’m going to be honest: I think the whole world could benefit if everyone was a little more willing and able to observe. Life is so hectic. Human existence is busy. The world can feel frenetic. There are a zillion legitimately important things to do. It can be super annoying when someone tells you to stop and smell the roses. However, when I took my training ten years ago, I discovered that if I could allow myself to take a step back and just watch, I would often find the rhythm, calm, and peace… in the world, in life, and in the classroom. Observation was one of the many gifts that I truly understood and received when I became a Montessori adult. So who should observe? Everyone!

I know, I know. EVERYONE is not really a helpful answer here, even if it is true. So to clarify and offer Montessori context:

  • Observation is essential for the guide and the assistant in the classroom. It informs practice and gives the children space to work. I’ll detail this further below, and in upcoming posts.
  • Observation is for the children in the classroom. Nine times out of ten, this is the way my own child learns in the Montessori environment–by watching others. He may not tell me that he had a new lesson but he will certainly tell me that a friend learned three new leaf shapes in the botany cabinet that day: spatulate, chordate, and linear.
  • Observation is for the parent. If you are curious and want to know if Montessori is the right fit for your family, observation is the first step to take. If you are already enrolled and have wondered: does my child really only eat snack and do nothing else? If you have heard a zillion times about the “Metal Insects” and want to know what the heck they are, observation is for you (YouTube and InfoMontessori might help here, too). If you really want to see the magic, observation is the way.

Montessori schools also often host trainees who are practicing to become teachers, educators from other educational systems who want to know more, and community members who want to connect with what is happening around them. Maybe you have no intention of ever sending your child to a Montessori environment but you want to see that action up close and personal. Take the time and call and set up an appointment. Every environment should have observation chairs, and I hope they are warmed often.

Alright, Kari. I get that EVERYONE should observe. But WHY is Observation so important?

Observation allows an adult to remove themselves from the situation and gather objective information about the child. Speaking as a guide, observation was the cornerstone of my pedagogical classroom planning. Quite simply, the Montessori Method would not exist and classrooms could not function without time spent in observation. When Dr. Maria Montessori was creating her curriculum, she named it “The Scientific Pedagogy.” Based on non-judgmental, fact-based, scientific observation, Dr. Montessori introduced a variety of materials and concepts in her environment and let the children be her guide. Dr. Montessori was driven to discover who each child was and what they needed. She said:

“The vision of the teacher should be at once precise like that of the scientist, and spiritual like that of the saint. The preparation for science and the preparation for sanctity should form a new soul, for the attitude of the teacher should be at once positive, scientific and spiritual.

Positive and scientific, because she has an exact task to perform, and it is necessary that she should put herself into immediate relation with the truth by means of rigorous observation…

Spiritual, because it is to man that his powers of observation are to be applied, and because the characteristics of the creature who is to be his particular subject of observation are spiritual.”

(The Advanced Montessori Method – I’, Clio Press Ltd, 107)

It is the job of the guide to understand, deeply, who the child is and what they need. By immersing themselves in what the children are doing each day and noting what is observed, the environment may be adjusted and lessons adapted to suit the child’s individual needs. This objective observation, done in humble service to the child, allows an adult to come to conclusions without labeling the children, trying to categorize them, or allowing their perspective to be tainted by previous experience. Observation is always an opportunity to make new discoveries. Dr. Montessori said:

“It is logical that if one can discover both tendencies and sensitive periods and one is able to second them, he will have found a secure and permanent foundation on which to base education, if education is viewed as a help to fulfill the optimum potential of the child. “

(p. 20, Human Tendencies and Montessori Education).

Okay, so I hear what you are saying about the Montessori environment. Where does observation fit into the Montessori home?

Maybe you are asking yourself questions like: “When is a child ready for this activity?” “What should I be offering my child to do?” “This behavior is really frustrating. How did we get here?” “Where did this new behavior/skill/need/come from?” Maybe you’ve received a phone call from a relative or a holiday is coming up and you want to know what a good gift would be.

This is why observation in the home is so important. No one else in the world has that view of your child: in their safe space, with their safe people, living life and seeing the world. And because we all know that children develop at their own pace and that various developmental milestones (or Sensitive Periods) are overlapping and broad, there is no way for anyone that is not there, watching and seeing the child, to know if a child is in one. It is about stepping back, sitting on your hands, biting your tongue, and watching. It is about understanding that if something is not dangerous, damaging, or distracting to someone else, it is probably okay to follow the child and see where they are headed. It takes patience. It takes trust. It takes some courage. But it is a tool that will serve you so, so incredibly well if you are willing to step back and do it.

I hope you have found this first piece of a Primer on Observation helpful. I’ll be back next week with a ton of information on HOW to Observe. Until then, I wish you a warm drink and a cozy place to sit and watch. –K

 

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