How Is Languge Developed in Montessori Class

Name: Suzan Emad Abd Ellatif

Language assignment

Assignment number two

“The human voice is music and words are its notes meaning nothing in themselves but to which every group attribute  its own special meaning” the absorbent mind chapter 11 page 108 , with reference to the above quote please discuss how language calls the child and how is language encouraged through the Montessori language exercise

Language is a means of communication ideas or feelings by the use of standardize sounds and signs, thus being the spoken and written Language. It is a system of symbols with a settle meaning that is used by a group of people. Thus each country has its own language and accent and a way to understand each other. It is the ability to understand conversation and a wish to express a person’s feelings and thoughts.

It is by nature to communicate, Humans needed language in order to understand each other, The development of the human language began when communication was done through pictures and drawings like ancient Egyptian, It then developed into ideograms when pictures began to turn into symbols as the Egyptian hieroglyphs. Later, these symbols became words, words turn to letters, then added vowels, one symbol came to represent one sound, and an alphabet was created, and finally came the alphabet we now use today.

The learning of language is truly the child's most intellectual achievement, and great milestone in the child progress and is amazingly accomplished rapidly in a very short time span.

Speech is produced by natural mechanism and by logical reasoning “By merely living and without any conscious effort the individual absorbs from the environment even a complex cultural like language." (The Essential Montessori, pg. 81).

Montessori recognized that the child has two sensitive periods for language development one is the period from birth to six years old, the other is from the age of seven to nine years.

The child’s Sensitivity for Language happens during his early years from age 1.5 to 3 where Sounds are developed. Language happens unconsciously as The child naturally hear the sounds in use among his own people before he can repeat them therefore if the child is not exposed to language in a prepared environment it will cause language delay or damage.

Maria Montessori wondered “how this instrument transmit the sound which reach it, sending them along the tiny nerve fibrils to that point in the brain where the special centers are located for their reception? Again we are facing one of nature’s mysteries” absorbent mind chapter 11 page 118

The baby would start making most kinds of noises from Pronounce syllables, then whole words, and finally perfect all the rules of grammar. Baby becomes aware that this mysterious music which surrounds him come from human mouths and he start to imitate the movement .Then he realize that these music has a purpose and that these words are meant, he became more aware that language refers to his surrounding environment and each thing has its own name and meaning.

The child first fixes the sounds which is the basic part of the mother tongue and then the syllables following words, grammar, adjectives, verb, and noun all that happens unconsciously.

A child will pass through the Sensitive Period of language during this period, the child will explore his surroundings with tongue and hands, so the child absorbs the qualities of the objects in his environment. He is keen to know the name of everything, and every words said by the adults around him. Supporting the child's expanding consciousness.

The environment must be prepared as the Montessori‘s classroom to make full use of the child's sensitive period of language to aid his development, Specifically the child is exposed to information through formal lessons, conversations, reading and games preparing the child to start creative writing and reading at a young age.

Montessori states that writing proceeds reading. A child who looks, recognize and touches the letter in the sand paper letter material as if he was writing is prepared for writing and reading.

On the other hand Reading forms a part of a knowledgeable in the child brain, it assists in the development of ides and language so it helps him socially.

Reading and writing are taught with specially designed materials in the language area at the Montessori class room which enable the child to grasp the basics without any stress or difficulty at an early age moving from simple to complex according to the child level in individual basis.

Montessori stated that “the tongue, which man uses for speaking and the hands which he employs for work are intimately connected most impossible the spy to avoid these if we correct later on, but it would be very easy to avoid these special program were conducted to prefect children speech.”

“There is no more practical and methodical means of correcting speech than this exercise in pronunciation necessary for learning the written language by any method”  

“Many defects of pronunciation are dialectical which are almost impossible to correct later on , but it would be very easy to avoid these if a special program were conducted to perfect the speech of children “p214 discovery of child

Teacher in the Montessori classroom can thus enhance the child language skills orally and auditory in many ways such as Storytelling, Finger play, Songs, Poems, Public Speaking, I spy and the Mystery Bag and more.

More over Language is developed through the practical life exercises through many materials, many vocabulary is introduced to the child in these area to demonstrate turkey pester, tongue, tweezers, beg, jug, tray, sponge and so on  

Furthermore the Sensorial area , Using the three period lesson naming, recognition, and the pronunciation of the word, the child is introduced  to many words particularly large, small, thick, thin, long, short, dark, light, rough, smooth, heavy, light, hot, and cold. Also names of many colors like red, green, blue, purple, black, white, yellow.in addition geometrical forms such as oval, circle, square, rectangle, triangle. Beside the name of the material itself like red rod, brown stairs, pink tower, knobbed cylinder and so on.

The language that is taught from sensorial material gives the child the key to many doors. He is able to describe qualities of what he sees and experiences in his environment. By this time, the child should be able to read a book and thus, there should always be a special place in the room for reading and dear time (drop everything and read).

Foremost is the language area we have four stages oral and auditory, Mechanical Stage, word building level, and sentence building level.

Firstly the Pink scheme its three letters phonetic words it’s divided into 20 materials such as the following: