Photo Credit: Alexander Dummer, Unsplash
Dr. Montessori observed that the learning capacity of a young child is fundamentally different from that of an adult. It is evident when we consider the process of acquiring a new language as adults compared to that of very young children. When an adult undertakes a new language, we tend to translate the vocabulary and grammar of the new language using our native language. However, the young child begins to absorb the language with ease, invariably speaking it perfectly like a native. This unique ability is attributed to the child's 'absorbent mind'.
The capacity to 'absorb' is not likened to water being absorbed by a dry sponge. Rather, the young child 'takes in' impressions of his/her surroundings, behaviours, and thoughts which become a part of him/her. This phase of the absorbent mind happens within the first three formative years of the child's life. Everything is taken in, in full, instantly incarnated into and superimposed on any earlier experiences. Montessori calls this an 'unconscious' operation where learning is active.
In the second phase of development, from ages three to six, the absorbent mind continues to function except it is now consciously focused on experiences gained through intentional interaction with things found in the child's environment. We see the young child laboriously working on a material repeatedly, using his senses, as if to solidify and further develop his/her understanding acquired from earlier experiences.
At birth, the average size of the newborn's brain is about a quarter of the size of that of an adult's, with all the brain cells (neurons) needed for the rest of his/her life. It doubles in size within the first year of development, and by the age of 3, the child's brain reaches about 80% of the size of the adult's brain and is almost fully grown by the time he/she reaches the age of 5. It is the connections in the brain cells that enable the child to move, think, speak, and do just about everything. This important development in the brain has a lasting impact on the child's learning ability. Hence, the early childhood years are considered crucial as at least one million new neural connections are made every second, more than at any other time in life.
Brain development builds on itself, as connections link with each other in more complex ways, developing higher-level abilities like critical thinking, problem-solving skills, socializing, and communication. Given that the daily experiences of the young child have an important impact on the brain's development, suffice to say, we adults will necessarily either be a hindrance or a help to the child's development. Our goal, therefore, is to make an effort to understand the child sufficiently in order to be of help to him/her.
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