Maria Montessori, like humans throughout history, asked 'What is the true nature of humans?' Over thousands of hours of observation, she observed in children characteristics and potentials that were previously unknown. One of the potentials she observed are called Human Tendencies. Human Tendencies allow us to meet our physical and spiritual needs. It is important to understand that these are not abilities we are born with, but rather they must be developed. If the conditions in the first six years of life do not support the unfolding of these tendencies, they will be forever diminished. Dr. Montessori distilled ten Human Tendencies.
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| Exploration |
Babies are born with a need to explore - we can see this in the way they look around, then crawl away, then walk. Adults continue to explore the world in many ways including research, education and traveling. How can we nurture and encourage this drive? A baby constantly restrained by exersaucers, swings, highchairs, strollers, etc. Is not able to explore. Exploration is a gift but it must be made operant by the right experiences. Our task is to find productive, satisfying ways for the child to explore.
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| Orientation |
Orientation is necessary for exploration. To find your way in a new situation you must orient yourself so you can successfully explore. Orientation gives us a sense of order, security and direction. A child needs consistency, order and stability for orientation. These things bring great comfort and security to a child, enabling her to explore more successfully.
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| Work |
Work can also be defined as an activity with a purpose or a constructive activity. Humans thrive on purposeful activity. The tendency for work must be developed. If the child is always fed, carried and waited on, she will not develop independence because she will be accustomed to doing nothing. The Montessori class has endless opportunities for constructive activities and the children love their work.
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| Communication |
Communication is an essential part of the human social bonds. The child learns the language or languages she hears. We can help the tendency for communication become fully operant by speaking directly to her with correct grammar, and offering beautiful poetry, songs and books. Language is a powerful tool to be developed - we must create the conditions so the child can hear language as well as have the opportunity to speak .
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| Order |
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Order is an essential part of every activity we engage in. We must have an order to our thought pattern and actions or we will be unable to accomplish anything. Without order there is chaos and confusion. A child needs order to feel secure and learn to think in a logical way. The Montessori classroom is very orderly, which leads to a feeling of security and aids the child in orienting herself to the environment.
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| Exactness |
Every functional object is an example of exactness. A chair will not support you unless each angle is correct, and the materials have been joined together in an exact way. The great inventors pursue their goals until they reach a point of exactness. The same holds true today - all work requires a focus on exactness in order to be fruitful. In Montessori, we develop this exactness through precise presentations. From a precise action develops a precise mind.
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| Repetition |
In order to achieve exactness there must be repetition. Repetition is an essential process to exactness. Acquiring a new skill requires repetition (practice) to reach the point of exactness. A young child with little experience and poor motor control doesn't have the movement required for exact skills such as getting dressed. If the adult does everything for the child instead of allowing her to practice, she will not gain the skills needed to accomplish tasks.
In a Montessori classroom, the freedom to repeat is very important. We don't have a schedule and we let the children repeat as often as they would like. Repetition comes from a desire to work towards exactness. Giving the child the freedom to repeat brings on concentration and leads to exactness.
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| Power of Abstraction |
The Power of Abstraction means to conceptualize something that is not concretely present. This tendency will only develop if the child has very clear, concrete experiences she can put her hands on. During the first six years the child is a sensorial learner - she learns from her senses. This is why our classrooms are filled with materials to manipulate. The child must grasp objects in her hand before her mind can grasp the concept. Montessori said the child must be grounded in concrete, real experiences long before the mind can take off, just like an airplane must roll on the runway before lifting off.
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| Self Control |
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We want to help children develop and practice self control. For the child to reach this point she must have control over her body. The exact steps of the work in the Montessori classroom help lead the child to self control. Humans are constantly confronted with choices. The Montessori classroom has the freedom of allowing children to make choices. But freedom cannot exist without a structure. In a Montessori class, we protect freedom through a structure of expanding limits, thus the child gradually develops self control.
