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Independence and Movement: Infancy through Adolescence
LCS Home Page > Parent Resources > Articles > Independence and Movement
Independence and Movement: Infancy through Adolescence Introduction | Infants & Toddlers | Children's House | Elementary I | Elementary II | Junior High
It is obvious with the infant and young child that growth and learning are inextricably tied to movement and that deep connection continues with the older child and adolescent. In early October we talked about the central importance of movement in the growth and development of children and the relationship between movement and independence, the ability to choose, to make good choices for yourself. The child's tremendous need to be independent is clear from birth - that's what rolling over, sitting up, creeping, crawling, walking is all about - and it continues. According to Dr. Montessori, the young child is saying, "Help me to do it myself;" the older child, "Help me to think for myself," and we could add, the adolescent is saying "Help me to be myself in the world."Our children's opportunity to be truly independent is at risk these days. We have so many concerns for their safety and they are involved in so many organized, adult controlled activities. Most children aren't free to walk several blocks to a friend's house or to go to the store alone or to disappear for hours at a time, exploring in the neighborhood. Children also seem to spend much more time in organized sports than in pick up games where they are in charge. So we have to be conscious and mindful of their tremendous need to be independent and we need to find multiple ways to permit that independence.
Independence is important because of what children learn in the act of being independent, but more important is what they learn about themselves; they learn they are capable. They learn to believe in themselves. Letting children move freely and independently tells them that we trust them. Knowing you are respected and trusted is a powerful gift, as important as love. For the children who are independent, who move freely, who are trusted, approach the universe with confidence and competence because they believe in themselves.
When we inhale the amazing magnificence of the newborn human infant, we are also struck with how helpless this creature is. At first it seems that the only thing that this creature is capable of is sucking and swallowing and digestive functions. As defenseless as this new baby seems, it does have many reflexes and movements that will help protect it. If the newborn is left on its mother's stomach for a period of time, it will somehow crawl up to her breast and latch on.The newborn is born with an amazing brain chock full of neutrons. At five months of gestation, 100 billion neurons are already formed. The newborn's brain has tremendous capacity, but for the child to develop, grow and gain intelligence, there must be movement.
Brain development is "actively dependent." For the child from birth to three years, that means seeing, hearing, touching, moving. The child must experience and move in order to develop the brain, to create neural pathways. Through the experience of moving in the world and creating these neural pathways, the child's body will start to come under the control of the child. The newborn must hold up its wobbly head to make it stronger. The six-month old must extend her hand when placed on her tummy and move her body to get to that object just beyond reach so later she can begin to crawl. The ten- and eleven-month old must be able to cruise around furniture and walls so that he eventually is able to walk without assistance. The toddler must be free to walk and run and climb, and sometimes fall, to assure stable balance and coordination later in life.
The child develops movement from the center of the body outward. Control of the head moves from the mouth to the neck and lastly to the head. Control of the arms moves outward toward the feet. Amazingly in the first three years of life, all the major movement milestones are accomplished: creeping, crawling, sitting, walking, running, hopping, climbing, dancing, pointing, holding a spoon, using a writing instrument, using their vocal chords to sing, cry, and speak.
Some scientists believe that the leisurely pace of human brain development maximizes the opportunity for the baby's experience and environment to shape his emerging mind. When observing young children, it is apparent that not all gain these skills at the same time nor show the same enthusiasm for various activities. As adults we must realize that competence and even brilliance in all movement areas is dependent upon the child's timetable. As parents and teachers, we must encourage our children to extend themselves, for the infant to spend a few more minutes on his tummy, for the toddler to walk to the playground, for the three-year old to have a drawing book of her own. Movement cannot be separated from the more cerebral or academic activities.
For young children who love to move, their very independence depends upon their ability to develop movement. With each new skill gained, they have a new relationship with their environment. As the infant learns to crawl, she will move away from her caregiver and learn more about controlling the objects in her world. With each new motor skill, the child moves toward greater independence and increased pride in his or her accomplishments.
The adult plays a crucial role in the unfolding of the child's personality as it is expressed through movement. We must allow the child the independence to move through the world. We must keep them safe, but we must also give them the freedom to develop their motor skills and independence.
While we often encourage our children to develop a skill, we don't always give them the time to practice that skill. When we are in a hurry, we don't take the time to let our child put on his own coat or walk the entire distance. Maria Montessori spoke of the adult as "an impediment" to movement or a barrier to the child's development. Rather than an impediment, I prefer to think of adults as collaborators with children. We can show children how moving through this world is a joyful activity, one that connects us to people, nature, the spirit of life, and the beauty of our own bodies. We can be partners in aiding movement by providing the proper environment, by encouraging independence and by celebrating accomplishments each step of the way.
Children's House by Aida Sarr Baldwin In Children's House the young child is encouraged to explore, to cooperate and to attain academic and social independence. The acquired skills are intended to prepare each child not only for success at the next level, but also for success in life.
Watching a child makes it obvious that the development of his mind comes about through his movements. Each movement brings a new challenge, each challenge a new experience and each experience leaves an impression that strengthens the subconscious.
But how do we help the young child who comes to a Montessori environment develop his movements and independence? First, we introduce him or her to the prepared environment, where carefully sequenced activities offer key experiences to all the facets of life. He or she is given the freedom to follow creative potentials, inner urges or resources in choosing among a variety of activities that help the child develop a positive self-image and independence.
Dr. Montessori believed that intelligence - the intention to understand - is not fixed at birth, nor that human potential is as limited as it sometimes seems. Statistics have shown that children absorb 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see and 70% of what they do. Montessori children touch and manipulate everything in dynamic, interactive learning environments. In a sense, the mind is handmade. Through movement and touch, the child explores, manipulates and builds up a storehouse of impressions about the physical world around him or her. Through independent movement, children become autonomous individuals, competent in all areas of life.
Our goal is less to teach facts and concepts but rather to help the child fall in love with the process of focusing his or her complete attention on something and solving its riddle with enthusiasm and joy. We strive to prepare the child for life by fostering coordination, concentration, and independence.
The prepared environment of the Montessori class becomes a learning laboratory in which each child is allowed to move, choose, explore, discover, and select his or her own work, reinforcing his or her independence and intellectual development. The independence that the child gains helps him or her become comfortable and confident in the ability to master the environment, ask questions, puzzle out the answer, and learn.
Because movement stimulates the brain, each activity in Children's House is designed to require specific movements to achieve the goal of that particular work. For example, a work with tweezers or tongs would have the child use a pincer grip with thumb and forefingers to pick up small objects. Strengthening that exact grasp is what prepares the child to hold a pencil and enables him or her to write.
Many exercises prepare children for real-life experiences while some others draw the child's attention to the sensory properties of objects within his or her environment: size, shape, color, texture, weight, smell, sound, etc.
Gradually the child learns to pay attention, seeing details more clearly, and then begins to observe and appreciate the environment. This is the key in helping the child discover how to learn independently, retaining the curiosity, creativity and intelligence with which he or she was born.
Elementary I by John Mullin There was a poster down in Children's House III that said, "The essence of being independent is to be able to do something for one's self." We want our children to grow up able to do what ever they need to do, to be successful and creative, happy, healthy, wealthy, and wise; and able to stand on their own two feet. To be independent. This is exactly what our children want as well. They want to feel successful, to be able to make things happen for themselves, to be creative and take pride in their creations. But this is only possible if we give them time to do it. We often can unintentionally hinder this ability to do things on their own.
Independence is a skill acquired by the individual. Its about taking time to learn something yourself, practicing, repeating, until you are able to perfect the skill. We can coach, cajole, encourage, and wait patiently, but we can not substitute our own activity for our children's. If we do too much we take away their ability to own their own experiences and to grow from them.
We would love to take away every pain, remove hard struggles, smooth the path, or make a corner a little less sharp. We do have to do things that are simply out of their reach right now, but we should not take the place of an individual's own experiences. If they are able to get ready for school, they should do it themselves. Independence means, "I can do this for myself, I am free to do this for myself."
The children who are leaving Children's House have spent their time learning about their environment, preparing to be independent, orienting themselves to the world.
The child who enters the EI has entered a new plane of development. They are asking how does this work? What is behind this? What is the reason for this rule or idea? Who discovered this thing that I already know the names to?
They are explorers of an even greater world. They are looking for greater independence. A whole universe is waiting for them to walk through and see, smell, touch, and taste. They are looking to learn about the world for themselves, and so we help them. We help them by giving them a prepared environment that allows them to help themselves.
I believe in the children of EI, their boundless energy, their need to explore everything, touch everything, and talk about everything. They love firsts - being first, what was first, where was that done first, who did that first, could I be the first to discover, or do, or invent that. The children of EI are powerhouses of creativity, energy and reason. The elementary classroom is set up in a way that allows them time to develop independence, to tap into their own energy and find out more about who they are as individuals.
The environment is prepared to promote free choice and free movement. Movement is how we explore the world. If you want to discover what is over the next hill, you have to get up and climb over it. If you want to understand division, it's not enough just to be taught the steps, you need to understand what is happening, to distribute the pieces.
The children of EI are physical explorers. They move beads or bars to see and to touch multiplication and division. They examine and touch the leaves of plants in order to identify and classify. They imagine and dance out the creation of the universe. They add sound and touch and color to their understanding of the world.
In Children's House, materials are all grouped together. In EI the materials are spread all around the room on purpose. In EI if children want to do an activity, they will find their math book in their cubby, the bead frame paper on one side of the room, the frame on the other. The pencils might be in another spot, and scissors are over there, and a book is down the hall and up the stairs. They might find and even read a card that asks them to actually run down the hall.
The elementary child has two incredible new tools to use - a reasoning mind and a wonderful imagination. To help that reasoning mind and use that tremendous imagination, Montessori developed materials with which children can interact to answer their questions about the universe. These materials can be touched, moved and manipulated so that the children discover the answers to their questions. It's not just handed to them - here is the formula, memorize this fact, know these dates. Instead it's touch the leaves, walk this timeline and place the cards. These things have to be experienced. Then the children will have independent understanding.
The materials are also manipulative, designed for social connections. Lessons are given in groups, and work is done in groups. In Children's House they work to coordinate their bodies; at EI the challenge is to coordinate a group. The children at this age are turning outward from construction of themselves to the construction of the society that they are growing into, a society in which they will have a role. An activity like washing a table is now a part of their responsibility to a community.
The brilliance of the classroom is that this work is not done alone in isolation from everyone else. The work is done within a community. Children discuss their ideas, share their discoveries and inevitably argue about what was the right way to do something. The materials and the children themselves help to keep their explorations grounded in what they really need to understand. We don't tell them what they should be interested in; we inspire authentic interests, and as a result, children discover themselves. The final goal is expecting them to become independent individuals within society, understanding that they have roles and responsibilities that they can and should meet.
Elementary II by Zoe St. Mane Over the past few weeks sixteen students from Class F decided to run for E II Student Council. The number of candidates mandated a primary election. Each candidate created a slogan, a poster presenting their platform and a speech designed to win the votes of their community. Seven finalists were chosen. They delivered their speeches the following week and our representatives were elected.
"We cannot see a community through a window of a car," spoke one candidate - his platform called for becoming a better neighbor with a regular neighborhood cleanup. Another candidate stated with great dignity and passion, "Many people say, 'I think, I hope, I wish, I might' I will tell you, I KNOW I will be a creative, working, listening leader." Another began with a quote from Anne Frank, "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." It occurred to me as I thought about the topic of independence that an independent spirit knows that her own action affects others. She takes an active role in contributing to a positive quality of life and is not afraid to speak up, stand out. She will take action to make a positive impact on the world and positive experiences for individuals in the world.
An understanding of place in the world is essential to independence . Students are offered the possibility to make sense of the world based on their own observations and experiences and to make their own mistakes. Independent voices rise in supportive communities where standing before peers is encouraged and celebrated. Students not elected often express they are eager try again, that they have learned from listening to the words and ideas of their friends.
Another aspect of independence for the elementary child is gained by the experiences of what Montessori calls "Going Out." Going out is the practical life work of the students of this age whose job it is to explore society, to learn from it, and to find their own place within it. Because the classroom cannot satisfy the powerful intellect of this age, the prepared environment is a dual one. Going out offers real experience that a student integrates into his being. There is a dissatisfaction students often feel when they do not know all there is to know about a topic that genuinely interests them. That sends them out to find the answers. It may be about rocks or the Renaissance, mandalas, or a vision quest or pineapples! The students explore society to gain knowledge, to find out for themselves what the world has to offer. As students go out into society they practice what is necessary to acquire an understanding of the society and how it functions. This is the task of this age. It is preparation for operating independently in the society and world and to experience what it takes to become an active participant in that world. As Montessori said, "It is not a question of education. It is not a question of the construction of the mind in old or new math or physics. It is life that we give the child. The work we engage in is the construction of a being oriented and adapted to her time, place and culture."
Independence is the prime unit underlying the construction of self. It is linked to the life force that urges the child to construct her unique being, to stand on her own feet in reality and metaphorically. As Montessori also said, " Thanks to the feet, the child can expect of the outdoors certain answers to certain questions."
Physical independence is experienced when students are able to get what they need and want from the larger community. I was thinking about the foot quote when some outings were planned. Several students were interested in collecting rocks for our Medicine Wheel and began to plan an outing to The Enchanted Rock Garden. They called for the address, 64th and Lyndale. Out came the city maps. Finding LCS on the map was a bit of a challenge. Finding Lyndale was not all that easy either, and by this time a whole group of onlookers had entered the process. They discovered there is order to our city streets and the direction to go was south from LCS. "How many blocks?" I asked. A little subtraction was needed. " Can you walk the 26 or so blocks?" I asked. "Can you take the bus?" The decision was to find a driver; they felt quite sure they could direct a driver.
Last year another outing ended quite differently. That time students had not planned the directions to the Science Museum in St. Paul in advance. When the driver arrived, they quickly went to the Internet for directions and dashed to the car. When they began reading the directions to the driver, it was to the Science Museum of London. Thanks to a patient driver, the group was able to find the museum.
Mental independence extends the intellect through learning for oneself what society is able to furnish in the way of knowledge. One important factor is the development of the ability to think for oneself. It becomes more significant as society becomes more complex. Independent thought weighs and measures what is said and is not swayed by emotion, prejudice or any factor that does not allow students to get to the core of the situation.
Going out is a way for the students to see what is going on, to listen, to reflect and form thoughts and actions based on their experiences. A few of us took a trip to a play last year. The students were quite shocked that many other students in the audience were rude and disrespectful, listening to CDs on headsets during the performance. When they came back to school, they agreed that they had to do something. They discussed the play, and agreed it was not all that good a play but that the students' poor behavior was totally inexcusable. They wrote letters to the theater about their concerns, both about the play and the audience!
Going out into society implies a measure of self control already acquired. The students of this age come prepared and able to control themselves in situations where following certain modes of behavior and rules is expected. Students learn the norms of behavior for different situations.
I mentioned earlier that going out offers students the opportunity to expand and extend the work done in the classroom. Exploration is for a depth of information that cannot be obtained within the walls of the classroom. It is a student's interest that takes him out to further explore. Sometimes it can work backwards from society into the classroom. This year a student, inspired by his family's trip to the Renaissance Festival, became so motivated, he formed a group to study the Renaissance. They researched and decided to go on the outing in costumes borrowed from the costume supply at LCS. They planned an elaborate weekend outing to the Renaissance Festival. From all accounts, it was a marvelous adventure. They then wrote and performed in costume for the class a Renaissance vignette on Johannes Gutenberg. Class sharing celebrates the work of the group, inspires and offers others information and possibilities for further outings.
An independent spirit listens to her own song, walks to the beat of her own drum, yet strives to stay in rhythm with the web and of others making their home in it.
In 1900 youth all over Germany staged protests of the strict disciplinary schools of the time. They took to the mountains to wander and hike, to be in the fresh air. Night hikes and singing around campfires were common to this group. This movement was called Die Wandervogel or Wandering Birds. This time marked a revitalization of education around the world during which systems such as Waldorf and Montessori developed. Montessori, inspired by the Wandering Birds movement, was researching and developing her own thoughts on the adolescent. In fact, Montessori used the German word erdkinder, meaning "children of the soil," to describe the Montessori adolescent program. Her intent for the adolescent was to have the children on the land, working with hand and mind, in the fresh air, away from the distractions in the city.Why did these Wandering Birds revolt? One reason certainly was the need for independence and movement. How do we meet the need for independence and movement at the adolescent level? Clearly, we must create opportunities for students to develop true independence.
Within our urban program we foster a community where students feel safe and supported in their physical, social and academic work. It is our task to provide a safe environment that both challenges students and allows them to refine their personality as they enter adulthood. We strive for balance between classes where we sit and discuss and classes where we encourage movement and the use of the hand. We allow for self-expression, in writing as well as in speaking. We encourage students to find their voice and become leaders in any way they can. We have created a program that is both broad and deep to allow students to gain confidence by participating in a variety of activities. Only a self-confident person can be truly independent.
We begin the school year with an Odyssey, a traveling adventure with peers. It is designed to be challenging, both physically and intellectually. Movement is of utmost importance as students do daily practical life activities, such as finding food, or cooking, building their shelter (setting up a tent) and, of course, building social ties. In the middle of the school year we become a theatre company and put on a play. The students take acting classes, sometimes they even learn important worldly skills such as sword-fighting. All of them become actors. At the end the year we all take a bike trip together, which is physically challenging and a perfect way to channel the energy of the adolescent.
Perhaps more clearly you can see opportunities for independence and movement at our rural campus, the Land School. It is our mountain to wander in, to hike and to sit around the campfire. It is our place to allow time for solitude and reflection. The Land School is an incredible gift to us. It opens up numerous opportunities for real work and responsibility, and it is through real work that independence is fostered. Montessori believed that all work is noble and that each person must have a balance between the work of the hand and the work of the head. On the land, students get their hands dirty doing real tasks that need to be done - from shoveling manure, to clearing trails, to planting trees, to taking care of bees, to tapping maple trees.
Montessori suggested that independence at the adolescent level is through economic independence. Students must feel connected to the whole experience - to buying supplies, tending gardens, selling goods, cleaning up, and accounting. Montessori talked about creating a shop where students can produce crafts to sell or to make necessary items needed for the rural program. This year we will be building the prototype for the tables we will use in our new lodge at the Land School. This idea of economic independence is unique to Montessori. She meant it in the educational sense - to have the students participate in all aspects of the educational and economic processes on the land.
The adolescents have entered a new plane of development - one that draws them inward to develop their personal identity and to find where they fit into the greater society. This is very much a "me" period, but with a great desire to see where "me" fits into the whole. It is a highly social age where there are great physical and emotional changes. They feel pressure from parents to remain active members of the family, from teachers to be leaders in the school community, from friends to "fit in," and from society to be cool. While these pressures may exist for the elementary student, they become the core of the struggle for the adolescent. In a supportive environment that allows for independence and self-expression and understands the value and nobility of the struggle, the adolescent self emerges and ventures with confidence into the adult world.
This article appeared in the Fall 2003 issue of the Lake Country School Courier
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