Thanks for stopping by!

Because, chances are they will follow their interests farther than you ever imagined. Take note just like Souzzann said of where they go and what they discover. There seems to be so few chances for new discoveries…where will the next Wright Brothers, Louis and Clark, or Google guys find their inspiration? I don’t know. I simply want to follow the child and do all I can do is clear the path.

Souzzann, I agree that the child/teacher relationship is very important in elementary. The teacher’s attitude towards the materials is key. Luckily it’s pretty easy to get excited about the Montessori materials

Darlene left this thoughtful comment at my Facebook page:

“First, let’s clarify what “follow the child” does NOT mean:
It does not mean allowing the children to choose any material in the classroom.
It does not mean letting them set their own rules.
It does not mean allowing them to do what they want with the materials.
It does not mean neglecting to expose a child to a material because they don’t show curiosity about it.

So what does “follow the child” require us to do?

It encourages us through observation to ascertain the child’s developmental achievements, and use these to guide our selection of what we’re going to present next. For example, I will present the red rods to a child and encourage him to build them on his own. When, after several attempts, the child succeeds in building the red rods in descending order, this is a good indication that the moment is right to introduce the number rods.

The child told me he was developmentally ready, not with words but by demonstrating the mental maturity to correctly organize a material that varies only in one dimension. Had I moved forward with the number rods presentation basing my decision on the child’s age, or on the performance of his peers, I would not be “following the child”.

This is only one example from the math area.”

(me again) This is a great example – I particularly like the idea of a child letting you know when they are ready for something new by their actions rather than words. They may not be able to verbalize it, which is why observation is so important.

Just to give a contrasting example from elementary, you might give an introductory lesson for the Binomial Cube to a group of 3rd graders. A week later, you might give another Binomial Cube lesson to the group.

There may be children in that group who have not yet mastered the first Binomial Cube activity, but it’s okay for them to be part of the next lesson (it might help them, actually, to solidify their concept of the cube). They can still continue to work on the first lesson as needed; indeed, the teacher might spend some time with them one-on-one to make sure they “get it”.

This is definitely in contrast with primary 3-6, where lessons are mostly individual and are only given when the child has mastered the material. I just want to make clear the difference between primary and elementary in the “follow the child” philosophy.