Sensorial EducationOur senses gather impressions and feed them to the mind. The child can tell variations of sounds, tastes, and so on soon after birth. The senses are points of contact with the environment. In Sensorial Education we use the senses as instruments to building up the intellect. Sensorial Education is organized in such a way that when working with the purposefully designed material the child learns to compare, discriminate and distinguish different sense impressions. Each activity isolates a particular feature or property. In this way it encourages the child to focus on a singular aspect of the material. Through the material the child will acquire conscious knowledge in a systematic and orderly way. Montessori discovered that manual activity leads to intellectual development. When the child fixes their attention on a task they are doing with their hands they are learning to concentrate. Real learning occurs when the child concentrates. Sensorial activities and presentations are always done individually. To have success with the material a child needs to analyze and do a lot of thinking. Lessons of taste, touch, smell, sound, colors, and dimension are found in the classroom. The Montessori materials refine the senses so the child will have a more precise perception of the world and fewer vague notions. |