How to prepare for a Montessori lesson?
A Montessori lesson is a exquisite experience that draws you in and does not let you go,. It is a magic wand that connects the child to the universe - seen or imaginary. When done right, children hang on your every word, follow intently your every move and awakens in them a thirst to know and to experience for themselves. Even I admit that it is a rather tall order…
Maria Montessori talked about the preparation of the teacher. It is part psychological and spiritual and part mental and physical. Basically, these parts can be described as inner preparation and outer preparation. Inner preparation is the journey and change the teacher undergoes through training and experience. The reverence for the human spirit evolves and the ego retreats. Calm and serenity replace the agitation we associate with industry and incessant need to talk. This is a lifelong journey…
So how do we achieve this?…
Lessons are part of an ongoing cycle of observation and reflection.
Firstly, the educator observes the child in a scientific, non judgemental, objective manner. (Note: I will have a blog on how to observe which I will link here).
The second step is the lesson. This step has three components:
Decide what lesson is most appropriate based on knowledge of the child, what he already knows and what lessons he has already had.
Prepare materials, supplementary equipment, follow up activities, as well as the lesson script including a story (whether reading or telling) and higher order thinking questions (Note: I will have a blog post to how to craft HOT questions which I will link here)
Present lesson with a sense of mystery and excitement, wonder and appreciation, encouraging children to discuss, debate and negotiate. (Note: I will have a blog post on how to present a lesson which I will link here.)
Lastly, comes the lesson reflection. This the time when I take usually make annotation to my lesson script about what worked and what did not work. I note interesting questions the children asked. I evaluate the story I told or the book I might have read. Basically, this is a self-evaluation on how well the lesson went for me by judging how engaged children were. Here are some questions I ask myself:
Were the children asking questions?
Were they interested to find out more?
Were they focused on what was happening in front of them?
Was there robust dialogue between them?
Were they doing most of the talking or was I?
Were they enthusiastic about getting their hands on the material or getting started with the follow up work?
All this might sound a little daunting, and you may give a lesson that was a complete disaster. No worries… With practice (just like we tell children), you will get better. There have been a few times when one of my lessons completely flopped! Like went-down-in-flames-and-burned-a-hole-in-the-floor bad!
So what did I do?
I smiled graciously at my group and honestly admitted that the lesson was a flop. I gathered my materials, asked for their forgiveness, apologise and promised that I would come back with a better lesson at another time.
Why apologise, you ask?
Firstly for wasting their time and getting them excited only to be disappointed. Imagine you are waiting for a new movie to release. The trailer looks amazing, you have booked the best tickets on the first day of release, you bought your favourite treats and settled comfortably in your seat. The light go out and… the movie is a complete let down. You feel cheated, let down, frustrated. That is how children feel when a lesson flops. So, it is only fair that we apologise.
Secondly, when we apologise, we show them that we are human and make mistakes. We teach them that mistakes are not the end of the world, but an opportunity to improve. We do not beat ourselves up, we do not put ourselves down, we do not blame. We simply take responsibility and the necessary action to rectify the situation. By modelling this behaviour, children learn that they can do the same. Instead on dwelling on the mistake, they learn to look for the next step.
So, even though a lesson flopped, children still received a lesson albeit not the one I intended.
Good luck with your lesson preparation and reach out if you would like to know more!
See you here next time…
