Early childhood learning, just like other stages of education, is comprised of different areas of focus. Whether we use the term “subjects”, “areas”, “themes”, “content”, “field”, “topic”, etc. One of those key pieces of curriculum is language.
Maria Montessori says, “language is the central point of difference between the human species and all others. Language lies at the root of that transformation of the environment that we call civilization… Language is an instrument of collective thought… Hence, language is truly the expression of a kind of super-intelligence”.
Language is key to our development. To our ability to work together. To our ability to learn. Whatever form that language takes, written, spoken, signed, sung, it is key to our way of life.
Maria Montessori continues to describe children and the learning of language, and our roles as educators: “The child of six who has learned to speak correctly, knowing and using the rules of his native tongue, could never describe the unconscious work from which all this has come. Nevertheless, it is he, man, who is the creator of speech. He does it entirely by himself, but if he lacked this power, and could not spontaneously master his language, no effective work would ever have been done by the world of men. There would be no such thing as civilization. This is the true perspective in which we must see the child. This is his importance. He makes everything possible. On his work stands civilization. This is why we must offer the child the help he needs, and be at his service so that he does not have to walk alone”.
I want you to take a moment and look around your room, wherever you are right now. Classroom, break room, kitchen, office. Look around you. How many examples of language do you see? Hear? Even in a moment of silence with only blank wall or empty floor in your line of sight, I would imagine there is still language present in your thoughts. Language allows us to plan for our future, to record our past, to analyze experiences, to express ideas, to understand our environment. There is no end to the importance of language.
Language learning in a Montessori environment focuses on activities that develop auditory skills, speech, vocabulary, writing skills, reading, and an understanding of the patterns of language. Maria Montessori identified three key language curriculum components: “she focused first on developing the skills children need to write and read rather than on writing and reading per se. She accepted as natural the development of writing before reading. She introduced reading only to children who were already writing”.
I want to take a moment to focus on the development of writing before reading. So often, our society pushes the skill of reading, and focuses on that one ability. But we know that children are egocentric at a young age, meaning that, in their interpretation of the world, everything is about them and their experience. That alone supports the order of writing and then reading, as writing allows a child to express their own thoughts and ideas before they read the ideas of others. It’s a logical progression.
Montessori activities in language development can be divided into four main areas: oral language, writing, reading, and parts of speech.
“Oral language focuses on spoken language and the ability to verbally communicate ideas, feelings and knowledge.” This area of language typically develops naturally, so it is not a skill that needs to be learned, but rather a skill to be enriched. The development of oral language helps to build a strong foundation for the writing and reading skills that will come later. In enhancing the ability to communicate verbally, a child also improves their ability to listen, think, and reason. Some simple ways to help a child enrich their oral language include repeating words as they are introduced; speaking slowly and precisely, with emphasis on each syllable; making eye contact with the child when speaking; modeling the correct form of the word rather than correcting the child; describing your actions and the actions of the child; using words that describe time, quantity, and space; using adjectives and comparisons; inviting the child to answer open-ended questions; and encourage the telling of stories.
“...writing is a complex activity that involves both the mind and the hand. Writing is a cognitive skill, allowing us to express our thoughts and feelings through the shared code of recorded language.” As stated earlier, the first focus is on the skills needed to write, rather than on writing itself. The foundations of writing lie in Practical Life and Sensorial activities, as the child develops fine motor skills; control of movement; hand-eye coordination; concentration; and lightness of touch. A child must also experience the process and order of a complete cycle of activity, learning that there is a beginning, middle, and end before they are able to write, as that understanding of process and order is needed to form letters, words, and sentences. They must also strengthen their pincer grasp through other activities, such as stacking blocks or using pincers, before we can ask them to properly hold a writing utensil. Additionally, an understanding of left-to-right and top-to-bottom orientation needs to be acquired in order to recognize where letters belong on a page and the order in which they should be added. A wide variety of activities, such as working with a puzzle map, pouring beans, arranging cylinder blocks, and tracing objects with a tool, will all come before writing letters, as those activities assist in developing the skills needed for writing.
“Reading is much more complex and abstract than writing. Reading is a silent form of communication that involves being able to interpret the thoughts of others. According to Dr. Montessori, reading is not the oral verification of a word the child has written; it is the interpretation of an idea gathered from written symbols… reading serves to develop ideas and relate them to language.” Reading demands the development of the intellect and a receptive inclination to understand the thoughts, feelings, and ideas of others. It is complex, incremental and abstract, requiring a focus on decoding as a child interprets a symbol and connects it to the associated sound, then strings those sounds together to form a word and interprets the meaning of the word. The process requires analysis, synthesis, and interpretation. The complexity of this activity and the needed ability to recognize the ideas of others is why this is important to introduce when the child demonstrates a readiness and willingness to learn.
The fourth area of language, Parts of Speech, introduces the child to the concept of grammar. “Grammar is the set of rules that applies to a language, especially pertaining to structure, how words are classified, and the function of words.” Grammar is something that a child learns subconsciously, as they naturally follow the rules applied to the speech they hear and then use to develop their own abilities in oral language. As the child begins to write, their written language mimics their oral language. “The purpose of the parts of speech activities, then, is not really to teach grammar; it is to bring awareness to the knowledge the child has internalized subconsciously and to allow him to experience the rules of language and the function of words in a sensorial, concrete manner.”
Together, these areas of learning, oral language, writing, reading, and parts of speech, provide intentional and varied opportunities for each child ...
