The Planes of Development

"Our aim is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his innermost core." -Dr. Maria Montessori

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Dr. Montessori based her philosophy on four, distinct planes of development, or stages of learning. These are: Infancy, Childhood, Adolescence, and Maturity. Infancy is broken into two parts, The unconscious Absorbent Mind, from age 0-3, and The conscious Absorbent Mind, from 3-6 years. This is the "Help me do it myself" phase. Children here learn primarily through the senses. Childhood (The Reasoning Mind, ages 6-12), is the "Help me think for myself" plane. Here, we see exploration of ideas and information. Adolescence (The Humanist Mind, ages 12-18), is the "Help me think with you" section. It marks the transition from family to society. And finally, Maturity (The Specialist Mind, ages 18-21/24), where we find the "How can I help you" mindset. This final plane focuses on self-knowledge and self-realization.

Each plane has a very distinct set of characteristics which can be observed within the child. These characteristics can be physical, intellectual, emotional, or spiritual, and are what help to construct the individual. There is a range, of course, as each human being develops and learns in different way. Dr. Montessori made space for this in her three year cycles of education. She believed that children were always absorbing, taking in the world around them, and growing. 

And they still are. I promise you. Even today, when far away from their Montessori classrooms and working at home, our children are still learning. They may not have access to bead frames or checkerboards or pin maps. They may not be rolling out a rug to place their work on. They may not be using grammar boxes or metal insets. But they ARE learning. They are still working on their reading, writing, and math. They are still researching topics of interest and virtually exploring geography and cultures around the globe. They are playing outside more, enjoying art, and using their imaginations to create new games. They ARE learning. They are learning to adapt and be flexible. They are learning to be more independent and responsible. Today's learning may look and feel different to all of us. It may involve Legos or wooden blocks instead of traditional Montessori materials. Maybe we feel happy for the family time one minute, and then overwhelmed by the juggling act that is our new normal. Some may feel nervous about how all of this will effect our children long term. But I promise you, they ARE still learning.