More Fun than Recess

"Human consciousness comes into the world as a flaming ball of imagination . . . Subjects must be presented so as to touch the imagination of the child, . . . and then add fuel to the burning fire that has been lit."
--Dr. Maria Montessori,
To Educate the Human Potential



Maria Montessori suggested that instead of offering children fairy tales to satisfy their hungry imaginations, we should give the imagination something bigger and juicier on which to munch--something based in reality. "Let us give him a vision of the whole universe" (To Educate the Human Potential). "If the idea of the universe is presented to the child in the right way, . . . it will create in him admiration and wonder. . . . A greater curiosity arises, one which can never be satiated; so it will last through a lifetime."

Montessori noticed that elementary age children are interested in the "why?" and "how?" of things. They ask lots of questions. This is a perfect fit for lots of science! By placing science at the center of our Montessori elementary curriculum, we tap into the child's natural curiosity. We invite the child to ask questions and embark on a delightful search for answers through investigation and research. In doing so, we help children connect school with the joy of learning! (Sadly, this seemingly obvious connection escapes many learners in many schools.)

We start the year (the first week of school!) with the imaginative, dramatic Story of the Universe (complete with swirling stars and steam and an erupting volcano!)--the first of the Five Great Lessons. This story sets the stage for all of our science, geography, and history work to come--and places this learning in the larger context of the universe. In Montessori classrooms, we refer to these subjects as "cultural" because they are human constructs, accumulated knowledge that builds and changes as it passes from generation to generation. An integrated 'cultural curriculum'--"that mixture of history and science, story and study"--is "the heart and soul of an authentic Montessori elementary classroom" (Duffy). "Math and language should be called upon to serve that cultural core."

The Universe Story is followed by detailed study. This is where I act as the guide, providing materials and opportunities, while the children take the active role in doing the work. We begin by experimenting with force and motion, "the laws governing the universe." In order to understand why planets are spheres and why they revolve around the sun, we must begin to understand the laws of physics.

To do the work of science (and sometimes social studies), the children are grouped in Cooperative Investigation Teams. Each team of four or five students is a mixed-age combination of first, second, and third graders. Third graders serve as Facilitators, the leaders of their team, making sure that everyone understands the directions and that everyone gets a turn. The team also has a Materials Manager, a Clean-up Coordinator, a Scribe, and an Illustrator. Last year, I purchased a set of goggles for each group and created matching sets of color-coded job tags (which made me giddily happy). Each member of the team wears the goggles that match the color of his/her job tag, eliminating disputes over goggles color. I love when groups decide they'd better wear the goggles, "just to be safe" or "because we need eye protection." Our young scientists are sometimes very serious . . . and wearing goggles helps.

I know Montessori was on the right track with her ideas about science because when my children return from ancillary to find that the tables have been moved into position for "Science Groups," they quietly hiss "Yes!" grinning and, with bent elbows, pulling fists to their chests, as if they have just successfully executed a slam dunk or a homerun. "We're doing science today!" YES! Science is sometimes a lot of work, at least if it's done well--with hands-on, minds-on experiments. There are activities to research, record sheets to develop, materials to gather, and set-ups to prepare. But inquiry-based science is also an awful lot of fun!

A couple weeks into the year, our Cooperative Investigation Teams assembled for their first experiment--exploring force and mass. At the start of each experiment, children are asked to propose a hypothesis. They record the hypothesis in pen because in the past, children have been known to erase their hypothesis and "correct" it at the end of an experiment when the results don't support the hypothesis. We have discussed how exciting it can be when a scientist discovers that the results of an experiment are not what s/he expected! It means we learned something new! Who would want to do an experiment if we always accurately predicted the outcome?

We also consider safety: What could happen? What is necessary to make the experiment safe and avoid unnecessary messes? The children use a balance and gram weights to measure the mass of an empty Jello box and a full Jello box. (Tip for teachers: So as not to supply crawly critters with sweet sugary snacks, I have replaced the Jello powder in the full boxes with carefully measured bags of sand.)

The children then construct a ramp with books and a grooved ruler. They tape everything into place so that the apparatus remains the same for all trials, a "fair test." A golf ball is rolled down the ramp into the empty box and then the full box. The distance each box travels after being hit is measured with a meter stick and recorded in a chart. Which box consistently travels farthest? Then the real work begins. The children must discuss and decide what it all means. What forces are acting on the boxes? Why does one box behave differently from the other? What is the relationship between force and mass?

So much learning can be incorporated into a single experiment--discussion of variables, repeated trials, and safety, reading directions, cooperating with a group, measuring mass and length, making observations, recording results, and drawing conclusions--and it's fun. It brings learners to life, recruiting them as joyful participant-owners of their own education.

During the experiment, we overheard a first grader excitedly exclaim, "This is so much more fun than recess! Science is more fun than recess!" (P.M.). The same week, when I announced to the class that I was sending home extra homework on forces, the children cheered. Seriously--could I make this stuff up?!


What We're Reading:
Earth Story by Eric Maddern
The Everything Seed: A Story of Beginnings by Carole Martignacco
Forces Make Things Move by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Resources:
To Educate the Human Potential by Maria Montessori
Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary Classroom by Michael and D'Neil Duffy
Hidden Heart of the Cosmos by Brian Swimme
The Univserse Story by Brian Swimme and Thomas Berry
Teaching as Story Telling by Kieran Egan