Philosophy Part ll: The Absorbent Mind

Philosophy Part ll
Evonne Liu
Assignment ll:
Outline of The Absorbent Mind

14. Intelligence and The Hand
Man’s hand has followed his intellect, spiritual life, and emotions; the development of manual skill keeps pace with mental development. Man’s hand expresses his thought and the marks it has left betrays his presence. Hand is related to personality. A child’s character can be full developed if he has opportunities to apply his powers of movement to his surroundings. The child will become independent if adults never give more help than is absolutely necessary.


15. Development and Imitation
The activity gives child the practice he needs for coordinating his movements. A one and a half child is already making efforts to express what he has in mind and begins to imitate. Before he can imitate, he must to prepare for doing so. Sometimes what the child tries to do may seem absurd to adult, but he shall be free from interruption and be able to finish the activity which his heart is set. This indirect preparation is important for the child since it forming in him the capacity to imitate. This preparation derives from the efforts he has been making. After he is prepared that he can imitate adults, then his surroundings can inspire him.


16. From Unconscious Creator to Conscious Worker
The child is entirely dependent on adult before age three. It’s a highly creative period; various powers develop which include physical and mental. The child absorbs his surrounding environment that seems to hide within him. However we fail to recall what happens in this unconscious period. From age three to six the child begins a period of real constructiveness. He is guided by his consciousness now. He wants to master his environment and find therein the means for his development. The child shall be freely to use his hands to handle the means of activities performed on the environment. The hidden powers he created previously will show themselves at this time. The child’s whole personality will be changed and become independent. This is the whole aim of education that a man can be independent in his powers and character,


17. Further Elaboration Through Culture and Imagination
Between three and six the child’s mind can acquire culture by certain kinds of activities which involve movement. We all have inborn attractions which cause us to grow and to develop, in accordance with that nature which is ours alone. The child seems to be happier, have deep interests, and eager for knowledge when he can free to choose the various means of activities we had provided. During this period the child has formed an imaginative power. This higher mental power helps him to learn those things that are not directly visible
All activities may seem like a play for the child. But this kind of play is effortful and leads him to acquire new powers which will be needed in his future.


18. Character and Its Defects in Childhood
Some studies show us that the child’s character is resulting from his own individual efforts. It’s depending on his vital creative energy and on the obstacles he meets with in daily life. If we divide the life to periods according to the guise of human behavior, each period is basically different from the other two; nevertheless each lays the foundation for the one following it. If obstacles intervene occurred and caused difficulties after birth they will be less severe than those caused during gestation; but these will not be so serious as those derived from nocuous influences operative at conception. All defects have their repercussions on mental life and on intelligence. For a healthy character formation, the child needs to work at an interesting occupation: they should not be helped unnecessarily, nor interrupted, once he has begun to do something intelligent.


19. The Child’s Contribution to Society—Normalization
When children are placed in surroundings which permit them to evolve an orderly activity, they come to have an impression of perfect disciplines. Work and freedom are normally needed for the child’s development. An interesting piece of right work, freely chosen which has the virtue of inducing concentration, adds to the child’s energies and mental capacities, and leads him to self-mastery.


20. Character Building Is the Child’s Own Achievement
Children construct their own characters, building up in themselves the qualities in the creative period. They result solely from a long and slow sequence of activities carried out by the child himself between the ages of three and six. The only thing we can do is to put education on a scientific footing, so that children can work effectively without being disturbed or impeded, as well as let children use their creative powers.


21. Children’s Possessiveness and Its Transformations
Human character formation has its constructional process. The first stage is concentration; perseverance comes next. Once the child’s attention has been focused, he becomes his own master and can exert control over his world. Repetition produces a kind of consolidation. If we want the child acquires concentration and perseverance, we must help him become independent and let him choose work freely in an attractive environment. Work and concentration can help the child pass from possessiveness to a sense of love and care for the things he handle, then, the material becomes a medium for him to approach to knowledge.


22. Social Development
Children learn social skills through their experience. A Montessori setting which like mix ages and sexes class, respect each other’s work and freedom, provides a great opportunity for the children’s social development.


23. Cohesion in the Social Unit
Society depends entirely on cohesion. The first step child “cohesion in the social unit” is he was born in the family. He gets individual loves and cares from there. Later about age six, his conscious mind works. He starts to learn customs and laws; obedience regulation he lives, and becomes a part of that group. Education shall be able to prepare for the man’s society. .

24. Mistakes and Their Correction
Mistake can be a harmony bond between adults and children. Children learn voluntarily and would like to correct mistakes themselves. They become more skillful and stop making mistakes.


25. The Three Levels of Obedience
Child’s training relies on will and obstacles. Old time education believes that obedience is the fundamental secret of everything. Three level of obedience are: 1) child obeys sometimes, but not always 2) child always obeys when there’s no obstacles 3) child observes another person’s will and expresses in his behavior.


26. Discipline and the Teacher
The teacher should have calm, firm and patient voice to reach child’s heart and equipped with a series of preparatory exercises to help awaken child’s inner discipline. Once feels sure of himself, a child will have confidence, noble instinct to drive to finish work.


27. The Teacher’s Preparation
The teacher behaves like a keeper of environment, amuses the child and does not interfere him while he is acquiring power to concentrate on things. She will let the child acquire physical independence, be able to act, will and think himself. She does not exercise power over the child, but giving approval when the child comes forward.

28. Love and Its Source—the Child Index
Love is discovered in all aspects of a child. Child has Absorbent Mind and springs from love.


Quote:
The child must first prepare himself and his bodily instruments, then become strong, then observes others and finally begins to do things himself…….Only after this does a new phase set in when he feels the need to start doing things himself. “I am ready and now I want to be free.” (Page 156)

This does not mean the directress has to urge a lazy child to do something. It is enough for her just to put him in touch with the various means for purposive action that are awaiting his use in the environment prepared for him. No sooner has he found his work than his defects disappear. (Page 202)

Example:
These quotes indicate a girl who I’ve been seeing her for three years. First year when she was three, she didn’t want to do any work. She looked tired or bored most of time. She liked to lie down on the sofa at the library corner. If teacher suggested her to choose a work to do or wanted to show her the work, she would use her tiny voice and said, “No, Thank you!” She didn’t work or play with many children in the class. When talked with others, she didn’t make eye contact. The second year when she came back from summer break, her behavior changed. She became more active on work and social. She worked together with other friends, mostly were girls. She was more open to receive new lesson. This year at age five, she grows much taller. She acts like a leader with younger children. She is energetic and eager to do the work. She reminds others about the ground rules. This case is exactly like what Montessori had described.


Quote:
The child likes to take very long walks and to carry quite heavy things……to carry burdens. (Page 156)

Example:
Last year there was a 3 year old boy in my class. He liked to offer his help especially to the teachers. When everyone lined up for the playground, he would ask teachers, “Can I help you? Can I carry something for you?” Sometimes the snack was kind of heavy, but he always said, “Its okay, I can take it.” One day he asked for ball, so we carried a big bag containing several balls, bumper ropes, and chalks. The bag was pretty heavy, but he volunteered to carry it. When I saw he had a little bit struggle with the bag, I told him that he could give me the bag when he felt it’s getting heavy for him, but he insisted to carry it back all the way to the class . A little boy carried a heavy bag, when I think of it now; I still can feel his strong will.


Quote:
Children has a special interest for those things already rendered familiar to them (by absorption) in the earlier period. On these they can focus their minds with great ease. (Page 172)

Example: Once I volunteered at a small but lovely Montessori School. One day a three years old girl caught my attention. She stood in the geography area. On the first shelf, there were many flags from different countries. She looked at the flags for long time and then pointed to American flag. She told her teacher: “I like this flag better!” The teacher asked her for her reason. She looked at the flag and then repeated seriously: “I know this flag. I like this flag better!” Why the little girl liked America flag more than other flags? As she said, it was because she KNOWS it. She felt comfortable with the things she knew already.