what can orgpsyc learn from montessori-v3

8/14/2019 What Can OrgPsyc Learn From Montessori-V3

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What can Organisational

Psychologists learn fromDr. Maria Montessori?

John Read, MScPhD Research StudentMonash Dept. [email protected]


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Dr Montessori was known for?

From Casa DeiBambini in Rome in1906

To many hundredsof MontessoriSchools today

Acute sense of

observation,

experimentation

and rigor


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Who was influenced by

Dr Montessori?

Jean Piaget, was Head of the Swiss

Montessori Society for many years

Erik Erikson, had a Montessori

teaching certificate.


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And these well known people

Thomas Edison, noted scientist and

inventor, helped found a Montessorischool

Alexander Graham Bell, notedinventor, and his wife Mabel

founded the US MontessoriEducation Association in 1913.


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Who were taught in a Montessori School?

Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Foundersof Google.com

Jeff Bezos, Founder AMAZON.COM

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize

winner for Literature

Jacqueline Onassis, editor, former first

lady (John F. Kennedy)


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What Does She Have To OfferOrganisational Psychology?

Scientific Observations

Scientific Practitioner Role

Model Theory Tenets, Methods and

Equipment, Practices and

Learning


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As a Scientist she can offer us

Constructivist Learning and

Development Theory Observations and Findings

Methods and Equipment

Explanations

AHEAD OF HER TIME


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Her observations and tenets

Movement leads psychological

development

Development proceeds from self-driven proactive interaction with the

environment

Personality develops sequentially

through sensitive periods ofdramatic growth


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She appeared to redefine many majorvariables and relationships

When personalityis defined as all

facets of the person includingphysical, mental, affective and

social capabilities

Workis the major mechanism of

development

Creating a suitable environmentfor work, including the teacher andequipment can have a major impact

on development


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Early Adults: The natureof infants and children

Child seeks to perfect her skills

Perfection may entail many

attempts, revisits and repeats forreinforcement over a period of time

all self-directed

Personality develops sequentially

through sensitive periods ofdramatic growth


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Movement leads development

Movement, control and refinement ofskill develops personality

Upward cycle of skill perfection as it isself-perfection

Once satisfaction (self-defined) with aparticular skill is achieved may discardfocus on intensively improving thatskill, move on


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Already working

Proceeds from

lesson throughdiscovery

Concentrated

effort

Focused

attention


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From work to order

Creates:

a sense of order

A structured personality

Through her experience of an

ordered environment

Redefines our expression:

A place for everything and everything inits place


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Other insights that struck a chord?

The best form offeedback is selfdiscovery the

equipment itselfgives feedbacknot the teacher it doesnt fit/work

so try somethingelse


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Planes of Development

Montessori identifies the fourPlanes as

Infancy 0 - 6 years

Child 6 - 12 years

Adolescence 12 - 18 years

Maturity 18-24 years


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First Plane of Development

0 3 years unconscious creator

involuntary and voluntarymovement, pre-disposition to

evaluate stimulus,

Physical changes in growth and

stamina

Absorbent mind (like a sponge)

Sensorial explorer


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First Plane of Development

3 - 6 years conscious creator voluntarymovement, intentional hand control,object manipulation

Concentrated effort = Normalised child Integration of personality

Intention and movement to create result

Self-observed results give automaticfeedback for learning


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First Sensitive Periods

Fundamental development:

sensitive period for movement, whichis linked to the

sensitive period for order


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First sensitive periods for growth

Fundamental:

the sensitive period for thedevelopment of the senses connected

with that of love for the environmentand for details;

the sensitive period for language.

Within two years, or two and a half yearsof life (see Dr Montessori's book: TheAbsorbent Mind) the child learns to talk


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Adults were all children once

Self-centered (reasonfor 1:1 presentations)

Need love for affectivedevelopment

Develops ego throughself centred work/activity


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Really? Yes really

The child naturally concentrates theirmind and activity, leading to integratedand differentiated growth across intellect,

mind, movement and motor control,feeling and self-regulation

Observed extended periods (up to

several hours) of concentration andengagement under certain conditions


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Sensitive periods for growth

the potentialities for these lie within

the infant/child


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Sensitivities are needs

Need ordered environment

Need self direction and freedom to

choose Need moderated stimulation

Need love, support

Need nutrition etc

Need to hear language

Need freedom to move, protection

from harm


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Second Plane of Development

6 - 12 years conscious creator

beyond movement towardsincreasing cognitive development

From Concrete to Abstract

Skill development

Socialisation


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Key New Drives

Understanding of Environment

Explanation of self, others and

objects and events in time, space,relationships

Building epistemological structures

Use social relationships to build


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Sensitivities of 6 12 years old

Sensitive period for understanding

how things work

Sensorial to abstract

Creative imagination

Moral development

Wider environmental awareness

Time and space concepts developed

as in geography and history


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Sensitive periods for growth


the childand are revealed throughher action on and with her

environment


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Sensitivities are needs

Need patience and answers

(moderated knowledge)

Need exposure to narrative

Need wider spaces

Need other age groups

Different experiences, not simplysensorial ones


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Third Plane of Development

12 - 18 years social creator

develop social role performance

Questioning, and self review

Physical maturation

Moral reasoning

Moves beyond family roles toestablish new social relationships


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Key New Drives

Resolution of moral questions

Development of moral beliefs

Development of Gender identity Adjustment to physical development


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Sensitivities in 12 18 yr olds

Sensitive to identity and role

modelling

Sensitive to social and moral issues


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Adolescents

Exploring moral reasoning, selecting

role models as idols

Choose moral path

Explore needs of humanity


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Growth in the Third Plane

the potentialities for these lie within theadolescentand are revealed through theiraction on and with their environmentnow

both individually and part of small groups,teams and associations


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Fourth Plane of Development

18 - 24 years Adult emerges

Readiness for adult roles

Life mission Social contribution


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Sensitivity

Self-Actualisation of social

contribution through life mission andself expression

Life, Personal andCareer/Occupation development


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They still have Adult Drives

Absorbtion

Self-direction

Continuing Self-perfection Ongoing self awareness, understandingand self knowledge

Later addressing of incomplete earlierplanes of development e.g. language

Social and individual role fulfilment

(c.f. Maslow)


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Adult Development

Ongoing moral development

Ongoing cognitive and behavioural

development (Elliott Jaques)

Ongoing Self Development

Continuing Social development

Ongoing Physical development


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Growth in the Fourth Plane


the Adultand are revealed acrosstheir lifespan from birth.


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Spiral of Development

An earlier plane always prepares the onethat follows, forms its basis, nurtures theenergies, which urge the individual

towards the succeeding period of life.

1st. Plane0 - 6

2nd. Plane6 - 12

3rd. Plane12 - 18

4th. Plane18 24+


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And Lead to Observations of

Nature of Man

Key dimensions of Development

Self-directed learning Work and Normalisation

Optimisation

Were playing catch


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Have you ever experienced optimalconcentration or flow?

Times when your actions, thoughts

and feelings were focused andaligned, you felt you were in your

ideal performance zone

perhaps it was in sports or whilst doing

some other activity that you really like?

I hope that you have


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Self directed study in action


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So I learnt

Conditions that

best promotegrowth include:

Plannedenvironment

Liberty andfreedom of

choice

Largely selfdirected activity


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Why did I believe it?

Substantial face validity and much

other evidence of efficacy Anecdotal amazement by all who saw the

schools in operation all over the world Improvement by those autistic and street

orphans she taught

Research paper in US comparing

standard school academic measures withMontessori and non-Montessori students

Long list of supporters and one rebuttal,itself now effectively re-butted


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Simplicity

Watching children grow

themselves


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Operationalised

"In the special environment prepared

... in our schools, the childrenthemselves found a sentence that

expresses the inner need: 'Help meto do it by myself!'

Maria Montessori, The Secret ofChildhood


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Take - Aways

We are from the infant-child-

adolescent we once were so

What are the underlying principles

of adult learning, adult developmentand adult performance that seem to

be missing from our currentknowledge?


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Lets look atsome up to datemodels

John Mayerin Journalof Clinical

PsychologyDecember

2004Personality

SystemsFramework


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The Systems Set

The four parts of the system are:

energy lattice

knowledge works social actor

conscious executive

correspond approximately to MMspsychology branch of her defn ofpersonality


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The Systems Set

Criteria for divisions:

as distinct as possible

collectively covered the personality

system well,

corresponded to areas of brainfunction, and

conveyed through their functions adynamic sense of what personalitydoes (Mayer, 2001).


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Where isOrganisational

PsychologysWall Chart?

John Mayer in

Journalof ClinicalPsychology

December 2004

PsychotherapyWall Chart


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Features of a Wall Chart

Perspective of a Whole System

Components

Relationships, dependencies andinfluences

Functioning and operability

Optimisation

Life is complex,it has real and imaginary components.


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Montessori did research on Literacywith the US Army

And found

Later learning beyond these early

sensitive periods is always slowerand more difficult - but is

significantly better promoted via her

same training methods versus theold teaching style


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Matching learning to the learner

In Maria Montessori's metaphorical

language, "the successive levels ofeducation must conform to the

successive personalities of thechild."

Life-long learning matched to thepersonality of the adult


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In summary:

Educational Pedagogy

Prepared environment

Sequential learning from sensorial

through practical to social

Insights into the nature of man,

learning and development

Primary Tenets:

Personality

Development

Director not Teacher


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In Future:

Positive Psychology

Relate MMs works to emergingpositive psychology life of man

driven innately towards growthand development

Thank

You.

what can orgpsyc learn from montessori-v3

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