Transitional Heat Transfer

For me is a very fascinating point to see how the spontaneity can rule the world. Montessori explained that the transformation she experienced in children’s behaviour at the Children’s Houses was staggering for her. She and the teachers never made attempt to force children to learn if they resisted or use the materials, never compelled themselves on to the children – as we usually used to in the traditional schools, nevertheless she and her staff faced with unexpected success. Children became settled, well-organised, disciplined and socialized in her school. She eventually looked for the way to make the children’s life better, to keep them a chance having a more balanced life in there future and she actually got anything which shook old, stick in the mud teaching system.

“Work is love made visible.” (Gibran, K. The Prophet (1948), page 33 in Montessori (1949), page 189).

Montessori used Gibran’s motto as her essential milestone. She stated normalisation cannot be alive without ‘real’ work. The work which itself is build upon mental maturity. Mental maturity which is the result of concentration and the concentration which is derived from the motives of activity based on child’s freedom. Freedom with her means that child has a choice using materials as frequently as he wants from the proper environment. And now we can return the beginning of the concept that is to say to get normalised child.

Normalisation is a progress – ‘…does not depend on his /child/ age, but also on being free to look about him.’ (Montessori (1949), page 207)

The whole path usually takes long period of time which depends on the child’s character, his age, the quantity of the time he spends in the school and the level of deviation.

Deviation alienates the child’s personality to find the path of self perfectionment. The abnormal development inhibits the normalisation or postpones its process. The child’s character becomes strong or weak which means he behaves too actively or too passively. The biggest problem is that the society not always regards the deviation as bad as Montessori.

Whereas the child’s deflection causes discipline problems and all of his energies dissipate to stop giving him effort to be joyful, independent and harmonious.

If a child normalised he is stabile, disciplined, he acts freely and enjoys the happy work. Inside him he feels social sentiments and sympathy for others. Not pure chance that normalisation is a desirable transitional process.

The suitable environment causes dramatic changes because directs the child’s maturity to perfection. Places, where child can find work that permits him to develop. In the Montessori classroom everything was served in regards of the child’s progress. Teacher herself put emphasis on the environment which standing around the child. She equipped the environment with objects which helped the child to construct himself. The unused materials were eliminated by her because these objects made obstacles. The child sized furniture; the small cupboards eased the child movement and choice. One specimen of each object grew the child maturity, because he learned waiting for his turn. Mats on the floor gave place for the child to place himself freely

in the classroom. Books, music, dressing room, easy access to garden responded to the child’s expectation. In the school the waist high walls allowed the children to go between the classrooms. Children understood what the older ones were doing and though he didn’t stay there he was full of enthusiasm waiting for to be involved later in more progress. Child had a controlled environment where he could work with serenity and joy. The Montessori classroom originally was organised with vertical classification. Montessori kept important the structure of mixed ages. She though that the older child behaved like protector against of the younger ones. He helped younger classmates because he was dressed up with social feelings. He was sufficiently intelligent not emulate with younger ones and the younger never felt himself depressed or humiliated as usually in the traditional schools could be formed among the same age children.

Children have an instinct to help the weak. This feeling takes shape if the group is socially normalised. Child has ability to sympathize with the others. In that case he follows his inner guide to place himself in a social environment.

The society goes through the development. The phases of the social development show the same piers we can observe in the children’s social unit. The first point of the social consciousness is the feeling of a group. The person knows he is the element of the unit and benefits from this.

The second phase is to know the customs and laws which direct the group and people try to obey to these.

The third step when the individual places the group before him and works for the group success. This highness of sociality is often the dream in our sociality but in the normalised community not unimaginable.

Montessori drew this up – ‘This unity born among the children, which is produced by spontaneous need, directed by an unconscious power, and vitalised by social spirit, is a phenomenon needing a name, and I call it “cohesion in the social unit.” (Montessori (1949), page 212)

When child first comes to school he behaves far from the teacher’s expectation. He is too wild or too shy. He is mentally instable and maybe physically disharmonised. Before the teacher reaches the optimal stability she has a lot of work.

First of all she has to supervise the child. The permanent observation gives her the help what kind of individual lesson need for the child. (Mental or physical)

If his movement lacks of coordination she develops the child muscles’ harmony. If he wanders in fantasy, teacher produces reality for him. If he is mentally instable she always tries to eliminate the uncontrolled effects.

Teacher needs to supervise the environment. She prepares the right objectives and removes the obstacles.

When she deals with a single child never turns back on the class, in that case she can keep her eye not just on the new child but on the whole class. She