Sensorial materials ground the child in fine-tuning their visual, tactile, stereognostic (shape by holding), auditory, gustatory, olfactory, and geometric senses. The purpose of the Sensorial materials is to aid the child in refining pitch, temperature, and weight and in using language to describe these qualities. These materials are an integral part of developing the whole child — directly building the “mathematical mind” and indirectly preparing for writing.

What happens during a Montessori “work cycle”?

Learners in a Montessori classroom choose their own activities or “work”, which fills them with purpose through concentration (or “flow”). The adult guide gives children individualized presentations of the various works throughout the morning, so that the child understands the purpose of a specific material. Guides are able to assess a child’s comprehension of the material and concepts from individualized presentations.

Children have the freedom to move from one activity to the next at their own pace, rather than the adult directing them. Children explore and engage with the hands-on, multi-sensory materials, and are invited to lessons in one of four curricular areas.

Guides keep records of the lessons a child has been presented, ensuring the child is being introduced to the various curricular areas at the appropriate developmental stages. Guides observe for repetition of a child’s work as the child progresses. This allows the guide to continue to build on the child’s level of comprehension and progress, through the curriculum, at the child’s own pace. 

Why are Montessori teachers called “guides”?

Dr. Montessori’s term for herself as an educator was “directress” or “guide”.

The first teachers in the Montessori classroom are the didactic, hands-on, concrete materials. The second teachers in the Montessori classroom are the children in the intentionally mixed-age classroom, who take turns modeling, collaborating, and learning through observation of others. The third teacher in the Montessori classroom is the Montessori-trained adult who “guides” the learners through the scope and sequence of the curricular lessons, according to the individual child’s developmental needs and personal enthusiasms.

A Montessori educator is a “guide on the side” – allowing the children freedom of discovery – rather than “a sage on a stage”. Montessori education is child-directed and adult-facilitated.