Elementary
“…OUR GREAT TASK IN EDUCATION IS TO GIVE AID TO LIFE…IF WE WANT TO GIVE EDUCATION AS AID TO LIFE, WE MUST FIRST OF ALL GIVE THE VISION OF THE WORLD AND ITS FUNCTIONING AND SHOW HOW IT IS INTERRELATED IN ITS PROGRESS.”
–MARIO MONTESSORI
In the primary environment the child has built up his coordination of movements, order, concentration, and independence mainly through individual work. Now, in the Montessori Elementary Environment the child aged 6-12 begins his exploration of the world through group work. Montessori called the elementary child the “cosmic explorer” because of the child’s fascination with the exploration of the world. The elementary child uses his imagination to learn, imagining what he cannot see allowing him/her to study the grandeur of the universe. The traditional system is based upon the use of memory and abstraction instead of the faculty of reason. Reasoning allows the child to compare and deduce, ultimately arriving at a conclusion.