Maria Montessori believed that children are naturally attracted to numbers and born with a “mathematical mind”, which is built up with exactity based on the order and perceptual awareness found in the development of the senses. These sensorial impressions allow the child to create mental order which leads to reasoning and differentiation. The child that has mastered the basic concepts involved with practical life and sensorial materials progresses naturally to the beginning Math activities.
Concept of Numbers 0-10
Activities in the Math area of the classroom utilize the concept of “concrete to abstract.” The emphasis is placed on using objects that students can play with and hold, so that when they recall them later to represent a number or quantity, the idea, or abstraction, is connected to a multi-sensory experience. Introductory math materials that form the basis for numbers rely heavily on this principle. This tactile foundation for learning is common throughout the sensorial area, and this is why these activities continue the experience to connect to an abstract idea of quantity and order.
As we move into the teens and tens, children will have grasped the concept that the number symbols relate to quantities of things. The next logical step is the exploration of the concept of base 10, which is a traditional organization of numbers in much of the world. Once students have grasped and mastered the concept of 1-20, they begin to explore counting by 10’s and eventually, by 1’s all the way to 100. This learning path is so enjoyable to watch because of the meticulous level of concentration involved, and the inevitable “I did it!” when completed.
The introduction to the decimal system is the exploration of the relationship to quantities. Many of the exercises in this section are designed to increase the child’s understanding of symbols and quantities using materials like the 1, 10, 100, and thousand cube. Many of these activities work like games where students guess or count out quantities based on symbols or slips of paper presented to the student. Each step in this process helps them to further understand how the decimal system works, and more importantly what constitutes a given quantity.
By this point, students will have a foundational understanding of the materials in the math area, and can use them with mastery. The next logical step in this learning path is the introduction of operational math, focusing on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. By this point these activities are largely intuitive, and worksheets accompany lessons using the materials involved so that students can transition seamlessly between math done with their hands, and math done in the mind.
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