Critical thinking includes, amongst other things, the ability to: analyse, interpret, draw inference, explain, self-regulate and problem-solve; the results of which enhance a child’s creativity, decision-making abilities and curiosity about the world they live in.
Whilst ruminating on how Montessori practices support the development of this skill, it was apparent that it is intricately and intrinsically woven into every aspect of the pedagogy and practice.
Maria Montessori divides child development into what is called the Four Planes of Development. When examining the first two planes, children from birth to twelve, it is clear how critical thinking skills are fostered from the very start.
Critical Thinking in the First Plane
The First Plane is one that involves the child absorbing absolutely everything around him or her; their environment. It is characterised by what is called ‘The Absorbent Mind’ and ‘Sensitive Periods’. In a nut shell, the first plane can be described as the child (0-6 years) forming their physical as well as mental and spiritual existence as a human being – literally like building a brand new house from scratch.
During this plane the child is nourished with a wealth of opportunities to develop their problem-solving and analytical skills by engaging especially with the Practical Life and Sensorial areas of the Montessori environment. Every activity (or material) has an in-built auto-correcting function; this is important for the following reasons.
Critical thinking development in children must leave space for the child to curate and shape his or her ability to solve problems independently. Whilst adults are always eager to step in and help a child; the development of critical thinking skills must include the time and freedom for the child to figure it out themselves.
So after a practitioner has introduced a Montessori Practical Life or Sensorial activity to a child, the child is left to complete the exercise independently having the auto-correcting function as a clear indication and guide for if and when the child has correctly completed the exercise. For example, the Laying the Table exercise in the Practical Life area clearly shows where the cutlery and crockery should be place on the tray. The child is able to distinctly see where the spoon, knife, fork, cup and plate go. If they are misplaced, it is very apparent to see. The child can then, independently analyse and problem-solve visually without the need for adult intervention.
The first plane of development is captioned as “I can do it myself.” This is because during this phase of development, that is exactly what the child is aiming to master; doing things by him or herself. As in the above example, the child who is able to complete an exercise to the end, even if they require several attempts (on seeing that the exercise is not completed correctly) is developing mental resilience and emotional resolve; all attributes of curating sound critical thinking skills.
Another skill that is facilitated throughout is self-regulation. In Montessori there is what is called the ‘Work Cycle’. This means that when a child decides to engage with a particular material, there is a process of preparation and completion that the activity is sandwiched between. The child prepare the area where they would like to take part in the activity by laying a mat out. The child then brings the material to the mat and works with it. Once the child is finished working with the material, the activity is placed back where it ‘lives’ (usually on a shelf in a particular area) and the mat is folded and also returned to its place. Only then has the child completed the exercise. This liberty to self-regulate; freely choose when to do an activity, freely choose the activity, freely decide when to finish working with an activity and engaging with the exercise through the work cycle, supports the development of a child’s decision-making skills; also vital for thinking critically.
Critical Thinking in the Second Plane
The Second Plane of Development is captioned “I can think it myself.” Here we are considering the child between six and twelve years of age. If the multitude of questions had not already begun in the latter stage of the first plane, they would surely begin and tenfold during this plane.
The difference here is that the child is no longer absorbing his or her environment with the natural zest of the first plane and the engulfing of the sensitive periods. The child now seeks to organise and make sense of all that has been absorbed; they want to interpret it so it makes sense to them on a deeper level, they seek thorough explanations and inferences about all they have experienced and learned during the first plane. Now is the time they want to understand what they know and how it relates to themselves and the world around them. They have created their house and now want to furnish it;
“…that [development of] consciousness is thrown outwards with a special direction, intelligence being extroverted and there is an unusual demand on the part of the child to know the reasons for things.” (Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential, p.3)
During the second plane there is a desire to become independent in their mental intelligence;
“[The child] is no longer…absorbing impressions with ease, but wants to understand for himself, not content with accepting mere facts.” (Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential, p.3)
Their desire and ability to think abstractly is now being created and shaped;
“”…it is a period that, psychologically, is especially sensitive… during which the abstract plane of the human mind is organised.” (Montessori, From Childhood to Adolescence, p.85)
Montessori observed that during this plane there is a hunger to understand oneself in acute detail as well as wanting to understand the interconnectedness of everything and everyone around them;
“An inner change has taken place… a claim to mental independence… the child now stands in need of his own inner light.” (Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential, p.4)
and
“If during this period of social interest and mental acuteness all possibilities of culture are offered to the child… [it] will be use for purposes of social organisation at a later stage.” (Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential, p.4)
and also…
“… all things are a part of the universe, and are connected with each other… This idea helps the mind of the child to… stop wandering… having found the universal centre of himself with all things.” (Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential, p.6)
Finally, this period of development was observed to also include the desire to be imaginative and to develop reasoning skills;
“The secret of success is found to lie in the right use of imagination in awakening interest, and the stimulation of seeds of interest already sown.” (To Educate the Human Potential, p.3)
The natural desire to want to nutrify oneself mentally, to want to become independent in one’s mental intelligence, to desire to think abstractly with attention to detail, to understand the interconnectedness of everything and to be imaginative and develop reasoning skills all constitute the natural desire to think critically. So how do we support this natural occurrence in children this age?
Provide an abundance of information for the child to be able to explore!
Montessori developed nomenclature cards for absolutely everything in every subject to support the child in understanding concepts in their parts and as a whole. The nomenclature cards also provide rich vocabulary that the child is able to digest in order to think and express their thoughts with precision. Providing a wealth of opportunities for the child to explore freely, without adult intervention is also indispensable to curating critical thinking skills, as mentioned earlier. Asking open-ending questions and offering alternative perspectives via questions and comments during discussions and conversations will plant seeds of curiosity into the child, further developing his or her critical thinking skills. Allowing them to practice making choice independently will enhance their ability to problem-solve, analyse, interpret, draw inference, explain and self-regulate; once again all imperative to developing critical thinking skills.