Cosmic Education - Montessori

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Cosmic Education By Olga Gedai | January 12, 2015 cos-mic, adj: 1. relating to the universe or cosmos, especially as distinct from the earth. 2. inconceivably vast. Maria Montessori saw that all sciences and history tell parts of the same story – the story of the continuing creation of the universe. Cosmic education tells this story. It is not, as in traditional education, a set of facts from a certain academic subject, but rather a way of presenting stories and revealing connections between such subjects as biology, geography, chemistry, astronomy, history, etc., with the lofty goal of creating admiration and wonder in a child, and opening up doors for exploration. In her book, To Educate the Human Potential, Montessori writes: “Let us give the child a vision of the whole universe. The universe is an imposing reality, and an answer to all questions.“ Dr. Montessori has recognized four different stages (planes) of development, and children ages 6 to 12 are moving through the second plane. She has observed the changes in their development and the psychological characteristics that are emerging. Through her observations, Montessori has realized that the second plane is an ideal period for the acquisition of culture. The child in the second plane of development is starting to turn more outwards, from the smaller society of the family to the wider societies of the local community, and even wider, the whole world. The child now demands to know the reason of things, turning from material, sensorial level to abstract thinking and imagination. Further, a new level of moral development is emerging at this age, and the child becomes deeply concerned with justice, fairness, and right or wrong. With these psychological characteristics of the second plane child in mind, we can say that cosmic education addresses the needs children have on this journey into the wider
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