The Math Lesson
Rivka Isaacs
There is a difference between teaching a skill and creating a culture. Teaching a skill is an individualized activity and specifically focused. Creating a culture involves developing patterns and structures that give our activities significance and importance. This story shares a bit of what happens when a classroom develops a healthy, supportive culture.
One day, I was giving a “school tour” for some parents, and we were in a classroom observing the children in action. One little 3-year old happened to roll out her rug and place it right in front of where we were observing. She ran to get the math pegs so it was clear that she had had a lesson in math and was going to use her new skills. In the Montessori classrooms where I was the Director at the time, when a new skill, game, or work is introduced and placed on the shelves it is usually done in what is called a “three-part lesson”.
Part one has the teacher demonstrate the work: this is the child's introduction to the new skill.
Part two involves the child practicing with the material under the teacher’s help and supervision.
This, hopefully, leads to Part three where the child works by herself to gain mastery over the skill that is being developed.
As this young girl set out pegs on her mat, it was clear that she was intent on her lesson and we were thrilled to observe her as she began to put the pegs to work. She soon stopped, however, and looked around; she seemed confused about what to do next, so she started to kind of play around with the materials. Suddenly another child, a 5-year old, came over to watch her. After a few moments, the older child said, “Can I work with you?” The younger child looked up with great enthusiasm and said “YES!”
One of the parents whispered to me, “I thought there was going to be a tug of war over the pegs and a lot of tears…” Imagine his great surprise when the older child sat down next to the younger one and together they began putting the work together. As the older one worked with the younger one, the 3-year old began to remember what needed to be done. The two sat together working patiently and cooperatively for a while, and when they were done they both ran over to ask Morah to come and see that they had completed their work. As you would expect, there were big, happy, satisfied smiles on both of their faces and on the teacher’s face... and on ours!
Don't we want to create that culture in our own families, classrooms and communities: a culture where we happily and respectfully offer to step in to help one another? Where we are able to accept that help without the interference of ego/gaavah? Where an offer of help doesn’t make us feel inferior but rather is understood to be a genuine offer to grow together?
Well-designed homes and classrooms foster that loving cooperative-collaborative feeling of working together. Participants acknowledge that everyone has strengths and everyone has areas they need to work on, and therefore everyone can contribute, accept help, and GROW TOGETHER!
This is not based on age. Each of us can reach out with whatever we are strong in and support those around us who need help. Each of us can accept that help knowing that they have their own strengths and their own self-worth, so that they aren’t weaker for accepting assistance.
This doesn’t come naturally or easily; it takes a conscious effort to create this environment, starting with we-ourselves modeling the behavior in our own interactions with others, whether those others are children or adults.
The 5-year old felt it was right to help the 3-year old because he had been helped himself at some time by adults, and in the interaction made to feel empowered to help others by that adult's sensitive treatment of his needs.
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